What are your plans for the winter season? Will you simply curl up and get cozy by the fire or lock yourself up indoors till it’s warm again? Doing this might make you miss out on the exciting and fun activities you can do during winter and the chance to see crystallized creations made through snow and ice!
Ice castles are incredible sights, and though they don’t last for a long time, they are extraordinary works of art made by unwavering ice sculptors to allow you to behold the true magnificence of the winter season.
If you are worried about keeping warm when the cold hits, It’s interesting to know that some ice castles also feature excellent fireplaces and serve the best hot chocolates. Before these remarkable masterpieces begin to melt away, these are ten incredible ice castles worldwide to witness;
10 Incredible Ice Castles Around the World
1. Hôtel de Glace, Quebec:
Located in Quebec, The Hôtel de Glace was the first ice hotel built in North America. It is also the only one you will find with a lifespan of just a three-month season. The hotel is rebuilt during December of every year and requires about a month and a half to be completed with 30,000 tons of specially designed snow and 500 tons of ice. Even the beds here are made of ice!
2. Ice Castle, Sweden:
Here is an ice hotel where you can spend the night for a day or two. The numerous rooms have been specially designed by different artists and is located in the town of Jukkasjarvi in Sweden. The Ice Hotel is rebuilt annually and includes a hundred suites with bars, restaurants and an outdoor sauna.
3. Kitzsteinhorn, Austria:
Kitzsteinhorn is an ice camp designed as a series of interconnected igloos in Austria. With modern ice art for a fantastic après-ski experience, this ice camp is a destination for the brave. It features a sun deck with lounge chairs, an ice bar, an ice lounge, and 60 tons of ice with delicious cheese fondue for dinner during your night stay.
4. Snow Castle of Kemi, Finland:
The Snow Castle of Kemi is located in Finland and has been rebuilt every year since 1996 with only ice and snow made from seawater. With fairy-tale sceneries, ice sculptures, beautifully detailed furnishings and whimsical decorations, this ice castle are one of the most breathtaking snow and ice attractions in Europe.
5. Ruka Igloo, Finland:
The village of Ruka is in the remote part of Northern Island. If you are ready for an unforgettable experience, you can rent an igloo to spend the night with structures which are built from blocks of ice. They are usually formulated by stacking thick layers of snow over a deflated balloon once the walls are considered strong enough to support themselves.
6. Icicle Castles, Utah:
It is made up of roughly 20,000,000 pounds of ice in which the castle is entirely formulated from main icicles. The Icicle Castle is artificial and is situated in Midway, Utah, where visitors can explore these castles and take Instagram-worthy pictures.
7. Ice Palace, New York:
This experience is unlike any ice castle you’ve been to. The city of Saranac Lake in New York builds a massive ice castle every February as a part of their winter festival, and visitors are given a chance to walk through this enormous structure and centrepiece of the festival that becomes more startling with the addition of a remarkable display of fireworks.
8. Jungfraujoch Ice Palace, Switzerland:
Jungfraujoch Ice Palace can be found in the heart of the Swiss Alps, with Jungfrau as one of the highest peaks. On the top of the mountain lies awe-inspiring views of other looming mountains and the Ice Palace, which is made out of the Aletsch glacier with ice furniture, shiny ice floors and animal sculptures, including birds.
9. Harbin Ice Festival, China:
Located on the shore of the river Songhua in Mongolia, China, the Harbin Ice Festival is a must-visit if you want to see the world’s largest ice festival on 4300 square feet. Here, there are different ice and show carnivals, sledge rides and handcrafted castles, which are illuminated at night and make it an unforgettable massive event.
10. Ice Castle Edmonton:
In Canada, the city of Edmonton has one of the most high-tech ice castles that would leave you in awe! This castle was founded by Brent Christensen and features waterfalls, a throne room, ice mazes, ice slides and many other excellent creations made of ice. It is undoubtedly not an ice castle that you should miss.
