Norway's southern-most town is a picturesque fishing community facing into the North Sea. It stands on the E39 coast road and is 25 miles west of the city of Kristiansand. Visitors who hire a car in Mandal can drive to the popular spot on a headland to the east where the Lindesnes Lighthouse marks the southern extreme of Norway. The lighthouse houses a museum, and there's a shop and cafes at this rocky headland. Other highlights of the region include Tregde Feriesenter resort, which offers a swimming pool, boat trips, a waterfront restaurant and sports activities.
Mandal retains the atmosphere of an old nautical town, thanks to rows of pretty white-washed wooden cottages along its narrow streets with a river running through the centre. In summer there are restaurant tables extending across cobbled streets serving fresh seafood. If you hire a car in Mandal you can tour all the town's sights, including Furulunden, a park and forest area of the town with playgrounds and long sandy beaches that are among Norway's finest. And don't miss the Buen Culture Hall - the town's modern arts centre on the waterfront, the Vigeland sculpture museum and the Mandal Kirke, Norway's biggest wooden church.
