Gjøvik
Municipality · Innlandet
About Gjøvik
Skibladner, the world's oldest paddle steamer still in scheduled service, and an Olympic ice hall blasted into the mountain under town.
What to do and where to stay in Gjøvik
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1DS SkibladnerSight
Paddle steamer built 1854–56, still in scheduled summer service on Mjøsa between Gjøvik, Hamar and Lillehammer; the restaurant is known for salmon and strawberries.
Skibladner quay, Bryggevegen 1, Gjøvik · 1.5 h (short leg) to a full day · Late June to mid-August (2025: 24 June–17 August)
2Gjøvik Olympic Mountain Hall (Fjellhallen)Local oddity
Ice arena built for the 1994 Winter Olympics about 120 m inside Hovdetoppen in the town centre, seating 5,830; called the largest public hall built into a mountain.
Hovdetoppen, Gjøvik town centre · 30–60 min · All year (events and public use vary)
3Gjøvik gård manor and parkHistory & culture
Town-centre estate from the Gjøvigs Glasværk era (1807–1843), protected in 2008; the park is free and always open, with summer guided tours and free Saturday concerts.
Gjøvik town centre · 30–60 min · Park all year; guided tours in the summer school holidays, Wed–Sun 12:00
4Eiktunet open-air museumHistory & culture
Open-air museum on Bergstoppen with about 33 old farm buildings and cotters' houses from the district; the café is in a building first raised in the 1750s.
Øverbyveien 108, above Gjøvik · 1–2 h · Set hours 1 June–1 October; outdoor area open all year; Christmas market
5Mjøspromenaden and the Fredevika saunaHike
Flat lakeside path from the Hunnselva mouth south past Fredevika, where DNT opened a sauna house in 2021, to the big beach at Rambekkvika; 6.3 km there and back.
Gjøvik waterfront, Skibladner harbour to Rambekkvika · 1.5 h (6.3 km return) · All year
6RambergetViewpoint
Easy 3.1 km loop from Braastad church past Kastadtjernet pond to a ridge with a fire pit and a wide view over Mjøsa and Gjøvik town.
Braastad / Nordenga, north of Gjøvik · 1 h (3.1 km) · March–November
7HovdetoppenHike
Town hill above the Olympic mountain hall with an easy 6.8 km summit loop, an outdoor pool popular in summer and the only downhill slope in central Gjøvik.
Hovdetoppen, Gjøvik · 2 h (6.8 km loop, 140 m up) · All year (pool in summer, short ski slope in winter)
8Vitensenteret InnlandetSight
Hands-on science centre for science, technology and maths in the old Holmen distillery building in the centre, open weekends and school holidays.
Gjøvik town centre · 1–3 h · All year
9Fastland friluftsbadSwim
Free lakeside park just outside the centre with a diving tower, children's pool, accessible ramp, beach volleyball and grills, at the start of trails along Mjøsa.
Fastland, Gjøvik · 1–3 h · Summer for swimming
10SkumsjøenSwim
Forest lake about 14 km south of Gjøvik near Hunndalen, with a big open area at its south end for swimming and tent camping, by the DNT cabin Osbakken.
Hunndalen, about 14 km south of Gjøvik · 2–4 h · Summer