Hafjell without the stress – the ski bus, parking, the gondola and getting there

Hafjell is built along one side of a valley, and you notice it in the logistics. The gondola, the ski school and the car park are down by the E6, while many of the cabins and hotels are high up on the mountain, at Pellestova, Gaia and Mosetertoppen. So where you stay decides how the day fits together: by car, on skis or on Hafjellbussen.

This page is only about getting there and getting around. Which slopes suit the children is covered in Hafjell's slopes, and when the lifts run is in Hafjell opening hours.

Hafjellbussen – free with a lift pass

Hafjellbussen is the local ski bus. It runs between Hunderfossen, Øyer centre, the gondola at Skitorget and the big cabin areas up on the mountain, and it is timed to connect with the buses to and from Lillehammer.

The most important things to know:

• Free during the day with a lift pass. If you have a valid lift pass, you ride free of charge all day.
• Children under seven always ride free, with or without a lift pass.
• The evening services require a ticket for everyone, including people with a lift pass. Anyone without a lift pass pays for a single ticket, even during the day.
• Tickets and times are in the Entur app.

Last winter the bus ran every day from 28 December until Easter, roughly between 08.40 and 18.30. From the beginning of January there were also evening services on Saturdays, and extra services were added on New Year's Eve and at Easter.

Hafjellbussen does not run before 28 December. If you go to Hafjell in early December, or in the days before Christmas, you will need a car, ski-in/ski-out accommodation or somewhere to stay near the gondola.

The bus from Lillehammer

If you are staying in Lillehammer, the local buses run from Lillehammer skysstasjon to Hafjell all day, and the journey takes about a quarter of an hour. Get off at the Hafjell Alpinsenter stop, just below the gondola. It is a separate ticket, and the lift pass is not valid on these buses.

From mid-December to mid-April there are also ski buses from Lillehammer skysstasjon to Hafjell, Sjusjøen and Skeikampen, and to the cross-country trails around Lillehammer. That makes Lillehammer a good base if you want to ski at several resorts during the week – compare them in the ski resorts around Lillehammer.

The gondola from the valley

The gondola runs from Skitorget in the valley up to Gondoltoppen, and the ride takes just over nine minutes. Up there is the family area Isas Favn, and from there you can reach the rest of the mountain.

Two things make the gondola especially useful for families. It is free to ride down – you don't need a ticket to take the gondola back to the valley, which is a relief when little legs have had enough. And anyone who isn't skiing, such as a parent with a pushchair, can buy a single gondola ticket online and meet up at Favn for lunch.

Parking at Skitorget

The big car park is at Skitorget, below the gondola, and has plenty of space. There is a charge, but the first 90 minutes are free, so it works well for dropping off children and gear. Cameras read your number plate as you drive in and out, and you pay at the machine when you leave, in the app or online afterwards. If you park overnight, a new daily charge starts in the morning.

During the busiest holiday weeks it pays to arrive early, and then parking attendants direct cars to free spaces. If you have an electric car, there are charging points under the gondola, and charging is paid for separately. More about the ski lockers in the gondola basement is in Hafjell opening hours.

Trains from Oslo and Gardermoen

Trains on the Dovre Line run roughly once an hour from Oslo and Oslo Airport to Lillehammer. From Oslo the journey takes just over two hours, and from Gardermoen about an hour and a half. From Lillehammer, take the local bus to the gondola.

A smarter option is often Hunderfossen. A few trains a day between Oslo and Trondheim stop at Hunderfossen stasjon, just a few minutes from Hafjell, where Hafjellbussen meets them and continues to several of the places to stay. That way you avoid changing in Lillehammer. The same train continues north to Kvitfjell, where the platform is about a hundred metres from the chairlift, and on to Oppdal. More about travelling by train with children and skis is in train to the mountains.

Driving from Sweden

Hafjell is on the E6 in Øyer, about 200 km north of Oslo and 150 km from Gardermoen.

• From Stockholm: via Karlstad and Kongsvinger towards Hamar, then the E6 north along Mjøsa past Lillehammer.
• From Gothenburg: the E6 to Oslo and on north past Gardermoen and Hamar.
• From Oslo: the E6 all the way, or Rv4 via Gjøvik.

There are automatic toll points on the E6, and foreign cars are invoiced afterwards via the number plate. Studded tyres are allowed in Norway from 1 November, and good winter tyres are a must in winter. We go through how to weigh up car against train and plane in getting to the ski resort.

How the day fits together

• Cabin up on the mountain: ski to and from the cabin if you can, and take Hafjellbussen down to the ski school at Knerten in the morning.
• Staying in the valley or in Øyer: park at Skitorget or take Hafjellbussen, and let the gondola take you up.
• Staying in Lillehammer: the local bus to the gondola, and the lift pass loaded before you set off, so that Hafjellbussen is free once you are there.

If you want to compare with other Norwegian family resorts with a short trip to the slopes, read Norefjell with children and Trysil with kids. What the children need in their bag is in the ski trip packing list.