Kristiansand is the largest city on Norway's South Coast (Sørlandet) and the country's southernmost city. It was founded in 1641 by King Christian IV and still bears his mark: the old town centre, known as Kvadraturen, follows a rigid Renaissance grid that makes it unusually easy to navigate.
The most characterful neighbourhood is Posebyen, a grid of low wooden houses in the old southern style — painted white, closely packed, with small gardens. The name derives from the French reposer, a remnant of when French soldiers were billeted with local families. Walk it on a summer evening and you understand why Norwegians are so attached to this coast.
Kristiansand has a genuine claim to some of Norway's best beaches. The Sørlandet coast gets more sunshine than anywhere else in the country, and the archipelago outside the city — Flekkerøy, Oksøy, and a scatter of smaller islands — draws boaters and swimmers all summer. East of the city, Dyreparken is a well-regarded zoo that also contains Kardemomme By (Cardamom Town), a theme park based on the beloved Norwegian children's books by Thorbjørn Egner.
The city makes a good base for exploring the coast. Lillesand, Brekkestø, and Ny-Hellesund are all within easy reach — small communities of white wooden houses clinging to the skerries, the kind of places Norwegians have been coming to in summer for generations.