Before the trip
Oslo
Two or three days for the Munch Museum, the new Opera waterfront, the New Nordic kitchens we list separately, and a slow walk along the Akerselva.
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Cycling · Nordmarka, Hadeland, Toten and Lake MjosaA club trip from the capital, minimum eight riders
Oslo to Lillehammer by bicycle, through Nordmarka and Hadeland
Out of Oslo through the forest the city keeps at its back door, down the farmed shelf of Hadeland, and north along Norway's largest lake to Lillehammer.
Photo: Tord Baklund / Visit Oslo ·
◆
Nordmarka
Two days of forest gravel
⌂
Granavollen
Medieval sister churches
△
Day five climb
180 to 650 m
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On the bike
250 km over five days
Available on request
Arranged on the dates you choose, within the june - august window.
The journey
A club trip from the capital, minimum eight riders.
This is the one route in the collection sold to groups rather than individuals - eight riders minimum, dates and price quoted on request - which makes it a club trip rather than a couple's week. If your club already travels together and brings its own bikes, that is exactly the shape it fits, because hire is not offered here.
Five riding days of 56, 41, 25, 63 and 51 km, over 250 km in all. The first two cross Nordmarka, the forest that Oslo treats as its garden: gravel roads, pine and lakes, and no traffic after the first hour. Then the country opens onto Hadeland and Toten, old farming districts above Lake Mjosa, on quiet asphalt.
The short day is the good one. Twenty-five kilometres leaves the afternoon for Hadeland Glassverk, blowing glass since 1762, and the Kistefos museum, where a gallery twists across the river as a bridge. Granavollen has two medieval stone churches side by side. Day five climbs from 180 to 650 metres on sections of the old royal road and the pilgrim route to Nidaros; the last day crosses Mjosa and runs into Lillehammer, which the 1994 Olympics put on the map.
Is this for you?
Who this trip is - and isn't - for.
A good fit if
- ✓Clubs and groups of eight or more travelling with their own bikes
- ✓Riders who want to start and finish at a station rather than an airport
- ✓Anyone who likes a short day with a glassworks and a museum in it
- ✓Groups happy to have dates and price quoted rather than listed
Less good fit
- ·Couples or solo riders - the operator runs this one for groups only
- ·Anyone who needs to hire a bike, which is not offered here
- ·Riders wanting a fixed published price before enquiring
The route
Numbered pins mark the day the night is spent. Tap a pin for details.Where the week takes you.
Day by day
The shape of the week.
7 days · 250 km on foot
You make your own way to Oslo and stay near the central station, in the quarter that now holds the Opera House, the Munch museum and the National Library.
Included
What is in the price.
- Six nights accommodation
- Six breakfasts
- Five packed lunches
- Three dinners
- Route notes
- Luggage transfer between hotels
- Digital maps and GPX files
Not included
And what is not.
- Bike hire, which is not available on this trip
- Travel and cancellation insurance
- Meals not listed above
Where you sleep
Lodges and stays along the way.
Oslo city centre
Near the central station
Nights
1
Kleivstua
Above Krokkleiva, at the top of the first climb
Nights
1
Thorbjornrud Hotel
At Jevnaker, by Randsfjorden
Nights
1
Granavolden Hotel & Gjaestgiveri
Beside the sister churches on Hadeland
Nights
1
Gjovik
On the western shore of Mjosa
Nights
1
Lillehammer
The last night, at the end of the route
Nights
1
Extend your stay
Bookend the trip with a city stay.
Most travellers add a night or two at the start or end. We arrange these through the same operator network with the same single line of contact - write to us with your preference and we will fold it into your enquiry.
After the trip
Lillehammer
A morning at the Maihaugen open-air museum and a walk along Storgata before continuing onward.
Add to my enquiry →Before you come
Know-before-you-go.
Practical Norway
- Visa
- Schengen - most Western travelers visa-free for 90 days.
- Currency
- Norwegian krone (NOK). Cards accepted almost everywhere; cash rarely needed.
- Plugs
- Type F (European two-pin), 230 V / 50 Hz.
- Tipping
- Not expected. Round up if service was exceptional.
- Language
- Norwegian. English is widespread and fluent - you will not need a phrasebook.
- Tap water
- Some of the cleanest in the world. Refill, do not buy bottled.
Typical conditions
Cycling season runs roughly May to September. Coastal regions are mild but wet; inland is drier and warmer. Long daylight hours mean you can ride well into the evening.
What to pack - for this trip
The five-to-seven things most travelers underpack for a Norwegian cycling week.
On the bike
- Padded cycling shorts (two pairs) - by far the most underpacked item
- Cycling gloves with light padding
- Lightweight, breathable base layer (long and short sleeve)
Weatherproofing
- Waterproof cycling jacket (breathable; not a plastic poncho)
- Waterproof overshoes or quick-drying shoes - Norwegian rain is real
- Light windproof gilet for descents
Off the bike
- One pair of comfortable evening trousers and a warm layer for the lodges
- Sunscreen and lip balm - long days under high-latitude sun
- A small dry bag for valuables
The operator sends a complete packing list 6 weeks before departure, tailored to your specific dates and the forecast.
The country
What the week looks like.
Photo: Hans Haug / Visit Innlandet
Photo: Geir Olsen
Photo: André Askeland
Photography credits as shown on each image.
Practical questions
Why is there no price?
The operator runs this route for groups of eight or more and quotes dates and price on request. We will not put a number on the page that they have not published; tell us your group size and dates and we will come back with their quote.
Can we hire bikes?
Not on this trip. It is the one route in the collection where the operator does not offer hire, so everyone rides their own.
How far ahead do we need to book?
At least thirty days before departure. In practice a group of eight usually wants longer than that to organise itself, so earlier is better.
What is the riding surface like?
Forest tracks and gravel through Nordmarka for the first two days, then quiet asphalt through Hadeland and Toten. A gravel bike or a sturdy hybrid is the right tool; a road bike with narrow tyres is not.
Further reading
See all Field Notes →Background reading on this kind of trip.
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Start a conversation
If this looks like your kind of week, write to us.
Tell us when you are thinking of travelling and how you would like to shape it. A curator will reply within 24 hours with a considered first option, the operator we would arrange it through, and an honest pricing range for your specific dates.
Travel Guarantee Fund memberFluent English support
Refined by Nordic Curator from a journey by one of our long-standing Norwegian partners. The booking, the contract and the consumer protection (under the Norwegian Travel Guarantee Fund, Reisegarantifondet) sit with the operator. We are paid a small referral commission and there is no additional cost to you. The price is the same as booking the operator directly. How we work.