Maihaugen Open Air Museum

The open air museum tells you about living and working in Norway over the course of 500 years. "The rural collection" shows the Gudbrandsdalen Valley as a whole. Here you will find a grand farm house, cotter's home, stave church, vicarage, a settler's farm a summer farm, and small fishing shacks.

"The town" represents an inland town, town houses from Lillehammer, pharmacy, hairdresser, bakery, shops, post office, flats and backyards.

"The residential area" consists of detached houses from the twentieth century. The main building includes The Old Workshop in a nationwide crafts exhibition and the historic exhibition "We won the land". Museum shop and café.

Skibladner - the world's oldest paddle steamer

Skibladner is still in regular service, an experience not to missed.  Norway's largest lake is definitely at its most scenic from the deck of Mjøsa's white swan, built in 1856. Since then she has faithfully transported passengers, post and cargo between the villages and towns around Lake Mjøsa: Lillehammer, Moelv, Gjøvik, Hamar and Eidsvoll.

Mjøsa - Norway's largest lake

Lake Mjøsa is the largest lake in Norway as well as the one of the deepest lakes in Norway and in Europe as a whole, after Hornindalsvatnet in the county of Sogn og Fjordane.

From its southernmost point at Minnesund in Eidsvoll to its northernmost point in Lillehammer it is 117 kilometres long. At its widest, near the town of Hamar, it is 15 kilometres wide. Mjøsa has a surface of 336 square kilometres. The maximum depth of Mjøsa is 443 metres. Lake Mjøsa borders to three counties (Oppland, Akershus and Hedmark) and seven municipalities.

The total length of the shoreline is 273 kilometres. 90 kilometres of the shoreline is covered by forests and 80 kilometres by agricultural land. Most of its shores are dominated by rolling agricultural areas, among them some of the most fertile grainlands in Norway. There are strong traditions for common use of both the lake and the surroundings. Furthermore the area is of great importance for recreation, for local people as well as tourists.

Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena

Lysgårdsbakkene is the town's monumental landmark.  From the open air terrace in the Ski Jumping Tower, you can enjoy a spectacular panorama view of Lillehammer, Lake Mjøsa and the hill's amphitheatre. This is a popular stop for taking pictures. A kiosk at the site sells souvenirs and other items, and you can see ski jumpers in action from this vantage point both summer and winter. You can also, of course, take the chairlift down again, and get a taste of what the ski jumpers are feeling on the way down the hill. If you are in good shape, you may want to walk up and down the 954 steps to the top of the hill.

The Norwegian Olympic Museum

This is the only museum in Northern Europe presenting the entire history of the Olympic Games, from their origin in ancient Greece in the year 776 BC up to the present day.

The museum is Norway's largest and most important sports museum and is responsible for managing a national cultural treasure that has fascinated Norwegians for more than 100 years. The collection counts more than 7,000 Olympic items in all.

The museum is divided into a Historical Section, Lillehammer '94 and the Olympic Room. On display in the Olympic Room is the Norwegian Sports Honorary Gallery. The Norwegian Olympic Museum also houses the exhibits "Telecommunications from Oslo 1952 to Lillehammer 1994" and "From Chamonix to Lillehammer" (women's sports).

Lillehammer Art Museum (Museum of the year 2008)

In the centre of Lillehammer you will find the Lillehammer Art Museum, which many argue is the Norway's leading visual arts museum with significant works by Norwegian artists.

Lillehammer Art Museum was voted the Museum of the Year in 2008 at The National Museum Meeting in Stavanger 22 August 2008. In jury: Museums director Tomas Jönsson from Sweden, journalist Gudleiv Forr and from the Norwegian Parliament, Ågot Valle.

The permanent collection includes paintings and drawings by J. C. Dahl, Hans Gude, Adolph Tidemand, Erik Werenskiold, Eilif Peterssen, Christian Krogh, Frits Thaulow, Edvard Munch and others.

The Lillehammer painters, including Kristen Holbø, Thorvald Erichsen and Lars Jorde, are well-represented. The Lillehammer Art Museum served as a cultural venue during the XV11 Olympic Winter Games in 1994. The museum café serves Granum bakery's freshest baked goods every day. New museum shop featuring handicrafts and  art books.