The town is located along the river Gudbrandsdalslågen at the northern end of the lake Mjøsa in the southern Gudbrandsdal valley.

The city centre is a late nineteenth-century concentration of wooden houses, which enjoys a picturesque location overlooking the northern part of lake Mjøsa and the river Lågen, surrounded by mountains.

[4] The town of Lillehammer is located at the northern end of Norway's largest lake, Mjøsa.

This transport system made the transit of timber and agricultural goods from all over the county to the capital possible, and it contributed to the growth of the town of Lillehammer.

In preparation for this, new sports facilities were built and existing cultural buildings and roads were upgraded throughout the town and surrounding areas.

[6] The town was named after the old Hamar farm (Old Norse: Hamarr), since the first Lillehammer Church was built there.