I’ve Visited Every Ice Hotel in the Nordics – Here’s My Honest Ranking

Earlier this year, I finally had a chance to visit Sorrisniva, an igloo and ice hotel in Alta, Norway. When I was visiting (and loving the place), I remember saying it was the best ice hotel I have ever visited. Then I thought about it a bit, and I realized that I have actually visited every ice hotel in the Nordics.

I never had a goal to do so; it just happened by chance. But, it made me think, “Which one of these ice hotels in Scandinavia and the Nordics is the best?”

It was a surprisingly easy answer (and one that I dive into below). And while that answer is in my head, I decided it would be fun to share my thoughts with those looking to experience these ice hotels.

So, in this post, I cover all of the ice hotels in the Nordics and Scandinavia that I had the pleasure of visiting! These are all the ice hotels in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. I have ranked them as someone who has visited all.

In the end, I also discuss a few places and experiences that people associate with ice hotels (even though they’re not) and whether I think they are worth it or not.

Let me know if you have any questions about visiting these Scandinavian ice hotels in the comments. Thanks!

Ice Hotels in Scandinavia & the Nordics (Overview)

Don’t have time to stick around? Below is a quick run-down of my rankings of the ice hotels in this guide.

Just a quick note that I visited all of these hotels in winter except Snow Resort Kirkenes, which I visited in summer. It is a year-round snow hotel, however.

I am also including Hunderfossen Snow Hotel (Lillehammer, Norway) below, but I am not rating them as I haven’t been to Hunderfossen in many years so I don’t know if it is the same as the one I checked out over a decade ago.

Ice Hotels in Scandinavia & the Nordics (Ranked)

1. Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel

I visited in February and was truly blown away! The hotel is situated a short drive from Alta, and you can stay as an overnight guest or merely visit on a self-guided tour.

This is the world’s northernmost ice hotel (it just edges out Kirkenes) and is a part of the Sorrisniva complex, where you’ll also find the Arctic Wilderness Lodge.

But, back to the hotel! Sorrisniva was my favorite because the artists they brought in for their themed designs were stellar. It was impeccably done. And the facilities there were also wonderful and easily connected to the ice hotel.

I have visited a few places that had facilities that didn’t feel super comfortable or connected with the ice hotel and Sorrisniva was the benchmark for having a lodge that did feel purposeful and easily connected.

Inside the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel, you will also find their ice bar along with unique rooms and suites.

The igloo suites are the ones with the colorful and creative designs, whereas the rooms are the ones with a standard and plain aesthetic. Packages are offered so that guests can book their activities and snow hotel experience all in one. I have written an entire guide about my stay at the beautiful Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel. Click here to read my experience!

Another thing I loved about Sorrisniva is that the Alta lodging was rather remote and removed from light pollution, making it a great place to check out the northern lights if the sky is clear. There are also two restaurants on-site.

But the main reason I loved visiting Sorrisniva is that it felt like it balanced being commercial with a cozy setting better than other places. I never felt pressured to move out of rooms for other people’s photos or anything, as I had at other ice hotels in this guide.

The Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel is open from 12pm until 8pm daily from December 20 to April 1. Tickets depend on whether or not you want a guided tour or not. Guided tour tickets are 695 NOK (about $70) for adults and self-guided tickets start at 395 NOK (about $40) for adults.

2. Icehotel

While I loved the Icehotel, it felt more commercial than Sorrisniva, which sits at #1 for me. Icehotel was packed when I visited in February, with those staying there as well as those checking it out on a day trip (like me).

One of the major pluses of the Sweden ice hotel is that a large portion of it is open year-round in what they call ICEHOTEL 365.

While the other part of the hotel is rebuilt annually when the snowfall comes to Swedish Lapland, there is a building that has some rooms you can stay in even if you decide to visit during the summer.

This gives such a great opportunity to those wanting the overnight snow hotel experience without the winter rates or crowds.

Icehotel was first built in 1989 with ice from the Torne River, making it the world’s first ice hotel and paving the way for others in Scandinavia and the Nordics (and even as far away as Canada).

Inside, you’ll find a bar (open year-round), rooms (some are year-round and some are rebuilt each winter), a chapel, and more.

One thing I especially loved about the Icehotel is that it had an entire area dedicated to the history of the hotel and its construction.

Given that this was the first one in the world, I found it super cool to learn about it and the inspiration behind it. You can also book package deals and activities.

If staying in the Icehotel is not your thing, they also have normal (not ice!) hotel rooms and cabins at the complex that you can enjoy comfortably! And, of course, you can still wander about the Icehotel and Icehotel 365.

3. Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos

The Arctic SnowHotel can sleep around 70 guests and opens each year on December 15. It opened in 2008 and is rebuilt each winter with new rooms, designs, and themes.

Aside from the 20 rooms inside the igloo hotel, you will also find an ice chapel (perfect for a destination wedding!), an ice bar, and an ice restaurant.

If you are staying in one of the glass igloos or inside the snow hotel, you have access to all areas inside the complex. Otherwise, visitors will be required to pay an entrance fee (or can take a tour from Rovaniemi).

I enjoy the Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos, but the reason it didn’t rank higher for me was that I found there to be a bit of light pollution when I was there and the northern lights were a bit more challenging than other locations (I have stayed at over 15 glass igloo complexes in Finland alone).

However, I have moved it up a bit on this list since last year because the place is delightful, and I go back multiple times each season when people visit me. I think that tells me that the place is a cool experience and deserves visits from those coming to Rovaniemi.

I also found last season’s artwork to be a lot better (although the theme was a bit disjointed but I still enjoyed it) than previous years. They also have reindeer you can feed, a huge snow slide, and kick-sleds on the lake.

And one thing that the Arctic SnowHotel did have that was super cool was the Arctic Art Festival! I don’t have a date for the next one just yet but I did go to it in 2024 (and missed it in 2025 because I was out of town).

4. Snow Resort Kirkenes

You can also stay at one of their Gamme cabins, which is a cozy accommodation (not made of ice) at the complex. They are available year-round.

Located a short distance from Kirkenes, the best way to get there is to fly into Kirkenes or to drive from somewhere in Finnish Lapland.

During the winter, Snow Resort Kirkenes offers plenty of activities and is a renowned place for dog-sledding and king crab safaris.

Overnight stays include breakfast and a 3-course dinner in Låven, their farmhouse restaurant. The Kirkenes hotel has 13 rooms (a total of 39 beds).

While I loved my time visiting the Snowhotel, it wasn’t as large as Sorrisniva or Icehotel (which felt the largest). And, to my knowledge, they don’t build new structures seasonally when the weather permits, so it doesn’t feel like a place I would want to revisit to check out ‘what’s new’.

Nevertheless, I am looking forward to a winter visit so I can try out all the activities and perhaps it will move up on this list after I do!

5. Lapland Hotels SnowVillage

But the ice sculptures and artwork were next level in every single space, even if there were fewer spaces, because they don’t really focus on the accommodation aspect.

At the SnowVillage, you will find a snow suite, restaurant, ice exhibition, and room for private events. Last year’s theme was the underwater world and you could see seahorses to turtles to jellyfish, and more. There is also an ice slide (I went down it several times like a child) and a movie theater. You also have your standard ice bar where you can enjoy a frozen drink!

Opening hours are from 10am until 10pm and you can purchase tickets right at the reception (although the snow suite needs to be booked ahead). Adult tickets are €26 and children are €14. You can also book a guided tour for a group of up to 30 people and it is €92.

You can read my entire guide to visiting Lapland Hotels SnowVillage here.

Honorable Mention: Hunderfossen Snow Hotel

It is situated 15 minutes from Lillehammer, and I have admittedly not been there in a very long time (they first opened in 2008), so that is why I am putting it as an honorable mention here. It also opens a bit later in the season compared to other hotels in this guide.

So while Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel is the world’s northernmost ice hotel, Hunderfossen is Scandinavia’s southernmost ice hotel and is located by Hafjell.

Hunderfossen has suites for 2, 4, or 6 people and a stay includes breakfast and dinner, kick-sled transport, and a visit to King Valemon’s Ice Bar. There is also a large ice cathedral that guests can visit!

I hope to get back there soon so I can write a more detailed and better description on the blog!

Other Ice and Snow Experiences

While I wanted this guide to focus on the ice hotels in the Nordics, two experiences that are often confused with ice hotels are the snow experience in Kemi and the Magic Ice Bar in Iceland, and various cities in Norway.

I will share my thoughts on both below (I don’t have a lot of good to say about either).

Tromsø Ice Domes Snow Park

The next place on my list is the Tromsø Ice Domes. While the Ice Domes used to be my least favorite hotel on this guide, it has been moved to the ‘ice experiences’ section since they have removed the hotel aspect of the place. Now, I prefer it a lot more!

The snow experience has been refined over the last year to include tandem skiing, learning how to make a fire (and grilling sausages by it!), eating hot soup, ice sculpting lessons, and more. There is also a snow maze (it had washed away from February rains when I visited) and a couple of rooms with ice sculptures and structures.

This all takes place in Tamok Valley (Tamokdalen), so you can see reindeer and sled dogs as there are tours out this way. And some of these tours are the best Tromsø has to offer, in my opinion (including the snowmobiling).

Anyway, if you live somewhere in the Arctic or with a lot of snow, this may not be the spot for you… especially if you have previously visited an ice hotel somewhere else. But, if you’re coming from afar and want to learn to make a fire, see some ice sculptures, etc, give it a go!

Ticket rates depend on a lot of factors (and if you include combo tours in the ticket, as well as transportation).

Magic Ice Bar (Various Locations)

It is an ice bar. It is also a waste of your time and money, in my opinion.

I have been to all four. And while I think it is a unique experience, there are much better things to do in every single place.

Snowman World (Rovaniemi, Finland)

Snowman World is a snowpark located at Santa Claus Village that has a few slides, ice rooms with sculptures, a restaurant, an ice skating rink, and an ice bar. The theme changes with the year and last year’s theme was ‘Jungle’. I found the place really centered around families but still offered an enjoyable experience for adults.

What impressed me the most was the restaurant. I ordered lunch there and it was DELICIOUS. This experience is by the same crew at Arctic SnowHotel across the city, so it is no surprise they have tasty food, I suppose… but it still surprised me to have good food that close to Santa Claus Village.

Tickets are €35 per person and kids under 2 are free. From December 6 until January 6, Snowman World is open from 10am until 8pm and from January 7 until March 17, they are open from 11am until 7pm. You can read my entire guide about my experience visiting Snowman World.

SnowCastle of Kemi (Kemi, Finland)

I visited Kemi in the summer and only visited SnowExperience365. Do not go out of your way for this.

While I stayed in one of the beautiful Kemi Seaside Glass Villas, I went to Kemi for an overnight stay, not the SnowExperience.

The SnowExperience365 was just a room (felt like a garage) with some frozen stuff and that was about it. I stayed in there for 10 minutes, grabbed some photos, and walked out.

Not worth the drive to Kemi unless you are already in the area or booking a stay at the glass villas.

Do you have any additional questions about the Nordic ice hotels in this guide? I hope to get individual guides written for all of the places listed in the future, but for now, send me a message or comment below. Thanks!

More Nordic Travel Guides

• Ice hotels in Norway
• Things to do in Tromsø
• Things to do in Rovaniemi
• Things to do in Kirkenes
• Things to do in Alta
• Things to do in Kiruna
• Things to do in Abisko
• Glass igloos in Finland

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