From ice hotels to treehouses, Northern Europe is home to some of the quirkiest, most unique accommodation on the continent.
Across Scandinavia you can find a huge range of interesting and intriguing places to stay. Rather than simply booking into a standard hotel room, why not take your next holiday to a new level by booking into somewhere a little bit more unusual, to make the most of your Scandinavian holiday?
The cold, winter landscapes of destinations such as Norway or Sweden offer you the chance to stay in hotels fashioned entirely from ice, while the truly intrepid can even stay in glass igloos in the Finnish wilderness. You can stay in the most northerly hotel in the world or even in the deepest underground hotel in the world, while those in search of a splendidly bizarre hotel room can rent out the cockpit suite of a jumbo jet.
To inspire you to book into a bizarre and unusual hotel, here are the best and most unique accommodation options in Scandinavia.
Tree Hotel, Harads, Sweden
If you’re not afraid of heights then spending the night balanced in a seemingly precarious position atop a tall tree might just be the adventure you are seeking. Found in the woodland surrounding the small town of Harads in the far north of Sweden, the Tree Hotel offers its guests not only luxury but artistic elegance in unique treetop rooms.
The different cabins and suites are all individually designed and are found on raised platforms surrounded by nature. Each has its own style, from the freakish shapes of the UFO suite to the dizzying reflections of the Mirror Cube. This truly is a hotel stay like no other in the world.
Ice Hotel, Kiruna, Sweden
Found in the cold climes of northern Sweden is the unusual construction of the Ice Hotel. Located close to the small town of Kiruna, this is deep in the Arctic Circle, and conditions are perfect for an icy getaway.
This is a hotel that also acts as an art installation. Each year, the designs of the buildings and the sculptures are remade and refashioned using ice sourced from the local river. This is luxury, quirky accommodation at its best, and visitors have the choice between staying in warm and cold rooms.
Choose the cold room and you sleep amongst the ice in a thermal sleeping bag, or pick the warm room to find yourself in a traditionally Swedish-themed, luxurious hotel room.
Snow Hotel, Hunderfossen, Norway
In the town of Hunderfossen in Norway, you can find another hotel sculpted and crafted delicately from ice. The Snow Hotel offers visitors the opportunity to spend the night in an icy cavern, sleeping on warm pelts inside an ephemeral winter wonderland.
Hunderfossen isn’t just a place to spend the night though. This is a place that evokes the true traditions of Scandinavian folklore, and you can find an entire park dedicated to ice and snow, with icy cathedrals, dog sledding and much, much more waiting to be discovered.
Utter Inn, Vasteras, Sweden
The Utter Inn could well be the strangest hotel in Scandinavia. This is a small, red cabin that’s found far out in the middle of a wide lake on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden. Floating on a pontoon, this hotel is surrounded by nothing but water, and of course it can only be reached by boat.
It’s a place for those interested in solitude and isolation or for those who are looking to simply surround themselves in nature and be cut off from the rest of the world. The small hotel room is found below the surface of the lake. To enter, you climb through a porthole built into the cabin above. The facilities are basic, you sleep underwater and you can immerse yourself in Sweden’s outdoors at this most unique of Scandinavian accommodations.
Jumbo Stay, Stockholm, Sweden
Jumbo Stay is one of the most unique hotels, not only in Scandinavia but across the world. This is a hotel for those interested not just in the unusual but in the bizarre, as Jumbo Stay is a hotel that’s been built inside a decommissioned aircraft.
This is a former passenger plane that’s found at Stockholm’s main international airport in Sweden. The old plane has been converted to host not only hotel rooms and budget dormitories, but also a classy bar and cafe. Those looking for luxury can even book out the cockpit suite.
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Kakslauttanen, Finland
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is a hotel that allows you to stay in unrivalled luxury in the heart of the Arctic Circle. This is far removed from your average accommodation, as rooms here are glass-fronted igloos that give you the opportunity to gaze out from your bed at the sky and stars above.
This is one of the best locations to experience the Northern Lights, and you can enjoy this spectacular light show from the comfort of your igloo throughout much of the year.
Sala Silvergruva, Sala, Sweden
Sala Silvergruva is an old silver mine in Sweden that since its disuse has taken on more unusual roles. The mine is primarily a tourist attraction and you can visit the deep caves and be guided through the underground tunnels to learn more about its long history, while the huge cavernous halls are even used to stage music concerts.
More unusually, Sala Silvergruva can be considered to be the world’s deepest hotel, because you can stay in an underground suite that’s located a staggering 155 metres below the surface of the earth.
Nordenskiold Lodge, Svalbard, Norway
Those looking for a real adventure will want to travel to Svalbard, a place as remote as anywhere else in the far northern hemisphere, and a place that is home to the world’s most northerly hotel.
Nordenskiold Lodge is deep in the Arctic Circle, on the isolated shores of the island of Svalbard where it’s cold and icy all year round. This is no luxury outing, as in this wilderness there are few amenities and the only source of heat is the log fire. It’s an experience like few others, and from Nordenskiold Lodge you can begin to explore the Arctic itself.
If you’re keen to book a stay on some of Scandinavia’s unique accommodations, contact the Baltic Travel Company today to discuss your options with our knowledgeable team.