Lillehammer

Home to the 1994 Winter Olympics

Lillehammer is probably best known as the host city of the 1994 Winter Olympics. This legacy lives on at attractions like the Norwegian Olympic Museum and the Lysgårdsbakken Ski Jumping Arena, which famously hosted the 1994 opening and closing ceremonies.

But there’s more to this city than winter sports. Lillehammer is also home to Norway’s largest open-air museum, Maihaugen. Spread over 3 sections, the site includes over 200 carefully preserved buildings spanning from the 1400s to early 1900s. Though its most popular building, the impressive Garmo stave church, was built around 1150.

The city centre of Lillehammer is just as charming, featuring colourful 19th-century wooden houses that overlook the northern shores of Lake Mjøsa. The city has been recognised as a UNESCO city of literature and hosts the Norwegian Literature Festival each year at the end of May.