Hôtel de Glace

Built every winter since 2001, the Hôtel de Glace is the only ice hotel in North America and is constructed from around thirty thousand tonnes of snow and five hundred tonnes of ice over about six weeks, opening in early January and melting in spring. Rooms and themed suites are carved fresh each year to a new design, with ice beds covered in wooden bases, mattresses and arctic sleeping bags; inside temperature holds around minus three to minus five whatever the weather outside. There is a chapel used for weddings and a bar serving drinks in ice glasses. Guests spend the evening in a heated pavilion before sleeping.

What you actually see

• The carved suites - rooms sculpted fresh to a new theme each winter.
• The ice bar - drinks served in glasses cut from ice.
• The ice chapel - a wedding venue rebuilt each year.
• The annual rebuild - a structure that exists for about three months.

When to go

Early January to late March only; the exact dates depend on the winter and it melts entirely afterwards. Day visits are cheaper than staying. Booking is required in both cases.

Honest expectations

It exists for about three months a year and nothing remains otherwise. Sleeping there is genuinely cold and many guests find one night enough. Day tickets are timed and sell out on weekends.

Nearby

Quebec City lies south; Wendake is between them.