Lillehammer Olympic Park

Lillehammer hosted the Winter Olympics in 1994, and unlike many host cities it kept its venues in active use. The Lysgardsbakkene ski jumps above the town remain a World Cup site, with a chairlift and a tower at the top of the large hill giving a view over the town and Lake Mjosa and a sense of the gradient jumpers face. The Hunderfossen bobsleigh and luge track, a few kilometres north, offers public rides: a bob raft for general visitors and a wheeled bob in summer, reaching speeds that surprise people who expected a gentle ride. Hakons Hall holds an Olympic museum, and the Birkebeiner ski stadium hosts the long-distance race each March.

What you actually see

• The ski jumps - the Lysgardsbakkene hills with a chairlift and viewing tower.
• The bobsleigh track - the 1994 course with public rides in summer and winter.
• The Olympic museum - exhibitions in Hakons Hall on the games.
• The Birkebeiner stadium - the cross-country venue and race start.

When to go

June to August for the jump tower, summer bob rides and walking; December to March for skiing, winter bob runs and the Birkebeiner race in March. Some facilities close between seasons.

Honest expectations

Individual attractions charge separately and the total mounts up. Bob rides are short, fast and not suitable for people with back or neck problems. The venues are spread out, with Hunderfossen several kilometres from the town.

Nearby

Maihaugen is in Lillehammer; Hunderfossen family park is beside the bobsleigh track.