01
SnowCastle of Kemi
Kemi, Finland
The SnowCastle is rebuilt from scratch every winter on the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia, and no two editions share a plan — the layout, the carved decoration and the scale all change from year to year.
Accommodation splits between snow rooms, held a few degrees below freezing and slept in with proper expedition bedding, and heated glass-roofed and cabin-style rooms for anyone who would rather not. A snow restaurant and an ice chapel operate alongside.
Kemi's other attraction is the icebreaker that runs excursions out onto the frozen Bay of Bothnia, and the two are commonly combined. The whole thing melts in spring and returns the following winter.