There’s cold, and then there’s Scandinavia cold: the kind that turns forests into white cathedrals and makes every breath look like a special effect. It’s also the perfect setting for one of the world’s most unique travel experiences: ice hotels and igloo stays in Scandinavia. These aren’t gimmicks; they’re architectural feats that melt every spring, only to be rebuilt with fresh snow and ice when winter returns. If you want a trip that feels like stepping into a fantasy, this is it.
Most travelers hear about the big names – like Sweden’s legendary Icehotel –, but the region has dozens of winter stays tucked into quiet forests, frozen lakes, and Sami regions where reindeer wander past your window.
Staying in an ice hotel sounds extreme, but Scandinavians have been doing far stranger things for centuries, and they’ve refined the art of keeping you warm in places entirely made of ice. After all, it’s still the north: comfort is practically a survival tradition.
This guide breaks down what to expect, how to prepare, and which igloo hotels in Norway, Finland, and Sweden are actually worth the trip. With the right planning, you’ll get a night you’ll talk about for years, plus a Northern Lights show if you’re lucky.
Where can you actually stay in an ice hotel?
The most famous winter stay in the region is the Sweden ice hotel experience, in Jukkasjärvi. It’s the original, the biggest, and the one that started the whole idea back in 1989. Artists from around the world come every winter to carve the theme rooms, sculptures, corridors, and even the glasses in the ice bar.
The rooms stay around -5°C, which sounds awful until you realize you’re wrapped in a thermal cocoon so warm you’ll feel like a hibernating bear.
Finland also has some fantastic options, especially around Rovaniemi and the Lapland wilderness. Here the stays are often a mix: part ice suite, part glass igloo, with heated interiors to watch the Northern Lights without freezing your eyelashes off.
Norway leans heavily into wilderness stays, and you’ll find some of the more remote igloo hotels Norway has to offer in Alta and near Tromsø. They’re usually part of larger Sami cultural experiences, dog sledding routes, and Northern Lights safaris. If you want your winter trip to feel like a mini-expedition, Norway delivers.
Sleeping inside ice... what is it actually like?
People imagine it’s freezing, and to be fair, it sounds like that.
In practice, it’s surprisingly comfortable. The air inside the rooms is cold but stable, and the bedding is designed specifically for Arctic expeditions. You sleep in a heavy-duty thermal sleeping bag on top of a mattress laid over reindeer hides. Only your face sticks out. Everything else stays warm.
The bathrooms are heated and located outside the ice rooms, so yes – you’ll have a short, brisk walk for your midnight bathroom run. Scandinavians assume this builds character. They might be right.
Expect a deep silence at night, the kind you rarely find anywhere else. Ice absorbs sound, creating a calm that hits you instantly. If you’ve never heard true silence before, this is where you’ll find it.
What you should pack for ice hotel stays
You don’t need special polar gear, but you do need layers. Scandinavian winter is about staying warm, dry, and comfortable, not looking like a fashion influencer on a snowbank.
Merino wool base layers, a mid-layer fleece or sweater, and outerwear rated for at least -15°C will be fine. The hotels usually provide boots, balaclavas, and gloves if needed. Keep your phone charged – batteries drain faster in the cold – and bring hand warmers if you want to keep your fingers useful.
Most hotels also have warm rooms or heated cabins as part of the same complex, so you’ll always have a snug place to retreat after your ice adventure.
Best regions for ice hotels in Scandinavia
When you're choosing where to go, think beyond the hotel itself. The region matters just as much, especially if you want to experience more than one night in an ice room.
Lapland, stretching across Sweden, Norway, and Finland, is ideal because it mixes winter stays with activities like snowmobiling, reindeer visits, dog sledding, and Northern Lights chasing.
Northern Sweden feels quiet and artistic, with its forests and frozen river landscapes. Northern Finland is big on comfort and design, pairing glass domes with ice suites. Norway leans rugged and cinematic, combining fjords, Arctic plateaus, and winter safaris.
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