Ice Hotels

Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

Icehotel stands at Jukkasjärvi in Swedish Lapland, beside the Torne river that supplies the material it is made from. The winter building is raised from snow and river ice at the start of every season and melts back into the water in spring, so it lasts a single winter. The operator also keeps a permanent cold building and heated rooms on the same site.

Winter suites are carved by invited artists, and the set of rooms differs from season to season. The permanent cold building holds art suites and deluxe suites held below freezing by solar-powered cooling through the year. Among the shared facilities the operator lists a restaurant, a bar with ice furniture, a sauna and heated rooms for guests who prefer them.

Ask the operator which weeks the winter building is standing, since the season depends on conditions and no dates are promised here. Confirm what bedding is supplied, where the heated rooms and washing facilities sit, and how the village is reached from the nearest town.

• CategoryIce Hotels
• LocationJukkasjärvi, Sweden
• CheckedSeptember 2026

Făgăraș Mountains, Romania

The Hotel of Ice stands beside Bâlea Lac, a glacial lake high in the Făgăraș Mountains of central Romania. Blocks cut from the frozen lake are used to raise the building each winter, and the whole structure is rebuilt from new material the following year. The operator makes no claim that any part of it survives the thaw.

The building holds sleeping rooms, an ice bar and a restaurant space, all carved from the same material. Mountain chalets stand nearby and stay in use through the year, which the operator notes separately. Access in winter is by cable car from the valley, and the operator states that both the approach and the lake basin depend entirely on mountain weather.

Ask the hotel how access is working on your dates, since conditions at this altitude change quickly and no route advice is given here. Confirm the season, what bedding is supplied, and which of the nearby heated buildings are available to guests during a stay.

• CategoryIce Hotels
• LocationFăgăraș Mountains, Romania
• CheckedSeptember 2026

Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, Québec, Canada

Hôtel de Glace is built each winter at Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, north of Québec City, on the grounds of a larger holiday resort. Walls are formed from snow and ice over timber moulds that are taken away once the material has set, and the whole structure melts in spring. Its plan and its theme are drawn again for every season, so nothing carries over.

The building holds a great hall, themed sleeping suites, a bar with ice furniture and a chapel, all carved from the same material. Sculptors work on the interiors while the shell is still being raised. A heated hotel and other year-round buildings run by the same resort stand on the grounds, and washing facilities are housed in them rather than in the ice.

Ask the resort which weeks the ice building is standing, since it opens for part of the winter only and no dates are promised here. Confirm what bedding is provided, which heated buildings guests use overnight, and how the grounds are reached from the city.

• CategoryIce Hotels
• LocationSaint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, Québec, Canada
• CheckedSeptember 2026

Rovaniemi, Finland

Snowman World Igloo Hotel occupies part of a larger winter site at Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland, close to the Arctic Circle. Its snow and ice rooms are built for a single winter and raised again the following year, so the plan is never quite the same twice. The operator runs the site as a whole and lists the hotel among its parts.

Sleeping rooms have snow walls and ice detailing, with beds dressed in thermal bedding and sleeping bags provided by the operator. An ice restaurant and an ice bar stand on the same site. Glass-roofed heated rooms are offered alongside the snow rooms, and washing and changing facilities are housed in heated buildings rather than in the snow structures.

Ask the operator which parts of the site are standing on your dates and how long the snow rooms remain open. Confirm what bedding is supplied, where the heated facilities sit in relation to the snow rooms, and how the site is reached from the town.

• CategoryIce Hotels
• LocationRovaniemi, Finland
• CheckedSeptember 2026