Things to Do in Lillehammer

This amusement park is one of Norway’s largest tourist attractions and is situated to the north of the city. It consists of more than 50 attractions and also a Winter Park that is opened from Late December till Mid- March.

The highlight of this park is the Big Troll that you can see sitting in the middle of the Park. Rides here are mainly for children but there are some big rides such as the water splash, roller coaster and the Adventure climbing area which can be enjoyed by adults. The restaurant serves good food and the atmosphere is very nice too.  

This is one of the most visited attractions in the country and consists of more than 200 buildings. It is also one of the largest open- air museums of Northern Europe. The museum was founded by Anders Servig and later many additions were made to the building. 

The main attractions of the museum are:

• Rural Collection: This is dedicated to the objects and lifestyles from the villages during the period of 1700- 1850. There are also houses from the 15th century.
• Historic Town: These are a collection of buildings from the period 1900 to 1920.
• Residential Area: This section comprises single family homes from all decades of the 20th century.
• The Garmo Stave Church that was dissembled and bought by Servig who later erected in the Maihaugen campus.
• There is a large photography indoor museum.

This is one of the best restaurants in the city with a lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and informal setting. The food is of very good taste and quality and they also have an area separated for smokers. The highlights are the burgers, mousse, cream fishes and salmons of course. It also serves drinks at moderate prices. It is thus a good place for a nice dinner. 

Officially known as the Lysgardsbakken Ski Jumping Arena, this is a jumping hill that consists of two hills with K- Point. One is a larger than the other. This place opened in 1993 just before the 1994 Olympic Games. The Ski Jumping and Nordic combined events were held here. The opening and closing ceremonies were also held here. This arena has also played host to a number of other important sports events.

• The tower is surrounded by an arena that can accommodate more than 35000 people and there are seats for 7500 people.
• There is a start house, a Judges’ tower, a media building and a technical room below the stands.
• A chair lift can take people to the top of the tower. 

Also known as the Olympiaparken, this park was established to celebrate the Olympic Venues in Norway. It was opened soon after the 1994 Winter Olympics that was held here.

The main venues managed by this organization are:

• Birkebeineren Ski Stadium
• Hakons Hall
• Lillehammer Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track
• Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena
• Lysgardsbakken

Apart from serving sports events they also organize tourist and group activities at the venue and cater to other large concerts and events.

This museum is situated in Hunderfossen and represents the road and transport history of Norway.

The highlights of this open- air museum are: 

• The networks constructed here are shown linking the antiquarian buildings.
• There are also other buildings in this large network such as a posting station, a mechanical workshop, house of road maintenance workers and a Cotter’s Farm.
• The indoor exhibition shows the history of about 1000 years with cars and machineries from various eras as well as snow blowers and ploughs.
• There is also a Traffic Safety Centre and a Video Room.
• The tunnel here is the place for the Norwegian Rock Blasting Museum. 

This is a Bobsleigh Luge and Skeleton Track that was completed in 1992. It was the destination for the Bobsleigh and Luge events of the 1994 Winter Olympics. It has also hosted the FIBT and FIL World Championships in 1995 and is scheduled to host the 2016 Winter Olympics.

This lovely museum situated inside the Hakons Hall was officially inaugurated by Kind Herald V and Queen Sonja. It is the only museum in Northern Europe that houses the complete detailed history of the Olympics. It has more than 7000 exhibits related to the games. 

• The historical section of the museum has records and exhibits from the Olympics of 776 BC till the present and modern Games by means of videos, texts and recordings.
• A separate section for the 1994 Olympics that has an egg from the opening ceremony and also all presentation videos and recordings of medal winners and games.
• The Norwegian Sports Honorary Gallery and collection of Olympic Stamps.
• The museum also houses one of the largest pin collections of the world.

This is a very famous art gallery in the city. During the 1994 Olympics it was the main cultural venue.

The museum houses 3 main collections such as:

• 100 paintings from the adherents of Matisse School donated by Einar Lude in 1920.
• Oscar Johhansen’s collection of paintings from the 19th century.
• Collection of paintings dating back to 1980s and 1990s donated by John Dobloug in 2008.

This is a family water park in the Faberg region a little away from the city. It is the largest water park in the region with a central pool covering a large area. Here you can:

• Swim, dive, exercise, get some sauna bath or relax in a Jacuzzi.
• The children can enjoy amongst themselves in the water slides and the climbing walls.
• There are also bubble baths and an outdoor pool.
• You can then grab something to eat from the cafe. 

This is a mountain cross- country skiing arena a few kilometers away from the main city. The place is almost at a height of 850 meters above sea level. Skiing activities are done from December till the end of March. Other activities common during the summer months are kayaking, walking, cycling ad fishing. This area has been in use by farmers during the summer for their animals to graze on the fresh green grass. The initial guest houses of the region were also erected here.

This is a small but important building in the city which is beautiful inside-out. The park and flower garden surrounding it make it even more attractive. It is also an example of very fine old architecture and would especially interest you if you like antiques and old buildings. Christianity started blooming in this country at around 1000 AD and this is when the stave churches started being built. The Ringebu is one of these beautiful churches made mainly of wood with a simple yet elegant design and the old charm. This church dates back to the 13th century and is amongst one of the only 28 buildings remaining of its kind.

This is an interesting museum that houses the auto- history of Norway since the 1900s. This includes:

• Rebuilt Oldsmobile known as Oldsfossum.
• Last Norwegian produced car of 1950.
• Sledges, gigs, carioles and carts.
• The section with the model of a rail engine is dedicated to the history of Railway.
• The Wartburg, which is the oldest car of the region.
• The whole setup that shows models of petrol pumps, roads and workshops of that era. 

This is one of the most well preserved houses of northern Europe. It was the residence of the famous Norwegian artist and Nobel laureate Bjornstjerne Bjornsons. He lived here with his family for a number of years and after his death it was made into a museum and opened publicly. He was also a poet and was the writer of the National Anthem of Norway. It is an urban European home with a beautiful garden in front of it. 

This was the home of the famous poet, author and Nobel Laureate Sigrid Undset who lived here till his death in 1949. The house was then transformed into a public museum. The name was after the Arch Norwegian Mr. Bjerkebek. This was a character in his play that gave rise to the term “bjerkebekeri” which is a term for Norwegian Bragging. The museum has a book café, meeting and conference hall and exhibition halls. The foundation stone of the museum was laid down by Queen Sonja.