18 · Ice Hotels
Iglu-Dorf
Gstaad, Switzerland
A village of snow domes built high above the valley each winter and left to melt when the season ends
Each dome is built from packed snow over a curved form, then hollowed out, so the wall and the ceiling are one surface. Inside there is a sleeping platform of snow with a mat, sheepskins and an expedition sleeping bag on it. There is no heating; the shell holds the temperature steady.
The village is not a permanent building at all. It is put up again from snow every winter and disappears in spring, so the plan can change from season to season. Domes of different sizes are linked by short tunnels, with sleeping domes at the edges and a larger one used as a bar and dining room. Washing and changing take place in heated units brought onto the site.
The village stands on a mountain above Gstaad, in the Saanenland of the Bernese Oberland, reached by lift from the valley floor. Around it there is open snow, ski runs and the ridges of the surrounding peaks. From below the domes are small pale shapes on the slope and easy to miss until the lights come on.
Last gone over · June 2026
Three distances, one hotel: none of it is a promise about a stay. We work from published sources and say so plainly; the month at the foot of the page is when we last went over them.