What to see, where to stay and the best time to visit Lillehammer, Norway.
Photo: Barnabas Davoti / Pexels
Lillehammer is a small inland town in Norway, home to about 21,677 people, and is best known as a ski destination. The compact centre, Sentrum, has the Storgata street, cafés and the Lillehammer Art Museum. Above town, the Olympic Park holds the Lysgårdsbakken Ski Jump and the Norwegian Olympic Museum. Skiers also head to Hafjell, Nordseter and Sjusjøen. May and June are the best months for a visit, while winter brings skiers to the slopes.
Plan around the sights. Maihaugen needs half a day, and most other museums take 1–2 hours each. Hunderfossen Family Park and Hafjell Alpine Centre each need a full day. Add extra days if you come to ski.
Lillehammer
Maihaugen is one of Norway's largest open-air museums. It has old farmhouses, a stave church and a town quarter moved here from across the Gudbrandsdalen valley. In summer, staff in period dress show daily life and old crafts.
Olympic Park
This museum sits inside Håkons Hall, an arena built for the Winter Olympics that Lillehammer hosted. It covers the history of the Olympic Games and Norway's sporting heroes, with many hands-on exhibits.
Olympic Park
This is the Olympic ski jump above the town. You can climb the long staircase beside the hill or take the chairlift for wide views over Lillehammer and Lake Mjøsa. It is also used for training and events, so you may see jumpers in action.
Town centre
Storgata is Lillehammer's pedestrian main street. It is lined with well-kept wooden houses, cafés and small shops, and it is the easiest place to get a feel for the town.
Lillehammer
Bjerkebæk was the home of Sigrid Undset, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist. The wooden houses and garden are kept much as she left them, and guided tours explain her life and work.
Town centre
The art museum holds one of Norway's leading collections of Norwegian painting, with works by artists such as Edvard Munch. The building and its sculpture garden are worth seeing in their own right.
Hunderfossen
This theme park north of town is built around Norwegian fairy tales and trolls, with rides and shows for children. It suits families who want a full day out.
Øyer
Hafjell hosted Olympic alpine events and is the main ski area near Lillehammer. In winter it offers downhill skiing and cross-country trails, and in summer the lifts serve a bike park and hiking routes.
Hunderfossen
This national museum tells the story of roads, tunnels and travel in Norway. It has old vehicles indoors and an outdoor area with historic road equipment, and it sits close to Hunderfossen Family Park.
Follebu, Gausdal
Aulestad was the farm home of Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, the Nobel Prize-winning writer who wrote the words of Norway's national anthem. The house keeps its original furniture and gives a close look at his family life. It lies in the countryside west of Lillehammer.
Average weather and our month score, from 10 years of climate data.
| Month | High / low | Rain days | Sunshine | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -4°C / -9°C | 12 days (65 mm) | 2.7 h/day | 1.3/10 |
| February | -1°C / -8°C | 10 days (51 mm) | 5.0 h/day | 2.5/10 |
| March | 4°C / -5°C | 9 days (52 mm) | 7.2 h/day | 3.1/10 |
| April | 8°C / -2°C | 8 days (45 mm) | 10.4 h/day | 5.1/10 |
| Best month: May | 15°C / 4°C | 11 days (72 mm) | 11.6 h/day | 7.2/10 |
| Best month: June | 20°C / 10°C | 12 days (99 mm) | 13.0 h/day | 7.1/10 |
| July | 20°C / 11°C | 15 days (125 mm) | 12.2 h/day | 6.5/10 |
| August | 19°C / 11°C | 16 days (128 mm) | 10.0 h/day | 6.5/10 |
| September | 15°C / 8°C | 15 days (124 mm) | 6.5 h/day | 6.1/10 |
| October | 8°C / 3°C | 13 days (82 mm) | 4.7 h/day | 3.2/10 |
| November | 2°C / -2°C | 12 days (80 mm) | 2.7 h/day | 1.4/10 |
| December | -2°C / -8°C | 13 days (68 mm) | 1.9 h/day | 0.9/10 |
Deep cold: highs of -3.6°C, lows of -9.3°C and 12 rain days. With only 2.7 sun hours, it scores just 1.3.
Still below freezing, with highs of -0.7°C and 10 rain days. Sun rises to 5 hours. The cold keeps the score low at 2.5.
Highs reach 3.6°C but nights fall to -4.8°C. There are 9 rain days and 7.2 sun hours. It scores 3.1, still a weak month.
A turning point: highs of 8.2°C, the fewest rain days of the year at 7.8, and 10.4 sun hours. It rates ok with 5.1.
The top-scoring month at 7.2. Highs climb to 14.7°C, with 11 rain days and 11.6 sun hours. Nights stay cool at 4°C.
Warm and bright, with highs of 19.9°C and 13 sun hours, the most of the year. There are 12 rain days. It scores a good 7.1.
The warmest month, with highs of 20.3°C. It is also wet, with 15 rain days and 125 mm of rain. Still good at 6.5.
Highs of 19°C, but the most rain days of the year at 15.6 and 128 mm of rain. It scores a good 6.5.
Cooler at 14.9°C, with 15 rain days and 124 mm of rain. Sun drops to 6.5 hours. The last good month, scoring 6.1.
Highs fall to 8.2°C and lows to 2.5°C, with 13 rain days and 4.7 sun hours. Cold, damp days push the score down to 3.2.
Grey and chilly: highs of 2.3°C, lows of -2.3°C, 12 rain days and only 2.7 sun hours. It scores just 1.4.
The lowest score of the year at 0.9. Highs of -2°C, 13 rain days and only 1.9 sun hours make it dark and cold.
Climate averages 2015–2024 · Best time to visit Norway →
The best areas to base yourself and who each one suits.
Good for first-timers, car-free travellers, food and cafés
The compact town centre is built around Storgata, a pedestrian street lined with old wooden buildings, shops, cafés and bars. You can walk to the train station, the lakeside and most sights, so it works well without a car. Streets climb steeply uphill from the lake, and weekend evenings on Storgata can be noisy.
Good for culture lovers, couples, quiet stays
This residential area sits on the hillside just above the centre, around the Maihaugen open-air museum. It is calm and green, with views over Lake Mjøsa, and the centre is a short walk away. Getting back from town means a steep uphill walk, which can be slippery in winter.
Good for sports fans, active travellers, events
The Olympic Park area, higher up the slope, holds the Lysgårdsbakken ski jumps, the Olympic museum and sports arenas, with cross-country and hiking trails close by. It is handy for events and for getting onto the trails quickly. It is quieter and has few restaurants, and the walk down to the centre is steep.
Good for skiers, families, mountain bikers
Hafjell is a ski resort north of town, used for Olympic alpine events, with slopes in winter and a bike park in summer. Staying here means walking to the lifts instead of commuting. It feels like a resort rather than a town, and you will want a car or bus to reach Lillehammer centre.
Good for cross-country skiers, hikers, nature lovers
Nordseter is a mountain area above Lillehammer with a large network of cross-country ski tracks in winter and open hiking terrain in summer. It is quiet, with cabins and wide views over the plateau. Services are limited, winters are cold and snowy up here, and you really need a car.
Good for families, long ski trips, cabin stays
Sjusjøen is a cabin village in the mountains east of town, known for its well-kept cross-country tracks linked to Nordseter. It suits longer, self-catering stays with plenty of outdoor time. It is far from town life and restaurants, and access depends on driving mountain roads that can be snowy in winter.
A sweet, caramel-coloured cheese made with whey, milk and cream. It is named after Gudbrandsdalen, the valley Lillehammer sits at. Locals slice it thin onto bread or crispbread at breakfast.
Soft, heart-shaped waffles topped with brown cheese, jam or sour cream. Skiers buy them at cafés and cabins along the trails, often with a cup of coffee.
A rich porridge made with sour cream, topped with butter, sugar and cinnamon. It is a traditional rural dish, often served on special occasions with cured meats on the side.
A platter of dried and cured meats, such as dried leg of lamb and cured sausage. It comes with flatbread, sour cream and sometimes potato salad, especially at summer gatherings.
Elk and deer from the surrounding forests appear on restaurant menus as stews, steaks or meatballs. Game is most common after the autumn hunting season, usually with lingonberries and potatoes.
May and June are the best months for mild, bright weather in Lillehammer. In May, highs reach about 14.7°C and the town gets 11.6 hours of sun a day, with 72 mm of rain. June is warmer, with highs of 19.9°C and 13 hours of sun, the most of the year. Rain rises to 99 mm in June, but it is still less than in July or August.
Yes, August is warm and good for sightseeing, but it is one of the wettest months. Highs are around 19°C and lows around 10.5°C. However, August has 128 mm of rain over about 15.6 days, the highest total of the year. Sun drops to 10 hours a day. Pack a rain jacket and plan some indoor stops, such as the Norwegian Olympic Museum or Lillehammer Art Museum.
Winter in Lillehammer is cold and dark. January highs are about -3.6°C and lows about -9.3°C, with only 2.7 hours of sun a day. December is the darkest month, with 1.9 hours of sun. These conditions suit travellers who come for winter sports. Hafjell Alpine Centre in Øyer is worth a full day, and the Lysgårdsbakken Ski Jump is in the Olympic Park.
April is an okay time to visit if you want dry weather more than warmth. It is the driest month, with 45 mm of rain over about 7.8 days. Days are cool, with highs of 8.2°C, and nights are still frosty, with lows of -2.1°C. Sunshine climbs to 10.4 hours a day, which is a big jump from winter.
Plan 2 days for the town and nearby sights, plus a full day each for Hunderfossen Family Park and Hafjell Alpine Centre. Maihaugen takes half a day. The Norwegian Olympic Museum and Lysgårdsbakken Ski Jump in the Olympic Park take 1–2 hours each. Storgata, Bjerkebæk and Lillehammer Art Museum also need 1–2 hours each. The Norwegian Road Museum is near the family park at Hunderfossen.
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