Lillehammer

Lillehammer town and region

Today, Lillehammer provides visitors with a combination of cherished traditions and modern attractions, with a host of popular museums, galleries, Olympic facilities, exquisite restaurants and excellent shopping. In addition to a wealth of music and theatrical events throughout the year, there is a wide range of festivals and sporting events that attract visitors from around the world and bring colour and spice to the downtown area.

The Lillehammer region is famous for the spectacular local ski terrain and the many local winter sports activities. Close proximity to Northern Europe's best cross-country mountains at Nordseter/Sjusjøen, with 450 km of ski trails and the short distance to the Hafjell Alpine Centre, makes the region an exciting and all-round travel destination.

The distance to and from the international airport at Gardermoen is only 2 hours by car. Nordseter and Sjusjøen were originally mountain farm communities, which - with their easily accessible forest and mountain terrain - have developed into one of Northern Europe's best skiing destinations. The mountains are 850 metres above sea level and only 15-20 km from the centre of Lillehammer.

Nordic skiing

The area offers a wide range of skiing alternatives, including approx. 350 km. of prepared cross-country trails. The tracks run all the way to Lillehammer and Øyer, and even connect up with the Olympic tracks at the Birkebeineren Ski Stadium. You can ski in both forested and mountain terrain, and all the trails are clearly sign posted.

At critical crossroads, directional signs have been set up indicating the distance in kilometres to various destinations. We recommend that you purchase a ski map, and examine the touring alternatives that are described in available brochure material. We also recommend taking a ski trip from the mountains and down to Lillehammer - about 15km on slightly downhill trails starting in high mountain scenery and ending up in the middle of town. You can take a bus from Lillehammer up to the mountains either at the start of your trip or at the end.

Birkebeineren ski stadium

The excellent cross-country trails at and around the stadium are suitable for both adults and children. The 5-km-long lighted trail is popular all winter, and is lit up until 22.00hrs every evening. The Birkebeineren Ski Stadium is the ideal starting point for trips into the local mountains, and is connected to a 450-km long trail of cross-country tracks. The facility has an excellent area for young children to play on skis a ski playground! Special cross-country and biathlon championships can be organized in either the Olympic tracks or the floodlit tracks.