The first question everyone asks about the ice hotel is, “Were you freezing cold all night?” I wondered the same thing before staying at Hôtel de Glace. But the reality is, it’s much more comfortable than you’d expect. Here’s what a night at the ice hotel in Québec really looks like, from getting there to crawling into your sleeping bag.
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What it's actually like to stay at the ice hotel in Québec
The ice hotel experience was amazing. And that’s coming from a Canadian who does not love the cold. Sleeping in a room with walls made of snow and an actual ice block for a bed wasn’t guaranteed to be a good time… but I was pleasantly surprised.
You don’t actually spend that much time in your ice hotel room. It’s only accessible after 9 PM and you basically just head over when you’re ready to crawl into your sleeping bag and turn off the lights. Leading up to that, you can go snow tubing, have dinner, get a drink at the ice bar, and relax in the hot tubs and saunas outside the hotel.
They provide everything you need — primarily a sleeping bag rated to -18° C — and the rooms themselves are a consistent -3° to -5°. The ice block has a pretty comfy mattress on it, so you don’t need to worry about packing any bedding or camping gear.
Especially when you consider the luxury price tag, it’s true you could definitely find somewhere more “comfortable” to spend a night. But we’re here for the experience, aren’t we?
Read more: Epic Landmarks for Your Canadian Bucket List
All about Hôtel de Glace
Yes, they build a new ice hotel in Québec every single year. It takes over 8,000 hours and six weeks of round-the-clock construction. But taking it down? Only takes five hours. (They don’t just let it slowly melt like I was hoping they might lol.)
They use 35,000 tons of snow and 3,000 blocks of ice — each block weighs more than 150 kilos (330 pounds). The ice is so clean that it’s edible, and they use a special freezer so the ice is bubble-free and completely clear. For the snow, they use a metal framework to get the unique shape. But it gets removed once enough snow is packed down. So it really is just a hotel made of snow and ice, not just made to look that way.
The hotel entrance is full of beautiful snow sculptures
Getting to Hôtel de Glace
There are really just two ways to reach the ice hotel in Québec, and the closest major hub is Québec City.
- Drive. It’s about 30-45 minutes from Québec City on the highway. Parking at the hotel is free, and they even have some electric car charging stations.
- Take the shuttle. Unitours operates a direct shuttle from outside Château Frontenac to the ice hotel. Their site only shows same-day return trips, so I had to call to book a next-day return, which cost an extra $10 per person (for some reason). You can also email Unitours to book the shuttle.
Do not just book this Get Your Guide shuttle. I love GYG, but the only option they have is a same-day return. It’s specified in the “Includes” section. Instead, you should book with Unitours directly.
Hôtel de Glace is about 45 minutes from Québec City.
Québec ice hotel itinerary
This is the info I had trouble finding when I was trying to plan our trip to the ice hotel in Québec. What will we do before and after we sleep? When should we arrive? Here is what I did and what I suggest as a baseline itinerary.
9 AM: Catch the shuttle from Château Frontenac.
10 AM: Arrive at the hotel, leave bags at reception, grab some breakfast.
11 AM: Explore the ice hotel. This is the best way to see all the rooms and get a vibe for what it will be like at night. You can even have a drink at the ice bar now if you want. Since you have a hotel booking, day entry to the ice hotel is free. Just at for a ticket at reception. It’s free with your ice hotel booking, but you need get a ticket from the front desk.
Each room is designed by a different artist/sculptor
11:45 AM: Stop at the sugar shack right outside the ice hotel for a Canadian classic — tire d’érable, or maple taffy.
12 PM — 2 PM: Go snow tubing. Unfortunately, this is not included with your ice hotel booking. It’s an extra $50 (online) or $55 (at the visitor centre) per person. But worth it! Another perk to visiting on a Monday is that it wasn’t busy at all so we never had to wait in line. That said, there was somehow still a huge group of school kids on a field trip or something.
2 PM — 2:15 PM: You can go skating. But it’s truly not worth it at all. “Access” is included with your ice hotel room and/or snow tubing ticket, but you still need to pay $11 to rent a pair of skates. Took us about 10 minutes to do a loop and it was nothing to write home about.
2:30 PM — 3:30 PM: Have a late, post-tubing lunch. You’ll have worked up an appetite! There are a few restaurants on site. But since we visited on a Monday near the end of the winter season, most were closed.
4 PM: Check in to the regular hotel. Yes, you get a room at the cozy Valcartier Hotel as part of your Hôtel de Glace booking. And you can’t actually go to your ice hotel room until 9 PM. After an afternoon of tubing, you’ll want to warm up and chill in the hotel room; have a shower etc.
The room was way bigger than we expected!
6 PM: You get a ticket for one cocktail at the ice bar, so make sure you use it. It’s open until 11 PM (sometimes midnight). We stayed for a couple of cocktails in the cute ice glasses!
8 PM: Dinner. If you had a late lunch you won’t be super hungry. There’s a sports bar, pizza place, and strudel cafe when the hotel is in full swing. When we went, there was only the sports bar. If you go on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, consider booking Consider doing the Fairmont ice hotel dinner. You’ll eat with coats on, but the food will be Fairmont-level bougie (and hot).
The ice glasses are really fun
9 PM — 11 PM: The hot tubs and sauna open for ice hotel guests. They are open from 9PM to 9AM if you’d rather do it in the morning. Hot tip: We went at 11 PM and there were fewer people — we got a whole tub to ourselves. When we first walked by around 9 they were full.
You need to go back to your hotel room after to shower and fully dry off because moisture in your sleeping bag in the ice hotel can make you cold fast and ruin your night.
How much does it cost to stay at the ice hotel in Québec?
The burning (freezing?) question. It costs anywhere from $479 to $1,179 CAD to stay at Hôtel de Glace. The prices vary and tend to be more expensive on weekends. But here’s an idea of what you get for what you pay:
The Regular Suites ($479) are just that — pretty regular. There might be a small design on the wall but it’s not as extravagant as the more intricately designed rooms. If you’re just here to tick it off your bucket list, it’s the most affordable option. And you can still see the other rooms during the day.
The Theme Suite ($659) is what we booked. This is where you’ll get a unique design that really brings the room to life. I think it’s worth the extra money!
Then there are Premium Suites with a Fireplace ($820). The fireplace is a vibe, but it doesn’t actually throw heat and won’t keep you any cozier.
The bougiest is the Premium Deluxe Suite with Fireplace and Private Hot Tub and Sauna ($1,179+). You’ll get hot tub and sauna access with any Hôtel de Glace booking, but these bookings come with their own, right outside the room.
Our Theme Suite had this bird/moon phase design
What to wear to the ice hotel
The Valcartier ice hotel in Québec has a detailed preparation guide on their website. So that’s more official and you should listen to them. However, here’s what I did/wish I’d done:
- Your warmest gloves. If you don’t have warm gloves, go buy them. I promise you don’t want cold fingers when you’re walking around the hotel or having a cocktail in an ice glass.
- Your warmest boots and wool socks. Perhaps even more important than the gloves, you need cozy toes or the vibes will be low.
- Swimsuit and flip flops. You’ll need them for the hot tubs — I promise you don’t want to get your boots wet on the inside by wearing them to/from the tubs.
- Thermal base layers. A wool top and long johns, baby. Perfect for sleeping in, as they don’t hold moisture like cotton.
- Sweater and track pants. These are to wear over your base layers on your way to/from the hotel. You’ll slip them off just before hopping in the sleeping bag.
- Snow pants for tubing. However, I didn’t actually pack snow pants and went tubing in my jeans and it was actually fine. I just dried them off with the hairdryer in the hotel room.
If you don’t have these things, it’s really worth going out and buying them. How you dress will make or break your experience at the ice hotel in Québec.
Don't forget an eSIM for Canada
Do a day trip to the Ice Hotel in Québec instead
If you’re not so keen on sleeping in the hotel but still want to see it, it’s easy to do a day trip from Québec City. There’s even a day-trip from Montreal, but the drive is 2+ hours so I’m not really sure it’s worth it. QBC day trip is easy though!
Other tips for visiting Hôtel de Glace
- Do snow tubing the day you arrive, not the next day. It’s so much nicer to head straight back to the hotel for a shower and chill rather than having to pack up and catch the shuttle.
- Check what events are on during your stay. We missed a DJ night in the ice bar by two days and it honestly would’ve been so much fun.
- Book the ice dining experience on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. It’s another once-in-a-lifetime experience to tack on to this already luxe night at the ice hotel in Québec.
- Stuff your sweater, track pants, and gloves into the bottom of your sleeping bag overnight. You’ll wake up to warm clothes instead of icy-cold fabric. (Only do this if you’ve kept them dry!)
- Stay hydrated and moisturized. That cold, dry air will sneak up on you fast. Lip balm and a good face cream make a big difference.
- Book your hotel stay directly through the Valcartier Hotel. I saw an option to book the hotel on Get Your Guide or something called Guest Reservations, but I wouldn’t be confident in the room you get.
