Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Vikingskipet; 62 51 75 00;
www.hoa.no
;
Åkersvikaveien 1; admission Nkr30;
8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun late Jun-mid-Aug, shorter hr rest of
yr)
Hamar's stand-out landmark is this sports arena, a graceful structure with the lines of
an upturned Viking ship. The building, which hosted the speed skating during the Winter
Olympics, holds 20,000 spectators, encompasses 9600 sq metres of ice and is 94.6m long.
Both in scale and aesthetics, it's an impressive place. From late July to mid-August, it's
open to the public for ice-skating (Nkr70 per day).
Norwegian Railway Museum
RAILWAY MUSEUM
(Norsk Jernbanemuseum; 62 51 31 60;
www.norsk-jernbanemuseum.no
,
in Nor-
wegian; Strandveien 163; adult/child Nkr75/40; 10am-5pm Jul-mid-Aug, shorter
hr rest of yr)
Establishedin1896tohonourNorway'srailwayhistory,thisopen-airrailway
museum lies on the Mjøsa shore around 3km west of the centre. In addition to lovely his-
toric stations, engine sheds, rail coaches and steam locomotives, you'll learn about the ex-
traordinary engineering feats required to carve the railways through Norway's rugged ter-
rain.
Hedmark
Museum
&
Glass
Cathedral
REGIONAL
MUSEUM & CATHEDRAL RUINS
(Hedmarkmuseet; 62 54 27 00;
www.domkirkeodden.no
; Strandveien 100; adult/
child/senior Nkr80/30/65; 10am-5pm daily mid-Jun-mid-Aug, 10am-4pm Tue-Sun
mid-May-mid-Jun & mid-Aug-mid-Sep)
West of town (1.5km), the extensive open-air
museum includes 18th- and 19th-century buildings, a local folk-history exhibit featuring
the creepy Devil's Finger (a finger cast in pewter of unknown origin, but which is said to
have caused a number of deaths when it was removed from the church), the ruins of the
castle, and the extraordinary showcase 'glass cathedral' (Domkirkeodden). The cathedral
and castle dominated Hamar until 1567, when they were sacked by the Swedes. Take bus 6
from the town library (Nkr35, hourly).
WORLD'S OLDEST PADDLE STEAMER
Skibladner ( 61 14 40 80;
www.skibladner.no
;
Hamar-Lillehammer return
Nkr320)
, the world's oldest paddle steamer, is a wonderfully relaxing way to ex-
plore lake Mjøsa. First built in Sweden in 1856, the boat was refitted and lengthened
