Fresh bakery products and beer tasting in Lillehammer

In Lillehammer, start the journey with a visit to Lillehammer Bakeri or Lillehammer Microbrewery. Lillehammer Bakeri is an artisan bakery where you can enjoy homemade treats in a welcoming setting by the Mesna river and buy local food products from Gudbrandsdalen. Lillehammer Microbrewery is the ideal spot for lunch or dinner, and offers a unique insight into Lillehammer’s brewery history. Beer tasting with storytelling can be booked in advance.

Cheese, bee safari, and chocolate factory in Gausdal

From Lillehammer, head north-west along Gausdalsvegen. You will then reach Follebu where Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson’s home, Aulestad, is located. This is where you find Drengestua café and its chocolate factory, Varde. On the menu are Bjørnson’s blueberry pancakes, homemade cakes, and light lunch dishes. Remember to buy some delicious chocolate to bring along on your journey!

Continue on route 255 to Segalstad Bru, and then follow Østringsvegen for a few kilometres until you reach Holthaugen Gard. Take a break to learn about beekeeping and the world of honeybees (guided tours must be booked in advance), and buy honey and cheese from the farm’s own cheese factory (salad cheese, cream cheese, ‘pultost’, and sour cream).

Tastes of the mountains and plateaus in Espedalen

The next leg leads through a beautiful cultural landscape along Vestringsvegen and Espedalsvegen where we recommend a stop at the beautiful Helvete Nature Park, featuring the largest potholes in the Nordics. The park is located just after the first climb as you head towards Espedalen, and is the ideal place to explore how the bedrock was carved and shaped by the forces of nature towards the end of the last Ice Age. Continue your journey along lake Espedalsvatnet and its stunning scenery which after a while opens up to reveal the spectacular Jotunheimen mountain range. You will then reach Ruten Fjellstue, a restaurant with breathtaking views of the mountains in the west. On the menu are traditional dishes based on local produce from the surrounding area and Gudbrandsdalen. This is also where Espedalen Fjellbryggeri is located, a mountain brewery producing exclusive beer that is only served at Ruten Fjellstue.

Gourmet experience in Skåbu

From Espedalen, the journey continues down to Skåbu mountain village and Skåbu Fjellhotell with Restaurant Skadir. This gourmet kitchen offers high-end culinary experiences, and aims to capture the flavours of the mountain through use of fresh and natural ingredients whenever possible. The hotel also has a shop where you can buy various local food products from Skåbu Høyfjellsmat, based on own farm produce as well as fish and game from Skåbu.