Ice Hotel Quebec

Quebec’s incomparable Hôtel de Glace (Ice Hotel) is built annually with 11,000 tons of snow and 350 tons of ice, both plentiful commodities in Quebec in winter.  It is an architectural wonder, a popular tourist attraction by day. At night it’s overnight accommodation for adventurous souls who aren’t afraid of winte. It is the only Ice Hotel in North America.

The Hotel de Glace is open to the public during the day. There are a variety of guided tours that depart hourly between 10:00am and 4:00pm and last about 45 minutes.   The tours begin in the hotel’s remarkable Grand Hall. The tour includes visits to the chapel, the interior ice slide, the hotel’s 44 uniquely themed sleeping rooms and suites. The tour ends at the Ice Bar with a cocktail served in a glass made of ice.

The Rooms

Hotel guests who sleep on a bed of ice have access to their rooms at 9:00pm. They are provided with fleece blankets and thick, insulating sleeping bags to ensure that they will be comfortable as the temperatures drop at night outside.  Overnight guests are asked to vacate their rooms by 8:00am each morning. This allows the hotel staff to clean and prepare the rooms for the next day’s tours and the next evening’s guests.

 The Ice Hotel typically opens in early January, and remains open, weather permitting, through late March.  It is located on the grounds of Village Vacances Valcartier (the largest winter sports park in North America). It’s just steps from the Hotel Valcartier, the sledding hill and skating. It is a 40-minute drive on mostly limited-access highways, to and from the heart of Old Quebec.  (MAP)

Unitours (formerly Old Quebec Tours / Les Tours du Vieux-Québec) offers a shuttle service departing from Old Québec in winter.

And so if the opportunity is there make sure to add this hotel to your explorations of Quebec.