🌊🚇⛴️ Stavanger and the coast: how to navigate between tunnels, ferries and your ‘office by the sea’

If you work in the office districts near the waterfront or live in the suburbs, here are some easy commuting routes: the fastest ways to get around on weekdays, where to park your bike, which ferries can replace the road, and where to go after work.

🚇🛣️ The coastal transport reality: tunnels, bridges, ferries

The coast here is a network of underground arteries and island lines.

The centre is connected to the islands and Røfylke by the Ryfast system: the underwater Ryfylke Tunnel (opened on 30 December 2019) plus Hundvåg and Eiganes (opened on 30 April 2020).

This has sped up travel between the capital and the eastern suburbs and taken some pressure off the city bridge.

To the north, the old Byfjordtunnelen (Randaberg ↔ Sokn) leads to the E39, which is the key to the islands north of the city and the route to Haugesund/Bergen. Status and data on the tunnel are available from the road authority.

For the ‘northern’ direction, it is important to remember the ferry across the Boknafjord (Mortavika ↔ Arsvågen) — check the road service for the latest status and warnings before departure, especially in windy weather.

⛴️🚌 Commuting along the coast: when is the ferry or coastal bus faster?

Fast boats and local ferries.

If you live in Byøyene/Hommersåk or Vassøy, it is often more logical to go to the pier rather than the bus to get to the centre: the Stavanger–Byøyene–Hommersåk express line and the ferry to Vassøy dock at Fiskepirterminalen, right on the business waterfront. Timetables and holiday schedules are available on the Kolumbus website (updated: 31 October 2024 for Byøyene/Hommersåk; holiday services to Vassøy – 20 February 2025).

Kolumbus single tickets/passes cover buses, trains and city boats (Byøyene/Hommersåk, Vassøy) — check your ticket type in the price section before purchasing.

Coastal buses.

For offices at the airport/Sola and along Havrsfjord, note route 42 (Jåsund–Tananger–Stavanger lufthavn–Sola–Forus–Kvadrat–Sandnes): it connects coastal clusters and provides access to the waterfront and Forus offices. Kolumbus has a PDF timetable for this route (updated on 22 July 2024).

Life hack: if you live in Vassøy or Hommersåk, ‘boat → walk to the office’ is sometimes shorter than ‘bus → transfer → city centre’, especially during rush hour — check the Kolumbus planner for the specific day.Transition: arrived — and want some fresh air in the evening? Below are some short, safe ‘after work’ tracks.

🌅🥾 Evening routes to trails after work

• Dalsnuten (Sannes): a classic 2-hour round trip with views of the city and the fjord; starts from Gramstad. Easy to plan as ‘work → trip → summit before sunset’.
• Møllebukta / Sverd i fjell (Havrsfjord): flat coastal trail, get there from the centre — bus 16 to Madlaleiren (~10–15 minutes), then a short walk along the water.
• Mosvatnet + Våland: circular, ≈3 km around the lake with access to the viewpoint in Våland; convenient for a ‘quick’ evening.
• Ullandhaug: tower with a panoramic view of the fjords and Jæren — an easy ‘viewpoint’ near the campus.

Getting around: if you often take your bike, find a place to hide it from the wind and rain in the business districts.

🚲🔒 Bike storage at the office and at transport hubs

In the city centre, there are Bikely boxes in the P-Domkirkehallen car park (including boxes for cargo bikes) and open racks in a number of car parks — convenient for meeting up on the waterfront.

There are sykkelhotell (lockable bike racks accessible via an app) at the following train stations: Stavanger stasjon (≈42 spaces) and Mariero (≈36 spaces). Subscriptions can be purchased via the Bane NOR Parking app.

Transition: how to choose coastal bike routes when it's windy and rainy?

💨🚲 Bikes and wind: how to plan your route according to the weather

• Stay alert: squall warnings and wind maps are available via MET Norway/yr.no. If there are orange/red warnings, allow extra time or switch to public transport.
• Choosing a direction: in strong south-westerly winds, ride on the leeward side of peninsulas (for example, the areas near Havrsfjord are more sheltered than the ‘open’ waterfront).
• Ferry/train combo: leave your bike at the sykkelhotell near the station and take the train/bus for the last leg to avoid the windiest sections.

✅ Mini checklist / Quick route

1. Save to your phone: Kolumbus (route planner/tickets), Vegvesen (traffic), yr.no (wind).
2. Choose your ‘basic’ route: boat (Byøyene/Vassøy) or bus 42 — and a ‘plan B’ in case of wind.

Arrange bike storage: register for access to the sykkelhotell (Stavanger/Mariero) or book a Bikely box in the centre.Plan a short trail for the evening (Dalsnuten/Mosvatnet/Møllebukta) to catch the sunset.

The coastal agglomeration is all about flexibility: on weekdays, combine tunnels and coastal buses, and on the islands, take a boat to Fiskepiren and store your bike in a dry, locked place. With this setup, commuting becomes predictable even in stormy weeks. Next, fine-tune your ‘work by the sea → short evening run’ routine and take advantage of weather windows.