Geilo
Family Ski Resort On The Bergen Line With Gentle Slopes And Long Cross Country Trails; Gateway To Hardangervidda In Summer · Geilo, Buskerud
Geilo is a small mountain village in Hol municipality at the top of Hallingdal, at about 800 m, and one of Norway's classic family ski resorts. Its great advantage is the Bergen Line: trains between Oslo and Bergen stop in the middle of the village, a short walk from the slopes, so you can have a ski or hiking holiday with no car at all. The alpine terrain is gentle and wide, spread over both sides of the valley, and the cross-country skiing is huge, with groomed tracks running up onto the open plateau. Hardangervidda, Europe's largest mountain plateau, begins just south of the village, and the long wall of Hallingskarvet rises to the north. In spring the plateau becomes a playground for kite skiers, and in summer for hikers and cyclists. The honest caveat: Geilo is not a steep or dramatic resort. Expert skiers will find Hemsedal, about an hour away, bigger and steeper; Geilo suits families, beginners, intermediates and cross-country skiers, and it is expensive like all of Norway.
Geilo village on the Bergen Line, Hol municipality, Hallingdal, at the edge of Hardangervidda, Geilo, Buskerud, Norway
Open all year as a village. The alpine season runs roughly late November or December to about Easter or mid April, snow permitting, with lifts usually open daytime (roughly 09:30-16:30, longer in spring, night skiing on selected evenings - confirm). Summer runs roughly late June to September for hiking and biking; May, October and November are quiet shoulder months when some places close. Reach it by train with Vy on the Bergen Line or by car on road 7. Book lodging early for February holidays and Easter.