Agder
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South Norway, in Norway called Agder or Sørlandet, is the southernmost region of Norway. The coast of southern Norway (Skagerrak) is often called the Norwegian Riviera. The picturesque towns and the enchanting archipelago is surrounding the Skagerrak - coast, inland is perfect for hiking and the mountains there are good opportunities for skiing in winter. All surrounded by beautiful nature scenery. The climate, particularly along the coast is mild compared to other places in the Nordic countries. Southern Norway has the highest number of recorded hours of sunshine per day in Norway.
Cities
- – Coastal town
- – provisioning before entering Setesdal
- – Coastal town, known for its rich architecture
- – Coastal town in southwest
- – Largest city and centre of the area
- – A pleasant small town by three fjords
- – A cozy small coastal town
- – A small town in the souternmost part of Norway
- – Coastal town, known for white wood houses
- – Narrow streets lead down to a small harbor.
Other destinations
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phone: + 47 413 59 484address: Brokelandsheia, SundebruThis is a small zoo on the eastern outskirts of Agder. For those who think it's too far to Kristiansand Zoo or can't get enough of animals.
- – a major valley in midle of the interior from Kristiansand to the uplands at Hovden
- – ski centre in Setesdal
- including the main town of - Norway's oldest lighthouse with a museum on the southern tip (South Cape) of the country.
Understand
The inland is less visited, but those interested in trekking to pretty solitary lakes or whitewater activities - or mosquitoes - should give it a try. Relatively lowland of the coast gradually gives way to big valleys and high plateaus and real mountains. The interior and the coast has different character and were in fact separate counties. Due to difficult transport the interior valleys, notably Setesdal, was long relatively isolated from the coast. Setesdal still takes care of its cultural heritage in terms of dialect, music, traditional clothing (for special occasions only) and silverware. Traditional costumes are easily recognized. Setesdal is 150 km and cuts sharply into the bedrock with characteristic steep, polished cliffs rising abruptly from the relatively flat valley floor. 40 km of the valley floor is occupied by the Byglandsfjord-Åkrafjord lakes. These are two separate lakes that appear as one. They appear as fjords and are indeed called "fjord" according to naming convention. The river often widens to what appears as lake.
The coast is heated by the ocean and winters are relatively mild, while in the interior winters can be cold and heavy snowfall is common.
Population is concentrated along the coast close to the water where the towns are. In the interior there are only villages.
Agder is divided in two administrative areas - Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties, that is, West and East Agder. For the visitor this division has no significance, but road signs will indicate county line.
The western part in particular has strong ties to USA because of emigration and many emigrants that returned. This is most visible in Lista, Vanse, Farsund and Kvinesdal areas. American cars, American diners, "Brooklyn Square" make this the closest one gets to USA in Norway. Many emigrants returned and brought US style houses home, some even with US voltage (120 V). Some 10 % of the inhabitants are US citizens.
Talk
Norwegian
The south coast has characteristic dialect with for instance "d" is often used where other Norwegians use "t", while "b" is often used instead of "p". This gives the southern dialect a notable softer tone similar to Danish. Those interested in dialects, can also observe a remarkable difference in Setesdal compared to the Danish-sounding Kristiansand dialect, to the very different north valley dialect that sounds more like Gaelic.
In several inland municipalities, a writing form of Norwegian usually associated with West Norway known as Nynorsk is the official form. Closer to the coast, the general rule is that people tend to speak a dialect more and more similar to East Norwegian dialects the further east you travel. East of Tvedestrand, a rolling r is applied while western areas use the voiced uvular fricative like in French and German.
Get in
By plane
There is one major airport of South Norway: Kristiansand (KRS).There are scheduled flights to four domestic destinations as well as international flights to Alicante, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and London-Stansted. Connecting bus and coach services operate to Kristiansand, Lillesand, Arendal and Grimstad. When buying plane tickets, don't mix up the city with Kristiansund much further north in Norway.Other airports:
- Skien Airport, 120 km east of Arendal. Flights only from Bergen. Access by taxi to central Skien and local buses, rutebok.no.
- Sandefjord Torp Airport , 120 km east of Arendal. International low fare flights. Access by local buses, rutebok.no.
- Oslo Airport, 300 km northeast of Arendal and 370 km of Kristiansand. Major international airport. See the below how to get in from Oslo.
- Stavanger Airport, 125 km northwest of Flekkefjord, 230 km of Kristiansand and 295 km of Arendal.
By bus
Coach connections to Oslo and the towns along the western shore of the Oslo Fjord is excellent. Nor-Way Bussexpress has 9 daily connections between Kristiansand and Oslo, Konkurrenten.no between 4 and 7 departures while Lavprisekspressen runs twice daily. You are guaranteed a seat - if the bus is full, the bus company will add an extra bus. Lavsprisekpressen provides online ticketing only. These express buses are usually just as fast as the trains to Oslo. To towns like Larvik, Tønsberg and Sandefjord you might arrive several hours later if you go by train. There's also infrequent express bus connections to Stavanger and up along the Setesdalen, with connections to cities such as Bergen and Haugesund. Regional buses run frequently along the coast, from Lyngdal and Lista in the west to Arendal in the east, run by several different bus companies.By boat
By car
The E18 is the main road between the area and Oslo. The road changes its name to E39 when it passes Kristiansand on its way to Stavanger. Route 9 starts in Kristiansand and takes you through the natural beauty of the Setesdal Valley to Haukeligrend on the Hardangervidda (Hardanger Plateau).By rail
Regional trains connect Kristiansand to other cities and towns along the Southern Railway Line (Sørlandsbanen). Up to 8 trains daily depart for Stavanger, while up to 6 daily trains leave for the country's capital, Oslo. The trip from Kristiansand to Stavanger takes about 3 hours and the trip Kristiansand- Oslo is 4½-5 hours. Trains both westwards towards Stavanger and eastwards to Oslo follow an inland route, meaning that travel to the towns along the coast is quite inconvenient by train. From Nelaug station, however, there is a corresponding local train to Arendal. There are lots of nice forest views and rural settlements, though. The train station in Kristiansand is situated right next to the town centre, the ferry terminal, and the bus terminal.Get around
On foot, by car, bus, bike, motorcycle - or make your way at sea. Taxi is a rather expensive alternative. Local buses, tickets and info by AKT.
By boat
Travel by small boat among the many small islands and straits is popular. In 2007 the Spangereid canal was created to allow small motor boats a short cut across Lindesnes penninsula. The trip around Lindesnes peninsula is much longer and the open sea can be rough. This canal was constructed in the Viking era around year 700, but was at some point abandoned until opened again in 2007.See
- Norwegian coast of Skagerrak (part of the North sea), also called "The Norwegian Riviera", known for the beautiful archipelago. Suitable for boating, sailing, discovery and swimming in the summer.
- Setesdal and the inland, with forests and mountains, hiking terrain, ski resorts, in addition to lakes and rivers suitable for fishing, rafting, canoeing and kayaking.
- Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement park
- Lindesnes Lighthouse
- Setesdalsbanen heritage railway, Vennesla -8 km preserved steam powered railway that once connected Kristiansand and Setesdal via Byglandsfjord.
Itineraries
- E18 Risør - Tvedestrand - Arendal - Grimstad - Lillesand - Kristiansand
- E39 Kristiansand - Mandal - Lyngdal - Farsund - Flekkefjord
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Norwegian National Route 9 Kristiansand - Evje - Setesdal - Hovden
- Ferry Hirtshals, Denmark - Kristiansand
Do
- Water based (Boating, Sailing, Diving, Canoeing, Fishing etc)
- Land based ( Hiking, Skiing, Cycling, etc)
- Island hopping
- Steam boat trip with D/S Bjoren on the lake Byglandsfjorden
- Train ride with the Setesdalsbanen heritage railway line
- Visit Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park
Eat
Norwegian cuisine is known for eclectic food with a good supply of many local ingredients. Try Norwegian seafood!
Restaurant Under in Lindesnes is the first seafood restaurant below the ocean surface in Norway and one of the first in the world. In addition to the experience, delicious seafood is served.
Restaurant Under in Lindesnes is the first seafood restaurant below the ocean surface in Norway and one of the first in the world. In addition to the experience, delicious seafood is served.
Drink
Local Norwegian beer, aquavit and cider. Along the Skagerrak coast several local breweries and microbreweries are brewing beer that are definitely worth tasting, although prices are high. Or simply drink clean and fresh tap water.
Stay safe
Every year there are reports of foreign visitors that get into trouble in small boats at sea, fatal incidents also occur.
The high moor-like plateaus can be difficult to navigate, particularly in bad weather. Map, compass and appropriate clothing are needed on hikes. Weather in the mountains and on the high plateaus can be very different from the coast and low-land weather.
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Emergency numbers
-
phone: 112
-
Fire
phone: 110 -
Emergency Medical Services (Ambulance)
phone: 113 - If you are unsure which number to call, is the central for all search and rescue services and will put you in contact with the correct department.
- For non-emergencies, the police is to be called on or Agder Police District at .
- For treatment of casualties or serious illness (non-emergencies) .
- The hearing impaired using a text telephone can reach the emergency services by .
- Roadside assistance. In case of traffic accident you are supposed to call the police only if individuals are injured or if the crash causes a traffic jam. The police will not get involved if there are damages on the vehicles only.
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phone: 02222 (in country only)
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Viking
phone: 06000 (in country only) -
Norwegian Automobile Federation
phone: 08505 (in country only)AAA members may call