Top 10 Best Ice Hotels in the World

These ice hotels, are usually dependent on the sub-freezing temperatures of the place, both, during construction as well as the operational period of these hotels. Ice hotels are kept together by ice, and the chilling temperatures keep you and your family together! Varying in architecture, interior designing, facilities available as well as avant-garde furniture for restaurants and ice bars- the hotel chains of today’s world are constantly evolving and seeking to impart resources of pleasure and joy to its customers by introducing these unique and adventurous concepts. From Canada to Finland, the Ice Hotel culture has been imbibed in the mind of the world’s pleasure-seeking population. Here is a list of world’s top ten ice hotels!

A real bucket list experience would be to huddle up under the northern lights, surrounded by snowcapped landscapes and the comfort of home. Kirkenes is situated in Sor - Varanger, Norway. This versatile hotel is segregated into two functioning seasons, one in summer, and the other, winter. The hotel manages the guests and keeps them on their toes with a list of excursions and tours already planned. During the summer months, the hotel offers cabins with well-furnished interiors and a husky vibe with well-polished wood. Apart from the spacious and visually dazzling interiors of the bathrooms, bedrooms etc.

The hotel is well equipped with staff as well as a variety of restaurants serving a multitude of delicacies. The summer season includes activities such as kayaking and boating, and the pier is located right at the foot of the restaurant. Group activities include fishing, reindeer spotting etc. Often the hunt of marine animals is served for dinner. You eat what you catch! Apart from this, the winter season offers to the visitors an airport to hotel sledge-hog service. The reception is enchanting and has magnanimous ice sculptures of Greek mythology. The ice bar contains more of such inspiring ice sculptures. The rooms are delicately dressed with ice sculptures. Cabins are available during this season as well. The tours of the season include- snowmobile tours, sledge - dog tour, ice fishing etc. This ice hotel vows to keep you busy while making you feel comfortable, and ‘chilled’.

A relatively new venture of Romania, the hotel of ice is set amidst the extensive terrain of the Fagara mountains. Built every year, this hotel draws its compacted form of ice from the largest glacial lake of the Fagara mountains- Blaea Lac. Each ice cube weighing approximately 70 pounds, hotel of ice promises to it's guest's exciting adventures in different arena’s, various tours to the highest peaks of the Fagara mountains, approximately 2000 metres.

This place also boasts of having great indoor complexes such as an ice bar, restaurant and of course, a delight to many - An ice church! In just a few months, the ice artists develop a hotel made of ice, paying attention to small details and intricacies in the architecture, design furniture etc.

The hotel of ice spreads a variety of different delicacies served in innovative cutlery and flavours. The hotel witnesses almost eight thousand visitors annually. The hotel is backed by impressive sponsors such as - RedBull, Jameson Irish whiskey etc. A modern-day treat to the gen z, this hotel manages to captivate everybody's attention!

Sitting in the middle of the Lapland forest’s, the snow village doubles as art. Confused whether you would like a cozy cabin or an ice suite? The snow village gives you the option to do both. This hotel opens every year in December after a year’s handwork and dedication. The hotel provides a variety of suites for differing groups of people - from ice suites for 2 to cabin for four, its broadening horizon of choices is spectacular. Authentic delicacies of Lapland reign in the ice restaurants and local crafted Nordic ingredients is a must-try in these groovy settings of a bar. All one needs to do is wrap themselves in a blanket and enjoy the candlelit atmosphere as contrasting to the harsh weather outside. All thanks to the thick insulating walls, whether its -6 degree Celsius or even less, the temperature here remains “bearable with a blanket”. Looking for something a bit conventional? Head out to the Log restaurant, which lets you spend your evening in a more traditional atmosphere. The detail specific theme-based surroundings of the snow village are the cherry on top of the cake. If you are a game of throne’s fan, Snow Village is your ideal picturesque destination.

A competing ritual, the ice hotel tends to get better with each growing year. The hotel has a sprawling menu of “things to do”. The accommodation serves its guest with an “all ice on us” attitude. The furniture, decor, beds, everything that meets the eye in the accommodation is made with ice. A single sheet of ice use, this hotel offers a “cold and luxuriously warm’ experience to its visitors. The hotel also provides its guests with comfortable and viable sleeping bags that can warm a person even under temperatures of -30 degree Celsius. This glittering ice experience is enhanced with the inclusion of the “Artic bath”. In the dwindling woods of the white birch frost, the hotel has an open bath, the steaming sizzling water surrounded by ice is an ultimate pleasure experience. There is total privacy. The ritual after the bath of getting dressed up is looked after too. The dressing area is heated, for retaining the warm, fuzzy feeling of the water against the cold climate. Among other interesting things, the visitor is bound to be attracted by the ice lounge. The lounge features forty different types of whiskeys with bold flavours to keep you warm while you enjoy the cold. The ice hotel is a wonder in itself!

A magnanimous work of art, open all year round, the Ice hotel in Sweden is one of a kind. The hotel is infamous due to its reputation of being one of the first ice hotels in the world. The hotel reminds you of colloquial art that projects majestic architecture and splendidly detailed works of art. Artists from around the world are called every year to rebuild on its foundations of - perfection, beauty and grandeur. We see the Ice hotel of Sweden in a new guise every year with more illustrative works of art as well as state of the art hospitality. Sitting under the magical northern lights in a perennial incarnation of ice, this hotel is just located 200 km north of the arctic circle.

Are you worried about your luggage and belongings turning into ice? The hotel caters for such needs by keeping and storing your luggage in the Riverside lobby that is functional 24 hours a day and is centrally heated. Apart from this, it is also the place where travellers can shower, sauna, relax. An ideal stay includes 1 night in the cold room followed by a couple of nights in the warm rooms. The hotel keeps you on your toes by organising many events such Midnight sun, fishing and northern lights safari. Apart from this, there are seasonal activities such as snowmobile, dog sledding in the winter and river rafting, exploring the boreal forest etc. It’s also an exhibition hotel, which is open to public from 10 am to 6 pm every day!

A natural family heritage, the Sorrisniva hotel, is a world-class facility which promises nothing more than, perfect and comfortable living conditions, to make you feel like you’re on cloud 9. Infamously, known as, ‘the world’s northernmost ice hotel’. Sorrisniva’s igloo hotels are quite reputable. Resurrected every year, this hotel boasts of some of the most exquisite detailed decor and plush settings. A package with adventurous, exciting and fun-filled activities, the hotel is well equipped to serve its guests’ interest. A range of cold rooms to choose from and a variety of safari’s that are a treat to the eyes. The hotel also gives access to free Wi-fi, morning sauna, a local buffet and a lot more. The activities pertain to each season and give you a wonderful insight into the “ice world”. The activities range from - dog sledding, reindeer and Sami safari, riverboat adventure, ice fishing and snowmobiling etc. Taking it a notch higher, this hotel allows its guests to sculpt delicately detailed ice sculptures as a part of the experience at the Igloo hotel. The experience is tricky as well as very fascinating. The culinary experience at Sorrisniva is carefully curated to give you exquisite dining experience. It follows the food calendar and serves a variety of Norwegian delicacies. A world-class culinary experience, it includes warm lunches, buffet, A la carte etc.

Snug in a wintery landscape? Most of you would assume this to be a hyperbole. However, Iglu -Dorf, an ice hotel in Switzerland is a trendy, groovy and gives you a childlike pleasure in staying here. An ideal location to “cool down”; this place gives you an enchanting experience of living inside a cute dwarf-like igloo. Welcoming you into a world of ice, this hotel offers you an ice village all to yourself and your group. It has a well-equipped wellness area, gripping and interesting activities, and an adorable pack of huskies to show you around. Building an igloo arena, they take immense pride in their igloo’s, handcrafted with extreme efficiency and care. Catering to all age groups, the hotel has a variety of rooms and igloo’s built at high altitudes. The hotel is environment-friendly as well as climate-conscious. A connection of hearts, the bars and restaurants, are a lively place to mingle with others as well spend quality time with your loved ones. A fascinating experience which includes an igloo tour, cable car ascent, mulled wine experience etc. A jolly experience, this hotel is a must-visit!

The very first ice hotel in North America, Hotel de Glace is an ice hotel in Quebec, Canada. Enriching the vibe of Canada, this versatile hotel gives its guests a relaxing and intellectually stimulating affair to live. An amalgamation of thirty thousand tons of snow and about five hundred tons of ice, this hotel takes about a month to build, supported by metal crane structures. Each room has a beautiful display. We can see a variety of decorated art pieces in the rooms. The hotel projects a very positive and cozy vibe. With almost eleven doubled rooms and insulated structures for bathrooms and sauna, the hotel accounts for almost everything you need on vacation. Listed among the top 10 dream locations for a wedding, the hotel also boasts of a pristine wedding chapel. The hotel has conducted more than 250 weddings since its grand opening in 2001. The rooms are softly lit to illuminate theme-based ice sculptures which give you a sound sleep at night. The hotel has a variety of suites, which include different facilities, such as - private sauna, fireplace etc. The hotel is located just 20 minutes from Quebec City, and its location allows you to hop in town whenever you need to. The hotel is situated on the first slopes in Laurentian mountains in Charlesbourg Burroughs, and it remains open from January to march.

Reflecting the emerald light off of its glass ceilings, the accommodations at Kakslauttanen resembles a group of latent beetles. The surroundings and magnificent views from the resort is a magnet for tourists all over the world. Settled snugly in an envelope of coniferous trees, this resort gives an HD view of the aurora season that showcases the northern lights. More such miracles, including the midnight sun, are a part of this lovely experience. House to the world’s largest smoke sauna, the kakslauttanen artic resort is beyond ordinary experience. It is tailored to your liking and preferences. The journey from the airport to the resort is just as exciting as the events lined up. You can either travel in a glass roof bus or an adventurous ride on the snowmobile. A special edition in the resort, is the Santa’s celebration home, a quiet, intimate yet lively space that can accommodate upto 250 people, it is the hub of festive socialisation. The whole resort can also be booked privately for personal functions. The place is also among the top choices for wedding venues as well as a honeymoon getaway. Different lodges and suites apart from the igloo’s add to the diversity of the resort. It is a Paradise for travellers for sure! Make sure to mark it on your bucket list.

One of the largest establishments in the Nordic region, the arctic snow hotel has an extensive spread of over 30 rooms, a restaurant space that can comfortably fit more than a 100 people, an ice bar that prides itself with various alcoholic beverages as well as non-alcoholic drinks and an ice chapel. Apart from this, the hotel has 39 splendid glass ceiling igloo’s that give you a 360-degree view of the enchanting sky lit with the northern lights during the aurora season, the midnight sun too is quite clearly visible. The hotel also has a unique sauna space made entirely out of ice. In addition to such exciting and awe-inspiring architecture, the snow hotel is also home to outdoor jacuzzis. An experience where the affair of snow and winter build passionate chemistry under the dancing emerald northern lights. The hotel is even open to visitors who aren’t staying for the night. The hotel functions according to the seasons and gives you the best experience according to the calendar!

Many of the snow hotels mentioned above are praiseworthy as well as worth a visit. These hotels combine experiential living with world-class culinary, accommodation as well as recreational facilities. Jotting along with the map, these snow hotels require dedicated efforts and talent from artists around the world. These hotels usually take about a month or two to build and are kept intact with advanced mechanisms for about three to four months.

Travellers from around the world come to these destinations to try new and unique ways of relaxing and exploring. Most of these hotels follow a calendar system and serve the guests with a menu that is seasonal, both, from recreation as well as food. One must visit these hotels to add diversity to their bucket list experiences. Ice hotels across the globe promise excellence and redefine the experience of staying in hotels and resorts.