Ice Hotel (Hotel de Glace) Tours

The only ice hotel in North America, the Hôtel de Glace, just outside Quebec City, takes five weeks to build every year from over 500 tons of ice and 15,000 tons of snow. Construction begins in late November, and the finished building contains guest rooms, a bar, and even a wedding chapel.

In addition to individual hotel rooms carved from ice, a bar, and a wedding chapel, the Hôtel de Glace also includes a great hall with a cathedral-style ceiling. Decorative patterns line the walls, and sculptures made of ice create the feeling of a frozen art gallery. Visitors can warm up in the nearby outdoor spa and sauna. For those who prefer not to sleep in an icy chamber, there are daily tours, and the bar is also open to nonguests.

The Hôtel de Glace is located some 20 minutes north of Quebec City, at 1860 Boulevard Valcartier in Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier. Visitors can reach the hotel by car or taxi.

The Ice Hotel is open every year in winter, usually from early January until the end of March, but exact dates may vary by year. The hotel melts away each summer.

One of the oldest European settlements in North America, Quebec City has a charming historic old town filled with cobbled streets and stone churches. Highlights include the imposing Chȃteau Frontenac hotel and the impressive Montmorency Falls, higher than Niagara Falls.