Getting to Stavanger for the football

Stavanger is one of the easier Nordic away days to reach, because the North Sea oil industry keeps direct flights running from Aberdeen and London all year (FlightConnections). The ground is called Lyse Arena, renamed in January 2025 after eight years as SR-Bank Arena, and it has a commuter railway station a minute's walk from the turnstiles (Wikipedia). What will catch you out is the cost of standing still: a half-litre of draught beer in Stavanger averages around 130 kroner, roughly £10 (Numbeo).

Fast facts

Getting there from the UK

Sola is an oil airport before it is a holiday airport, and that is why the UK links exist at all. Aberdeen is the busiest of them, with SAS and Widerøe running roughly fifteen flights a week, London Gatwick has Norwegian around six times a week, and Manchester has a thin Norwegian service that has run between one and three flights a week through 2026 (FlightConnections), (FlightConnections). Newcastle used to be on this list and is not any more: Loganair dropped Stavanger and Bergen and closed its Newcastle base in early January 2026, citing a lack of demand (Travel Gossip).

If you are not near one of those three airports, you connect. Sola has KLM to Amsterdam, SAS to Copenhagen and a dense domestic network through Oslo, so a one-stop routing from almost any UK regional airport is straightforward (Wikipedia). Costs below are estimates and move a long way with the date and how early you book.

Book the connecting leg on one ticket where you can, so a delay into the hub protects the onward flight rather than leaving you to buy a new one at Norwegian prices.

Getting into Stavanger: the airport

Sola sits 11 km south-west of the centre (Wikipedia). The Flybussen airport coach leaves from outside the terminal every twenty minutes and takes 25 to 30 minutes to Stavanger's combined bus and train station, which is where you want to be for both the hotels and the train to the ground (Fjord Norway). A single was 179 kroner and a return 264 kroner, valid for thirty days, when last checked in August 2025, and the online price beats the on-board price (Life in Norway).

There is no train to the airport. The local alternative is Kolumbus route 42, which stops at the airport on its way between Jåsund, Tananger, Sola, Forus and Sandnes, so it is useful only if that happens to be your direction of travel (Avinor). Taxis are available at the terminal but Norwegian taxi fares are punishing, with minimum fares around 500 kroner in the city (Life in Norway).

One thing worth doing on the way in: buy your drink at the arrivals duty-free shop. Norway taxes alcohol heavily and airport duty-free on arrival is significantly cheaper than anything you will find in town (Life in Norway).

From the station to the ground, and getting around

Lyse Arena is at Jåttåvågen, about 7.2 km south of Stavanger's main station, and the Jæren commuter line does the job better than any away-day tram in Europe: four trains an hour each way on weekdays, eight minutes end to end, and Jåttåvågen station is within a minute's walk of the stadium (Wikipedia). Viking's own advice is to travel by public transport, and the club publishes recommended train departures before and after each match (Viking FK).

There is one rule that catches visiting supporters out. Travelling from Stavanger, away fans are asked to use the front carriage of the train, which the club frames as a safety measure for supporters and Go-Ahead staff alike (Viking FK). Follow it. It is how the stewarding and the police separation is set up at the other end.

Fares are the same on trains and buses across the Kolumbus network. A single for one zone is 49 kroner and lasts sixty minutes, two zones is 87 kroner, and buying on board rather than in the app adds 20 kroner (Kolumbus). Buses also serve the Jåttåvågen area, and the club points supporters at the Kolumbus journey planner rather than naming routes, because they change (Viking FK). If you are driving, parking at the ground is limited on matchdays and getting back out of Jåttåvågen afterwards is slow.

Where visiting fans stay

There is nothing to stay in at the ground, so base yourself in the centre and use the train (Football Tripper). The centre is small and walkable, and the point to aim for is the combined bus and train station, since it puts both the airport coach and the stadium train on your doorstep.

The Radisson Blu Atlantic on Olav V's gate, opposite the Breiavatnet lake, is the obvious anchor: about three minutes from Stavanger Central Station and a short walk from Gamle Stavanger and the Petroleum Museum (Radisson). It is also the departure point used by the Go Fjords Preikestolen bus, which is convenient if you are making a weekend of it (Go Fjords). Scandic, Thon, Comfort and Park Inn all have city-centre properties in the same walking radius (Football Tripper).

Where to drink

Set your expectations before you land. A half-litre of domestic draught in Stavanger averages about 129 kroner, with a range of roughly 100 to 190 depending where you drink (Numbeo). VisitNorway puts a bar beer nationally at 100 to 140 kroner and a supermarket beer at 35 to 50 (VisitNorway). At roughly 12.7 kroner to the pound that is about £10 a pint out, so a big session is a genuinely expensive decision rather than a vague warning.

• Cardinal is the beer destination in town, with what VisitNorway describes as northern Europe's largest beer selection (VisitNorway).
• Øvre Holmegate, known as Fargegaten or the Colour Street, is the pedestrianised run of painted buildings where most of the bars and cafés are concentrated, and it is the natural place to start (VisitNorway).
• Hanekam sits on Fargegaten and is the busy weekend option, small and lively rather than a quiet pint (VisitNorway).
• Martinique is a friendly pub with an international crowd, which makes it an easy landing spot if you are not a Norwegian speaker (VisitNorway).
• Lervig Local pours the city's own Lervig beers, and Pjolter og Punsj is the cocktail bar if someone in the group has had enough lager at £10 a go (VisitNorway).

If you want to drink cheaply, buy from a supermarket, and buy early. Norwegian shops may only sell drinks up to 4.7% ABV, and the tills refuse alcohol after 8pm on weekdays and 6pm on Saturdays, with no shop sales at all on Sundays. Anything stronger comes from the state chain Vinmonopolet, open to 6pm on weekdays and 4pm on Saturdays, closed Sundays (Life in Norway). An evening kick-off can easily leave you outside a closed shop.

Where to eat

Eating out is the other place Norway takes your money. An inexpensive restaurant meal in Stavanger averages 239 kroner, a fast-food combo 150 kroner, and three courses for two at a mid-range place 918 kroner without drinks (Numbeo). VisitNorway's national guide is broadly consistent, at 190 to 350 kroner for a budget meal and 650 to 1,500 for a mid-range three courses (VisitNorway). Tipping is not customary, so the number on the bill is the number you pay.

• Fisketorget by the harbour is the straightforward choice for fish soup and seasonal fish, which is what Stavanger actually does well (VisitNorway).
• Pedersgata, running east out of the centre, has become the city's eating street and holds the widest spread of international places at sensible money (VisitNorway).
• Ostehuset Øst is a good stop for bread, cheese and coffee if you want something quick before heading for the train (VisitNorway).
• Bellies is rated by VisitNorway as one of the best vegan restaurants in Scandinavia, and Fish & Cow is the modern brasserie option (VisitNorway).
• For a city of this size the fine dining is remarkable: RE-NAA holds three Michelin stars, with one each for Sabi Omakase, Hermetikken and K2. Book weeks ahead, not on the day (VisitNorway).

What to do

Stavanger is compact, and the centre, the old town and the museums are all walkable from the station.

• The Norwegian Petroleum Museum on the harbour is the one that explains the city. It opened in 1999, looks like an oil platform from the water, and covers North Sea offshore work from the mid-1960s to modern subsea systems (Wikipedia).
• Gamle Stavanger, on the west side of the Vågen harbour, is more than 250 small white wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, saved from demolition by a single council vote in 1956. The Norwegian Canning Museum sits inside it (Wikipedia).
• Stavanger Cathedral is Norway's oldest, begun around 1100 and finished around 1150, and it is dedicated to Saint Swithun, a former Bishop of Winchester, which is a decent pub fact for an English away following (Wikipedia).
• Sverd i fjell, the three ten-metre bronze swords driven into rock at Hafrsfjord, commemorates the battle of 872 at which Harald Fairhair unified Norway. It was completed in 1983, sits in a small park on the shoreline, and is free and always open (Wikipedia).
• The Lysefjord cruise leaves from Strandkaien in the centre, runs three to three and a half hours with no stops, and costs 890 kroner for an adult. It runs all year, with fewer sailings in winter, and takes you under Preikestolen from the water (Rødne).

Preikestolen, realistically

Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock, is a flat cliff 604 metres above the Lysefjord. The walk is 8 km there and back with 330 metres of ascent, moderately hard rather than technical, and takes four to five hours in total. May to October gives the best conditions (Fjord Norway).

The bus from Stavanger takes about fifty minutes to the trailhead and must be booked online in advance, because you cannot buy on board (Preikestolen 365). The season is the thing that decides whether this works around your fixture. Pulpit Rock Tours runs weekends only from 21 March to 30 April, daily from 1 May to 13 September and again from 14 September to 4 October, weekends only from 10 October to 1 November, and publishes no service at all from November through March (Pulpit Rock Tours).

So: a September or early-October away day, midweek included, works. Get the first bus out, be back for late afternoon and go to the game. From mid-October it becomes a weekend-only proposition, and from November there is no scheduled bus, which means a private transfer or taxi to the trailhead and a hike in short daylight on possibly icy rock. The operator's own advice is to start early to avoid finishing in the dark and to postpone rather than walk in bad weather (Pulpit Rock Tours). For a winter European tie, take the Lysefjord boat instead and look up at it.

Bear in mind what a Stavanger autumn is like. October averages a high of about 12°C and a low of 8°C with rain on around 24 days of the month, making it the wettest month of the year (Weather and Climate). Waterproofs are not optional, at the ground or on the hill.

Inside the stadium and away allocation

Lyse Arena holds 15,900, of which 15,400 are seats and 500 are standing, on an artificial pitch laid in 2018. The record attendance is 16,600 against Brann in 2007, from before the capacity was trimmed (SNL), (Wikipedia). It fills: Viking hit the 15,900 mark at four separate home games during the 2026 season (Wikipedia).

Away supporters go in through Gate 3, and the away club controls the away tickets, so buy through your own club rather than hunting the Norwegian resale market. Home tickets are sold through TicketCo, with a ticket office at Gate 4 opening 90 minutes before kick-off (Viking FK), (Viking FK). In UEFA competition the allocation floor is 5% of the UEFA capacity, which is roughly 800 seats here, priced no higher than a comparable home seat and capped at €50 (UEFA). Football Tripper puts the away section in sector O, behind the goal in the south-west corner, though the club itself publishes only the gate (Football Tripper).

Viking put turnstiles on every gate in 2025, so have your QR code open on your phone before you reach the front, and note that the old TicketCo wallet app no longer scans. Groups should forward each person their own code rather than queue behind one phone (Viking FK).

Two rules matter once you are inside. Away colours may only be worn in the away section, not anywhere else in the arena. And the ground is completely cashless: the SnackZone kiosks attached to the away stand take card only, as does the ticket office, so cash is useless to you here. It is also a non-smoking stadium, and banners may not cover the advertising boards, with a dedicated fence provided for them (Viking FK).

There is a stadium pub, Di mørkeblå, but it is for home supporters only, over-18s, and you need a match ticket to get in. The municipal licence requires the doors between the pub and the stands to be locked while the game is being played, so nobody is carrying a beer to their seat in any case (Viking FK). The vocal home support, VikingHordene, occupy the stand to the right of the main stand (Life in Norway).

Money and safety

Norway is not in the EU, but it is in Schengen and the EEA, and it uses the krone rather than the euro. It is also close to cashless: card and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere, Visa and Mastercard are the reliable ones, and tipping is voluntary rather than expected (VisitNorway). Do not change large amounts of sterling into cash before you travel. Lyse Arena will not take it, and neither will most of the city.

For a British passport holder the entry rules are the Schengen ones. Your passport must have been issued within ten years of your arrival date and be valid for at least three months after you leave the Schengen area, and you can stay 90 days in any 180 across Schengen as a whole. The EU Entry/Exit System is being rolled out, so expect to give fingerprints and a photo at the border and allow extra time for it (GOV.UK).

On safety, Viking publish a supporter liaison officer email plus event and security manager contacts on their away supporters page, and supporter coaches can drop off and collect at the away entrance if it is agreed with the security manager in advance (Viking FK). The sensible approach is the same as anywhere: keep colours covered outside the away section as the club requires, use the front carriage on the train as instructed, and give yourself time on the way back, because the road out of Jåttåvågen jams after the whistle.

Common questions

Are there direct flights from the UK to Stavanger?

Yes, from three airports. Aberdeen has the most, with SAS and Widerøe running around fifteen flights a week, London Gatwick has Norwegian roughly six times a week, and Manchester has a thin Norwegian service (FlightConnections). Newcastle no longer has one: Loganair ended Stavanger and Bergen and closed its Newcastle base in early January 2026 (Travel Gossip).

How do you get from the airport to the stadium?

Take the Flybussen airport coach from outside the terminal to Stavanger's bus and train station, 25 to 30 minutes, departures every twenty minutes (Fjord Norway). Then take the commuter train to Jåttåvågen, about eight minutes, and the ground is a minute's walk from the platform (Wikipedia). A single Flybussen ticket was 179 kroner and a return 264 kroner as of August 2025 (Life in Norway).

How far is Lyse Arena from the city centre?

About 7.2 km south, at Jåttåvågen. The train from Stavanger station takes around eight minutes and runs four times an hour on weekdays (Wikipedia). A single Kolumbus fare for one zone is 49 kroner, and buying on board adds 20 kroner, so use the app (Kolumbus).

Where do away fans sit, and how many tickets are there?

Away supporters enter through Gate 3, and the visiting club controls the away tickets, so buy through your own club (Viking FK). Viking do not publish an allocation figure. In UEFA competition the minimum is 5% of the UEFA capacity, roughly 800 on a 15,900 ground, capped at €50 a ticket (UEFA).

Can you drink beer inside the ground?

Not in your seat. The stadium pub, Di mørkeblå, is home supporters only and over-18s, and the municipal licence requires the doors between the pub and the stands to be locked once the match is under way (Viking FK). The kiosks serving the away stand are run by SnackZone and take card only (Viking FK).

How much is a beer in Stavanger?

About 129 kroner for a half-litre of domestic draught on average, with a range of roughly 100 to 190 (Numbeo). That is around £10 at current rates. A supermarket beer is 35 to 50 kroner, so buying from a shop is where the saving is (VisitNorway). Prices are estimates and move over time.

How expensive is a meal?

An inexpensive restaurant meal averages 239 kroner, a fast-food combo 150 kroner, and three courses for two at a mid-range restaurant 918 kroner without drinks (Numbeo). VisitNorway's national ranges are 190 to 350 kroner for a budget meal and 650 to 1,500 for mid-range three courses (VisitNorway). Tipping is not customary.

Do I need cash in Norway?

Barely. Card and phone payments work almost everywhere, and Lyse Arena takes no cash at all, at the kiosks or the ticket office (Viking FK), (VisitNorway). Bring a card that does not charge for foreign transactions rather than a wallet of krone.

Do I need a visa, and is Norway in the EU?

Norway is outside the EU but inside Schengen and the EEA. British citizens need no visa for a short visit, but the passport must have been issued within the last ten years and be valid for three months beyond your departure from Schengen, and the 90-days-in-180 limit applies across the whole Schengen area (GOV.UK). The EU Entry/Exit System means fingerprints and a photo at the border, so allow longer than you used to.

Can I do Pulpit Rock around a midweek game?

In September and early October, yes. The bus takes about fifty minutes each way and the walk is four to five hours, so an early departure gets you back for an evening kick-off (Preikestolen 365), (Fjord Norway). The scheduled bus runs daily to 4 October, weekends only from 10 October to 1 November, and not at all from November through March (Pulpit Rock Tours). For a winter tie, do the Lysefjord cruise from the city centre instead, which sails all year (Rødne).

What is the weather like in autumn?

Wet. October averages a high of about 12°C and a low of 8°C, with rain on around 24 days of the month, the wettest month of Stavanger's year (Weather and Climate). Take proper waterproofs, and remember the pitch is artificial, so games are rarely called off for weather.

Where should away fans stay?

In the city centre, near the combined bus and train station, which puts both the airport coach and the stadium train within a couple of minutes (Fjord Norway). The Radisson Blu Atlantic on Olav V's gate is about three minutes from the station and walkable to the old town (Radisson). There is nothing to stay in at the ground itself (Football Tripper).

Is there anything I should know about matchday rules?

Three things. Away colours may only be worn in the away section. The turnstiles need a QR code on your phone and the old TicketCo wallet app will not scan. And if you are travelling from Stavanger by train, use the front carriage, which is what the club and the operator ask of visiting supporters (Viking FK), (Viking FK).