Icehotel

Background

Icehotel stands on the Torne River in the village of Jukkasjärvi, Norrbotten County, Sweden, about 17 km from Kiruna. In 1989 Japanese ice artists held an ice art exhibition here; the following spring the first guests spent a night in the exhibition's ice building, and Icehotel was on its way. Today the hotel is built from scratch every winter with Torne River ice and snow, and artists from around the world design and carve the suites. It usually opens from December to April and melts back into the river in spring. At the Icebar even the glasses are made of ice. Since 2016 the year-round Icehotel 365 has used solar power from the midnight sun for cooling, staying at around minus 5 degrees Celsius even in summer.

Local customs

• Sleep a night on reindeer skins in an ice suite at around minus 5 degrees Celsius
• have a drink from an ice glass at the Icebar
• go dog sledding or snowmobiling, and watch for the northern lights at night.

Travel tips

• Ice-suite stays are expensive, so book several months ahead in high season. The hotel provides warm sleeping bags and cold-weather gear, but you should still bring thermal underwear. The winter Icehotel usually opens from December to April, and in summer you can stay at Icehotel 365
• check seasons and room types on the official website.
• Fly to Kiruna Airport, then take a shuttle bus or taxi for about half an hour to Jukkasjärvi
• the village is walkable. You can also take a night train from Stockholm and connect by shuttle. Winter brings the freshest ice art and the northern lights season
• the midnight sun shines from around late May to mid-July. Spring and autumn are transitional, and some activities pause.