Lier: Nature, Trails and Cultural Heritage

Woodlands, river scenery, trails and historic sites shape the experiences in Lier. For your trip planning, a clear thematic selection is a good place to start: nature in Finnemarka and the protected areas, cycling and walking routes, and cultural sites with a history stretching from burial mounds to older farmsteads.

Landscape Between Forest and Water

The Lierelva flows through the Lierdalen and empties into the Drammensfjord at Linnesstranda. The Linnesstranda Nature Reserve is located there, a brackish-water delta at the river mouth. The river valley, fjord and delta are distinctive geographical features of the landscape.

Finnemarka is one of the three large forest areas in Lier and part of the municipality’s extensive trail network. Eiksetra is also a starting point for hikes in Finnemarka in both summer and winter. Protected areas with a range of natural features include Asdøljuvet, a dramatic gorge with significant biodiversity, and Gjellebekkmyrene, a rare limestone fen with a rich orchid flora and varied forest vegetation.

Routes and Outdoor Activities

Lierbanen is an approximately 21-kilometre cycling route from Lierbyen to Svangstrand. It starts either at the old Lier station or at Andershaugen in Lierbyen. Along the route, information boards tell the story of the railway line—a subject you can explore as part of your bike ride.

Lier’s walking routes also have historical connections. Paradisbakkene is protected as a road monument and today serves as a footpath between Tranby and Lierbyen. The Gamle Drammensbanen offers sweeping views of the Lierdalen, the Drammensfjord and the city of Drammen. The pilgrim trail through Lier is part of the route from Tønsberg to Oslo. Its section in Lier runs partly along old transport routes and partly along more modern roads.

Eiksetra is a starting point for hikes in Finnemarka in both seasons. At Garsjø by Eiksetra, you can swim, fish, and go canoeing and kayaking. In winter, there is a ski play area and a floodlit trail with groomed tracks throughout the winter; these facilities are seasonal and weather-dependent. The drive to Eiksetra follows a year-round toll road from Egge in Lier.

Cultural History and Events

Lier Bygdetun is a museum with ten historic buildings relocated here from different parts of Lier. The site also includes an orchard with around 100 apple, pear, plum and cherry trees. Several events are held there throughout the year, including Eplefestivalen, the “Glædelig jul” Christmas market, Tidsreisen, craft weekends, exhibitions and intimate concerts. If you would like to attend an event, check its date in advance.

In its current form, Store Gilhus gård dates from the 1860s and is one of the best-preserved older farmsteads in lower Lier. The estate, with its park, is one of Lier’s most important cultural landscapes. At Gjellebekk stands an eight-metre-high marble obelisk erected in 1749. Egge has four burial mounds, which experts believe date to the later Iron Age. At Huseby, the southern burial chamber houses an exhibition about St. Hallvard; a paved path runs around the burial mounds.

The industrial history can also be seen in the landscape and its crafts: four lime kilns are known in the limestone belt of Merenmarka. They are among the so-called farm kilns typical of the open countryside.

Discover more destinations: Sylling, Lier, Reistad, Øvre Eiker, Rollag, Ringerike, Flesberg, Kongsberg.

Go to the overview of the wider region: Buskerud.