Lom: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Lom sits where the river from Jotunheimen meets the long Otta valley, in the rain shadow of the highest mountains in Norway, which makes it one of the driest places in the country. It grew as a crossroads, and travellers still stop here between Oslo and the fjords. This walk takes an easy hour or two around the church, the waterfall and the museums. Summers are warm and dry, but evenings cool quickly once the sun drops behind the mountains.
A short history of Lom
Lom is a village in the Otta valley, on the edge of the Jotunheimen mountains. At its centre stands a medieval stave church which tree-ring dating shows was built around 1158, and which was extended into a cross shape in the 17th century. Above the village rise the highest mountains in northern Europe, among them Galdhøpiggen, at 2,469 metres. In 1980 the area was declared Jotunheimen National Park, and Lom became its northern gateway.
The ten best sights in Lom
1Lom Stave ChurchGo inside, not just around: the painted interior is the surprise, and the church is still used every Sunday
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2Norsk Fjellsenter
The mountain museum and the Jotunheimen information centre in one; check the weather on the peaks here
3Fossheim SteinsenterMinerals, fossils and a jewellery shop; a good rainy-hour stop, and children can dig for stones outside
4Presthaugen open-air museumOld farm buildings on the hill above the church; a quiet walk with a view over the lake
5SagasøylaA 33-metre carved column at Elveseter, on the way to Sognefjellet; five minutes from the car
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6Prestfossen
The waterfall in the middle of the village, right under the bridge; best seen from the river path
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7Juvasshytta
A toll road climbs to 1,841 m; the guided summit tour to Galdhøpiggen starts here and takes most of a day
8GaldhøpiggenNever cross the glacier without a guide and a rope; from Spiterstulen there is a glacier-free route
9Galdhøpiggen Summer Ski CentreSkiing on the glacier in June and July; rental on site, but bring warm gloves
10SpiterstulenA mountain lodge at the end of a toll road up Visdalen; the classic base for climbing the high peaks on foot
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Lom →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 Lom:
Free walking tours in Lom
Lom, the church and the village
Lom sits where the river from Jotunheimen meets the long Otta valley, in the rain shadow of the highest mountains in Norway, which makes it one of the driest places in the country. It grew as a crossroads, and travellers still stop here between Oslo and the fjords. This walk takes an easy hour or two around the church, the waterfall and the museums. Summers are warm and dry, but evenings cool quickly once the sun drops behind the mountains.
- Lom Stave Church · Tree-ring dating puts the timber of the oldest part at around 1158, which makes it one of the oldest stave churches in Norway. It was lengthened in the 1600s into the cross shape you see now, and dragon heads still stick out from its roof ridges.
- Presthaugen open-air museum · The hill above the church holds the village museum, a cluster of old log farm buildings moved here from farms around Lom. Many stand on posts or stones to keep rats and damp away from the grain stored inside.
- Prestfossen · The river Bøvra drains the glaciers of Jotunheimen and crashes through the village here, under the bridge, on its way into the Otta river. In early summer, at the peak of the snowmelt, the roar fills the whole centre.
- Norsk Fjellsenter · Part of the museum is about finds from the melting ice of Jotunheimen: as the ice patches shrink, they release arrows, tools and clothing lost by reindeer hunters, some of them thousands of years old. The centre also explains the national park, established in 1980.
- Bakeriet i Lom · The bakery bakes its bread in a wood-fired oven, and it became famous enough across Norway that people plan their drive through Lom around it. The heavy, dark loaves keep for days, which is why hikers buy them before going into the mountains.
- Fossheim Steinsenter · The mountains around Lom are made of old, hard rock pushed up from deep in the crust, and they hold unusual minerals. The centre shows stones and fossils from Lom next to minerals from around the world, and cuts and polishes some of them in its own workshop.
Galdhøpiggen and the high valleys
South of Lom, two side valleys climb straight into Jotunheimen, the 'home of the giants', where the highest mountains in Northern Europe stand. Toll roads take a car to more than 1,800 metres, so you can stand in snow in July without a long hike. Allow a full day for the summit, or half a day to drive up and walk on the edges. Bring warm clothes, a hat and sunglasses whatever the weather in Lom.
- Bøverdalen · The valley road follows the river Bøvra up from Lom, past old farms whose fields were watered for centuries by long irrigation channels, because so little rain falls here. Higher up, the farms give way to summer pastures and then to bare rock.
- Juvasshytta · The lodge stands at 1,841 metres at the end of one of the highest roads in Norway. Guided groups leave from here, rope up and cross the Styggebreen glacier to the summit of Galdhøpiggen.
- Galdhøpiggen Summer Ski Centre · The ski lifts run on the glacier in early summer, when the valley below is green. Nearby, on the Juvfonne ice patch, archaeologists have found arrows and other objects left by hunters thousands of years ago and frozen ever since.
- Galdhøpiggen · At 2,469 metres it is the highest mountain in Norway and in all of Northern Europe. There is a small stone hut right on the summit, and on a clear day you can count dozens of peaks over 2,000 metres from it.
- Visdalen · This is the second valley into the high peaks, and the road through it ends at Spiterstulen. Reindeer hunters used these valleys long before there were farms, and stone hunting pits can still be found on the slopes.
- Spiterstulen · It began as a summer dairy farm, where cows were brought up to graze, and turned into a mountain lodge as climbers started arriving in the late 1800s. From here the summit of Galdhøpiggen can be reached on foot without crossing a glacier.
Over Sognefjellet to the fjord
The Sognefjellet road is the highest mountain pass in Northern Europe, and it links Lom to the inner end of the Sognefjord. From green farmland it climbs through birch forest to a plateau of lakes, snow and glaciers, then drops in tight bends to the fjord. It is about 110 km to Skjolden, a half-day drive with stops, and often closed from autumn to late spring. Even in July it can be near freezing at the top, so keep jackets in the car, not in the boot.
- Sagasøyla · The 33-metre column is carved with scenes from Norwegian history, from the Viking age to 1905. The sculptor Wilhelm Rasmussen began it in the 1920s for a national monument in Oslo; it was never put up there, and it was finally raised here at Elveseter in 1992.
- Sognefjellsvegen · The road reaches 1,434 metres, the highest point of any mountain pass road in Northern Europe. The modern road over the plateau opened in 1938, largely built by hand by young unemployed men during the hard years of the 1930s.
- Leirvassbu · The lodge sits at about 1,400 metres beside a lake, at the foot of Kyrkja, 'the Church', a sharp peak named for its steeple shape. Its gravel road is one of the few ways to drive right into the heart of Jotunheimen.
- Krossbu · Krossbu is one of the old lodges along the pass, set where the road reaches the bare high plateau. From here the glaciers of Smørstabbreen hang right above the road, close enough to see their crevasses.
- Sognefjellshytta · The lodge stands close to the top of the pass, where snow often lies beside the road into July. The cross-country ski teams of Norway train on the snowfields here in early summer.
- Turtagrø · Turtagrø is the cradle of Norwegian climbing. In 1876 the Englishman William Cecil Slingsby made the first ascent of Store Skagastølstind, the dramatic peak above the hotel, finishing the last stretch alone.
Getting to Lom and getting around
- Lom bus station · Express buses between Oslo and the west coast stop in Lom; in summer a bus also crosses the Sognefjellet road
- Otta station · The nearest railway, on the Oslo-Trondheim line, about an hour east by car or bus
Cheap eats in Lom
Lom is a food stop as much as a scenic one, thanks to its bakery and a tradition of mountain cooking built on trout, game and local dairy. Norway is expensive, so the bakery, a petrol-station hot dog and the supermarket are the budget meals. In the mountains the lodges serve soup and waffles, but there is almost nothing between them.
- Bakeriet i Lom · Bread, cinnamon buns and coffee, about 40-120 NOK
- Kiwi Lom · Supermarket picnic, about 100-200 NOK
- Sognefjellshytta · Soup and waffles at the top of the pass, about 100-250 NOK
- Juvasshytta · Lunch at 1,841 m before or after the glacier, about 150-300 NOK
- Leirvassbu · Hearty lodge lunch deep in Jotunheimen, about 150-300 NOK
- Turtagrø · Coffee and cake at the climbers' hotel, about 80-200 NOK
Museums in Lom
- Lom Stave Church · A 12th-century wooden church with dragon heads
- Norsk Fjellsenter · Mountains, glaciers and finds from the melting ice
- Fossheim Steinsenter · Minerals, fossils and stone jewellery
- Presthaugen open-air museum · Old log farm buildings above the church
- Sagasøyla · A carved column of Norwegian history
Nature and day trips near Lom
- Galdhøpiggen · The highest peak in Northern Europe, guided from Juvasshytta
- Sognefjellsvegen · The highest pass road in Northern Europe
- Leirvassbu · Lake and peaks at the heart of Jotunheimen
- Bøverdalen · Valley of old farms below the glaciers
- Prestfossen · Waterfall in the middle of the village
- Turtagrø · Mountain views from the climbers' base
Things to do in Lom with kids
- Galdhøpiggen Summer Ski Centre · Skiing and snowball fights in July
- Fossheim Steinsenter · Digging for stones and a shop of shiny minerals
- Norsk Fjellsenter · Models, films and stuffed mountain animals
- Prestfossen · Watch the river roar under the bridge
- Juvasshytta · Snow in summer at the end of the road
Where to eat in Lom
- Fossheim Hotel · Mountain cooking with trout and game in an old timber hotel
- Brimi Fjellstugu · Arne Brimi's mountain lodge east of Lom; book ahead
- Røisheim · Dinner in old log farm buildings in Bøverdalen
- Elveseter · Farm hotel by the Saga column; dinner in a timber hall
- Turtagrø · Dinner at the climbers' hotel over the pass
Frequently asked questions about Lom
What is there to see in Lom?
The top sights in Lom are Lom Stave Church, Norsk Fjellsenter and Fossheim Steinsenter. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Lom?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Lom without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Lom?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Lom, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Lom, the church and the village.
How do you get to Lom and get around?
The main ways are Lom bus station and Otta station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Lom, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Lom 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.
Looking for a hotel in Lom for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.