During the winter, the main thing on most people’s minds is “how can I stay warm?” If you’re not one of those people and enjoy embracing the cold weather, making a trip to stay in an ice hotel may be the perfect fit for you. Here are four ice hotels around the world that are always accepting visitors.
Located in Kemi, Finland, this 21-room hotel is rebuilt each year in a different architectural style as part of SnowCastle, an annual winter attraction. The building of the castle has gone on since 1996 and boasts a chilly temperature of 23 degrees Fahrenheit indoors. Also on premise is a snow chapel for anyone hoping to be married or christened. A stay in this icy palace will cost around $410 per night.
This hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden was the first ever to be constructed entirely of ice and snow. Guests can choose to stay in private suites or dormitory style lodging. The hotel was founded in 1989, and each year, around 40 artists are selected to help design and prepare the hotel. The artists are chosen based on the originality of their designs and how challenging it will be to translate their work into ice. A night at this resort starts at $150.
If you’re headed to Quebec City this winter, make it a point to stop at the Hôtel de Glace. The hotel gives guests a wide variety of rooms to choose from, and a number of activities to partake in, including an ice tube slide and a course on how to create a cocktail glass out of ice. The hotel provides with arctic sleeping bags, designed to keep you warm in temperatures as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit. A room starts at $495 a night.
This ice hotel, located in Alta, Norway, is the northernmost ice hotel in the world. With twenty-six bedrooms and four suites, an ice bar and an ice chapel and rooms starting at $278 a night, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Building the hotel each year takes approximately five weeks of work and builders use local ice and snow for the creation. The construction is based on a central theme to tie the hotel together, typically Nordic based.