Staying at the original Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden is an unforgettable experience and is something that everyone should have on their bucket list.
Being a guest at the Ice Hotel has been one of my favorite travel experiences of all time. The hotel was incredible, the scenery was beautiful, there were several fun excursions offered, and to top it all off, we were fortunate enough to see the northern lights.
When two friends and I went in mid-April of 2022, it was the tail end of the season. Stockholm was one of our scheduled stops on Semester at Sea and we decided to fly from there to the Arctic Circle for one night specifically to go to the Ice Hotel. I do not know how much room prices vary by season, but our standard room (off-season) was $750 total. We split the cost between the three of us and each paid $250 for one night. Although expensive, this is something I would highly recommend saving up for if possible.
The bedroom itself did not have a bathroom or anything other than a bed composed of mattress pads on top of a huge block of ice. There are community bathrooms inside an actual building (one of the hotel’s lobbies) which house the toilets, showers, and a dry sauna. Since the bedrooms are made entirely of ice, there are only small curtains instead of doors. This being said, it feels almost like paying for a really expensive hostel (but obviously worth it).
The hotel has two different buildings made entirely of ice- one where all of the traditional bedrooms are, and one that has an ice bar and several other much more intricately decorated bedrooms for show. I still reminisce about the hotel’s beauty (and about the elderflower cocktail I got from the ice bar).
When night fell, we embarked on a snowmobiling journey with other guests of the hotel. The ride lasted for roughly an hour before we stopped at a hut-like structure where our guide made us traditional nordic stew and coffee. I am vegan and was worried that there would be no vegan-friendly food, but the guide had prepared a vegetarian stew ahead of time for me since my friend notified him in our reservation (which was phenomenal). We sat around an open fire and ate with a few of the other hotel guests for around an hour before beginning the trek back towards the hotel.
It was at this point of the night (around midnight) that we finally saw the northern lights. While this is advertised as a possibility during the snowmobiling trip, it of course is not guaranteed and I honestly was not expecting to see them. They initially were slightly dull but gradually appeared brighter and changed locations constantly. By the time we got back to the hotel they were already less prominent, but we still laid out in the snow for another 30 minutes or so just admiring them. This was, without a doubt, one of the coolest experiences of my life and I will cherish this memory forever.
Prior to going to bed, my friends and I warmed up in the sauna before putting a light thermal layer on and heading to our room. To be honest, I thought I would be freezing the whole night but that was far from reality. The hotel provides you with a thermal sleeping bag as well as a sheet-like sleeping back to go inside of the thermal one. I actually had to remove my gloves and hat when trying to fall asleep because I was too warm, and even when I woke up I still felt fine.
Overall, staying at the original Ice Hotel was one of the best experiences of my entire life and I cannot recommend it enough. If you can save up enough to afford the hefty price tag, it is WELL worth it.
