Best known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympic Games, Lillehammer is a quiet and attractive small town at the head of Lake Mjøsa, Norway’s largest lake. It was a pleasant place to spend a day or so, very walkable and low key.

The Norwegian Olympic Museum is a good place to start. It isn’t huge but tells well the story of the Olympic Games from Ancient Greece through to the modern day, before focusing on the Lillehammer games. There is a great montage of Olympic Game opening ceremonies, and celebration of the many medal winning Norwegian athletes. They have won far more Gold medals than any other country, nearly 40% more than the United States, despite Norway having 5.5 million people compared with over 300 million in the USA.

Next to the Olympic Museum is Maihaugen, apparently the largest open air museum in Norway, though I found Oslo’s Norwegian Folk Museum more varied and interesting. There were a large number of farm buildings relocated from around the country, and a few more urban buildings, set around several man made lakes.

The interiors had been well preserved / relocated.

With more items from the extensive collection on display in the visitor centre.

There were more heritage buildings along Storgata (Big Street), Lillehammer’s main (and only real) street, filled with shops and restaurants, and along the nearby streets.

There were a couple of notable statues. One is of Sigrid Undset who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. The other shows the two year old Prince Håkon, who was carried by skiers across the mountains to escape during the Norwegian Civil War in the 13th century. He later became the king who moved the capital to Bergen and united the country.

Lillehammer Church is particularly attractive, set in the middle of a large graveyard. I visited on the rare occasion during my week in Norway in July when the sun was shining, which helped.

Next door is Søndre Park Aland, also attractive.

Down the hillside is Lake Mjøsa, which had an impressive pedestrianised road bridge offers views and exercise opportunities for the locals, including summer cross country skiing practice.