Accommodation
Haugalandet, which includes the coastal town of Haugesund, stretches from the island of Utsira in the west to Etne and Sauda in the east and from Karmøy in the south to Sveio in the north. Haugalandet can offer a broad spectrum of natural beauty ranging from shimmering coastline and wild heather moors to snow capped mountains with cascading waterfalls melting into the fjords. Haugalandet is also a buoyant centre for cultural events as well as outdoor activities such as fishing, boating, bathing, golf, Viking trails, active and extreme sports, café life, shopping and much more.
NORWAY’S BIRTHPLACE
For more than 3000 years chieftains at Avaldsnes, on the strait between Karmøy and Haugesund known as Nordvegen, levied tolls on passing ships. It is these chieftains or kings, from the time before written records began, who have endowed us with a history told through monumental burial sites, carved stones and other treasures discovered on the seabed as much as on land. It was here, following the battle of Hafrsfjord in 870 AD, that Harald the Fairhaired established Norway’s first throne and the strait of Nordvegen gave its name to Norway.
Haugesund – The lively summer city
Norwegians often compare summer and sun with the south coast. But summer Norway is a lot more then that. Western Norway is very nice in summer, western Norway and Haugesund in particular. It is very lively through the whole summer with the sildajazz as a great event in August.
Haugesund is a lovely city, full of historic places and cultural offers, surrounded by the stunning western nature. The Vikings also liked this area and actually established Norways first kingdom here at Avaldsnes. Here is the Olav church, Nordvegen history centre and the Viking yard.
The city itself was established as a consequence of the herring fishing. Haugesund has become a very social city with several good restaurants. Along the bay they are gathered,
cafés, restaurants, bars and Rica Maritim Hotel as a natural centre of the city, with the agreeable Café René, and the great restaurants Brovingen and Naustet. Around the corner you find one of the city’s best restauants, Lothe’s Mat & vinhus (Lothe’s food & wine house), in a small white wooden house from the 1850’s. The menu is exquisite, so are the wines and the service is excellent.
Not so many foreign tourists have heard of Haugesund, and it’s not an obvious vacation choice for Norwegians either. But more people are noticing what the town has to offer. They always try to establish new offers, both cultural and social, to satisfy their visitors. They arrange three different boat rides 3-4 times a week in old wooden sail boats, where the visitors have the opportunity to sail. They also arrange more modern and exotic fjord cruises. If you don’t have the time to go on sailboat rides or cruises you can have it all presented through the great film “the open land” at the dock right across from Rica Maritim Hotel.
If you want to play a round of golf, there are actually five golf courses within an hour drive from Haugesund.
Haugesund in a nice, but a bit secret summer city, which has a lot to offer.
Sildajazzen is a jazz festival which was established in 1987. Since then Sildajazzen has become a known term among the musicians and audience. And it is these two elements, audience and musicians, that create the unique intimate mood in Haugesund the second week of August every year.
Originally the jazz festival was just a small addition to the film festival. But it became so popular that they wanted to make an own jazz festival. It started with four orchestras and has developed in to a festival with 70 bands and 358 musicians.
