Perched on the east bank of the Gudbrandsdalslågen river, Dovre is a small town on the doorstep of several magnificent national parks. It provides a base for reindeer-spotting in Dovre National Park and offers encounters with prehistoric musk oxen in Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park.
Things to do in Dovre
In the heart of town is the attractive Dovre Church, which was constructed from wood in 1736 and covered in slate a century later. Admire the carved altarpiece and pulpit before paying your respects at the war memorial in the cemetery.
Sprawling east of town is Dovre National Park, which is traversed by the Pilgrim Trail linking Oslo to Trondheim. Its high-altitude plateaus are blanketed in alpine plant species and grazed by wild Fennoscandian reindeer, which are used as an environmental indicator for monitoring conditions in the Norwegian mountains.
Dovre National Park lies between Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park and Rondane National Park, the oldest national park in Norway. It encompasses 10 peaks above 2,000 metres in height and is a popular setting for hiking in the warmer months and cross-country skiing in the winter. Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park is famed for its population of musk ox, with these shaggy prehistoric animals regularly spotted along the Musk Ox Trail.
Getting around Dovre
Dovre is around 3.5 hours’ drive from both Ålesund and Oslo Airport, with Oslo four hours away. Trains connect to the Dovre railway station while buses travel to the surrounding towns and villages. Having your own vehicle is best for accessing the national parks, while the centre of Dovre is small enough to explore on foot.