The Icehotel is two ice buildings, a set of warm rooms and a heated lobby next to them. Here’s what a night at −5 °C is actually like, which building is open when, how to visit without staying, and the cancellation terms to read before you pay.
When you need this
You’re deciding whether to sleep in the Icehotel or just walk through it. Or you’re choosing between the winter ice hotel and the year-round building, or wondering whether a night below freezing is bearable with children. Or you’re about to pay the full price up front and want to know what happens if plans change.
Two ice buildings, not one
The Icehotel (the operator writes ICEHOTEL) is in Jukkasjärvi, a village of about 900 people on the Torne River, 17 km east of Kiruna. The name means “meeting place by the water” in Northern Sami. It is a hotel and an art exhibition at once: every winter, artists build a new hotel from river ice, and in spring it melts back into the river.
Most confusion comes from the fact that there are two ice buildings:
| Icehotel Winter | Icehotel 365 | |
|---|---|---|
| Open | December–April, rebuilt every year since 1989 | All year, since November 2016 |
| Temperature inside | About −5 °C | About −5 °C, solar-cooled in summer |
| Cold rooms | Ice rooms (standard) and art suites | 9 art suites, 9 deluxe suites |
| Privacy | Curtains, no doors | Ordinary doors |
| Bathroom | In the warm Riverside building | Riverside; deluxe suites have their own warm bathroom and sauna |
The 2026–27 edition, ICEHOTEL 37, opens on 11 December 2026. Winter packages are sold from 1 December, but the new ice hotel itself opens on the 11th. Around both buildings are warm hotel rooms and cabins, open all year. Then there’s Riverside, the heated lobby. It’s open 24 hours and has the toilets, showers, saunas, changing rooms and luggage storage.
What a night in a cold room is actually like
The rooms hold about −5 °C. That’s warmer than the air outside, which in midwinter can fall to −40 °C in Jukkasjärvi, but it is still well below freezing. The bed has an ice headboard on a wooden frame, a thick mattress and reindeer hides (renskinn). You collect a sleeping bag (sovsäck) rated to −25 °C at Riverside.
The evening runs like this:
- Warm rooms check in from 15:00. The ice rooms are open to all visitors during the day.
- At check-in you get a locker or changing booth at Riverside for your things.
- At 18:00 the hotel closes to the public and overnight guests get their rooms.
- You change at Riverside, walk to your room and get into the sleeping bag.
- In the morning, Riverside serves warm lingonberry juice (varm lingondricka), and breakfast is included.
What to wear to bed: less than you’d think. The operator recommends a wool base layer, thick wool socks and a hat inside the bag, plus a thick sweater if you tend to feel cold. Over-dressing makes you sweat, and sweat cools you down. For getting around outside, overnight guests borrow a snowsuit, boots and gloves free. Those clothes are only for use in Jukkasjärvi and on the Icehotel’s own activities.
What the room doesn’t have: a toilet, luggage storage or power sockets. There are no electrical outlets anywhere in the ice buildings, so charge your phone and camera before bedtime. A night-time toilet trip means a walk to Riverside, and that walk is real Arctic cold. Our cold safety guide covers the warning signs of frostbite. Only the deluxe suites in Icehotel 365 have a private warm bathroom with a sauna and keep your luggage in the suite.
If you get cold, warm spaces are always open at Riverside.
One cold night, the rest warm
The operator’s own advice is one night in a cold room and the rest of the stay in warm accommodation. Book the cold night first or last so you only change rooms once. On the day you switch, you’ll have no room for a few hours, so plan an activity then, like dog sledding or an aurora outing, rather than a rest.
Children may sleep in the ice rooms and suites of both buildings, but the Icehotel recommends they be over seven. An adult of at least 18 has to make the booking. Families booking the winter package are asked to contact the hotel directly rather than book online.
Visiting without staying the night
You don’t need a room to see the ice art. Day visitors buy tickets on site, with no pre-booking, and the whole site is cash-free, so bring a card. The cold rooms are open to everyone during the day and close to non-guests at 18:00, so come before late afternoon. Entry is included for overnight guests.
For the period from 13 April 2026, only Icehotel 365 was open to day visitors, because the winter building had melted. Prices for the coming winter and the winter exhibition hours were not yet published when we checked. They’re in the table below, dated.
Don’t confuse the Icehotel with ICEBAR by ICEHOTEL next to Stockholm Central Station. That one is a bar serving drinks in ice glasses, not a hotel.
Booking and cancelling: read this before you pay
This is the part glossy reviews skip. The website takes no preliminary bookings: 100% of the price is charged to your card when the booking is confirmed. Room prices vary by date and room type and are only quoted in the booking engine.
The cancellation terms depend on the season:
| Period | Without cancellation insurance | With the SEK 895 insurance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 December – 13 April | Free only within 72 hours of booking; full charge after that | Rooms free until 12:00 two days before arrival; activities, food and transfers until 14 days before |
| 14 April – 30 November | Free until 12:00 three days before arrival | Room free until 12:00 on the day of arrival; activities and food until 7 days before |
A few catches:
- The insurance (avbeställningsskydd) can only be added when you first book. It covers everyone on the booking, and its fee is never refunded.
- A cancelled or delayed flight is not a valid reason under the insurance. Rely on your airline’s rules or your own travel insurance.
- Cancellations must be in writing. A phone call or a no-show is charged in full.
- Packages and special offers follow the terms shown when you book.
- The winter hotel is built outdoors. If the weather means cold rooms can’t be offered, you get a warm room or a refund.
The Icehotel doesn’t give a minimum lead time. It does say that December and February are the busy months, and that rooms are easier to find in January, March or April.
When to go
| Season | What’s open | What it’s like |
|---|---|---|
| December–February | Winter hotel + Icehotel 365 | Coldest and darkest, down to −40 °C; December and February busy |
| March–mid-April | Winter hotel + Icehotel 365 | Long sunny days, about −10 to +10 °C; last aurora; bring sunscreen |
| Mid-April–November | Icehotel 365 only | Midnight sun mid-May to mid-July, summers average about +16 °C |
| September onward | Icehotel 365 only | Aurora returns |
Kiruna’s normal January mean is −11.3 °C. The area has 27 days of polar night in midwinter and midnight sun from 29 May to 14 July. The northern lights can be seen around Kiruna from late August to early May. Sleeping in the ice doesn’t stop you going out to look. Our winter packing list covers the rest of your bag.
The winter hotel opens in sections. Not every part may be finished when the first guests arrive, and repairs can close areas during the season. Activities depend on weather and snow depth, which also sets when tours start and end. Icehotel’s own terms require snowmobile drivers to be 18 or over with a valid car driving licence; Swedish law only asks for a driving licence on a guided safari.
Getting there
Jukkasjärvi is on the E10, 15–20 minutes by road from Kiruna Airport. In winter the Icehotel runs its own transfer bus from the airport or the train station, which you book by 15:00 the day before you arrive. From December to April there’s also a dog-sled transfer from the airport that takes about 75 minutes. The other options are in our guide to flights to Kiruna.
Practical information
| Item | What to know (checked 2026-09-25) |
|---|---|
| Winter hotel season | December–April; ICEHOTEL 37 opens 11 December 2026 |
| Icehotel 365 | Open all year |
| Room temperature | About −5 °C; sleeping bag rated to −25 °C |
| Cold-room access | From 18:00; warm rooms from 15:00 |
| Day ticket, adult (from 13 April 2026) | SEK 325, bought on site |
| Student/senior · child 4–12 · group 10+ | SEK 225 · SEK 39 · SEK 275 per person |
| Children 0–3 | Free with a paying adult |
| Room nights | Vary by date and room type; booking engine only |
| Payment | Cash-free site; 100% charged at booking |
| Cancellation insurance | SEK 895 per booking, add at booking only |
| Transfer | Book by 15:00 the day before arrival (winter only) |
FAQ
How cold is it inside the Icehotel?
About −5 °C, in both the winter ice hotel and year-round Icehotel 365. The Icehotel gives every overnight guest a warm sleeping bag rated to −25 °C, laid on a thick mattress covered with reindeer hides. Outside in midwinter it can drop to −40 °C, so the ice rooms are warmer than the air around them, but still well below freezing.
What do you wear to sleep in the Icehotel?
Less than people expect. The operator recommends a wool base layer, thick wool socks and a hat inside the sleeping bag, plus a thick sweater if you tend to feel cold. Too many layers make you sweat, and damp clothing chills you. Snowsuits, boots and gloves are lent free to overnight guests for getting around outside.
Where is the toilet if you sleep in an ice room?
Not in the room. Ice rooms and art suites have no toilets or luggage storage; you walk to Riverside, the heated building next door, which is open 24 hours with toilets, showers, saunas and lockers. Only the deluxe suites in Icehotel 365 have a private warm bathroom with a sauna attached to the room.
Is the Icehotel open in summer?
Yes. Icehotel 365, a permanent ice building cooled by solar power, keeps about −5 °C all year, so you can sleep on ice or visit the ice art under the midnight sun. The original winter ice hotel, rebuilt each year from Torne River ice, is open only from December to April; after that it melts back into the river.
Can you visit the Icehotel without staying overnight?
Yes. Day visitors buy a ticket on site with no pre-booking, and the site is cash-free. For the 2026 period starting 13 April, an adult ticket was SEK 325. The cold rooms are open to all visitors during the day and close to non-guests at 18:00, when overnight guests move in. Check the operator’s page for winter hours and prices.
How many nights should you stay at the Icehotel?
The operator recommends one night in a cold room and the rest of the stay in warm accommodation, with the cold night booked first or last so you change rooms only once. On the switching day you have no room for a few hours, so plan an activity then, such as a dog-sled tour or an aurora outing.
Can children sleep in the Icehotel?
Yes, children may sleep in the ice rooms and suites of both the winter hotel and Icehotel 365, but the Icehotel recommends they are over seven. An adult of at least 18 must make the booking. Families booking the winter package are asked to contact the hotel directly. Day entry is free for children under four with a paying adult.
Can I cancel an Icehotel booking?
Only briefly, in winter. From 1 December to 13 April you can cancel free within 72 hours of booking; after that the full price is charged unless you bought the SEK 895 cancellation insurance when booking. With it, rooms can be cancelled until noon two days before arrival. The full amount is charged at booking.
Related guides
- Flights to Kiruna: the airport, the transfer to Jukkasjärvi and the terminal hours.
- Northern lights in Sweden: the other reason to come north in winter.
- Cold safety: frostbite and hypothermia signs before a night-time walk in Arctic cold.
- What to pack for a Swedish winter: wool layers for bed and outdoors.
- Unusual places to stay in Sweden: more stays like this one.
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Icehotel, Rymdstyrelsen, SMHI — full register in this topic’s source file. Room prices vary by date and are deliberately not published here. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.