Quebec Ice Hotel & Winter Activities

Every winter a crew of builders and ice carvers raises the Hôtel de Glace from snow and river ice at Valcartier, twenty minutes north of Quebec City, and every spring it melts away. You can walk through its vaults for the price of a museum ticket. Around it sits a whole season of cold-weather outings, from snowmobiles on Île d'Orléans to canoes pushed across the St Lawrence ice. Below are the six we would actually book. Each comes with its price and length plus the small print.

  • Ice hotel season: roughly January to MarchIt opens once the cold allows the build, and closes when the thaw begins
  • Weekends and Carnival weeks fill upGuided outings run in small groups, so the popular slots go first

In a hurry? Our top pick is a ticket to the Hôtel de Glace itself: ~$29 a person for a self-guided walk through the snow vaults and themed suites at your own pace, with parking included. Add the snowmobile ride on Île d'Orléans and you have the best winter day near Quebec City.

Book on GetYourGuide Book on Viator Compare all 6

Quebec winter at a glance

  • A hotel that lasts one winterSnow vaults and ice sculptures plus a chapel and a bar, all rebuilt around a new theme each year
  • Twenty minutes out of townThe ice hotel and the tubing hill share one park at Valcartier, and the tickets do not include the ride there
  • From an hour to a full dayAnything from a self-guided visit or a 90-minute ride to a three-hour paddle or a 9-to-4 snowshoe trip with the bus
  • Cold that means itThe ice hotel listing warns of anything from −25 °C to 5 °C (−13 °F to 41 °F) outside, and inside it stays below zero

If you only have a minute

What should you book around the Quebec ice hotel?

If a friend asked us how to spend a winter day near Quebec City, this is what we would tell them over a bowl of soup in the old town.

The outing we would book first is the Hôtel de Glace visit at Valcartier, from ~$29. No other hotel on this continent is rebuilt from scratch out of snow every winter, and the ticket is the cheapest on this page. It scores 4.7 on GetYourGuide from 590+ reviews.

Then make it a full day. Snow tubing in the same park costs ~$33, and Quebec Ski-doo Adventures' snowmobile ride on Île d'Orléans at ~$153 puts you in charge of the machine behind a guide. For something stranger, the ice canoe on the St Lawrence at ~$207 ends in a sauna, and the snowshoe day in Jacques-Cartier at ~$121 comes with the bus and lunch.

Finish at Strøm Nordic Spa by the river. Check what the whole day costs and how to reach Valcartier without a car, look at how the ice hotel visit works, then read what the listings play down before you pay.

Our pick

The winter outing we would book: the Hôtel de Glace

Not the longest outing on this page, and not the wildest. It is the one you cannot do anywhere else in North America, and the one that will not be there next year in the same shape.

A couple in winter hats holding warm drinks beside a fire in a glass hearth at the Hôtel de Glace at night Our pick

Hôtel de Glace Ice Hotel Visit, Village Vacances Valcartier

★★★★★ 4.7 from 590+ reviews on GetYourGuide · free cancellation up to 24 hours before

The ticket gets you into the ice hotel at Village Vacances Valcartier for a self-guided visit at your own pace. Artwork in the Grand Hall greets you first, then corridors lead past themed rooms and suites, each with its own carved scene. The theme changes every winter, so no two years look alike.

Look into the chapel before you leave, and finish at the ice bar, where drinks come in glasses made of ice. Most visitors spend one to two hours inside. The vaults stay below freezing all the time, so leave every layer on from start to finish.

Price
from ~$29 per person
Duration
Day ticket; most visits take 1–2 hours
Format
Self-guided, at your own pace
Season
Roughly January to March
Where
2280 Boulevard Valcartier, Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier
From the city
About 20 minutes by road
Ages
No minimum on the listing
Cancellation
Free up to 24 hours; reserve now, pay later
GetYourGuide Viator

Live availability and prices on GetYourGuide

Powered by GetYourGuide

How the visit runs, step by step

There is no guide and no set time, so the order is yours. This is the usual way through:

Getting in

  • Drive or take a taxi to Valcartier, park for free
  • Show your ticket and follow the signs to the hotel
  • The Grand Hall and the year's artwork

Inside the vaults

  • The themed rooms and suites, one carved scene after another
  • The ice chapel, then a drink at the ice bar if you want one
  • Back out into the cold, or on to the tubing hill next door

What the price covers

The ticket is cheap because it covers the door and little else. The drive and the drinks are on you.

Included
  • Admission to the Hôtel de Glace
  • The rooms and themed suites
  • The bar and the chapel
  • Parking at Valcartier
Not included
  • Transport from Quebec City
  • Drinks at the ice bar
  • A guide (the visit is self-guided)
  • A night in the ice suites

Between us, before you go

Several reviewers say the entry signs on site could be clearer, so allow a few spare minutes to find the right door. The listing warns of outdoor temperatures between −25 °C and 5 °C (−13 °F and 41 °F), and inside the vaults it never warms up.

Viator sells the ticket with an optional cocktail, but only once the season opens. Inside the Hôtel de Glace covers the visit room by room.

Why it beats the other outings

Every other outing on this page has a cousin somewhere else in the snowy world. A hotel carved fresh from snow and ice each winter does not, at least not on this continent. It is also the cheapest ticket here and suits every age. Add the tubing hill in the same park and one trip to Valcartier fills an afternoon.

Who we would not send on it

Anyone visiting outside roughly January to March, when there is nothing to see. Travelers without a car who don't want to pay for a taxi both ways. And anyone after a long active day, who will get more from the snowmobile ride on Île d'Orléans.

Book it if

You are near Quebec City in winter and want to see the one thing that makes this region's winter unusual. It works for couples and for families with small children, as well as anyone who prefers to walk rather than ride.

Skip it if

Ready for the vaults?

The ticket is sold on GetYourGuide and on Viator. GetYourGuide shows far more reviews and lets you cancel for free up to 24 hours before, which leaves room to check the road forecast.

GetYourGuide Viator

The ice hotel itself

How a visit to the Hôtel de Glace works

The ice hotel stands inside Village Vacances Valcartier, a winter park with a tubing hill. That shapes the day. You either make a short trip out for the vaults alone, or you give Valcartier the afternoon and see the hotel when the lights come on.

Style · the ice hotel alone

In and out in a morning

Hôtel de Glace visit

1–2 hself-guided, plus about 20 minutes each way by road

You walk through the Grand Hall and the themed suites at your own pace, then look into the chapel before ending at the ice bar. The ticket includes parking but not the drive, so most of the effort goes into getting there.

Style · the whole park

Tubing first, vaults at dusk

Snow tubing, Hôtel de Glace

4–6 htwo tickets, one parking lot, one trip out

Spend the daylight on the tubing runs, warm up, then cross to the ice hotel as it gets dark. It turns one taxi fare or rental day into two outings, and children usually rate the tubing above the sculptures.

Quebec City weather and winter outings, month by month

  • How much of the winter program is running
  1. Jan−8°C high18 °F

    The ice hotel opens, the river freezes for the canoes

  2. Feb−6°C high21 °F

    Deep snow, Carnival crowds, everything running

  3. Mar0°C high32 °F

    Longer days, the ice hotel closes as it thaws

  4. Apr8°C high46 °F

    Snowmelt and maple season, winter outings over

  5. May17°C high63 °F

    Green again, the spa is the only one left

  6. Jun22°C high72 °F

    Festival season in the old town

  7. Jul25°C high77 °F

    Valcartier turns into a water park

  8. Aug24°C high75 °F

    Warm evenings on the river

  9. Sep18°C high64 °F

    Fall colors start in the Laurentians

  10. Oct11°C high52 °F

    Bare trees, first frost at night

  11. Nov3°C high37 °F

    Grey weeks, the first snow

  12. Dec−5°C high23 °F

    Snow arrives, the ice hotel is still being built

Temperatures are rough daytime highs in Quebec City; the wind and the nights take them well lower. The bars show roughly how much of the winter program on this page runs that month, which depends on the snow and the ice each year. Highlighted months are the ones we would pick. The season in detail.

How long each outing takes

  • Getting ready or on the road
  • The activity itself
  • Up to you

Hours come from the listings where they give them; for the ice hotel and tubing as well as the spa, the times are our estimate of a typical visit. The snowshoe day runs from 9 am to about 4 pm with the bus, and the snowmobile base asks for 30 minutes before the ride.

  1. Check the opening dateThe ice hotel opens when the cold allows, usually in January. When it is open.
  2. Sort the transportNeither Valcartier ticket includes the drive, and nor does the snowmobile. Getting there.
  3. Pair the park's two ticketsTubing and the ice hotel share one parking lot. One day at Valcartier.
  4. Dress for minus twentySki jacket and snow pants with grippy boots and a spare pair of gloves. What to wear.

Inside the Hôtel de Glace walks room by room from the hall through the suites to the chapel. It also covers what changes from one winter's theme to the next.

How to choose

How to pick your winter outings

The cold is the same for all six. What differs is how active you want to be and who is coming. Having a car matters too.

Effort

Strolling through the ice hotel or soaking at the spa, or kicking a canoe across river ice. Ice canoeing is the hardest work here.

Transport

Only the snowshoe day includes a bus. Valcartier and the island need a car or a taxi. Getting there.

Age limits

From no minimum at the ice hotel to 16 and over at the spa. Winter outings with kids.

Licence

Driving a snowmobile needs a driving licence and an age of 18. Passengers ride from age 9. Snowmobiling.

Season

The ice hotel and the tubing depend on the cold, as does the canoe; the spa runs all year. When to go.

Price

From ~$29 for the ice hotel to ~$207 for the ice canoe with sauna. Every price in one table.

Everything else to do in Quebec City

The 6 outings

Six ways into a Quebec winter, side by side

We read the winter listings for Quebec City on both booking sites and kept the ones with a real track record. Each card gives the price and length plus the company that runs it. It also names the catch, with a button for each site that sells it.

A visitor walking through the open wooden doors of the Hôtel de Glace into a pointed arch of ice Our pick

Hôtel de Glace Ice Hotel Visit, Village Vacances Valcartier

The one we would book first, for the price of a museum.

A self-guided walk through North America's only ice hotel, rebuilt each winter around a new theme. Art greets you in the Grand Hall, sculptures fill the themed suites, and there is a chapel and an ice bar to finish.

  • Rating4.7 from 590+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationDay ticket; most visits take 1–2 hours
  • Tour companyVillage Vacances Valcartier
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsLow price, your own pace, parking included
  • Ideal forEveryone, including small children

Good to know: No transport from Quebec City, and drinks at the bar cost extra. Viator only takes bookings once the season opens. Inside the ice hotel.

~$29per person
GetYourGuide Viator
Riders in red jackets standing by two snowmobiles on a snowy ridge under a blue sky Top rated

Quebec City: Guided Snowmobile Tour on Île d'Orléans, Quebec Ski-doo Adventures

The most fun you can have in ninety minutes of cold.

Ninety minutes on the island's trails behind a guide, two riders to a machine with a swap halfway. A safety briefing comes first, and the base lends you a helmet and a winter suit. It has the best score of the six on GetYourGuide.

  • Rating4.9 from 230+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationAbout 1.5 hours, plus 30 minutes to get ready
  • Tour companyQuebec Ski-doo Adventures
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsYou drive; gear in every size; small groups
  • Ideal forCouples and friends, or families with children of 9 and up

Good to know: Drivers must be 18 with a licence. Riding alone costs two places, and arriving late means no refund. No transport from the city. Snowmobiling on Île d'Orléans.

~$153per person
GetYourGuide Viator
Riders sliding down a groomed snow tubing run at Valcartier, with pine trees and tall slides behind Family favorite

Snow Tubing at Village Vacances Valcartier

The loudest afternoon you will have in Quebec.

A day ticket to the tubing runs in the same park as the ice hotel. The steep Himalaya runs reach close to 80 km/h (50 mph), and the Central Area has seven gentler slides for families. Open day or night, according to the listing.

  • Rating4.6 from 170+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationDay ticket; plan 2–4 hours
  • Tour companyVillage Vacances Valcartier
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsCheap, right next to the ice hotel, fun at any age
  • Ideal forFamilies and groups of friends

Good to know: Not for pregnant travelers. Food and winter clothes are not included, and the listing asks for ski-style gear with goggles. Viator's version has only a handful of reviews. One day at Valcartier.

~$33per person
GetYourGuide Viator
A team in bright jackets pushing a long blue canoe across broken ice on the St Lawrence River Most unusual

Quebec City: Ice Canoeing with Hot Chocolate & Sauna

Quebec's oddest winter sport, tried by beginners.

Three hours on the St Lawrence for up to twelve people. You paddle the open channels and push the canoe over floating ice in crampons, then stop on a floe for hot chocolate and pastries. A sauna with a river view waits at the end.

  • Rating5.0 from 80+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationAbout 3 hours
  • Tour companyIce canoe operator, Boulevard Champlain
  • Free cancellationUp to 4 days before, pay later
  • StrengthsBoots and crampons supplied, mittens too; photos included
  • Ideal forFit adults and teens who want a story to tell

Good to know: Sold on GetYourGuide only. Ages 12 and up, with moderate fitness. The cancellation window is four days, and bad weather can move it to another date. Bring a towel. Ice canoeing on the St Lawrence.

~$207per person
GetYourGuide
A family of three snowshoeing in single file through a snowy forest Bus included

Jacques-Cartier National Park Snowshoeing Tour, Quatre Natures

A quiet forest day with the driving done for you.

A bus collects you in Quebec City at 9 am and has you in Jacques-Cartier National Park an hour later. A guide leads the snowshoe walk along the Belleau Creek valley and the Sautauriski River, with lunch in a heated tent, before you head back for about 4 pm.

  • Rating4.7 from 130+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationAbout 7 hours, 9 am to 4 pm
  • Tour companyQuatre Natures
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsTransport and park fee included; equipment and lunch too
  • Ideal forWalkers and beginners, especially travelers without a car

Good to know: Sold on GetYourGuide only. Groups can reach 60, and the trip needs fair weather and enough bookings. Not for children under 8. Winter clothing is extra to rent. When to go.

~$121per person
GetYourGuide
A bather in a steaming outdoor pool at Strøm Nordic Spa facing the St Lawrence in low sun To warm up

Strøm Nordic Spa Old Québec: Thermal Experience

Where the cold days end.

A thermal circuit by the St Lawrence, a few steps from Old Quebec. Outdoor whirlpools and Nordic baths sit beside Finnish saunas and a eucalyptus steam bath, with fireplaces in the rest areas. The ticket includes a robe and towel as well as a locker.

  • Rating4.8 from 1,100+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationNo time slot; plan 2–4 hours
  • Tour companyStrøm Nordic Spa Old Québec
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsOpen in any weather, a short walk from the old town
  • Ideal forCouples and anyone with tired legs

Good to know: Ages 16 and up. Food and massages cost extra, and phones are restricted inside. Viator sells a fuller package at a higher price. Three winter days.

~$70per person
GetYourGuide Viator

A small heads-up. These are GetYourGuide and Viator affiliate links, so when you book through one we earn a little commission and you pay exactly the same. It keeps this guide going and never touches our ranking or the catches we point out.

Before you go

Eight things about a Quebec winter trip that no listing puts in big letters

None of these sits at the top of a booking page, and each one decides whether your day runs smoothly or starts with a cold wait in the wrong parking lot.

What you should know

  1. No ticket includes the ride out. The ice hotel and tubing sit outside the city, as does the snowmobile base, and only the snowshoe day brings a bus. Getting there.
  2. The ice hotel has a season, not a date. It opens when the build is finished (roughly in January) and closes as March warms up. Viator only sells tickets once it opens.
  3. It is below zero indoors too. The walls are ice and there is no heating inside the vaults. Keep your hat and gloves on for the whole visit. Inside the ice hotel.
  4. Snowmobiles come in pairs. Each machine carries two, so a solo rider pays for two places or shares with a stranger. Bring a driving licence if you want to drive.
  5. The canoe has a four-day rule. The other listings let you cancel up to 24 hours before; the ice canoe needs four days. Weather can still move it.
  6. Food is mostly on you. Only the snowshoe day includes lunch. Pack snacks for the snowmobile base and budget for the ice bar. The full costs.
  7. Age limits differ a lot. The ice hotel takes any age, the snowmobile from 9, the ice canoe from 12 and the spa from 16. With kids.
  8. Dress for the wind, not the forecast. Minus ten feels like minus twenty on a snowmobile or on the open river. Wool next to the skin, then a windproof shell. What to wear.

Everything in one table

Six winter outings, catch included

The six outings side by side. Each row sets the strength of an outing against its catch.

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →

Outing Ideal for Price Length Starts from Company and rating Strength and catch Book
Hôtel de Glace visit (our pick) Everyone ~$29per person 1–2 h Valcartier, 20 min north Village Vacances Valcartier
4.7 on GetYourGuide		 Cheap, at your own pace. Seasonal, no ride there, drinks extra.
GetYourGuideViator
Snowmobile, Île d'Orléans A first taste of winter sport ~$153per person About 1.5 h Côte Lafleur, Saint-Jean Quebec Ski-doo Adventures
4.9 on GetYourGuide		 You drive, gear supplied. Licence needed, two per machine, no transport.
GetYourGuideViator
Snow tubing, Valcartier Families ~$33per person 2–4 h Valcartier, 20 min north Village Vacances Valcartier
4.6 on GetYourGuide		 Next to the ice hotel. Bring ski clothing and your own food.
GetYourGuideViator
Ice canoe and sauna Fit adults ~$207per person About 3 h Boulevard Champlain, Quebec City Ice canoe operator
5.0 on GetYourGuide		 Unique, sauna after. Ages 12+, cancel 4 days ahead.
GetYourGuide
Snowshoe day, Jacques-Cartier No car, gentle pace ~$121per person About 7 h Quebec City, 9 am Quatre Natures
4.7 on GetYourGuide		 Bus and lunch included, gear too. Big group, fixed full day.
GetYourGuide
Strøm Nordic Spa Warming up ~$70per person 2–4 h Boulevard Champlain, by Old Quebec Strøm Nordic Spa
4.8 on GetYourGuide		 River views, no time slot. 16+ only, food extra.
GetYourGuideViator

About the numbers. Prices are regular "from" rates per person in US dollars; GetYourGuide sometimes shows them lower. Dates and exchange rates move them, so check the booking page, which has the final word.

Who went

Reviews from travelers who braved the cold

Fourteen travelers, some on blue-sky days at minus twenty and some in steady snow, on what won them over and what they would do differently.

★★★★★Snowmobile, Île d'Orléans

I had never driven a snowmobile and was nervous about the briefing, but the guide took it slowly and looked back at us at every stop. We crossed open fields on Île d'Orléans with the river frozen white on one side and the city a smudge on the horizon. My wife and I swapped at the halfway point, which I recommend, because riding behind is a different trip altogether. Ninety minutes felt short. Bring your actual driving licence, they asked for it at the desk.

MRMarcus R. · Leeds, UKBlue-sky cold
★★★★★Snowmobile, Île d'Orléans

First time on snow in my life, and they let me drive. The gear they lend you is warm enough for −20.

SLSofia L. · São Paulo, BrazilBlue-sky cold
★★★★☆Snowmobile, Île d'Orléans

A good ride in falling snow, so the views were mostly white on white. We were three people and the third one rode with a stranger, which nobody had explained before. Book an even number. The guide was patient with the slower riders and the sleds were in good shape.

TKTomasz K. · Kraków, PolandGrey and snowing
★★★★★Snowmobile, Île d'Orléans

We almost missed it because the drive out to the island took longer on snowy roads than Google said. Arrive early, they are strict about the fifteen minutes. Once we were moving it was the highlight of our Quebec trip: farm fields, sugar shacks, a long straight stretch where the guide let us open it up a little. My hands stayed warm in their mitts.

JWJenna W. · Austin, USABlue-sky cold
★★★★★Hôtel de Glace visit

We went in the late afternoon and stayed until it was dark, which I would recommend to anyone. In daylight the rooms are white and quiet and you notice the carving: wolves, a whole forest on one wall, a chandelier made of ice. Once the colored lights come on the chapel looks like stained glass. We finished with a drink at the ice bar in a glass that is also ice, and my gloves stuck to it for a second. An hour and a half was enough.

AHAnneke H. · Rotterdam, NetherlandsBlue-sky cold
★★★★★Hôtel de Glace visit

Every suite has a different theme. I took more photos in one hour than in three days of Old Quebec.

KOKenji O. · Yokohama, JapanBlue-sky cold
★★★★☆Hôtel de Glace visit

Beautiful, but the signs at the entrance were confusing and we queued at the wrong building first. It is colder inside than you expect because there is no wind but no heat either. Worth pairing with the tubing next door so the drive out pays off.

RDRachel D. · Halifax, CanadaGrey and snowing
★★★★★Snow tubing, Valcartier

The Himalaya runs had me screaming like a child. My actual children were braver than me.

LBLuca B. · Turin, ItalyBlue-sky cold
★★★★★Snow tubing, Valcartier

We did tubing in the morning and the ice hotel after lunch, both with the same parking spot, and the kids talked about the Everest slide for a week. The lifts pull you and the tube back up, so nobody has to walk the hill. Pack snow pants and goggles; my son's face was red from the spray of snow on the fast runs. The food on site is basic, so we brought sandwiches.

ESEmily S. · Chicago, USAGrey and snowing
★★★★★Ice canoe and sauna

Pushing a canoe across moving ice floes on the St Lawrence is the strangest workout I have done. Hard work, huge fun.

PMPierre M. · Brussels, BelgiumBlue-sky cold
★★★★★Ice canoe and sauna

I signed up thinking it would be a gentle paddle and it is not. You kneel on the edge and kick the canoe forward over the ice with one foot, then jump in when you hit open water, all while the current carries you sideways. The guides read the river constantly and changed course twice. Halfway we stood on a floating slab drinking hot chocolate with Old Quebec right in front of us, which I will not forget. The sauna afterward, looking out at the ice we had just crossed, was the best part of the trip. Follow their clothing list exactly; I brought a heavy jacket and was soaked with sweat inside twenty minutes.

GNGrace N. · Auckland, New ZealandBlue-sky cold
★★★★★Snowshoe day, Jacques-Cartier

Easy snowshoeing on quiet forest trails, lunch in a heated tent by the river. A calm day after the city.

DFDieter F. · Munich, GermanyGrey and snowing
★★★★☆Snowshoe day, Jacques-Cartier

The guide knew every animal track in the snow and stopped often to explain what had passed through in the night. We saw a hare and many birds but no moose, and the group was larger than I imagined, close to forty on the bus. The valley along the river is lovely in fresh snow. I would rent their winter pants if you do not own any, the snow was deep off the trail and mine soaked through by lunch. Back in town by four, tired in the best way.

MAMaya A. · Tel Aviv, IsraelGrey and snowing
★★★★★Strøm Nordic Spa

Hot pool, cold plunge, repeat, with the river full of ice below the windows. After four days outside in minus twenty it was exactly what my legs needed. Book the restaurant if you can, the view is better than the food.

OCOlivia C. · Toronto, CanadaBlue-sky cold

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Gloves on

Book your Hôtel de Glace ticket

If you are near Quebec City between January and March, this is the visit to make before anything else. Walk the Grand Hall and the suites, then stand in the ice chapel while the colored lights come up. Then raise a glass made of ice at the bar.

Go late in the afternoon and stay into dusk. You can hold a place now and pay nearer the day, and cancelling is free until 24 hours before.

~$29

per person · 1–2 hours inside · Valcartier

GetYourGuide Viator
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
  • ✓ Reserve now, pay later
  • ✓ Parking at Valcartier included
  • ✓ Suits every age

Good to know

How an ice hotel gets built, and what you are looking at

Five minutes of reading makes the vaults and the carvings far easier to appreciate, along with the odd fact that none of it will be there in May.

The Hôtel de Glace calls itself the only ice hotel in North America, and it has been rebuilt every winter for more than twenty years. It now stands at Village Vacances Valcartier, a winter park that turns into a water park in summer, in the hills north of Quebec City. Each version is designed around a new theme, so last winter's photos never quite match what you will find.

01Built from snow and river ice

The walls and vaults are packed snow that is shaped over curved forms and left to harden in the cold. Clear ice blocks become the furniture and the bar as well as the sculptures. Work starts once winter settles in, which is why the opening date moves from year to year. When it is open.

02Rooms you can walk into

The visit takes you through the Grand Hall, where the year's artwork greets you, and along corridors of themed suites. Each suite has its own carved scene, from animals to whole landscapes. Overnight guests sleep in some of them on beds with an ice base. Room by room.

03A chapel and a bar

The ice chapel hosts weddings in some winters, and its lit walls are the most photographed room in the building. The bar serves drinks in glasses carved from ice, at a temperature where your gloves stay on. Drinks are not part of the GetYourGuide ticket.

The moment most visitors remember is stepping out of a bright snow vault into the blue of a Quebec dusk, with the coloured lights coming on behind them.

04Valcartier around it

In summer the same park is a water park; in winter its slopes become the tubing hill next door. That is why a single day with one ticket desk and one parking lot covers both. Ice hotel and tubing in one day.

05The river that freezes

In town, the St Lawrence fills with drifting ice from about January. Ice canoes once carried mail and people across to Lévis when no ferry could pass, and teams still race them at the Quebec Winter Carnival. Ice canoeing today.

06Manners in the ice

Look, don't lean. The sculptures are carved by hand. Warm hands and backpacks leave marks. Keep to the paths in the suites, mind small children near the ice furniture, and hold the rails on the snow ramps. Winter outings with kids has more on keeping small visitors safe and warm.

20 minDrive from Quebec City

Jan to MarRoughly when it stands

1–2 hA typical visit

−25 °COutdoor lows the listing warns of

Want to see it all in one trip? Our guide Three winter days around Quebec City fits the ice hotel together with the river and the island.

Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions about the Quebec ice hotel

Fourteen questions we hear again and again, with the full answer.

How much does it cost to visit the Quebec ice hotel?

A ticket for the Hôtel de Glace starts at ~$29 per person on GetYourGuide, with parking included. The ride from Quebec City and drinks at the ice bar are extra. Every price and extra is in our cost guide.

Where is the Hôtel de Glace?

At Village Vacances Valcartier, 2280 Boulevard Valcartier in Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, about 20 minutes' drive north of Quebec City. Getting there.

When is the ice hotel open?

Roughly from January to March. It is rebuilt each winter, so the opening date depends on the cold and the build. Check the listing for the dates you have in mind. The season in detail.

How long does a visit take?

Most people spend one to two hours inside, including a drink at the bar. Add the tubing hill next door and it becomes an afternoon.

Does the ice hotel ticket include transport?

No. The GetYourGuide ticket includes admission and parking only. Come by car or cab, and settle how you get back before you go in.

Can I sleep in the ice hotel?

Yes, overnight stays are sold by the hotel itself. This site covers the day visit and the outings around it, not overnight packages.

Is it cold inside the ice hotel?

Yes. The vaults stay below freezing, with no wind but no heating either. Your jacket stays on for the whole visit. So do your hat and gloves.

What is the best winter tour near Quebec City?

For most visitors, the Hôtel de Glace itself, a self-guided visit from ~$29 that scores 4.7 on GetYourGuide. For speed, add the guided snowmobile ride on Île d'Orléans, the top scorer at 4.9.

Do I need a licence to drive a snowmobile?

Yes. Drivers must be 18 or older and carry a valid driving licence from their own country. Passengers can ride from age 9. Snowmobiling on Île d'Orléans.

Can I combine the ice hotel and snow tubing?

Yes, they are in the same park. Buy both tickets and park once. Do the tubing in daylight before the ice hotel at dusk. One day at Valcartier.

Is ice canoeing safe for beginners?

The tour is designed for first-timers. Training and a life jacket are part of it, and the guides adapt the route to the ice and tides. It does need moderate fitness and a minimum age of 12. Ice canoeing.

What should I wear for a Quebec winter day?

Wool or synthetic base layers go under a fleece. On top come a ski jacket and snow pants. Add grippy winter boots plus a hat and two pairs of gloves. Goggles help on the tubing runs. What to wear.

Can children visit the ice hotel?

Yes, the visit has no minimum age. Other outings set limits, from 8 for the snowshoe day and 9 for snowmobile passengers up to 12 for the ice canoe and 16 for the spa. With kids.

Can I cancel for free?

On GetYourGuide, five of the six can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours before, and you can reserve now and pay later. The ice canoe needs four days' notice.

Read before you travel

Guides to a Quebec winter

Ten questions that keep coming up, each with the long answer instead of the short one.