Sleeping in an ice hotel at 2600 m? Sceptical, yet curious looks. How will it be up there. Cold? Uncomfortable?
After our stay we can give you some insights and tips for sleeping in an igloo.
From Eibsee in Germany we take the gondola up to Germany´s highest mountain, the Zugspitze.
Looking down we see our destination for tonight. The Iglu-Dorf / ice hotel.
In the afternoon we met the guides at the Sonn Alpin. They tell us about the stay at the ice hotel, the activities for tonight and tips for staying warm.
After taking a sleeping bag we follow the two guides to the igloo village. Accompanied by other 9 guests we walk past Germany´s highest chapel and reach after a couple of minutes an impressive, white construction.
Behind a wooden door are 14 igloos. Connected with an aisle. We pass a cameleer in white with his camels and other African animals.
Next to the entrance is an impressive igloo with wooden tables and benches. The place to have dinner and a drink at the illuminated bar.
Our igloo is the romantic igloo. A flamingo couple carved out of the snow watches our sleep. We have electricity and two USB-slots inside our igloo.
This year´s theme Africa is present in every igloo and corner.
After a walk inside the igloo we have some cheese, (bacon), jam, olives and break. We drink tea. As often and much as we want. Tea is included during the stay at the hotel. Drinking enough liquid at this height is important.
Later we take our headlamps for a walk on the Zugspitzplatt. -11.5 degrees Celsius. A cold night, but while having fun sledging down the hill our bodies warm up, until we are hungry.
A Swiss cheese fondue and a mediterranean variation is waiting for us at the igloo. Inside it has about 0 degrees Celsius. Not too bad.
Before we crawl into our sleeping bags we enjoy the warm jacuzzi outside. Surrounded by the mountains and stars our bodies warm up again.
We stuff our clothes and cameras into the long sleeping bag to keep them warm and say “Good Night!” to the two flamingos above us.
The next morning at 7 o´clock the guides wake us with a hot Ricola-tea.
We leave the igloo and have breakfast at the warm Sonn Alpin restaurant.
Our tips for a comfortable stay at the ice hotel:
- bring enough warm clothes (skiwear), warm woolen socks and winter boots
- warm gloves
- 2 beanies (one of them for the jacuzzi)
- flip-flops and towel for the jacuzzi
- drink enough liquid like tea (there is a toilet in the ice hotel)
- go to the jacuzzi before you go to bed (it warms your body up for the night)
It gets cold at night but with the activities (taking a walk, sledging, jacuzzi) your body will be kept warm.
Staying at the ice hotel at the Zuspitze is a unique experience. Don´t expect a lobby or a warm toilet. But the guides will do everything to make you feel comfortable.
The view from the Zugspitze especially at night and during sunrise is one of a kind. You might see the fog down in the valleys and the Austrian Alps.
You like Winter, ice and snow. I´m sure you will like this post about winter in Austria – The Best Instagram Moments too. 😉
Thanks to Iglu-Dorf GmbH and Bayerischen Zugspitzbahn. The opinions are ours.
zuletzt aktualisiert am April 3, 2023
Wie genial! Da möchte ich hin. Und wie schön der Iglus gestaltet ist. Ganz klasse! Musste schmunzeln über den eingeklammerten Speck : ) Jutta
Ich bin mir sicher, dass es dir gefallen würde. Denn Eis und und Schnee sind ja wirklich dein Ding. Ja, was soll ich sagen. Mir/uns ist fleischlos einfach lieber…
Ja, das ist es! Apropos “fleischlos”: Ich gehöre ja eher ins grüne Lager (aber Fisch liebe ich heiß und innig), aber meine beiden Männer sind voll das Gegenteil. Ich kann also die Gelüste aller ganz gut verstehen und lass jeden wie er mag : ) Und so eine “Hirschkuss”-Schnaps möchte ich auch mal probieren!
Da geht es mir wie dir. Jeder sollte machen, wie er will, solange er andere in Ruhe lässt und sie nicht verurteilt. Der Hirschkuss war sehr lecker, allerdings bitte nur in Schnapsform. 😀
Spannend. Auch wenn ich mir das irgendwie so gar nicht vorstellen kann. Da friert einem doch nachts die Nase ab. ;)Würde ich trotzdem gerne mal ausprobieren. LG, Nadine
Also unsere Nasen sind noch dran und es geht ihnen gut. Eine Nacht bei 0 Grad ist mir auf jeden Fall lieber als unter Tags bei -28 Grad unterwegs zu sein. (Das hatten wir vor ein paar Jahren bei uns in Österreich).
Wow, this looks like a fantastic experience! I wish I had known about while I was in Germany!
Maybe next time. 😀 As it is close to the top of Germany´s highest mountain it is a hotel with a special view. Something to check out when being in Germany.
Wow! Looks awesome! I would love to experience an adventure like this. Althought, it must be really cold zzzr
It was okay. 0 degrees Celsius inside is not too bad. If you go skiing or snowboarding spending the day outside it can be a lot colder.
Looks like an awesome place to experience. I dont know how I would fare as I hate the cold.
With the activities and a lot of tea I am sure you could endure the cold.
What a CUTE experience! I love that it was Africa theme’d / romantic as well. What a nice way to spend a night. Chilly but nice!
The ice sculptures and the African animals on the walls where indeed beautiful. Too bad they will be gone in spring but the same time I am curious what next year´s theme will be.
I would definitely take someone with me to hotel like this. I would have an excuse to hug with him all the time 😀
Smart idea. Especially as the guys have more “heat” than we girls do.
This is so incredibly cool, literally. The view from the top of the hotel is quite dramatic. Thank you for inspiring me to make a stop here soon :). Adding it to my to-do list.
– Greig
Hope you will enjoy your stay, Greig.
Interessantes Erlebnis, Christina. Wir denken schon länger darüber nach, ob wir nicht einmal das Eishotel in Quebec ausprobieren sollten. Mal sehen 🙂 Danke für den informativen Bericht.
Ein Eishotel in Quebec? Das würde ich sofort ausprobieren. Damit ihr eine schöne Zeit habt kann ich euch nur unsere Tipps für einen angenehmen Aufenthalt ans Herz legen.
I think is almost the same like sleeping in a tent outside in the snow.
Anyway, the view of the mountains is special, I hope I can get there this winter.
Never tried sleeping in a tent outside in the snow. Although I think inside an igloo it´s more comfortable and maybe a little warmer. The view from the Zugspitze, especially during night and in the morning is something very special. It´s so quiet which is awesome.
ich wollte schon immer immer immer mal in einem iglu übernachten! danke für diesen tollen beitrag! liebe grüße aus teheran, ann
Liebe Grüße zurück nach Teheran. Im Moment schneit es bei uns, also bestünde noch die Möglichkeit im Iglu zu übernachten. 😉
Incredible! I don’t think I’ve seen any blogger experience something like this before! Just looking at your pictures makes me feel a shiver (as I sit here in this hot Indian summer)
Compared to India it IS cold. 😀
It was really a special experience and I would recommend it if you can cope with degrees a lot lower as you are used to in India.
Hallo liebe Christina,
ich war noch nie an der Zugspitze *peinlich*! Aber plane es für dieses Jahr fest ein! Da bin ich auf dienen tollen Beitrag gestoßen. Wusste gar nicht, dass es da oben ein Iglu-Dorf gibt!
Hallo Angelika,
viel Spaß auf der Zugspitze. Besuchst du sie im Sommer oder auch im Winter?