Looking for something to kick-off the winter semester? Canada’s—and North America’s—first snow village officially opens in Montreal’s Park Jean-Drapeau on January 18th and runs until March 31st. The unique village boasts an ice and snow replica of the city of Montreal, and it is the first of its kind to be set up in a major metropolitan area. The village is a quick three-minute walk from the Jean-Drapeau metro station.
Based on a Finnish concept, Montreal’s snow village offers its visitors winter sports, mazes and slides. It also features an ice hotel, six traditional igloos, a heated glass igloo, an ice chapel where couples can get married, an ice-bar with a terrace seating up to two hundred and fifty guests, as well as a restaurant for sixty people. There will even be five hot tubs! While a three-course dinner is a bit pricey at $59 per person, lunch is a reasonable $16 per person with the option of adding dessert for $4.
The snow village is open from 9:00am to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and from 9:00am to 3:00am Thursday through Saturday. With its natural light during the day and special architectural light effects at night, the village will be worth a visit at any time of the day. A weekday pass for students is only $11.50, and a weekend pass is $15. Tickets can be bought on site or online.
Worried about the temperature of this icy accommodation? Thanks to snow’s remarkable insulating properties, you can easily warm up to the idea: the interior temperature of the village buildings remains between -2 and -5 degrees.
Visit their website for more information!