The ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi has been rebuilt from scratch every November since 1990. Every year it disappears back into the Torne River in spring. And every year, artists from around the world compete for the chance to design the rooms that replace it.
Sleeping in a room made entirely of ice and snow at -5°C inside the hotel (while -25°C rages outside) is one of the stranger, more memorable experiences available to a traveller in Europe. This is what it's actually like.
The Design
No two rooms are ever the same. Each winter, selected artists are given a brief and a block of ice and asked to create something. The results range from serene and minimalist to wildly theatrical – illuminated from within by fibre optic light, carved with motifs ranging from Nordic mythology to abstract geometry. Walking the corridors at midnight, headlamp in hand, past these sculptures is genuinely extraordinary.
The Sleep
You sleep on a bed of ice covered in reindeer hides and an Arctic sleeping bag rated to -40°C. The hotel staff give a full briefing before you retire. You store your valuables and regular clothes in a warm locker room. You get into the bag, close it around you, and that is that. Most guests sleep surprisingly well – the silence inside an ice structure is absolute.
The Morning
At 8am, staff bring a warm cup of lingonberry juice to your room. You have 15 minutes to emerge, collect your things from the locker room, and be ushered to the warming cabin next door for a hot breakfast. The transition from -5°C ice room to hot sauna to hot food is one of the most satisfying sequences of physical experiences imaginable.
Practical Notes
The ICEHOTEL also operates year-round rooms kept at -5°C by refrigeration. Book the ice rooms as far in advance as possible – they sell out months ahead. Jukkasjärvi is 200km north of the Arctic Circle, 20km from Kiruna airport. Flights connect Kiruna to Stockholm daily.