Ice hotels and glass igloos: 10 remarkable Arctic stays

The most memorable part of an Arctic winter holiday is often where you sleep. Across the Nordic region you can spend a night in a room carved from ice, or lie in a warm bed and watch the night sky through a glass roof. Most of the stays below are in Finnish Lapland, with one in northern Norway and one in Swedish Lapland. Some are remote retreats deep in the forest; others sit within reach of a village, a ski resort or an Arctic attraction. Many combine a glass igloo or ice room with warmer rooms, so you can try the experience for a night without spending your whole stay in the cold.

A glass roof is a comfortable way to watch for the Northern Lights, but a sighting is never guaranteed: it depends on solar activity, cloud cover and darkness. Snow conditions and opening dates vary by property and season too, so check the details for your travel dates.

1. Snow Resort Kirkenes, Norway

Snow Resort Kirkenes is rebuilt from snow and ice every winter, its rooms decorated with snow and ice sculptures, in Kirkenes in the far north-east of Norway. Inside, it holds a steady −4°C to −6°C (21 to 25°F), and you sleep in an insulated sleeping bag with a soft cotton liner rather than under ordinary bedding.

For those who would rather stay warm, the resort also has wooden Gamme cabins by the fjord, and it keeps huskies and reindeer on site. Kirkenes sits in king crab country, so a stay here pairs the snow hotel with Arctic activities rather than treating it only as a place to sleep.

Explore our travel packages that include Kirkenes.

2. ICEHOTEL, Sweden

ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Swedish Lapland, first opened as a hotel in 1990 and is rebuilt each winter from ice harvested on the Torne River. It is the best known ice hotel in the world, as much an art project as a place to stay.

Its seasonal Art Suites are carved by different artists each year, so no two rooms are alike and the hotel is never quite the same twice. Alongside the cold rooms, ICEHOTEL 365 stays open all year, and there are warm rooms too, so you can combine a night on ice with an ordinary night's sleep. It makes a natural centrepiece for a wider Swedish Lapland journey of winter landscapes, Sámi culture and Northern Lights.

Explore our travel packages that include ICEHOTEL.

3. Aurora Village, Ivalo, Finland

Aurora Village sits on a quiet hillside near Ivalo, in the far north of Finnish Lapland, where its glass-roofed Aurora Cabins are angled so you can watch the sky from your bed. Rather than stepping outside each time the clouds part, you can lie warm and wait for the sky to change.

The village is family-run and holds the Green Key sustainability label. With its panorama sauna and generous spacing between cabins, it suits couples and anyone who values privacy and time in nature, with Arctic activities on hand by day.

Explore our travel packages that include Ivalo.

4. Nivunki Village, Muonio, Finland

Nivunki Village is an adults-only retreat near Muonio, close to the Swedish border and Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, where Premium Glass Kota cabins open to the night sky. The setting is deliberately quiet, away from the resorts, for couples who want stillness and dark skies.

Here the surroundings matter as much as the room: forest, fells and long silent evenings, with husky and reindeer trips and Northern Lights outings arranged from the village.

Explore our travel packages that include Muonio.

5. Arctic Land Adventure, Kilpisjärvi, Finland

Arctic Land Adventure runs glass igloos at Kilpisjärvi, in Finland's remote north-western arm, beneath the Saana fell and near the point where Finland, Sweden and Norway meet. This is one of the quietest corners of Lapland, far from the larger resort centres.

The appeal is the combination of an unusual room and a genuinely wild setting. For travellers who want remoteness and dramatic fell scenery, the igloo is part of the experience rather than simply somewhere to sleep.

Explore our travel packages that include Kilpisjärvi.

6. Levi Igloos, Finland

Levi Igloos offers glass-roofed rooms within easy reach of Levi, one of Finland's largest ski resorts, so you can watch the sky at night and still have restaurants, slopes and activities on the doorstep. Each igloo has its own kitchenette and bathroom.

This suits travellers who want a distinctive stay without giving up the convenience of a developed resort. Kittilä airport is about 15 km (9 miles), or 15 minutes, away, which makes Levi one of the easier Lapland bases to reach.

Explore our travel packages that include Levi.

7. Arctic Fox Igloos, Ranua, Finland

Arctic Fox Igloos stand on the shore of Lake Ranuanjärvi in Ranua, Finnish Lapland, with a glass-walled bedroom that looks out over the water and the sky. In winter the frozen lake and snow give the setting a stillness that the brighter months do not.

They sit about 6 km (4 miles) from Ranua Wildlife Park, home to Finland's only polar bears, so the igloos pair naturally with a family-friendly day out. As ever, the glass is a comfortable way to watch for the aurora, though visibility depends on the weather and solar activity.

Explore our travel packages that include Ranua.

8. Northern Lights Village, Pyhä, Finland

Northern Lights Village sits near Pyhä-Luosto National Park in Pyhä, with Aurora cabins built around a laser-heated glass roof over the bed, so you can watch for the Northern Lights from under the covers on a clear night.

The national park on the doorstep gives days their shape, with trails, snowshoeing and husky and reindeer trips, and the cabins give the evenings theirs. If the aurora is your reason for coming, allow more than one night: no stay can promise a sighting.

Explore our travel packages that include Pyhä.

9. Livo Arctic Resort, Posio, Finland

Livo Arctic Resort stands by Lake Livo in Posio, in southern Lapland between Rovaniemi and Kuusamo, where its igloo-style Aurora cabins each have a glass front, a kitchenette and a view of the water. It is a short drive from Riisitunturi National Park, known for its forests of snow-laden "crown snow" trees.

The resort's quiet, lakeside setting is the draw: a nature-led base away from the busier centres, well suited to travellers who want their surroundings to be part of the stay.

Explore our travel packages that include Posio.

10. Vaattunki Wilderness Resort, Rovaniemi, Finland

Vaattunki Wilderness Resort lies about 25 km (16 miles) from Rovaniemi, set in riverside forest rather than in town, with glass-roofed Aurora cabins looking out over the trees. It offers a wilderness feel within easy reach of Lapland's best-connected hub.

Rovaniemi is where many Arctic holidays begin, and staying a little outside the centre trades the bustle for quiet forest while keeping the airport and the city close. It is a good fit for travellers who want nature at the door without going fully off-grid.

Explore our travel packages that include Rovaniemi.

Choosing the right Arctic stay

The best choice depends on what you are after. For the ice and snow experience, Snowhotel Kirkenes and ICEHOTEL are the two to weigh. For glass igloos with a resort and activities close by, Levi and Pyhä work well. For remoteness and dark skies, Kilpisjärvi, Muonio and Posio sit furthest from the crowds. For families, Ranua pairs its igloos with the wildlife park, and for easy access, Vaattunki and Levi are the simplest to reach.

Browse our glass igloo and dome stays and ice and snow hotel stays, or talk to our destination specialists about building one into a wider Nordic winter journey.