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Colorful Wooden Houses of Norway: A Virtual Trip

One thing we miss living in America is the vast array of really old buildings and homes. Can you imagine living in a house that’s over 500 years old? I think about the lives and history of older homes here in the United States, but old houses in Europe have seen so much more. Today I’m taking you on a virtual trip to the towns of Stavanger and Bergen in Norway to visit some of the colorful wooden houses.

Colorful wooden houses in Bergen, Norway

 

Colorful Wooden Houses in Bergen

Let’s start our trip in Bergen which is situated on the southwestern coast of Norway. It’s surrounded by mountains and fjords and bears the nickname “the capital of the fjords.” Although it’s the second largest city in Norway, it retains a quaint charm.

The majority of Norwegian homes were built with wood and tile roofs. I love the use of color, like the kelly green trim on the white house below. The cobbled streets and walkways add to the charm of the city.

Street in Bergen with white wooden houses

 

Norwegians seem to landscape every square inch, no matter how small. I wonder if this is due to the long winters and dark days. From the middle of November until the end of January, the sun just peeks above the horizon. I don’t think I could handle that, but I supposed you get used to it growing up in the region.

Colorful wooden houses line a cobbled street in Norway

 

On the flip side, it never gets really dark from late June to early August, so that would feel strange, too. Regardless, Norway has beautiful scenery and is on my bucket list of places to visit.

View of an old wooden house in the Norwegian city Bergen.

 

Potted daffodils and tulips take the place of shrubs in Bergen due to the proximity of the colorful wooden houses to the street.

Old Town portion of Bergen

 

You’ll see plenty of red wooden houses in Norway. Note the handkerchief trim above the windows.

Traditional Norwegian red wooden facades.

 

Don’t you feel like every little street and walkway is calling you to come explore?

beautiful little street with traditional Norwegian white houses

 

Charming Houses in Stavanger

Stavanger is almost a 5-hour drive directly south of Bergen. This area is known as the oil capital region of Norway. Stavanger also has the largest collection of wooden houses in northern Europe (approximate 8,000). Each ones is just as quaint as the next.

Norway, Stavanger. Old town.

 

The oldest of the houses are located in Old Historic Town, also known as Gamle Stavanger.

Alley in the old town of Stavanger

 

Wooden house in Gamle Stavanger

 

Gamle Stavanger

 

White wooden house in the historic district Gamle Stavanger

 

white wooden Norwegian houses on old street

 

I love the combination of pink and green that decorates the outside of these white houses in this historic area of Stavanger. You can’t help but smile when you look at the cheery appeal of these cozy homes lining the brick streets.

Norway, Stavanger. Old town.

 

Even the shops and restaurants emit a happy vibe. Colorful flag banners adorn the streets.

Downtown Stavanger

 

Stavanger has a marina where you’ll see plenty of red houses and buildings.

Stavanger marina with boats and red buildings

 

Located in the heart of Stavanger is Norway’s oldest cathedral that was built in the early 1100s. What a gorgeous church. I love touring the inside of old churches.

Stavanger Cathedral (domkirke) in Norway

 

The cathedral is especially beautiful when lit up at night.

Stavanger Domkirke cathedral at night

 

I hope you enjoyed this virtual trip to Norway to admire the colorful wooden houses. I’ll try to find more areas to virtually explore with you. It might give you ideas for your next trip!

 

See More Historic Homes:

Romantic English Cottage Homes

Little Brick Houses of Galena

French Country Cottage Home Tour

Walking the Aurora Historic District

Historic Homes of Sycamore

 

 

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10 Comments

  1. Stavanger is one of my favorite places in the world! My husband and I had the good fortune to visit it (and Bergen) on a Scandinavian cruise in Sept. 2019 and took tons of pictures. We loved all of Scandinavia, and Norway in particular has a special place in my heart because my late mother was born and raised there.

  2. Jennifer, this is probably my all time favorite post of yours. All these abundantly charming homes with so much character. There are so many different shaped windows and unique trim. And so much attention is paid to hanging baskets and other flowers. Even though the houses are clustered close together, the brick streets tie them together perfectly. I hope you are able to show us the inside of some of the darling homes soon!

  3. Wonderful! I love the Nordic design, the colors,traditions and those cobblestones…terrific. I too love touring old churches and always feel I had past lives in a religious setting.

  4. Lovely and whimsical! How refreshing on a cold, blustering Michigan morning! Thanks for adding a little color to my day!

  5. These are beautiful cottages, so colorful with all the flowers. Looks like a great place to visit and dream.

  6. I visited Norway a couple of years ago before Covid put a stop to travel and it is just as lovely as Jennifer’s house tour suggests. I really hope to return to all of Scandinavia one day and highly recommend it if you are looking for somewhere to go. There are colourful houses all across Norway. Thank you Jennifer for the memories.

  7. These homes are so extremely charming. I love the haphazard way many of them are placed on the streets. One thing that amazes me when I see many of the streets of Europe, and it’s probably due to when the city’s were built, is how close to the road the houses are. You step right out your door into the street. So foreign for us in America. At least the places I’ve been.