Every winter for more than 20 years, an international group of intrepid architects and artists have headed over to a remote village in northern Sweden (Jukkasjärvi) to build a hotel out of ice and snow.
They call their sculpture (or should we say sculptures – they build the place from scratch every year) IceHotel. And we’re all invited to stay!
But a night in these luxurious, ornately carved frozen surroundings doesn’t come cheap. A double room costs anything between 1,450-7,000 Swedish Krona (SEK) per person per night – that works out as £137-660 or $220-1,060.
If sleeping on a bed of ice (literally) isn’t your kind of thing, it’s possible to take a guided tour. Adult tickets cost a whopping SEK 325 (£30.50 / $50)!
On the off chance you can’t afford to stay, or you’re not popping by Jukkasjärvi (which, by the way, lies 200 km north of the Arctic Circle) any time soon, we’ve put together this photo gallery of the IceHotel.
Featured image: IceHotel chapel (2007), by bjaglin
Jukkasjärvi’s a great place to catch the Northern Lights. Photographer: Martin-SmedsÇn
Reception – ice sculptures are found thoughout the building. Artists: Liliya Pobornikova & Viktor Tsarski | Photographer: Christopher Hauser
IceHotel always features a chapel that can be booked for weddings. Artists Cindy Berg, Marjolein Vonk, Jan Willem van der Schoot and Marinus Vroom | Photographer: Big Ben Productions
Every year there’s a new Absolut Vodka-sponsored bar (the people behind IceHotel also run IceBar in London). Artist: Thoms Nilsson | Photographer: Christopher Hauser
The craftsmanship is immense throughout. Artist: Thoms Nilsson | Photographer: L. Milling
Rooms feature beds and ornaments made of ice. Artists: Ben Rousseau & Ian Douglas-Jones | Photographer: Christopher Hauser
Guests are supplied with either a single or double duvet and advised to wear thermals at all times. Artists: Wilfred Stijger & Edith van de Wetering | Photographer: L. Milling
They’re also given a welcome kit containing warm winter clothes, gloves, and shoes. The price of a room also includes a breakfast buffet, morning sauna and admission to the rest of the hotel. Artists: Natalia Chistyakova & Karlis Ile | Photographer: L. Milling
Apparently, the key to dressing for the cold is layers. Artists: Marjolein Vonk & Marinus Vroom | Photographer: Christopher Hauser
This is probably the only place in the world where you’d be happy to share your bedroom with a pack of polar bears. Artist: AnnaSofia Mååg | Photographer: Christopher Hauser
