Icehotel

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About Icehotel

The Icehotel began in 1989 in a village on the shore of the Torne River in Jukkasjärvi, originating from an igloo used for an art exhibition. Since then it has been rebuilt each winter with blocks of ice cut from the river the previous spring and stored in cold rooms. Work starts in November using snow and ice, and the hotel typically opens in December and melts in spring when the water returns to the river.

Each year, artists and designers from various countries are invited to create the art suites, each with its own theme and ice sculptures. There are also simpler ice rooms, an entrance hall with ice columns and chandeliers, a bar and a chapel where weddings take place. Inside, the temperature usually stays between −5 °C and −8 °C; guests sleep in thermal sleeping bags on reindeer skins and spend the rest of their time in heated rooms next door.

Next door is the permanent section, open year-round, which is kept cold using solar energy. It has ice suites, an ice bar and a sculpture gallery, allowing visitors to see the ice even in summer.

Those who do not stay overnight can take a guided daytime visit and participate in activities such as dog sledding, snowmobile tours, ice-sculpting workshops and northern lights outings.