Glass igloos in Finland: what they cost, and what to check

What counts as a glass igloo

“Glass igloo” is the name Lapland’s hotels use for a heated room built around a glass roof or a glass wall over the bed, so you can watch the sky without going outside. It is a marketing term, not one building shape: at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort a Small Glass Igloo is a 25 m² dome for up to 3 people with 2 single beds, a shower, toilet and private sauna, and a Large Glass Igloo is a 38 m² dome for up to 5. Levin Iglut in Levi calls its 27 units on Utsuvaara fell igloos too, though its Suite and Superior Igloos are square cabins with a glazed wall and no dome. Wilderness Hotel Nellim, on Lake Inari, calls its equivalent rooms Aurora Cabins, and Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Rovaniemi calls its version the Arctic GlassHouse. Whatever the shape, the accurate term is glass-roof cabin: a normal, insulated room with one see-through surface aimed at the sky.

At the largest end, Kakslauttanen’s Luxury Kelo-Glass Igloo is a 310 m² house for up to 12 people, with three log-cabin bedrooms and three glass-domed bedrooms, a private sauna, a full kitchen and a living room with a fireplace.

Snow on the roof, cloud above it

A glass roof only shows what is above it. Snowfall and frost can cover the glass the same way they cover any window, and only one operator told us what it does about that. Arctic SnowHotel in Rovaniemi says its glass roofs carry electric heating that staff switch on as needed to keep the view clear after snow has fallen, alongside floor heating that keeps the room “as comfortable as a normal hotel room”. No page we opened for Kakslauttanen, Levin Iglut or Wilderness Hotel Nellim says anything about it, so ask before you book if it matters to you.

None of this changes what the sky itself does. A glass igloo cannot see through cloud any better than a viewing point outside can, and it cannot see the aurora at all between mid-April and August, when the nights in Finnish Lapland are too light. For what has to line up before you see anything, see our Northern Lights guide.

The Aurora Alarm, and watching without staying awake

Arctic SnowHotel gives every glass igloo a free device it calls the Aurora Alarm, which it says notifies guests with a sound when the northern lights become visible, so you do not have to stay awake watching the sky yourself. We did not find an equivalent device mentioned on the pages we opened for Kakslauttanen, Levin Iglut or Wilderness Hotel Nellim: at those properties, the glass roof itself is what wakes you, if anything does.

A night in a glass igloo

Kakslauttanen’s Luxury Kelo-Glass Igloo lists check-in from 15:00 and checkout by 10:00, which is a reasonable guide to the shape of a stay at any of these properties. Many are sold as a package and not as a bare room. Arctic SnowHotel’s one-night winter package pairs the glass igloo with a three-course dinner at its Kota restaurant, a buffet breakfast, sauna and hot tub access, a guided tour of the snow hotel, return transport from Rovaniemi, a welcome drink at its Ice Bar and equipment rental, and asks you to confirm your transport at least 24 hours ahead. Levin Iglut includes breakfast with every igloo, and its Suite Igloo adds a welcome drink, a stocked minibar and a porter for your luggage.

What it costs

Prices as published on each operator’s own site. None of these operators show a nightly rate for every room type. Levin Iglut and Arctic SnowHotel price glass igloo stays through a booking calendar, with no published list. Kakslauttanen publishes a rate for its whole house, and a starting rate of 501 EUR a night for a winter package with breakfast and dinner, rather than a rate per room type.

Wilderness Hotel Nellim’s season runs from 24 November 2026 to 4 April 2027. Kakslauttanen says its glass igloos operate “right through the northern lights season, which begins around the third week of August and finishes around the end of April.” Levin Iglut says the same, and that its 2026 season starts on 1 September. For what else a trip like this costs, see what Lapland really costs.

Where to find one

Glass-roof rooms are sold in most of the main bases. Kakslauttanen is in Saariselkä; Levin Iglut is on a fell above Levi; Arctic TreeHouse Hotel and Arctic SnowHotel are both near Rovaniemi; Wilderness Hotel Nellim is in Inari, on the shore of Lake Inari, about 45 minutes from Ivalo airport. If you would rather chase the aurora from outside than watch for it from bed, see our guide to Northern Lights tours. For a whole trip built around seeing the lights, see Northern Lights holidays, and for the higher end of this list, luxury Lapland holidays.

Is it worth it?

One night, not the whole stay. At 501 EUR upward a night, the usual pattern that works is a single glass-roofed night inside a trip otherwise spent in an ordinary room, in a place you would want to be anyway. A cloudy night under a glass roof costs exactly what a clear one does, and the number of nights you spend in Lapland raises your odds far more than the roof does. If the aurora is the reason for the trip, spend the difference on more nights instead.