The Hôtel de Glace, Quebec's ice hotel, opens to day visitors on Saturday 26 December 2026 and stays open until 21 March 2027. Overnight stays run on a shorter season, from 4 January to 13 March 2027. Day tickets start at about $25 when bought online (the regular on-site price is $31.99), and an overnight suite starts at $485. The hotel stands at Village Vacances Valcartier, 2280 boulevard Valcartier in Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, which the resort describes as 20 minutes north of Québec City. The opening date depends on the weather, so check it again in the week before you go.
The hotel is built from scratch every winter out of snow and ice, and melts every spring. Its owner calls it the only ice hotel in North America. This guide covers what you see on a visit, what a night in an ice room involves, the ice bar and restaurant, and how to get there without a car.
When is the Hôtel de Glace open in 2027?
There are two seasons to keep apart:
- Visits (day and evening tours): 26 December 2026 to 21 March 2027. Valcartier says the opening date may move if the weather doesn't cooperate, and that the detailed daily schedule will be published closer to the season.
- Overnight stays: 4 January to 13 March 2027. Check-in is from 4 p.m., check-out is at 11 a.m.
The hotel is a temporary building, so every part of it depends on a cold winter. Building starts in November, once temperatures stay below zero for about a week, and takes about six weeks. A team of around fifty people works on it, including about fifteen sculptors. Each year's hotel gets a new design and theme. For 2027 the resort describes a theme "where art, light, and emotion come together", made with Indigenous Tourism Quebec and Tourisme Wendake and drawing on the living culture of the First Nations. The full design is only revealed when the hotel opens.
A short history: from Montmorency Falls to Valcartier
The idea came from Jacques Desbois, who planned it for about four years after seeing the Icehotel in Sweden. The first Hôtel de Glace opened in 2001 at Montmorency Falls. It then spent nine years at the Station touristique Duchesnay, moved to the former Quebec City Zoo site in 2011, and settled at Village Vacances Valcartier in 2016. Older guidebooks and photos may still show one of the earlier sites.
An arched doorway of ice blocks and wooden doors at the 2008 Hôtel de Glace, when it stood at Duchesnay. Image: Marc-Lautenbacher, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Visiting the Hôtel de Glace: what you see
A day ticket lets you walk through the whole building. Valcartier lists three main areas: the Grand Hall, the themed suites and the chapel, where couples from around the world come to marry. You walk at your own pace through vaulted corridors of packed snow, with carved ice panels, columns and furniture. The suites are open to visitors during the day, before overnight guests take them over at 9 p.m.
A corridor of carved ice columns, lit in colour, at the 2009 Hôtel de Glace. Image: Simon Desmarais from Wuhan, China, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Day or evening? The resort describes the hotel as an experience "to enjoy by day or night". By day the snow walls look white and blue, and the carving detail is easier to see. After dark the ice is lit in colour. If you can, come at the end of the afternoon and stay until the lights come on, so you see both.
How long does it take? The resort doesn't give a visit time. The building itself is compact, so allow about an hour, or longer if you stop at the bar.
Tickets: Visits start at about $25 online, with a regular on-site price of $31.99. The starting price is for Valcartier's "Tall" ticket category, and buying online in advance is cheaper than paying at the gate. The site is cash-free: only debit, credit or prepaid cards are accepted, and three kiosks on site convert cash to a card if you need one. Parking is free.
The Ice Bar
The Ice Bar sits inside the hotel and serves cocktails in glasses carved from ice. The resort runs music nights and DJ sets at the bar through the winter. It's open to day visitors as well as hotel guests. Overnight packages include a welcome cocktail here.
The Ice Bar, with carved columns and walls, at the Hôtel de Glace in 2011. Image: Pierre-Arnaud KOPP from REIGNIER, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Drinks at the Ice Bar are served in glasses cut from blocks of ice. Image: Pierre-Arnaud KOPP from REIGNIER, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sleeping in the ice hotel: what an overnight stay involves
The ice hotel has 30 regular and theme suites. Rooms come with one, two or three beds, and there are theme suites designed by the year's artists and theme suites with a fireplace. Prices start at $485 per suite. Bonjour Québec, the provincial tourism directory, lists 14 rooms and 16 suites, with the most expensive unit at $1,179.
Every overnight package includes:
- a welcome cocktail served in an ice glass;
- a heated room at the Hôtel Valcartier on the same night, for your luggage, a shower and a warm place to change;
- access to the Nordic area with hot tubs and saunas under the stars;
- access to the ice-skating path in season, weather permitting;
- 15% off at the Aroma Spa and 20% off a Hôtel Valcartier stay the night before or after.
A theme suite with a fireplace, a bed on an ice base and carved walls, in 2011. Image: Pierre-Arnaud KOPP from REIGNIER, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
How the night works
You check in at the Hôtel Valcartier from 4 p.m., where you also keep your luggage. Your ice room is yours from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next morning. Before your stay you're asked to watch a short mandatory preparation video, which the resort links from its preparation guide.
The beds have a base of ice blocks with a solid wood frame and a real mattress on top. At bedtime staff bring a sleeping bag, an insulating sheet and a pillow to your room. The room stays between -3°C and -5°C whatever the weather outside, and the sleeping bags are rated for -15°C to -30°C.
The Nordic area in the hotel's inner courtyard has hot tubs and saunas and is open to overnight guests from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. The resort strongly recommends using it to warm up and dry off properly before getting into your sleeping bag. Towels and bathrobes are available on request.
A theme suite carved with large snow figures, at the 2014 Hôtel de Glace. Image: Matias Garabedian from Montreal, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
What to pack for a night in the ice
Valcartier's preparation guide is practical and worth following closely:
- Dress in three layers. A base layer that lets moisture escape (synthetic or wool blend, not cotton), a warm middle layer (wool, flannel or fleece) and a wind- and water-resistant outer layer.
- Bring a hat that covers your ears, a scarf, gloves or mittens, and boots big enough for thick socks.
- Sleep in dry, light, synthetic clothes you haven't worn during the day. Wear only a few layers inside the sleeping bag. If you sweat, the moisture will make you cold.
- Pack spares: an extra hat, scarf, socks and long underwear, plus mittens or gloves.
- Bring a swimsuit and sandals for the hot tubs and sauna, and indoor shoes for the heated buildings.
If you need a non-standard sleeping bag, call the reservations team on 1 888 384-5524 before you arrive. Outside temperatures in Québec in winter range from about -25°C to 5°C.
Dinner in the ice: the Hôtel de Glace Restaurant
The ice hotel also has a restaurant run with Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, the landmark hotel in Old Québec. Last season it ran on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from mid-January to 21 March. The package included a return shuttle from the Château Frontenac, a guided tour of the ice hotel, a welcome cocktail and a three-course dinner of warm dishes. It cost $255 per person aged 13 and over and $75 for children aged 6 to 12 (service included, taxes extra), with a maximum of 60 guests per evening. Bookings had to be made at least seven days ahead.
Valcartier hasn't yet published the 2027 dates and prices for the restaurant. Expect a similar format, but check before planning around it. An overnight stay doesn't include dinner at the restaurant.
Getting to the Hôtel de Glace
The hotel is at Village Vacances Valcartier, 2280 boulevard Valcartier, Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, about 20 minutes' drive north of Québec City.
- By car: The easiest option. Parking is free, and there are a few electric-car charging stations in front of the Hôtel Valcartier, used first come, first served.
- By shuttle from Old Québec: Québec City's tourism office lists a shuttle service from Vieux-Québec to the ice hotel; check its timetable and book before you travel.
- With the restaurant package: The Château Frontenac dinner includes a return shuttle from Old Québec.
The ice hotel site under deep snow, seen from outside on a clear February day in 2007. Image: David Owers from Montreal, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Tips for visiting
- Book online. Advance tickets cost less than the on-site price, and overnight stays are booked for a specific night, so reserve as soon as your dates are fixed.
- Dress for the outdoors, even for a short visit. The inside of the hotel stays below zero, and you'll be outdoors between the parking lot and the entrance.
- Protect your phone battery. Cold drains it quickly; keep it in an inside pocket between photos.
- Combine it with the rest of Valcartier. The resort's Winter Playground is open from 18 December 2026 to 21 March 2027, and the Aroma Spa is on site. Pets are not allowed, except service animals.
- Time it with the Carnival. The Québec Winter Carnival runs from 5 to 14 February 2027, so a February trip can include both.
If the weather turns
A mild spell is the biggest risk for an ice hotel. In a very cold snap you'll be fine as long as you dress properly; the inside temperature stays the same. In a warm spell, the opening date can be pushed back. If you've booked a night, read Valcartier's reservation and cancellation policy before you pay and call the resort (1 888 384-5524, daily 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) if the forecast looks warm.
Other ice experiences near Québec City
If you're in the region in winter, the Québec Winter Carnival (5 to 14 February 2027) builds Bonhomme's Ice Palace from blocks of ice near Old Québec, alongside ice and snow sculptures and two night parades. For other ice hotels or igloo stays elsewhere in Canada, check current listings on provincial tourism sites before you go: these smaller projects change from year to year, and we couldn't confirm any for 2027.
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