3 most amazing ice hotels in Europe

Ice hotels have been super popular for a long time ago, and clearly there is more than one ice hotel in this world. You haven’t truly enjoyed winter until you’ve stayed in one of the world’s best Ice Hotels.  From igloos to castles, these hotels are decked out with some of the snow art and ice sculptures you can imagine.  Practically everything from the walls, tables, and chairs are made completely out of snow.  When grabbing a drink from any of the hotels’ Ice Bars you’ll even get frozen cups.

Don’t worry about getting cold though as every room has a real mattress, the down bedding is rated for 30 below zero, they typically have central warming halls, and some rooms even have fireplaces.  There are plenty of activities to keep you busy also as some ice hotels let you race sled dogs, go on reindeer sleigh rides, cruise on arctic ice breaker ships, and even get a lift in a gondola sauna!  Whichever one you choose, make sure to add staying in an Ice Hotel to your bucket list today!

Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

The Icehotel is located in Jukkasjarvi and is entirely built of snow and ice brought from the nearby River Torne. Each spring, about March, Icehotel collects tons of ice from the frozen river and stores it in a nearby hangar for further manufacturing then the right time comes.

Icehotel is considered to be one of the seven wonders of Sweden. And you can stay here from December to April. The hotel’s walls, ceilings, floors, beds, lamps, glasses and many other items and interior parts are all made of natural ice, so don’t forget some warm clothing with you too!

Balea Ice Hotel, Romania

Sitting 7000 feet above sea level in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains, the Hotel of Ice sparks talk of Dracula from its famous Transfagarasan Road location.  The real life Dracula may lived a ways away from here but it hasn’t stopped the folklore on this once important mountain trade route.

The Ice Hotel itself is built each year on a frozen glacial lake at the bottom of the Balea Waterfall.  The hotel has been managed since 2005 by the neighboring Balea Lac Ski Lodge and can be accessed by cable car.  There are 12 actual ice hotel rooms plus 3 snow igloos for rent all centered around an awesome main hall.  Because of the neighboring big ski area the Hotel of Ice’s bar and restaurant are always quite fun even if you don’t have a room reservation.  They even have many public parties throughout the Winter.

The Arctic Kakslauttanen Resort, Finland

The annually built hotel uses several thousands of tons of snow and ice, and it is open for more than eight years now. Probably because of the popularity of it, in 2013, it was decided to expand the hotel grounds to 30 double rooms, which are all igloo-shaped. In each and every apartment you will always find a sleeping bag, sheepskin, and instructions on how to overcome sleep.

The best part, probably, is that after the freezing night all hotel guests get pampered with a cup of nice hot fruit tea. And for those who are afraid of that much of the chilly, warm underground room waits for you in this hotel too.