I.01Ice Hotel
Icehotel
Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
It began with an igloo in 1989. Today Icehotel is the reference point for the whole category, a hotel in a village some 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.
Every winter, artists from around the world are invited to design suites, and the main building is cut from ice harvested from the Torne River. It melts in spring. Then the cycle starts again.
Since 2016 a permanent building, Icehotel 365, has kept ice suites open year round, cooled by solar power in the summer months. Warm rooms and chalets stand next to the frozen ones, so a night on reindeer skins can be paired with a heated bed.
Winter brings the chance of northern lights. Summer brings the midnight sun. Kiruna airport is a short drive away.