Towns and villages in the region are quite small and have easy access to nature. It is known to be child-friendly, clean and safe. Scenic landscape and fresh air is never far away. See the Kristiansand region by car, bike, or boat along the island-speckled coast. A holiday in Kristiansand region, South Norway, is at once relaxing, rejuvenating and uplifting.
Kristiansand is Norway’s fifth largest town and the capitol of Sørlandet, the term applied on Southern Norway. The town is the the trade and communications centre for Sørlandet (Southern Norway) and has extensive train, bus, ferry and plane links with the rest of Norway and abroad, though the whole town fits within one square kilometre. Kristiansand has the country's second largest harbour and local business spans from advanced process industry to leading suppliers of offshore technology. Kristiansand can also boast Norway's youngest university, University of Agder, opened in september 07. Music plays a key role on the city’s cultural stage, with the International Church Music Festival as the most prominent annual events.
Kristiansand is also known as The Floral Town of Norway. More than 20,000 summer flowers create magnificent displays in every imaginable form to greet visitors and residents alike in the centre of Kristiansand in summer. Read more.
Hot tips on what to see and do in the Kristiansand region.
Kristiansand is not alone in offering scenic attractions. Just off the main road from Kristiansand to Lillesand lies Hamresanden with a three kilometer long sandy beach, then farther east Kristiansand Dyrepark provides the greatest attraction of all in the region of Sørlandet.
Lillesand, one of the best preserved small towns of wooden buildings makes a picturesque scene of white houses huddled together, many of them on the quayside.
For the angler, licenses can be bought for salmon fishing in the Tovdalselva river, which runs through the local authority of Birkenes.
Vennesla is the home of the Setesdalbanen - a narrow gauge, vintage railway with steam engines dating from 1894.
To the north lies Iveland, where stone quarrying has taken place for centuries. A number of extremely rare minerals have been mined in the Iveland quarries.
In Songdalen elk safaris are organised.
The neighbouring district of Søgne lies in picturesque surroundings and offers overnight accommodation on the coast. The sightseeing boat M/B Høllen is in service to Ny-Hellesund the whole year round.
