The Game Of Thrones Ice Hotel Is Back And It’s Better Than Ever

With January already at an end, it’s a bit late to quote once more Ned Stark’s infamous line from the debut episode of HBO’s global super hit. Winter has indeed already come.

It’s not too late, however, to get your icy fix once more in the snowy winterscapes of Finnish Lapland at the all new, even more mind-bending Game of Thrones Ice Hotel. A chilly 120 miles above the Arctic Circle, Lapland Hotels SnowVillage in collaboration with HBO Nordic has carved another extraordinary temporary residence from 20 million kilos of snow and 350,000 kilos of crystal clear natural ice in honor of George RR Martin’s fantastical saga.

Celebrating (or perhaps mourning) this year’s final Game of Thrones season, they’ve let the imaginations of professional ice sculptors from Russia, Poland, Latvia, Ukraine, Lithuania and their own native Finland run wild – with spectacular results.

From a Weirwood tree adorned with blood-red leaves to a huge Direwolf ghost with blood red eyes, every room sings its own song to the characters and events that have made Game of Thrones such a sensation. With 16 snow-clad chambers to choose from, there’s undoubtedly one celebrating your favorite character, scene or monster.

And while the minus-five-Celsius room temperatures may send a chill down your spine, they pale into insignificance against the ice-blue-eyed Night King, White Walker and WunWun sculptures looming over expansive ice cube beds. Don’t worry too much though – toasty fur-lined sleeping bags and hot berry juices help keep the cold at bay and the owners advise a one-night stay should sate your inner ice before moving into one of the cosier cabins on site.

Before you leave, there’s plenty more to explore beyond your room. Alongside the obligatory iced Iron Throne, there’s also an elemental Dragonstone throne watched over by a huge and intricate Drogon sculpture that’s perhaps the highlight of the whole hotel. It’s joined by a Sept of Baelor, ice restaurant serving local delicacies likes reindeer and Arctic char, an ice chapel perfect for forging new alliances and an ice bar for toasting those new alliances – preferably without any Red Wedding style antics to end on.

New for this year is the ice movie theater showing a short film detailing how the hotel was made over five short weeks – an awe-inspiring education in itself.

Once again set close to the popular and easily accessible town of Kittilä, a 90-minute flight from Helsinki, the SnowVillage and Game of Thrones Ice Hotel is the perfect launch pad into a real world winter wonderland and the nearby ski resorts of Levi and Ylläs. Open until 21 April 2019, entry to the snow village is €17.50 (around $20) for adults and €10 (around $11.50) for children, and snow suites from €320 (around $365) for a one night stay.

Scroll down for a sneak peek with awesome images of what’s in store…