Do you wonder how to stay warm in an ice hotel? I had a chance to stay in an ice hotel during my trip to Kirkenes, Norway. It was an unforgettable evening and experience. Let me share with you some tips on how to stay warm in an ice hotel.
A stay in an ice hotel is something that you should definitely experience once in your life and include on your travel bucket list. It was a cold winter morning in Oslo; I rushed to the airport to catch the 2-hour flight to the Kirkenes, one of the most northern towns of the Norwegian Arctic Circle for a week of arctic cruise expedition.
The Kirkenes Snow Hotel is one of the famous ice hotels in Norway and one of the unique Kirkenes hotels. Read more of this post as I share with you my tips on how do you stay warm in an ice hotel in the arctic circle of Norway.
Read More:Ice Hotel Review: Kirkenes Snow Hotel in the Arctic Region of Norway
Photo Credit: Runar Larsen
Have a fantastic winter wonderland stay in an ice hotel (Kirkenes Snow Hotel)
Read the reviews here on TripAdvisor.
Check out this great Moscow, Russia travel guide
Tips on How To Stay Warm in an Ice Hotel
1. Wear layers of clothing
To tackle the sub-zero temperature inside the ice cabin, you need to wear layers of clothing. This will give you great comfort and insulation throughout the night.
In case you feel that you feel too hot, you can just quickly strip off a layer of your clothing. I prefer to use thermal clothes, as it helps retain your body heat. The snow hotel will provide you with woolly socks, balaclava and gloves (or you can use your own gloves).
2. Skip the shower
For your safety, to avoid hypothermia, it is strongly advisable to skip the shower. Water obviously will get frozen overnight.
The outside temperature that evening was -30 degrees centigrade, and inside the ice cabin, it was -6 degrees Celsius. I’m sure you can now picture how bitterly cold it felt that night.
Also make sure to empty your bladder, as it would be a pain to get out of your comfy and snug sleeping bag to go to the toilet.
3. Courage to stay in the ice cabin
Not everyone is a fan of the cold surroundings, especially staying in an ice cabin might not be an ideal scenario.
You have to make sure that you want this personal challenge on your travel bucket list and enjoy the novelty of staying in an igloo. If you feel that you can’t stand the cold temperature, the hotel staff will give you an alternative sleeping arrangement.
4. Make sure you are not claustrophobic
During this epic night in the ice cabin, you will be sleeping in a sleeping bag.
The hotel will provide a sleeping bag that can withstand up to -30 degrees’ centigrade temperatures, so you can rest assured that you will be warm and snug the whole night in your ice cabin.
A flat sheet will also be provided as an extra lining and for hygiene purposes while you are in the sleeping bag.
5. Buddy up
Sharing your room with a buddy is a great option to heat up the ice cabin even a tad bit. Moreover, it’s going to be an awesome way to share this experience with a friend or loved ones.
Read more: Norway Cruise Review: Arctic Expedition Itinerary with Hurtigruten
How cold are ice hotels?
Ice hotels usually have a constant and more controlled temperature of 0 degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) to – 6 degree Celcius (21.2 Fahrenheit). These constant temperatures will maintain the temperature inside the ice cabins even with the use of lighting all the time inside the rooms and the hallway.
Each ice cabin has different designs on its wall. My ice cabin’s ice carving was polar bears! So sleeping in an igloo (ice cabin) in the Arctic region with polar bears! It can’t get any better than that! Plus, the magical northern lights displayed an incredible show that evening.
Are there bathrooms in the ice hotels?
There are bathrooms in the ice hotel. The bathrooms are typically equipped with heated floors, a common shower room (with dividers) and toilets. The bathrooms are located outside of your ice cabin and typically located in the common areas indoors.
I had an incredible night sleep in the ice cabin. These tips will help you to keep warm in an ice hotel.
It’s worth it and a night to remember!
Here is a great Norway winter travel tips guide in case you are heading up north!
If you would require a visa to visit Norway, check out this Schengen visa guide.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryazan Tristram
Travel Writer & PhotographerRyazan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism and Hotel Management. She also has more than 10 years of work experience gained from working in the hotel and travel sectors in Asia and Europe. Her work has been featured and published in BBC, Huffington Post, Reader’s Digest, Discovery Channel, World Travel Guide, MSN, CNBC, GMA, Daily Mail UK, Lonely Planet, and many more. She is currently living in the UK as a dual citizen (British-Filipina). Join her in travelling around the UK, Europe, and beyond with a mission to promote sustainable tourism and share travel guides, travel tips, foodies, history, and culture.
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This is something awesome. I would love to stay there as well.
Yes, Indeed. 🙂 Start planning your Ice hotel adventure now. They are open until March – April time.
Wow, what a truly unique experience! It’d definitely be something I’d like to try – and I’m glad alternative options are available if struggle with the cold.
It was truly mind blowing! Yes, the alternative sleeping options are handy. However, my sleeping bag was superb! I slept like a baby. LOL!
Yes this is indeed a challenge to our body more than to our mind. Thanks for those valuable life saving tips.
I am not sure if I want to experience this, may be a couple of hours is okay with me.
You can visit the Ice cabin for some photos and experience it even for few hours. The ice bar is amazingly beautiful. The hotel offers alternative cosy wooden cabins. That’s something you might consider.
Awesome, I would love to experience sleeping in a -6 ice cabin 🙂 Your tips remind me of sleeping in a Mongolian yurt where it also can be -30 outside during the night. One big difference though: in the yurts it’s always warm if they keep the fire burning.
OMG!! I bet that was an epic experience too. Would love to visit Mongolia too!
I have been wanting to stay in an ice hotel or igloo glass cabin for my winter getaway. Your experience sounds fun!
I’m sure you will enjoy it too! 🙂
I’ve been to the Nordic regions already but never really had the chance to stay in an ice hotel yet. Hopefully that comes true this year as I make trips to Europe again. 😀 This one that you stayed in looks really amazing, that’s for sure.
Awesome! I’m sure you will definitely have a great time in the Arctic and in the Ice hotel.
You are so brave! If there is anything I really hate, then it’s cold. I really would like to do this experience, but at the moment I am not brave enough!
Give it some time, Veronika. I’m sure the courage that you need to sleep in the ice cabin will definitely come. All the best!x 🙂
This is indeed a novel experience. Sleeping like an Eskimo in an igloo is really a one of a kind experience. But yes this may not be for everyone. Your tips are really sensible and should come in hand for those who want to have this unique experience.
Thanks! 🙂 It was a night to remember. You should try it too!
Absolutely on my list of things to do. Would so love to do this. The cold part doesn’t bother me at all. Keeping a note of this one. So pleased you did the whole experience.
Cool! Awesome Kerri! I can’t recommend it enough. It might not be the comfiest and luxurious hotel stay, but it was a night to remember.
I’ve always wanted to stay in an ice hotel! I like that each room is unique. That makes it even more special I think. I am not a fan of the cold, but for this, I would definitely venture up north!
You will absolutely love it there! 🙂 The uniqueness of each cabin definitely makes it extra special. Luckily, my cabin’s design are polar bears! Perfect for its location. Haha!
OH!!! The hotel is open all year round. The Ice cabins are available until April. I would recommend booking in advance as they get fully booked pretty quick.
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Wow, this looks like an amazing adventure! Did they give you a good sleeping bags in the hotel? Also, what does crowberry taste like? 🙂