The Vikings were venturesome seafarers. From Denmark, Norway and Sweden they spread through Europe and the North Atlantic in the period of the vigorous Scandinavian expansion (AD 800-1050) known as the Viking Age. Although they are often thought of primarily as raiders, the Vikings were also traders , explorers and settlers. On this tour you will learn a lot about the Viking Age and especially the Viking Age in Norway.
Behind them, the Vikings left a legacy not only of archaeological remains, but also of family names, place names and fieldnames.
The tour starts with a visit to the Archaeological Museum, where you will be met and greeted by a female Viking dressed in her beautiful frock and jewellery. She will guide you through the museum and demonstrate the use of a selection of Viking tools. You will also get to taste a real Viking snack!
We continue on to Hafrsfjord, the historical site where the big Viking battle took place in 872 AD. The local king Harald Hairfair won this battle which represents a crucial starting point of the unification of Norway. We make a stop at Hafrsfjord and the monument Swords in Rock to hear the fascinating story of the battle. The huge Vikings swords have become one of the best-known landmarks in Stavanger.
Travelling out to Sola we stop at a little stone church dating back to 1150. Sola was the home of the great Viking chieftain Erling Skjalgsson and a monument in his honour is found just outside this church. We pass one of the many magnificent sandy beaches of Jæren before visiting the Sola Doomstones, a reconstructed stone circle from the Stone Age which is said to be as mysterious as Stonehenge. The stone circle has most likely been an important place also to the Vikings.
The last stop on the Viking tour is at Jåsund. Here, just south of the Hafrsfjord Bridge, and right next to the high-way, lies a handsome burial mound topped with a standing stone. This is most likely a burial site from the Viking Age. The location was carefully chosen, at the entrance to Hafrsfjord where the strait is narrowest. Here the barrow would be easily visible to all who passed in or out the fjord, a reminder that the dead were present and keeping an eye on the land and of the living.
From Hafrsfjord Bridge we return to Stavanger.
Duration: 3,5 hours