Ice Hotels

Four northern houses in Greenland, Svalbard, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Some run through the whole year and some open only in defined seasons, and the entries say which. Nothing here is promised about weather or about the sky, and the operators promise nothing either.

A low building on snow-covered ground under a pale winter sky.

The entries

Hotel Arctic

Ilulissat, Greenland

What stands here

Hotel Arctic stands on a rise outside Ilulissat, above the mouth of the Kangia icefjord on the west coast of Greenland. Alongside the main house there are separate aluminium cabins set on the rock, built as single units and reached from outside. The main house works through the year, while the cabins are opened for part of it, and the fjord below carries ice past the site in every month.

How it works

The main building holds reception, the restaurant and the sitting rooms, and guests in the cabins walk to it across open ground when those are in use. Meals are served at set hours in one dining room, with a bar beside it. Boot rooms and drying space are provided by the entrance because most guests arrive from outside.

Ask before you come

Ask whether the cabins are open on your dates, and what the walk to the main house involves. Ice and weather change boat and flight times at short notice. Confirm which parts of the house are open in your month, as services follow the season.

A low hotel building on bare rock above a fjord carrying broken ice.

Category: Ice Hotels
Location: Ilulissat, Greenland
Checked: December 2029

Next: Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel

Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel

Svalbard, Norway

What stands here

The hotel occupies a former radio station at Kapp Linné, on a headland at the mouth of Isfjorden in Svalbard. The station buildings were converted rather than replaced, and the masts and service structures remain on the site. There is no road; guests reach the place by boat in the open season and by snowmobile or aircraft in winter. The house is small and takes few guests at a time.

How it works

Everything shared sits in the old station building: reception, a sitting room with the original fittings kept, a sauna and one dining room where meals are served together at fixed times. Guests leave outer clothing and boots in a drying room by the door. Because the site is remote, staff run arrivals, departures and any outings to a common timetable rather than individually.

Ask before you come

Ask how the journey out is arranged and what happens if weather delays it, since there is no alternative route to the site. Bring clothing suited to the season, as the walk between buildings is exposed. Confirm what is provided and what you must carry yourself.

A cluster of low former radio station buildings on a bare coastal headland.

Category: Ice Hotels
Location: Svalbard, Norway
Checked: December 2029

Next: Aurora Village

Aurora Village

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada

What stands here

Aurora Village lies some way outside Yellowknife, on a lake in the Northwest Territories, and is a site of heated teepees rather than a single building. The teepees stand apart from one another in a clearing and are used for warmth and rest during the night hours. Service buildings sit at the entrance. The site works in defined seasons rather than continuously through the year.

How it works

Guests are driven out from Yellowknife in the evening and are returned in the small hours, with a heated teepee held for them in between. A central building holds the desk, a dining room and the room where outdoor clothing is issued and returned. Movement around the site is on foot along cleared paths, and staff stay on duty throughout.

Ask before you come

Check which seasons the site is running in before planning around it, since it does not open in every month. Nothing about the sky is promised here, and the operator promises nothing either. Confirm how transport from town is arranged and how late the return runs.

Heated canvas teepees standing apart on a snow-covered lakeshore at night.

Category: Ice Hotels
Location: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Checked: December 2029

Next: Northern Lights Resort & Spa

Northern Lights Resort & Spa

Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

What stands here

The resort is on a hillside south of Whitehorse in the Yukon, away from the town and its lighting. Guests stay in glass chalets and in rooms within the main lodge; the chalets stand separately on the slope, each with glazing carried up into the roof. The property works to defined seasons, and the surrounding land is used for walking and for tracks.

How it works

The lodge holds reception, the dining room where breakfast is served, and the sitting room with the fire. Guests in the chalets walk up to it along the hillside paths. A spa building with a sauna and outdoor tubs is booked by slot rather than left open. Meals other than breakfast are arranged in advance, because the kitchen works to the number of guests staying.

Ask before you come

Confirm which seasons the resort is running in and what meals are included on your dates, as the kitchen does not serve on demand. The road out from Whitehorse is worth checking in winter conditions. Nothing about the night sky is promised here, and the resort promises nothing either.

Glass-roofed chalets spaced along a wooded snowy hillside below a dark sky.

Category: Ice Hotels
Location: Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Checked: December 2029

Next section: Casino Hotels

Northern sites depend on the season, and what stands open in one month may be closed in another. Everything here comes from published sources and from operators' own pages, and it can change without notice. This site is independent, is connected to no operator, sells nothing and takes no reservations. Confirm the season and the arrangements before travelling.