Hamar: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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There are two Hamars. The first was a medieval bishop's town on a point in Lake Mjøsa, with a stone cathedral and a fortress; after the Reformation and a Swedish attack in 1567 it faded until almost nothing was left. The second was founded in 1849 a little to the east, and it is the town you walk in today. This route starts in the new town, by its cathedral and its most famous daughter, then follows the lake shore west to the ruins of the old one, and ends at the railway and the Olympics. About three hours on foot on flat paths; the lake path is lovely in the evening.

A short history of Hamar

In 1152 Cardinal Nicholas Breakspear, who later became Pope Adrian IV, the only English pope in history, founded a diocese on the shore of Lake Mjøsa, and the medieval town of Hamar grew up around the cathedral. After the Reformation, during the war with Sweden in 1567, the cathedral and the town were destroyed. The modern town was founded again only in 1849. On 9 April 1940, the day the Germans invaded Norway, the Norwegian parliament met here in an emergency session before fleeing further. In 1998 the cathedral ruins were covered with a large glass dome, and ahead of the 1994 Winter Olympics the town built the "Viking Ship" skating arena.

The ten best sights in Hamar

1
Hamardomen
The medieval cathedral ruins under a glass roof; come on a sunny day, the light is the point
2
Hedmarksmuseet
Sverre Fehn's museum built over the bishop's ruins; one ticket with the glass cathedral
3
Norwegian Railway Museum
Old engines in halls and on tracks by the lake; give it two hours with children
4
Skibladner pier
Where the old paddle steamer docks in summer; check the timetable, it does not sail every day
5
Vikingskipet
The Olympic skating hall shaped like an upturned Viking ship; open for public skating in winter
6
Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre
The 1994 figure-skating hall next to the railway museum; look from outside if nothing is on
7
Kirsten Flagstad Museum
The house of the great Wagner soprano, a block from the square; summer hours
8
Hamar Cathedral
The town's 19th-century cathedral by the main square; simple and bright inside
9
Koigen
Park and beach on the lake, five minutes from the centre; Mjøsa is cold even in July
10
Stortorget
The main square, with cafés around it; start and end the town walk here

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Hamar →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Hamar:

Free walking tours in Hamar

Two Hamars

Hamar Cathedral · Hamar lost its bishop at the Reformation, and the diocese was only revived in 1864. The church built in the new town two years later became its cathedral.
Kirsten Flagstad Museum · Kirsten Flagstad was born in Hamar in 1895 and became one of the greatest Wagner sopranos of the 20th century, singing Isolde and Brünnhilde at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The museum tells her life through her costumes, letters and recordings.
Skibladner pier · Skibladner was built in 1856 and is the oldest paddle steamer in the world still sailing a regular timetable. In summer she still carries passengers up the lake to Gjøvik and Lillehammer.
Hamardomen · Hamar's cathedral was built in the 12th and 13th centuries and burned in 1567, during a war with Sweden. In 1998 the ruins were covered by a huge glass and steel shelter, so the arches now stand indoors.
Hedmarksmuseet · The architect Sverre Fehn built the museum inside the ruins of the bishop's fortress and a later barn, with concrete ramps floating over the medieval walls. Fehn later won the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest award, in 1997.
Norwegian Railway Museum · The museum was founded in 1896, which makes it one of the oldest railway museums in Europe. Norway's first railway, from Christiania to Eidsvoll, opened in 1854, and some of the earliest rolling stock is kept here.

Around Mjøsa

Mjøsa is the largest lake in Norway, more than 100 km long, and Hamar, Gjøvik and Lillehammer sit on its shores. Farmland rolls down to the water on every side, and for a century and a half one old steamer has linked the towns. This drive starts at Hamar's Olympic hall, crosses to the farm island in the lake, climbs to a medieval church on the ridge, and comes round by Lillehammer to the boathouse where the steamer spends the winter. A full day by car, about 170 km; in summer you can do part of it by Skibladner instead.

Vikingskipet · The speed-skating hall was built for the 1994 Winter Olympics, with a roof shaped like the upturned hull of a Viking ship. Johann Olav Koss won three gold medals here, each with a world record.
Skibladner pier · The steamer is named after Skíðblaðnir, the magic ship of the god Freyr in Norse myth, which always had a fair wind and could be folded up and carried in a pocket.
Helgøya · Helgøya is the largest island in Mjøsa, and it is almost entirely farmland. A bridge links it to the Nes peninsula, and its narrow roads see little traffic.
Ringsaker church · The medieval stone church holds a carved and painted altarpiece made in Antwerp in the early 16th century, with scenes from the Passion crowded with small figures. It is one of the finest Flemish altarpieces in Norway.
Lillehammer · Lillehammer hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics, with the skating events held down the lake in Hamar. The ski jumps above the town are still in use and can be seen from the lake road.
Skibladnerhuset, Gjøvik · Every winter Skibladner is laid up in this boathouse in Gjøvik, out of the ice. The ship's home port is Gjøvik, across the lake from Hamar.

The constitution, the war and Munch

Some of the turning points of Norwegian history happened within an hour of Hamar. South of the lake, Norway wrote its constitution in 1814; in Hamar and Elverum its parliament made its stand on the first day of the German invasion in 1940; and east of town, in a farming village, the painter of The Scream was born. This route links them in one long day by car, about 200 km, from Hamar down to Eidsvoll and back, then east into the forest country. The two Elverum museums sit side by side and need at least two hours.

Festiviteten · On 9 April 1940, the day Germany invaded, the Norwegian parliament fled Oslo by train and met here in Hamar. That evening, with German troops approaching, it moved on to Elverum.
Eidsvoll 1814 · In the spring of 1814 elected men from all over Norway met in this manor house and wrote a constitution, signed on 17 May. That date is Norway's national day, and the hall where they sat has been restored as it was.
Munch Centre, Løten · Edvard Munch was born in Løten on 12 December 1863, where his father was a military doctor. The family moved to Christiania when he was a baby, but Løten keeps the farm and tells his story.
Elverum · On 9 April 1940 the parliament, meeting in Elverum, gave the government full powers to act for Norway in exile, the Elverum Authorisation. German bombers destroyed much of the town two days later.
Glomdalsmuseet · It is one of the largest open-air museums in Norway, with dozens of old farm and town buildings moved here from the valley of the Glomma, Norway's longest river.
Norwegian Forest Museum · The museum opened in 1954 as Norway's national museum of forestry, hunting and fishing. Its stuffed animals and fish tanks show the wildlife of the forests that cover more than a third of the country.

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Getting to Hamar and getting around

Oslo Airport Gardermoen · About 45 minutes by train or an hour by car; handy for picking up or dropping off a passenger
Hamar station · Trains to Oslo and the airport, and north up the valley to Lillehammer and Trondheim
Hamar bus terminal (skysstasjon) · Regional buses leave next to the station; Elverum and Løten are on these lines

Cheap eats in Hamar

Hamar is the market town of Hedmarken, one of Norway's richest farming districts, so the food is the food of the farms: potatoes, grain, pork and dairy. Norway is expensive, and a café lunch costs several times what it would at home; bakeries, with their cinnamon buns and open sandwiches, are the cheapest way to eat well. Most cafés are within a few minutes of Stortorget.

Kringla Bakeri · Cinnamon buns, bread and coffee, about 40-120 NOK
Basarene Restaurant · Lunch in the old bazaar row on Strandgata, about 150-250 NOK
Hoels Café · Coffee and cakes on the main square, about 50-150 NOK
Café Nor · Café lunch by the square, about 150-250 NOK
Larsen · Coffee and a sandwich on Strandgata, about 60-150 NOK
Hygge Hamar · Light meals on Stortorget, about 150-250 NOK

Museums in Hamar

Hedmarksmuseet · Fehn's museum over the medieval ruins, with an open-air village
Norwegian Railway Museum · Engines, royal carriages and a lakeside park
Kirsten Flagstad Museum · The Wagner soprano's life in her Hamar house
Eidsvoll 1814 · The manor of the 1814 constitution
Munch Centre, Løten · Munch's birthplace in Løten
Norwegian Forest Museum · Forests, hunting and fishing in Elverum
Glomdalsmuseet · Open-air museum of old buildings, next door

Holy places in Hamar

Hamardomen · Medieval cathedral ruins under glass
Ringsaker church · Medieval stone church with a Flemish altarpiece
Hamar Cathedral · The 19th-century cathedral of the new town
Stange church · Medieval stone church in the farmland south of Hamar
Nes church · White church on the Nes peninsula, on the way to Helgøya
Løten church · The old church of Munch's birthplace

Things to do in Hamar with kids

Norwegian Railway Museum · Real engines to climb into and a park by the lake
Vikingskipet · Skate where Olympic champions raced, in winter
Skibladner pier · A trip on a paddle steamer with real steam engines
Koigen · Beach, grass and a playground on the lake
Hunderfossen Family Park · Trolls, fairy tales and rides, an hour north

Where to eat in Hamar

Stortorvet Gjestgiveri · Norwegian dinner in an old inn on the square
Tjuvholmen Kro · Dinner by the water at the edge of the lake
Egon Hamar · Burgers, pizza and family dinners on the square
Stallgården · Restaurant and bar just off the square
Nagomi · Sushi and Japanese dishes on Enggata
Il Teatro · Italian dinner next to Festiviteten

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Frequently asked questions about Hamar

What is there to see in Hamar?

The top sights in Hamar are Hamardomen, Hedmarksmuseet and Norwegian Railway Museum. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Hamar?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Hamar without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Hamar?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Hamar, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Two Hamars.

How do you get to Hamar and get around?

The main ways are Oslo Airport Gardermoen, Hamar station and Hamar bus terminal (skysstasjon). Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Hamar, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Hamar that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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