Looking for a bucket-list-worthy experience near Québec City? Then you must check out Québec’s ice hotel (Hôtel de Glace) and snow tube park! They are both located in the Village Vacances Valcartier complex, which is a mere 30-minute drive from downtown Québec City. I took a day trip here while in Québec City for a long weekend over New Year’s and it was SO.MUCH.FUN.
Hôtel de Glace (Ice Hotel)
The Hôtel de Glace was inspired by the Icehotel in Sweden and is the only one of its kind in North America! A unique version of the ice hotel has been built near Québec City every year since 2001. It has a different theme each year (because it inevitably melts come springtime). The theme for 2019 is “Les Jardins” or “The Gardens.” This was evidenced by the intricate forest and flower motifs in the rooms. Though the structure and theme of the ice hotel vary each year, some elements are perennial. These include a Nordic spa with outdoor hot tubs, an ice bar, and an ice chapel where real weddings take place! Fun fact: the Hallmark movie “Winter Castle” was filmed on location at the Québec ice hotel in 2018!
Construction of the hotel usually begins in December (after temperatures have been below freezing for at least one week) and is open through late March. It takes a team of roughly 30 builders about 6-8 weeks to build the actual structure of the hotel and chapel. In addition, about 20 sculptors and decorators are enlisted each year to construct the elaborate sculptures and chandeliers adorning the central hall, and to decorate the 40+ themed rooms and suites inside. The hotel is made from 500 tons of ice and 30,000 tons of snow and, once finished, measures 32,000-square-feet!
Obviously the bucket list-worthy activity is to sleep at the hotel for the night. Nightly room rates start at 495 CAD, with access to the room and outdoor Nordic spa from 9 PM to 9 AM. All guests are given guidance on what to bring and wear to maximize warmth and receive a safety briefing at check-in. Indoor temps at the hotel are around 20°F (-5°C) so guests are supplied with sleeping bags designed to withstand temps as low as -22°F (-30°C). Guests also have the option of escaping to an indoor bunkroom if the frigid temps prove to be unbearable! And, since I’m sure you’re wondering, all bathroom facilities are located indoors.
Sadly, I wasn’t able to check an overnight stay in an ice hotel off my bucket list this time around. However, it’s possible to visit the ice hotel with a day pass, which costs between 20-35 CAD. There is an optional behind-the-scenes tour to hear about the construction and maintenance process of the Hôtel de Glace. The highlight of the day visit is, of course, taking in the scene at the Ice Bar in the hotel. Here you can imbibe in a cocktail served not on ice, but in a glass made of ice!
Snow Tubing Park
The ice hotel might be the most famous attraction on the property, but there are numerous other activities in the Village Vacances Valcartier. After all, it is known as North America’s largest winter playground! The other attractions include shops, restaurants, a spa, an indoor water park, and an outdoor snow tubing park. I channeled my inner child and had more fun than I’ve had in awhile zooming down the snow tubing hills!
I was actually not expecting the snow tubing park to be as big and steep as it was; it was literally the size of a small ski hill. There are 35 different slides ranging in difficulty from easy to death-defying. Luckily, there are rope tows that take you back up the hill so you don’t have to make the trek yourself! For the small tykes and the less adventurous, there is a children’s playground and a central tubing area with easier tubing runs.
For the more adventurous (like me), head to the Avalanche area of the snow park. The area includes 9 slides of varying difficulty, and well as a snow rafting option and the Tornado run. The Tornado is a boat suited for 3-8 people. It has a special whirling mechanism installed that makes the boat spin in circles as you zoom down the mountain. There is also an area called Himalaya. This area wasn’t open when I was there but apparently has 4 ultra-long and ultra-steep slides.
The highlight of the snow tubing park for me was most definitely the Everest slide. The slide is over 100 feet (33 meters) high and has an extremely steep pitch. It’s the highest accelerating slide in North America! The pictures do not really do justice to just how high and steep this slide is. It is mandatory to ride the slide in a group of 2-4. Each person sits in an individual inner tube and links their feet under the arms of the people in front of them. It is literally like you are riding on a human roller coaster and your stomach drops like crazy. It was so much fun but definitely not for the faint of heart. Not only because of the height and speed of the ride, but also because you have to hike up about 5 flights of stairs each time!
Cabane à Sucre (Sugar Shack)
To finish off the day, we stopped by the Cabane à Sucre (aka Sugar Shack). We tried a novelty found mainly in Eastern Canada known as maple taffy. The taffy is made by first boiling maple sap into a syrup. Then, the molten syrup is poured onto fresh, white snow. You have to wait about 30 seconds for the syrup to harden. Then you roll the taffy up into a rose-bud shape using a large wooden Popsicle stick. The maple taffy was so delicious. It reminded me of the Sugar Daddy candy I used to eat as a child!
Are you brave enough to spend the night in an ice hotel?!
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