Abandoned planes, seashells or tree houses, humans have explored and created a living space out of almost every object possible. While one lay have spent many days in luxurious hotel rooms and adventurous tree houses, India Outbound proposes a tour to a hotel where guests can explore adventure, thrill, and peace at the same time. The Ice Hotel in Sweden is a place to make mystical dreams come true.

Everything looks magical when it snows. The quaint little flowers on the corner of the street or the naked branches of the trees. Everything looks beautiful when it is covered with a layer of pristine white snow. Many around the world have grown up making snowmen and our own versions of igloos. Children have long been fascinated by Eskimos and their snow houses. Many a child’s dream of spending one night inside an igloo can finally come true with a trip to the exotic and mystical Ice Hotel in Sweden.

This magical creation is set in the village of Jukkasjärvi, about 17 kilometres from the city of Kiruna in Sweden where this hotel is rebuilt each year with ice and snow ever since it opened for business in1990.

India Outbound takes its readers on a whirlwind journey virtually with a rapid rundown on this marvellous ice hotel and how to make the dream of living in it come true.

The Ice Hotel is rebuilt every year

Every December, the hotel is rebuilt and come Spring, this one-of-a-kind ice structure melts and finds its way back to the Torne River. The first phase opens at the beginning of December. For each week, another section of the hotel opens up for visitors and guests until the beginning of January. During this time, the entire construction is completed.  In recent years, the Ice Hotel had a brand-new addition to its legacy in 2016 with the Ice Hotel 365. Unlike the classic hotel, the Ice Hotel 365 is a permanent structure that allows guests to stay in cold art rooms all year round. The hotel rooms are redesigned and rebuilt every six months. So, if you want to spend a night as a snow queen or king, head over to their official website and book the experience of a lifetime.

The Ice Hotel has a lot more than just suites

Fancy getting married inside an ice structure? The Ice Hotel comes equipped with a church. Run by the local parish of Jukkasjärvi, the church is consecrated every year during the Christmas Day service. So far, about 140 couples have taken the sacred wedding vows in this glistening ice church.  The Ice Hotel team makes sure that guests get to celebrate with a drink right after the ceremony in the Ice Bar. Inaugurated in 1994, the first business partner of the Ice Bar was Absolut Vodka, the Swedish vodka brand. Guests are served vodka in ice glasses. Fancy an iced drink? The Ice Bar offers a huge range of drinks. There is something for everyone at this place.

Everything inside this hotel is made of snow and ice

A whopping 600 tonnes of snow and ice is used to bring this snowy palace to life. The 35,000 cubic meters of snow and ice used to build this structure is equivalent to 700 million snowballs! With enough snow and ice to fill 10 Olympic size swimming pools, this hotel relies on the nearby Torne River for its construction materials. 

From the beds to even the glasses in the bar, every little object is made of ice in the Ice Hotel. Here, the beds are lined with reindeer furs and people are given special equipment to use while sleeping in the hotel. The guests sleep in polar-tested sleeping bags. The bedroom temperatures are constantly around −5 °C. Right after stepping inside this ice fort, one can see a chandelier glistening in all its glory. Unlike normal glass chandeliers, this glittering beauty is made of 200 handmade ice crystals. Feels like Elsa’s ice palace from Frozen, isn’t it? The hotel has around 150 warm and cold beds respectively. In addition, the complex includes an ice church, ice bar, ice sculpting studio, and pillar hall- all made of ice! 

546 artists to design Ice Hotel 

Since its inception, the Ice Hotel has featured suites and showpieces designed and constructed by over 546 artists from around the world. No two rooms in this hotel are the same. From the Snowball Room and the Ice Rock room to the Blue Marine suite designed by Andrew Winch & William Blomstrand in 2012 and the Banished Dragon suite designed in 2008 by Valli Schafer & Barra Cassidy, every room features a unique theme. 

The Ice Hotel has also featured special light and sound-themed suites for visitors who want a bit of colour pop in their ice suites. The Ice Hotel has gone all out with suites themed around the Great Gatsby and even Charles Dickens. 

Getting there

Located around 200 km north of the Arctic circle, the best way to get to the Ice Hotel is to take a 90-minute flight from Arlanda to Kiruna, followed by a 15-minute car ride from the airport to the hotel. 

Unlike normal winter holidays, the Ice Hotel suggests a specific type of clothing to be carried for your stay there. This is to ensure that you have a warm and safe experience in the Arctic cold. The hotel provides you with warm outer clothing; a snowsuit, boots, gloves, and a balaclava when you check-in. In addition, one should carry thermal underwear, warm hats, and plenty of socks to survive a night in the -5 Celsius ice rooms. 

Since there are no charging sockets inside the ice suites, one should charge their phones in available sockets across the hotel. With no individual bathrooms in each suite, you can attend the nature’s call in one of the bathrooms in the heated service building. This is also where you have to leave your belongings before heading to your suite for the night. 

There is a heated warm accommodation right near the Ice Hotel. The team suggests you book a night in the ice hotel and spend the rest of your trip in warm accommodation. This would ensure that you get to experience both wilderness and comfort equally. From snow carving to ice sledding, the hotel organises various activities for its guests throughout the year.

A place with peaceful silence, fascinating Northern Lights, snow-clad forests, and reindeers, come live in a page straight out of a mystical storybook.