Hotels in Stavanger: harbour, park or by the Forum arena

Small, severe and home to the city's best-known kitchen

Eilert Smith Hotel occupies a functionalist building by the harbour, a few paces from Skagenkaien, with few enough rooms that you recognise the other guests at breakfast. The interiors are pared back and Nordic, all oak, pale walls and carefully chosen art, and the same building houses the restaurant that has made this address famous well beyond the region.

Staying here is like living in a private home that happens to have staff. Everything is quiet, everything is considered, and dinner can be the high point of the trip without leaving the building. It is for couples who want design and food at the very top, and for solo travellers who value calm. Families and large groups should look to the bigger hotels, for space as much as for atmosphere.

The old harbour hotel

Hotel Victoria is one of the oldest hotels in the city and faces the harbour basin and Skagenkaien head on. The building has kept its high ceilings, tall windows and a staircase that tempts you to leave the lift alone, and the harbour-side rooms let you follow the boat traffic from bed.

It feels like a hotel with a memory. The lobby is dark and snug, breakfast is served in a room that has watched decades of travellers pass through, and you are out among the restaurants of Skagen before you have buttoned your coat. It is ideal for anyone who puts history and position ahead of the latest design, and a weekend where the old town and the harbour are the whole plan. If you want a large bathroom, a pool and entirely silent nights, pick one of the newer hotels.

Warehouses with supper included

Skagen Brygge is built as a row of warehouse-style gables on Skagenkaien, and from the pavement cafés below it reads as an extension of the old quay. Rooms vary in shape and size because the building follows the old plots, and many look straight onto the harbour. Like Strawberry's other Home hotels, it includes a simple dinner buffet for guests, which makes it a place you can come back to tired after a day in the mountains.

You sleep in the middle of things here, with music drifting up from the bars at weekends and a breakfast room where hikers and oil executives share tables. It is the first-timer's choice for anyone who wants Stavanger's best-known waterfront as their address, and for travellers who like meals taken care of without planning. Light sleepers should ask for a room away from the quay, or stay further into town.

The park in your window

Radisson Blu Atlantic Hotel sits on Breiavatnet with the park and the cathedral as its nearest view, and is one of the largest hotels in Stavanger. The building is tall for this city, and rooms on the upper floors take in the lake, the park and the rooftops running down towards the harbour.

You stay inside a well-oiled machine. Breakfast is big and varied, the service is used to guests racing for flights, and the lobby has space to sit and work. It is right for travellers who want reliable comfort with no surprises, business guests, and anyone moving on by train or bus from the station next door. If you are hunting for something small and personal, this is not it, and it does not pretend to be.

By the lake, next to the train

Thon Hotel Maritim stands on Kongsgata right by Breiavatnet, with the railway station and the bus terminal a couple of minutes' walk away. It is a hotel without airs, with clean rooms in warm colours and a breakfast that holds the standard Thon is known for.

You stay here so the logistics fall into place. The train from the airport ends close by, the buses to Pulpit Rock leave from the terminal nearby, and the harbour is a few blocks away when evening comes. It is a strong pick for hikers with early starts, travellers who would rather spend on experiences than on the room, and anyone getting around by public transport. If you want a harbour view or a lobby to lounge in, your money goes further on Vågen.

Between the cathedral and Øvre Holmegate

Clarion Hotel Stavanger stands in the centre close to the cathedral, with Old Stavanger and the brightly painted houses of Øvre Holmegate a few minutes away. Reception has a fireplace, The Social bistro serves dinner, and there is a bar and a gym.

It suits travellers who want to sit between the harbour, Breiavatnet and the railway station and walk to everything. It works well for couples and friends on a weekend, and for anyone in town for work. It is a big, busy hotel, and breakfast costs extra on some rates, so check what is included when you book.

Breakfast and a shopping centre under one roof

Thon Hotel Stavanger is in the centre, in the same building as a shopping centre, a short walk from both Breiavatnet and the harbour. The breakfast buffet is included, and guests get a simple evening reception laid on by the hotel.

It is a practical choice for families and anyone who wants breakfast sorted and shops within reach on rainy days. It also works for a short business stay. It is a functional city hotel rather than a place with atmosphere, but guests single out the breakfast and the helpful staff.

Pool, arena and room for everyone

Clarion Hotel Energy is at Tjensvoll beside Stavanger Forum, the conference and arena district with its ice rink and exhibition halls, a little west of the centre. The hotel is large and modern, with a pool, a gym and a lobby scaled for trade-fair days and big parties.

You stay here for the space and the facilities. Rooms are generous, breakfast is built for numbers, and children get a swim before the city wakes. It is the safest choice for families and for anyone attending a concert or event in the Forum district. If the weekend is about restaurants and evening walks along the harbour, you will depend on buses or taxis, and the centre serves you better.