Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Snowhotel Kirkenes, Norway
Facts in brief
Location In the countryside about 20 minutes’ drive from Kirkenes
Annual opening All year
Closest airport Kirkenes
Distance from airport About 20 minutes by taxi
Hotel facilities and services
Restaurant, snow restaurant, transfer service, range of local activities offered included king crab fishing, husky farm, mountain hikes, dogsled rides, fishing, Northern Lights, visiting locals.
Out and about nearby
Kirkenes lies about 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle and on the north-eastern coast of Norway, just 14 kms from the Russian border and just under 60 kms from the Finnish border. The area is renowned for the midnight sun and also the Northern Lights in the winter months. Activities in the area include fishing for king crabs, hikes, snowshoe walks, rides with huskies, sea fishing and watching the Northern Lights.
Sports nearby
Hiking in summer, snowshoe walks in winter, fishing. Snow yoga and winter puppy walks.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Gamme cabin or ice hotel room for 5 nights
From about
£2,640 Summer
£3,650 Winter
Holiday Code EXH46343
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers. This hotel is usually visited as part of a tailormade touring holiday and the duration and travel arrangements will be changed to meet your personal requirements.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Snowhotel Kirkenes, Norway
The Snowhotel Kirkenes is a total Arctic experience 365 days a year. Come here not only to experience the intriguing concept of sleeping in a room made of snow and ice, but also to find out about this fascinating region on the Barents Sea, with its tundra, dense pine forests, thousands of lakes and activities all year round. The winters are long and cold with lots of snow, offering husky sledding, king crab fishing on frozen waters, snowmobile rides under the Northern Lights. In the summer you have the land of the Midnight Sun from mid-May until the end of July, and on offer are mountain hikes, fishing on the Barents Sea, and husky wagon rides. In the autumn, the landscape is a profusion of orange, yellow and red, and the midnight sun gives way to the magic lights of the Aurora Borealis. The Snowhotel is situated about 20 minutes outside of Kirkenes in the natural landscape. There is a main building with the main restaurant, Laven, serving as much locally sourced produce as possible with dishes perhaps containing smoked reindeer and lingonberry, Arctic char, king crab, wild mushrooms, salted cod and cloudberries. There is also a snow restaurant where you can enjoy an Arctic lunch in a restaurant made from ice and snow. There is a choice of accommodation. You might want to experience one night in an ice room before transferring to a Gamme wooden cabin for the rest of your stay. The Gamme cabins are inspired by the traditional hunting and fishing huts of the region and offer rustic comfort and amazing views. In the ice room, the temperature is about -4 degrees Celsius but a warm, thermal sleeping bag should ensure a good night’s rest. The ice bar is open for an hour at 13.00 hrs and 21.00 hrs to serve you ice cold special Arctic drinks. Not only does the accommodation itself offer an extraordinary experience, but during your stay there are many Arctic experiences and excursions to enjoy. You can arrange all manner of local activities including king crab fishing, hiking, sea fishing, husky sled rides, excursions to watch the Northern Lights – all depending on the season. In the summer months bicycles are available for your use and rowing boats with fishing gear can be hired. In the winter snowshoes and skis can be borrowed.
Room descriptions
The Snowhotel Kirkenes has 14 ice rooms all year round and several Gamme wooden cabins, with bathroom, air-conditioning, hairdryer and underfloor heating. For the ice rooms there are lockers for valuables, showers and wcs and sauna in an adjacent building, and there is access to a warm lounge 24 hours a day. A warm, thermal sleeping bag is provided.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Gamme cabin or ice hotel room for 5 nights
From about
£2,640 Summer
£3,650 Winter
Holiday Code EXH46343
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers. This hotel is usually visited as part of a tailormade touring holiday and the duration and travel arrangements will be changed to meet your personal requirements.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Snowhotel Kirkenes, Norway
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Snowhotel Kirkenes, we include a scheduled flight from London to Oslo and Oslo to Kirkenes. You may need to overnight in Oslo but often a visit to Kirkenes will be part of a tailormade touring holiday and you might arrive and leave on the Hurtigruten boat. The hotel is about 20 minutes by car from the port and the airport.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Gamme cabin or ice hotel room for 5 nights
From about
£2,640 Summer
£3,650 Winter
Holiday Code EXH46343
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers. This hotel is usually visited as part of a tailormade touring holiday and the duration and travel arrangements will be changed to meet your personal requirements.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Snowhotel Kirkenes, Norway
About Northern Norway
This northernmost region of the country, with the large part of it sitting within the Arctic Circle, is one that conjures up much of the magic for the visitor to Norway. This is the land of snow and ice, endless tundra, red-painted houses of fishing villages, the land of the midnight sun and the eerily mystical Northern Lights. Perched on the coast near Narvik are the idyllic Lofoten Islands, with craggy peaks, inlets and fjords, fishing villages and farms. Svolvaer is the gateway to the Lofoten Islands and from here you can visit the charming villages of Reine, Stramsund, Ballstad and Nusfjord. The main town of the region is Tromsø, situated about 186 miles inside the Arctic Circle and the place from where Amundsen started his polar expedition. The town is a popular place for viewing the Northern Lights. Other places you might visit depending on how you travel through this region are Mo I Rana, Bodø and Narvik. From Narvik you can take the train to Kiruna in Sweden and on to Stockholm (by sleeper train).
Highlights of Northern Norway
Places of interest include the Lofoten Aquarium, the Lofotr Vikingmuseum, farm visits and visits to meet the locals. You can experience the Midnight Sun in summer and undertake many activities such as climbing, hiking, sailing, kayaking, sea safaris to visit Trollfjord and watch for sea eagles, fishing trips. There are scenic routes around the Lofoten Island affording ample photo opportunities and the chance to see striking artwork set amongst the natural landscape and near the viewing points. There are several art galleries on the Lofoten Islands displaying not only paintings and prints, but also glasswork and Lofoten woollen goods. From Bodø there are numerous hiking trails near the hotel, with the hotel recommending the Ramnfloget, Keiservarden, Ørnkloa, Bestefarvarden, and Finnkonnakken. There are also RIB excursions available nearby, and the area is home to the famous Saltstraumen maelstrom. Bodø is a short distance away, with restaurants, bars, shops, and museums, such as the Norwegian Aviation Museum. Mjelle Beach is further up the coast, known for its red sand, infused with garnet. Tromsø recommended highlights: Arctic Cathedral, Storsteinen mountain ledge, Polar Museum, Tromsø Museum, dolphin safaris, fjord cruises, Northern Light searches.
Cultural highlights of Northern Norway
Tromsø is home to a number of museums including the Polar Museum and the Tromsø museum. Svolvaer has its own local history museum and on Lofoten there is a Viking long house and museum. Near Bodø is the Kjerringoy trading post and the Bunkermuseum. Northern Norway is home to the Sami people and you can experience the Sami culture in a number of locations: reindeer herding, joik (Sami folk music), silver working, Sami clothing and ceramics.
Festivals of Northern Norway
Northern Lights festival in Tromsø held at the end of January, the Arctic Arts Festival in Harstad during the summer solstice in June and the Lofoten International Art Festival, which takes place alternate years and features contemporary art. Tromsø holds a jazz festival in the summer.
Gastronomy of Northern Norway
Stockfish is one of the signature dishes (dried cod served with carrots, bacon and scrambled eggs). All manner of fish and seafood: halibut, cod, herring, haddock, mussels, prawns and lobsters. Skrei is the wandering Atlantic cod, and one of the most protected and sustainable fish stocks in the world. Seaweed is harvested in the Lofoten islands and King crab is a delicacy in the region. Herring is served in a variety of ways: fresh, smoked, salted and pickled. Reindeer is a delicacy in northern Norway and is often roasted or cooked in stews. Lamb are reared locally on the Lofoten islands and on the Lyngen peninsula. Cloudberries are picked to make jam and desserts. The Mack brewery is based in Tromsø and produces popular local beers.
