Lillehammer

2022

Cost: £££ – Norway is expensive but can be done on a budget
Trip length: 3 nights (although if you’re in a rush and want to swing by, you could also spend a night here)
Trip video: inc. stops in Oslo and Bergen

We went to see our beautiful friend get married in her home town, Biristrand, a short drive from Lillehammer. It was absolutely stunning and I would recommend to anyone who wants a chilled few days in Norway.

Getting there…
We booked ridiculously cheap flights from London Stansted to Oslo (2 hours 10 mins) with Ryanair at GBP 22.50 per person!! Check Skyscanner for best deals. When we arrived, we hopped onto the nicest coach I’ve ever been on (trains had scheduled maintenance), and travelled exactly 2 hours to Lillehammer. We booked ahead of time with Vy for just NOK 347 / GBP 26.70 per person (crazy that the coach was more expensive than the flight!)

Accommodation
3 of us stayed in the cutest little cabin high on a hill, so we had an amazing view of Lillehammer and Mjøsa (Norway’s largest lake & one of the deepest in Norway / Europe).

It doesn’t look like much but it really was a cosy, stunning spot, and with a large window in the living area, I don’t think we could have found a better view to enjoy whilst having our breakfast / Smash snacks! If you want to book, it’s called Bynær hytte med utsikt og uteplass and cost just NOK 3,300 (GBP 254) for 3 nights / just less than GBP 84 per person!

Whilst being high on the hill is an upside (literally), it’s also a little bit of a downside as it’s a 2.5k walk which winds down the hill to Lillehammer. We walked up once and walked down a couple of times, but best to have a taxi number handy if you’re drinking / coming home later in the evening.

Lillehammer is actually a ski resort town and well known for its insane ski-jumping arena (Lysgårdsbakkene Hoppanlegg) in the Olympic Park!

What we did…
Our trip was very wedding focused, and we spent most of the time socialising with the wonderful wedding guests who had come into town for it (big shout out to Tico) and their local friends!

Lillehammer is tiny but has a really good vibe with a number of cute restaurants and outdoor spaces to grab a drink at, and oh, did we drink! (Although a beer is about GBP 10-12 as an FYI if you’re planning a boozy trip)…

If you fancy doing more touristy things, there is an open air museum which our friend worked at when she was younger. It shows historical houses and I believe animals roam freely.

We also went for a couple of runs – the hills are horrific but good for training (and the downhill is bliss).

Biristrand
About a 40 min drive away from Lillehammer, Biristrand is definitely worth visiting if you get the chance. Our friends childhood home is in the most idyllic spot and her wedding venue was just next door.

The day before the wedding we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon setting the venue up and feasting on our friends mums homemade strawberry jam (oh my goodness!)

Northern Lights
Just before midnight on the night of the wedding, someone ran into the venue and said ‘someone turned the Northern Lights on!’ We couldn’t believe it and nor could the locals – apparently the area is too south for the Northern Lights, especially late in August. There was obviously something in the air, but we spent about 30 mins looking at them dancing (plus the Big Dipper, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars were out in full force). Felt incredibly lucky.

Norway is a special place and I found this part of the trip particularly special, not only because of how beautiful it is, but because it’s the hometown of my friend, we were so welcomed into the family and I feel we got a really authentic Norway experience PLUS Liv got married!!