Ice hotels
Ice hotels in Lapland and Norway: ICEHOTEL, Arctic SnowHotel, Sorrisniva and Kirkenes compared
A bed carved from ice, a reindeer skin and a sleeping bag rated for the Arctic. Sleeping in an ice hotel is the coldest night you will ever pay for, and most people only want one. Here are the four ice hotels in Lapland and northern Norway, when they are open, and how to combine a night on ice with a warm room and the northern lights.
Picolo Editorial
This page contains affiliate links. If you book through them, Picolo earns a commission at no extra cost to you. Our picks are made independently by our editors.
In short: the four ice hotels
ICEHOTEL, Jukkasjärvi (Sweden): the original, rebuilt every winter. You can also sleep on ice all year in ICEHOTEL 365. About 15 minutes from Kiruna Airport.
Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos (Finland): opens each year on 15 December, about 30 minutes from Rovaniemi, with glass igloos on the same site.
Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel, Alta (Norway): open from 20 December to 31 March each year, with an ice bar and an ice chapel by the Alta river.
Snowhotel Kirkenes (Norway): open all year, with the rooms kept at about minus 4°C, close to the Russian border.
Our first choice: Check availability and prices at ICEHOTEL
Book one night on ice and the rest of your stay in a warm room or cabin on the same site. All four offer that combination, and it is what almost every guest ends up doing.
What a night on ice is really like
The rooms are below freezing, so you sleep in a thick sleeping bag on a bed of ice or snow covered with reindeer skins. Your luggage stays in a warm room, toilets and showers are in a heated building, and in the morning staff usually wake you with a hot drink. At Snowhotel Kirkenes the rooms are kept at about minus 4°C.
Wear less, not more: one thin thermal base layer, a hat and dry socks inside the sleeping bag. Sweaty clothes make you cold. Most hotels give a short briefing before bedtime, and the staff will tell you how to use the sleeping bag.
The northern lights: you cannot see the sky from an ice room. Plan to watch for the aurora from outside or from a glass room in the evening, then go to bed on ice.
Which ice hotel to choose
For the most impressive ice art: ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi. Artists from around the world design the suites each winter, and the ICEHOTEL 365 building means you can see ice art outside the winter season too.
For combining with Santa and glass igloos: Arctic SnowHotel near Rovaniemi. One night on ice, one in a glass igloo, and Santa Claus Village a short drive away.
For a small, quiet ice hotel with an ice chapel: Sorrisniva in Alta, by a river in the forest outside town, with a fine-dining restaurant and a warm lodge.
For a trip outside the winter season: Snowhotel Kirkenes, which is open all year. In winter you can combine it with king crab safaris and husky rides on the Barents Sea coast.
Getting there from the UK
ICEHOTEL: there are no direct flights from the UK to Kiruna. Fly via Stockholm, which has flights to Kiruna all year, or via Copenhagen, which has winter flights from 17 December 2026 to 7 March 2027. The hotel is about 15 minutes from Kiruna Airport.
Arctic SnowHotel: fly direct to Rovaniemi, which has flights in winter 2026/27 from many UK airports, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Newcastle. The hotel is about 30 minutes away and runs shuttles.
Sorrisniva: fly to Alta via Oslo. The hotel is outside Alta, by the river.
Snowhotel Kirkenes: fly to Kirkenes via Oslo or Tromsø.
For more on routes in winter 2026/27, see Lapland holidays: direct flights from the UK.
Where to stay
ICEHOTEL, Jukkasjärvi
The original ice hotel, about 15 minutes from Kiruna Airport, with art suites rebuilt each winter. ICEHOTEL 365 lets you sleep on ice all year, and there are warm rooms and cabins, a sauna, a bar and a restaurant. Guests rate it 9.0 out of 10 across 900 reviews on Expedia.
Check availability and prices at ICEHOTEL
Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos, near Rovaniemi
A snow hotel that opens each year on 15 December, with glass igloos, a sauna and three restaurants, about 30 minutes from Rovaniemi. Guests rate it 9.0 out of 10 across more than 180 reviews.
Check availability and prices at Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos
Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel, Alta
Open from 20 December to 31 March, with an ice bar, an ice chapel, a hot tub, a sauna and a fine-dining restaurant. You can combine a night on ice with a warm suite in the lodge. Guests rate it 9.4 out of 10 across more than 70 reviews.
Check availability and prices at Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel
Snowhotel Kirkenes
Open all year, with snow rooms kept at about minus 4°C, a restaurant and a sauna, close to the Barents Sea. Guests rate it 9.4 out of 10 across more than 180 reviews.
An igloo room at Sorrisniva, open from 20 December to 31 March
An ice room at Arctic SnowHotel, about 30 minutes from Rovaniemi
Snowhotel Kirkenes, open all year
Our recommendation
ICEHOTEL: the original, rebuilt every winter
ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi is about 15 minutes from Kiruna Airport. Artists design new suites in ice every winter, and ICEHOTEL 365 means you can sleep on ice all year. Book one night in an art suite and the rest in a warm cabin.
What Picolo would choose
What Picolo would choose: ICEHOTEL for the ice art, Arctic SnowHotel for a combined Santa, glass igloo and ice trip from Rovaniemi. For a smaller, quieter ice hotel in Norway, choose Sorrisniva.
Why: ICEHOTEL is the original and the most ambitious, and ICEHOTEL 365 means the ice art is there whenever you visit.
The trade-off: there are no direct flights from the UK to Kiruna, so ICEHOTEL needs a change in Stockholm or Copenhagen. Arctic SnowHotel is the easiest to reach from the UK, with direct flights to Rovaniemi.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best ice hotel in Lapland?
ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, is the original and has the most ambitious ice art, with suites designed by artists every winter. Arctic SnowHotel near Rovaniemi is easier to reach from the UK and has glass igloos on the same site. Sorrisniva in Alta is the smallest and quietest of the four.
When are the ice hotels open?
Arctic SnowHotel opens each year on 15 December, and Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel is open from 20 December to 31 March. ICEHOTEL's winter hotel is built for the winter season, and ICEHOTEL 365 lets you sleep on ice all year. Snowhotel Kirkenes is also open all year. Check exact dates when you book.
How cold is it in an ice hotel?
The rooms are always below freezing. Snowhotel Kirkenes keeps its rooms at about minus 4°C. You sleep in a thick Arctic sleeping bag on a bed covered with reindeer skins, wearing a thin thermal layer, a hat and dry socks. Toilets, showers and your luggage are in a heated building nearby.
How many nights should you spend in an ice hotel?
One is enough for almost everyone. Book one night on ice and the rest of your stay in a warm room, cabin or glass igloo on the same site. That way you get the experience, a good night's sleep and the chance to watch for the northern lights from a warm room.
Can you see the northern lights from an ice hotel?
Not from the ice rooms themselves, which have no windows to the sky. All four ice hotels are in the aurora zone, so you can watch from outside before bed. For aurora watching from bed, combine your night on ice with a glass igloo, for example at Arctic SnowHotel near Rovaniemi.
Sources
Seasons and facilities come from the hotels' own websites (icehotel.com, sorrisniva.no and snowhotelkirkenes.com) and Visit Finland. Flights to Kiruna come from Kiruna Lapland. Hotel ratings come from Expedia. Last checked: 2 November 2026.
Have a nice trip to York
Picolo Editorial