Destinations in Lillehammer and Gudbrandsdalen

Gudbrandsdalen is one of Norway’s largest valleys, and has Lillehammer as its southern gateway. It can be found in the heart of Norway, between Jotunheimen and Rondane, and offers dramatic scenery, picturesque villages, and rich heritage. The region features some of Norway's most spectacular mountain areas and several of the country's most welcoming towns – such as the charming centre of Lillehammer. Furthermore, it is home to two of Norway’s national parks.

Explore Gudbrandsdalen on skis, by bicycle, on horseback, in a canoe or by foot, and discover charming old mountain farms and picturesque lakes complete with jumping trout. For some excitement, a trip down Sjoa – one of Norway's most popular white-water rafting rivers, a visit to Hafjell Bike Park, or a wheelbob down the Bobsleigh and Luge Track, may be just what you are looking for. In winter, the area is ideal for cross-country and alpine skiing. 

This where Asbjørnsen and Moe, in bygone days, collected many of their Norwegian folk tales, and it is the natural location for Hunderfossen Amusement Park – the country's very own fairytale adventure centre. Other popular attractions are Lilleputthammer Family Park and the cultural gem, Maihaugen.

In Gudbrandsdalen, you are amid the people who inspired Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. Just like in Peer Gynt's time, you will see reindeer roaming the hills and the mighty elk hiding behind the trees. The area has also inspired the works of Sigrid Undset and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, and Edvard Grieg used elements of local folk music when he wrote his masterpieces – such as the Peer Gynt suites.

Accommodation in the area ranges from manor farms and cabins to city hotels and mountain resorts, and finding a restaurant with locally produced food on the menu is not difficult – game from the mountains, fish from our clean rivers and lakes, or cheese from our mountain dairy farms. With their central Eastern-Norway location, Lillehammer and Gudbrandsdalen are easy to reach.