The art suites
Each designed by a different artist, and never repeated.
Markus Bernet — CC BY-SA 2.5 · Laplandish — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Laplandish — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bene Riobó — CC BY-SA 4.0
A hotel built out of ice every winter that **melts in spring and disappears completely**, then is rebuilt the following autumn to an entirely different design. This has happened every year since 1989. It began by accident: an art exhibition was held inside a snow structure, the village ran out of rooms for visitors, and they slept in the exhibition on reindeer hides. The idea became a hotel. The material is ice from the neighbouring **Torne river**, cut in March and stored until autumn. It is used because the river water is exceptionally clear and fast-flowing, so it traps no air bubbles — and the ice comes out **transparent as glass** rather than white. Every room is designed by a different artist each year, its walls and bed carved from ice. The temperature inside holds steady at **minus five degrees** however cold it gets outside, and you sleep in an arctic sleeping bag on reindeer hides. Note: the seasonal part melts in **April**; the **Icehotel 365** section is solar-cooled and open **all year**. Note: **you can visit on a day tour without staying the night** — which is what most people do.
Each designed by a different artist, and never repeated.
A solar-cooled section that runs even in summer.
Even the glasses are carved from ice, and discarded after use.
Marknadsvägen 63, Jukkasjärvi — about 17 km east of Kiruna
Yes, and the cold is less punishing than it sounds. The rooms hold at **-5°C** — far warmer than outside, which can reach -30. You are given an arctic sleeping bag rated for much lower, and sleep in thermal base layers on insulating reindeer hides. **Bathrooms and showers are in a separate heated building**, as are the changing room and luggage lockers, so nothing of yours freezes. In practice most people sleep **one night only** in the ice and a second in a warm conventional room, which is what the hotel itself recommends. ⚠ It is not advised for very young children or anyone with circulation problems.
Sign in to write your review of this place.
No reviews yet — be the first.