Lillehammer: Museums, History and Nature

In Lillehammer, cultural history, art and outdoor trails offer distinct experiences. They range from historic buildings and museums to an art collection, a nature reserve and clearly described hiking and cycling routes. When planning your trip, a useful first question is whether you would rather focus your stay on museums and historic sites or plan it around a particular route.

Historic ways of life and Olympic history

Maihaugen is Norway’s largest open-air museum outside Oslo and includes more than 200 historic buildings from different periods. Visitors can explore what life was like 200 years ago. The buildings give the museum a broad historical scope, while the way of life on display also offers a concrete glimpse into everyday life in the past.

The Norwegian Olympic Museum is located at Maihaugen in Lillehammer. It presents the history of the Olympic Games from the first Games to the present day, giving it a different focus from Maihaugen itself. The Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena is also part of Lillehammer’s Olympic history: it was built for the 1994 Winter Olympics and is located above the city centre. The Norwegian Road Museum complex comprises three institutions: the Norwegian Road Museum, the Norwegian Vehicle History Museum and the Norwegian Rock Blasting Museum.

Art, literature and trails in the city centre

The Lillehammer Art Museum is the only art museum in Innlandet. Its collection includes more than 1,800 works dating from the 19th century to the present day. While Maihaugen focuses on historic buildings and ways of life, the collection offers a broad-ranging perspective on art across time. The museum is just a few minutes’ walk from Lillehammer railway and bus stations.

The Lillehammer Art Trail is another way to explore art and culture in the town. Numbered signs are distributed throughout the city centre; as a self-guided cultural route, it differs from a visit focused on the museum’s collection. This lets you choose between a fixed museum location and a route with several stops in the centre.

Bjerkebæk was the home of Nobel Prize laureate Sigrid Undset and is a short walk from the city centre. In summer, guided tours in English are held daily, allowing visitors to experience the house as it was in the 1930s. The garden includes perennial beds, herbs and fruit trees. The house’s literary history and the garden’s design are two distinct aspects of the site.

Nature and trails distinguished by their routes

The Lågendeltaet Nature Reserve was established in 1990 to protect an important and unique wetland, its natural vegetation and wildlife, and its especially diverse and interesting birdlife. The focus here is therefore on wetland conservation, with the diversity of birdlife a particularly prominent part of that effort.

The Mesna Cultural Trail climbs about 200 metres along waterfalls and rapids to Collets bru. The Panoramavegen, by contrast, is defined by the length of its cycling route: the round trip from Lillehammer to Brattberg farm is about 20 kilometres. Along the way, there are views of Lillehammer and the southern part of Lake Mjøsa. The two routes can therefore be distinguished by different features: the Mesna Cultural Trail by its approximate elevation gain and route along the water, and the Panoramavegen by the approximate total length of the cycling round trip and the views it offers.

Lillehammer has well-developed cycle paths, making it easy to reach attractions in the city and nearby areas by bike. This cycle network offers a different planning framework from the individual Panoramavegen ride, which is about 20 kilometres long: it connects several attractions while also including a specifically described round trip to a particular destination.

Getting there and finding your way

The Lillehammer region is located on the E6 and can be reached by car, train or bus. Timetables may change, so check them before travelling. There is a specific landmark to help you get your bearings after arrival: the Lillehammer Art Museum is just a few minutes’ walk from the railway and bus stations. If you arrive by train or bus and are planning a museum visit, you can factor this walk directly into your day’s plans.

Discover more destinations: Lillehammer, Fåberg, Nord-Aurdal, Gausdal Municipality, Øyer Municipality, Vestre Slidre, Øystre Slidr, Sør-Aurdal.

For the wider travel overview: Oppland.