Ice hotel and snow tubing in one Valcartier day
The Hôtel de Glace and a big snow tubing park share one site, Village Vacances Valcartier, about 20 minutes north of Quebec City. On GetYourGuide tubing costs ~$33 and the ice hotel ~$29, sold as two tickets. With one drive out you can fill a whole winter day.
One park, two tickets
The ice hotel and the tubing runs sit inside the same park, Village Vacances Valcartier, so a single drive covers both. On GetYourGuide you buy them as two separate tickets, each with parking included.
Viator has listed a combined ticket, rated 4.0 from six reviews, but it is not one of the outings on this site. Buying the two tickets separately gives you more say over timing and lets you cancel one without losing the other.
The tubing park
Valcartier bills itself on the listing as North America's largest winter playground, which is its own claim. The snow tubing pass from ~$33 holds 4.6 from 170+ reviews on GetYourGuide.
The runs are grouped into areas from gentle to steep, so a group can split up and meet again later. Everyone rides in an inflated tube, and no skill is needed beyond holding on.
Everest and the Himalaya summit
Everest is the run the park promotes hardest, billed as the highest accelerated run in North America. On the Himalaya summit, four steep runs reach close to 80 km/h (50 mph), which feels a great deal faster when your face is a few inches above the snow.
The Central Area and the Avalanche area
The Central Area holds seven slides aimed at families, a gentler start for younger riders. The Avalanche area adds the Tornado and Snow Rafting, two rides that mix things up after a few straight runs.
The listing says the park opens for tubing by day or by night. Busy days may bring waits at the top of the runs, so arriving early gives you more rides for the money.
A full day pass for the tubing runs
Entry to the snow tubing park at Village Vacances Valcartier, from the family slides to the Himalaya runs. Parking is included but food and clothing are not.
Viator lists the same tubing ticket with only four reviews so far, so the GetYourGuide score gives the clearer picture. Both carry the same rules and the same park.
What to wear and bring
The tubing listing recommends a ski jacket and snow pants, plus goggles with a hat and gloves. Goggles matter more than they sound, because snow spray hits your face on the faster runs.
Winter clothing is not part of the ticket, and neither is food. Pack snacks and a warm drink if you want to avoid buying everything on site, and a dry pair of gloves for the ice hotel later.
Our clothing guide covers layers for a full day in the cold. The tubing ticket is not for pregnant travelers, a rule the listing states plainly.
How to split the day
A sensible order is tubing first while energy is high and the runs feel fresh. Climbing back to the top tires legs faster than people expect, and a long session works up an appetite by early afternoon.
Save the ice hotel for dusk, when the colored lights inside tend to show best. Darkness comes early in a Quebec winter, so a late afternoon visit usually catches the change from daylight to evening.
The ice hotel ticket from ~$29 is valid for the day, so you can tube first and walk through later. Our room-by-room guide to the ice hotel shows what you will see inside.
- Drive out in the morning and warm up on the family slides
- Move on to the Himalaya and Everest runs before lunch
- Stop in the early afternoon for food and dry gloves
- Walk into the Hôtel de Glace in late afternoon as the lights come on
Treat the plan as a rough shape rather than a timetable. If the children are cold by lunchtime, see the ice hotel earlier instead. Then return to the gentler slides once everyone has warmed up.
Who the day suits
Families with mixed ages get the most from Valcartier. Younger riders can stay in the Central Area while older ones head for the Himalaya summit, and nobody needs any experience to join in.
Neither the tubing nor the ice hotel listing sets a minimum age, which makes this the easiest family day near Quebec City. Individual slides may have their own rules on site, so check at each run rather than assuming.
Pregnant travelers should skip the tubing, as the listing excludes them, but the ice hotel walk is a calm alternative. Adults looking for more speed and a guide could add the snowmobile ride on Île d'Orléans on another day.
Getting there and back
Neither ticket includes transport, and the park lies roughly 30 km (19 miles) from Old Quebec. A rental car makes the long day simpler, while a taxi works if you book the return before you set off.
Our guide to getting there covers both options in detail. If you are travelling with children, the family page lists the age rules for every outing near Quebec City.
What the day costs
Two tickets at ~$33 and ~$29 per person make Valcartier the cheapest full day on this site. On top come transport and food, plus drinks at the ice bar.
Compare that with one guided outing such as the snowmobile on Île d'Orléans, and the gap is wide. The price guide sets all six outings side by side, and the page on timing helps you pick a date when both are open.