I must say – I wasn`t very impressed by finnish landscape during summer time.  But it`s totally different story, when winter comes. Finnish Lapland is often called a true Winter Wonderland and there`s a good reason why.

All over Finland each year, a unique structures are built out of ice and snow. One of them is SnowVillage, which changes the design year after year to amaze visitors. We went there last year, when the entire hotel was Game of Thrones themed, thanks to cooperation with HBO Nordics! So for a huge fans of this TV show (as I consider myself) was a must! 🙂

Since in April 2019 the show`s coming to an end, it was a great opportunity for SnowVillage to cooperate once again with HBO Nordics and create entirely new ice village based on characters and scenes from GOT. So You still have some time to spend an unforgettable day in an Arctic Circle and sleep in an ice bed, while Night`s King is watching you!

The annual construction starts in November and around 20 million kilos of snow and 350 000 kilos of crystal clear, natural ice (harvested from a nearby river) are used to build this stunning village. The reception area, toilets and main restaurant are heated. The fun begins, when you enter the main building made of ice. The corridors and suites are full of ice-carvings and amazing sculptures! You will also find here an Ice Restaurant (with a delicious traditional finnish cuisine), Ice Chapel (for winter weddings) and of course an Dragon Ice Bar.

Don`t forget to wear suitable winter clothes! Although the temperature inside SnowVillage remains at a “comfortable” -5 degrees (even when it`s -25 outside), it still might get cold, if you are spending there all day. You should also consider to sleep in an ice room – it is once-in-a-lifetime arctic experience! Then you can even enjoy this place without any sights of tourist. It is not recommended to stay in the ice hotel more than one night, so it is perfect way to spend a weekend. This magical world of snow and ice is located 30 km from Kittilä airport. Unfortunately there are no buses going there and a taxi is pretty expensive. Renting a car is a best option and you can also admire beautiful surrounding on your way!