Discover Lillehammer

Lillehammer combines insights into cultural history with Olympic history and opportunities for outdoor activities. Maihaugen features historic buildings, exhibitions and guided tours; the Norwegian Olympic Museum tells the story of the Games from antiquity to the present day. There is also an art museum and distinctive winter sports venues. When planning your holiday rental, you can consider which aspects of the city you want to shape your trip most.

Norwegian culture at Maihaugen

The Maihaugen cultural history museum is set in scenic surroundings in Lillehammer. Historic buildings, exhibitions and guided tours offer different ways to explore history. Visitors can also meet actors in period costumes and learn about traditional crafts. In Bygda at Maihaugen, you can watch farm workers bring in the harvest and carry out everyday farm work in summer. You can also discover what life was like in the 18th and 19th centuries and experience authentic Norwegian culture.

The visit therefore appeals to a range of interests: you can focus on the buildings and exhibitions or turn your attention to crafts and agricultural work. If you are travelling with people who have different interests, you can treat these as separate highlights rather than reducing Maihaugen to just one type of museum visit.

Olympic history and art

The Norwegian Olympic Museum covers the history of the Olympic Games from antiquity to the present day, including the Lillehammer 1994 Games. On display are original Olympic medals and sports equipment; stories also recount the athletes’ achievements. This gives the museum visit a tangible connection to the city and places the 1994 Games within a longer Olympic history.

The Lillehammer Art Museum offers a different cultural focus. Its approximately 1,800 works of art present Norwegian art history from the 19th century to the present day from a range of perspectives. Art enthusiasts will find a broad timeframe to explore here, while those more interested in sports history can choose the Olympic Museum as a separate activity. The Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena is a landmark of Lillehammer and offers views over the city and Lake Mjøsa.

Cross-country skiing, winter sports and summer activities

The Birkebeineren Ski and Biathlon Stadium is a full-service venue for cross-country skiing and biathlon. From there, you can access a 450-kilometre network of groomed trails. The scale of the network makes cross-country skiing an important consideration when planning your trip; if you are looking for a holiday rental, you can first decide whether winter sports are among your preferred activities during your stay.

A specific tour is also described: the Birkebeinerløypa takes you by bus from Lillehammer to the cross-country skiing stadium in Sjusjøen; from there, a 15-kilometre ski tour takes you back to Lillehammer. This combination of a bus journey and return trip on skis differs from a stay focused mainly on museums and the city.

In summer, the Birkebeineren Ski and Biathlon Stadium and its trails can be used for hiking, jogging, mountain biking and ball games. This lets you tailor your choice of activities to the season: in summer, options include not only hikes but also running and cycling, as well as ball games. Which of these activities matters to you may play a role in choosing a holiday rental in Lillehammer.

More to discover and the right base

At Ment, visitors can explore the factory shop, gallery, factory garden, design studio and production facilities. This adds an opportunity to learn about design and manufacturing. Together with Maihaugen, the museums and the activities around the stadium, Lillehammer offers a range of themes for your stay.

For further orientation, you can also visit the page about Fåberg.

For the general travel overview: Lillehammer.