This guide is built from Iglu-Dorf’s own pages, prices and conditions — what is included, how the villages work and what each igloo is like come straight from the operator, never invented.

A village built from scratch every winter

Iglu-Dorf GmbH, based in Stansstad, Switzerland, says it builds every igloo village from scratch each year in about 3,000 working hours, with the help of large balloons, snow ploughs and a lot of muscle power. The company was started by Adrian Günter, who built his first igloo in Scuol in the mid-1990s and later patented a balloon construction method in 2002. The villages grew from a handful of igloos to five villages today, three of them in our deal: Davos Klosters, Gstaad and Zermatt.

Each village is new each season, which is why Iglu-Dorf notes that its photos come from previous winters. The 2026/27 seasons: Zermatt from 19 December 2026, Gstaad from 25 December, Davos Klosters from 26 December, all to 4 April 2027.

The balloon method

As we understand the method, large balloons act as the mould: snow is piled over them, it hardens, and the balloon is then removed, leaving a snow dome. Iglu-Dorf does not publish a step-by-step recipe, so treat that as our summary rather than the company’s. Iglu-Dorf describes the process as its own patented method. The overnight igloos are about four metres across, and corridors connect them; the main corridors are over two metres high, so you can walk upright.

Why it cannot collapse: Iglu-Dorf says the snow becomes so hard that a snow groomer could drive over it. We read that as a fair explanation of why the structure is sturdy; we are not engineers and we will not add claims beyond the operator’s own.

Snow and ice art

Once the structures stand, international artists decorate the igloos with snow and ice art; Iglu-Dorf says every winter brings new worlds of snow and ice. The igloo restaurant has carved arches, tables and sheepskin seats. We could not find a 2026/27 theme on Iglu-Dorf’s pages, so we will not invent one — expect different sculptures than the photos.

Three villages, three builds

Davos Klosters is the biggest: 14 overnight igloos and room for up to 46 guests. Gstaad has 10 igloos and up to 40 guests, and also the TinyLodge, a wooden cabin. Zermatt has 10 overnight igloos and up to 24 guests, below the Rotenboden station. We compare the three in our village comparison.

What it means for your night

Because the igloo is snow, the temperature stays between about −2 and +2 °C. You sleep on a snow bed with thermal mats, thin mattresses and sheepskins, in an expedition sleeping bag with a cotton liner. The village is not a hotel with plumbing: shared dry toilets in the village centre, and only some villages have showers. Because it is a built village, walking is on snow and the path is not suitable for limited mobility.

It also means the season ends: at the end of winter the villages melt away. That is why Iglu-Dorf runs a fixed season and why bookings for 2027 close to stays on 4 April.

A short history of Iglu-Dorf

From Iglu-Dorf’s own timeline: the first igloo was built by Adrian Günter in Scuol in the mid-1990s, and the first village was three small igloos for 15 people. The balloon method was patented in 2002. By 2005/06 villages in Engelberg, Grindelwald and the Zugspitze were open, and almost 6,000 overnight guests slept in igloos that season. Gstaad started on the Eggli before moving to the Saanerslochgrat, the Scuol village moved to Davos, and the company set a Guinness World Record for the largest igloo made of snow blocks at its 20th anniversary. In the 30th-anniversary season, 2025/26, Iglu-Dorf introduced the TinyLodge in Gstaad.

That history matters for a practical reason: the villages are not a pop-up gimmick. The company has refined its method over three decades, employs about 89 people from igloo builders to managing directors, and publishes its terms plainly. It is why we were comfortable becoming its affiliate partner, and why we try to repeat only what it says.

A day in the life of a village

Think of a village as a small working hotel that happens to be made of snow. In the morning the team prepares the igloo restaurant and the fondue, maintains the hot tub and sauna and checks the sleeping igloos. Through the day day guests may visit the bar and restaurant (Iglu-Dorf lists daytime opening hours that vary by village), then at about 4:00 to 4:30 pm the overnight guests arrive with their guides, and the evening programme begins.

The guides are trained, speak German, English or French where possible and know first aid; the village has a defibrillator at the three Swiss locations. At night the team stays on hand. The next morning breakfast is served, the igloos are cleaned, and the cycle repeats, until the season ends on 4 April 2027 and the village is left to melt.

If you want to see the building process, Iglu-Dorf publishes press releases about construction starting each December. We have not visited and cannot describe a construction site, but the idea that a village is built every year is a big part of why the night feels special.

Safety and sustainability: what is said

Iglu-Dorf says trained guides are on site, with a first aid kit and a defibrillator at the Swiss villages, and a safety instruction PDF is sent after booking. On sustainability we found no explicit statement on the site beyond a link to a Swiss sustainable-travel page, so we will not make claims; it is fair to say that a snow village melts away each spring, which is a lighter footprint than a permanent building — but we have not verified an environmental assessment.

When to go and the code

The code works for stays from 4 January to 4 April 2027, Sunday to Thursday nights only; in practice Sunday and Thursday in Davos Klosters and Zermatt and Sunday, Monday and Thursday in Gstaad. Iglu-Dorf runs its stays in almost any weather and only cancels for extreme storms, lack of snow or a stopped cable car. See January, February or March.

How to book your igloo night with HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5

Bookings are tracked by the code only — there is no special tracking link — so the code is the only way your 5% and our small commission get registered. We are Iglu-Dorf’s affiliate partner; it costs you nothing extra. Here is the whole process, in order.

1. Pick the village and igloo. Pick a village. Open Iglu-Dorf5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 or go straight to Romantic Igloo — Zermatt5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 or Family & Friends Igloo — Davos Klosters5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5.
2. Open Iglu-Dorf’s own booking page (the link above, directly on iglu-dorf.com) and add your guests. The date calendar appears after that.
3. Choose a night between 4 January and 4 April 2027, Sunday to Thursday. In practice that means Sunday and Thursday in Davos Klosters and Zermatt, and Sunday, Monday and Thursday in Gstaad. The live calendar shows exactly which nights are open — if a date is not offered, it is not bookable.
4. Scroll down the checkout page. You will see two boxes: “Voucher” and “Promo-Code”. Use the Promo-Code box, type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, press Add and check that the 5% reduction appears before you confirm. (Not the Voucher box — that one is for gift vouchers.)
5. Fill in guest details, pay as the checkout asks and confirm. Cancellation is free up to 60 days before the stay; after that Iglu-Dorf’s staggered fees apply (10%, 50%, then 100% inside the last week), so a travel insurance is worth a thought.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

Knowing how the village is built makes the night more impressive: a snow village, made by hand, that exists for only a few months. It is not a luxury hotel, and it is not meant to be. We have not stayed ourselves yet, but we trust Iglu-Dorf because it publishes how it works.

Book directly with Iglu-Dorf5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the Promo-Code box and save 5% on a Sunday-to-Thursday night between 4 January and 4 April 2027. More in our igloo hotel guide.

5% off · code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5

Where we would sleep in an igloo

Tap an igloo to see live dates and prices on Iglu-Dorf’s booking page. Enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off — stays 4 jan – 4 apr 2027, sunday to thursday nights.

Zermatt · sleeps 2Romantic Igloo — Zermattfrom CHF 538 per night for 2 (as shown on iglu-dorf.com, Nov 2026)Check dates with 5% off →Davos Klosters · sleeps 3–6Family & Friends Igloo — Davos Klostersfrom CHF 627 per night for 3 people, each additional person charged separately (as shown on iglu-dorf.com, Nov 2026)Check dates with 5% off →Gstaad · sleeps 2TinyLodge — Gstaadfrom CHF 438 per night for 2 (as shown on iglu-dorf.com, Nov 2026)Check dates with 5% off →

Code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 gives 5% off the public price when you book directly with Iglu-Dorf (Stays 4 Jan – 4 Apr 2027, Sunday to Thursday nights; Friday and Saturday nights excluded). We are Iglu-Dorf’s partner and earn a small commission when you book with our code. Our igloo guide →