We come from Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland, where ice hotels and glass igloos are part of the winter furniture, so we looked at Switzerland’s version with a critical eye. What we found is not a hotel carved from ice but something simpler and, for the right traveller, better: a village of real snow igloos that is rebuilt from scratch every winter. We have not stayed there yet; everything below comes from Iglu-Dorf’s own pages and conditions.

“Ice hotel” vs igloo village: what the words mean

“Ice hotel” usually means a building made of ice with rooms you can book like a hotel. Switzerland does not really have that, and Iglu-Dorf does not claim to be it. The company, based in Stansstad, calls itself “Iglu-Dorf – the original”, and what it builds every year are igloo villages: corridors of snow connecting overnight igloos about 4 m across, a snow-art restaurant, a wooden kota for warming up and an outdoor wellness area.

So the honest answer to the search is: yes, you can sleep in an ‘ice hotel’ in Switzerland, but it is a snow-igloo village, it is only open in winter, and it is a night out, not a room with a view. That is exactly why we like it.

How the igloos are built

Iglu-Dorf says it builds every village from scratch in about 3,000 working hours, with large balloons, snow ploughs and “a lot of muscle power”. The founder, Adrian Günter, invented the balloon building method and patented it in 2002. The company states that an igloo village cannot collapse in winter and that the snow becomes so hard a snow groomer could drive over it.

Because the villages are rebuilt every year, the igloos you sleep in are new each winter and the snow and ice art changes with them. Photos on the website are from previous seasons, so treat the sculptures in our pictures as a mood, not a promise.

What you actually sleep on, and how cold it is

Iglu-Dorf describes the temperature inside as relatively constant, between −2 and +2 °C, with fleece blankets on request. You sleep on a snow bed with thermal mats, thin mattresses and real sheepskins, inside an expedition sleeping bag with a hygienic liner — both provided, so you do not bring a sleeping bag. Romantic Igloo guests get a double cotton liner by default, and two single bags are available on request.

A heated alternative exists at one village: the TinyLodge in Gstaad is a wooden cabin with a heater, a 1.55 m × 2.00 m bed, a panoramic window and a kettle with free tea and coffee. If a real igloo feels like too much, TinyLodge — Gstaad5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 gives you the village without the cold bed.

What a night costs and includes

Prices are as published on iglu-dorf.com in November 2026 and shown as “from”; live prices come from the booking calendar.

Included: welcome drink and aperitif tray, an igloo tour, all-you-can-eat Swiss cheese fondue, use of the whirlpool and/or sauna (subject to availability), a night walk or snowshoeing, the overnight stay, expedition sleeping bag and liner, morning tea served to your sleeping bag and breakfast. Not included: visitor’s tax, travel costs, cableway tickets and extra food and drinks.

The three villages in one table

Iglu-Dorf’s own pages give slightly different altitudes in different places, so we say “about”. All three are reached by cableway or mountain railway, and night guests are met at a set time and taken up together. Gstaad is the lowest and the easiest to reach; Zermatt sits below the Matterhorn.

Where Iglu-Dorf is better than an ice hotel — and where it is not

It is better if you want the snow itself: the dinner is in a snow-art restaurant, the sauna and hot tub are in the open air, and you walk or snowshoe in the dark with a headlamp. It is also an unusual way to see the mountains at dusk and in the first light.

It is worse if you want a private bathroom: toilets are shared dry toilets in the village centre (a private-toilet ‘Plus’ igloo exists, but it is outside our code). It is worse for very small children — Iglu-Dorf recommends igloo nights from age 6 and offers no changing tables or high chairs — and for anyone who cannot walk in snow for 10–20 minutes with a backpack. Wheeled suitcases do not work here.

When to go: the Sunday-to-Thursday rule

Our reader code covers stays from 4 January to 4 April 2027, Sunday to Thursday nights only. In practice that means Sunday and Thursday nights (Gstaad also Monday) — the live calendar on iglu-dorf.com shows exactly which nights are open. Fridays and Saturdays book out fastest, so if your dates are flexible, midweek is both easier to find and cheaper with our code. Christmas and New Year are not covered; the villages open from late December, but the code starts on 4 January.

If you are weighing months, January is deep winter, February is the busiest and March gives longer days. Iglu-Dorf stays open until 4 April 2027, which is also the last day the code covers.

How to book your igloo night with HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5

If the ice hotel picture has turned into an igloo night in your head, here is how to book it. There are no special links or tracking cookies in this partnership. The code typed at checkout is the only thing that gives you the 5% and registers the booking as ours, so this is the one step not to skip.

1. Choose village and igloo. Use the links in this guide, or start at Iglu-Dorf5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and pick Davos Klosters, Gstaad or Zermatt, then Romantic Igloo, Family & Friends Igloo or (Gstaad only) TinyLodge.
2. Add your guests first (adults 16+, teenagers 10–15, children up to 9) — the date calendar only appears after that. Pick a Sunday-to-Thursday night between 4 January and 4 April 2027. In practice that means Sunday and Thursday nights (Gstaad also Monday) — the live calendar on iglu-dorf.com shows exactly which nights are open.
3. Fill in guest details and extras — single sleeping bags instead of a double, a dog, the vegetarian dinner alternative, a rose in ice.
4. Scroll to “Promo-Code — Do you want to redeem a promo code?”, type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, press Add and check that the total has dropped by 5% before you confirm. The field above it, “Voucher”, is for gift vouchers, not for our code.
5. Confirm. You can cancel free of charge up to 60 days before the night; after that Iglu-Dorf charges 10% (59–30 days), 50% (29–7 days) and 100% (under 7 days or no-show), with refunds preferably as vouchers. Discounts are not cumulative.

For the Zermatt Family & Friends Igloo, send the request to info@iglu-dorf.com or call +41 41 612 27 28 and write the code in your message. Full transparency: we are Iglu-Dorf’s affiliate partner and earn a small commission when you book with our code. It costs you nothing extra — you pay 5% less.

Who should not book an igloo night

Skip it if you need a private bathroom at night, if you are travelling with a child under about 6, if you cannot walk in snow with a backpack, if you hate sleeping at 0 °C, or if you can only travel on a Friday or Saturday — the code does not apply then. If you want warmth, the TinyLodge is the better choice. For everyone else, it is one of the more distinctive winter nights you can book in the Alps. our full Iglu-Dorf igloo guide covers all three villages.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

If you were searching for an ice hotel, you will be happiest with Iglu-Dorf if you want the experience rather than the room: real snow, a bottomless fondue, a hot tub in the open air and a cold, quiet night. We are partners because the company has done this for about thirty winters and publishes its conditions plainly. Choose by mountain, since the headline prices are the same in all three Swiss villages.

Book directly with Iglu-Dorf5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the Promo-Code box and you pay 5% less on a Sunday-to-Thursday night between 4 January and 4 April 2027.

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 2Romantic Igloo — Davos Klostersfrom CHF 538 per night for 2 (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 →