Cold scrambled eggs. A murky swimming pool. A lone curled hair on your pillow.
Those aren’t the details your mom wants to hear when you talk about your overnights in Europe.
Instead, tell her you spent the night on a boat in the heart of Paris. That you stayed in a grotto in a Welsh mine 1400 feet below ground level. That you snuggled up in a suite made of ice.
There are loads of cool and uncanny accommodations in this part of the world. Check out some of Europe’s most unique hotels on your next visit.
Image Credit and Location: Off Seine, Paris
5 of Europe’s Most Unique Hotels
These unique European hotels let you make amazing vacation memories while you sleep.
#1: Icehotel | Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
What’s cooler than being cool? Ice-cold hotel rooms. Icehotel in Sweden is the OG when it comes to carving hotels out of ice. Sculpted in the winter and thawed in the spring, Icehotel’s seasonal rooms and suites let you snuggle up with a reindeer hide on a bed of ice. Snowsuits and boots are available to get you to your sauna appointment or for an early-morning hot lingonberry juice.
#2: Off Seine | Paris, France
When a frenemy tries bragging about their catamaran cruise in the French Riviera, nonchalantly tell them that you slept on a catamaran in the City of Lights. One of the most unique boutique hotels in Paris, Off Seine has fab rooms with river views, an all-you-can-eat weekend brunch, and a terrace hosting events throughout the week.
#3: Wasserturm Hotel | Cologne, Germany
Part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, the Wasserturm Hotel is a solid choice for those who love architecture and centralized water pumping stations. The hotel was originally the highest water tower in Europe, built 140 years ago. Now, it’s a five-star joint (presumably without a drop of water damage) where you can sip a beer on the rooftop terrace.
Image credit and location: Deep Sleep, Go Below Underground Adventures, Wales
#4: Deep Sleep | Snowdonia, Wales
No, it’s not a hotel in a former Welsh anesthesiologist’s office. Deep Sleep is an underground camping experience in the Snowdonia mountains. What’s the down-low on these digs? It’s reportedly the deepest accommodation on the planet, set a staggering 1375 vertical feet below a mountain (there is no elevator, so make sure you pack your hiking boots). It's located in an abandoned Victorian slate mine and it’s still abandoned most of the week. Overnights are only scheduled once a week but it’s worth it for those who want to go so far off the grid that they’re beneath it.
#5: Hotel Het Arresthuis | Roermond, Netherlands
You probably don’t want to spend time in the clink during your European vacation, unless you’re staying the night at Hotel Het Arresthuis. Once a prison in the Netherlands, they’ve recently removed the bars and put in an actual bar with a restaurant. The prisoner’s gym is now a sauna and fitness center where you can still pump iron like you’re passing time on a dime. Appropriately named suites (Lawyer, Judge, Jailer, and Director) give you more space to share with your cellmate — just don’t make such a criminally bad joke in front of your partner.
Image Credit and Location: Hotel Het Arresthuis, Roermond, Netherlands
Europe’s Most Unique Hotels: Trainline Edition
Because a train-themed hotel is the fastest way to get our butts into a bed.
Train Hostel | Brussels, Belgium
While on a trip to Brussels’ TrainWorld with your ferroequinologist friend, Train Hostel keeps your budget on track. Train carriages, railway antiques, and train memorabilia fill the spaces between the shared couchette carriages and private rooftop railway carriage penthouse suite.
Old Railway Station | Petworth, England
Here’s where our hearts are torn: to stay in a converted Pullman railway carriage or the main station house of Petworth’s Old Railway Station? This English B&B with an RR theme has us smitten. It just doesn’t get any better than afternoon tea on the platform.
Whistler Hotel | Paris, France
Whistler Hotel is like an old friend. It’s right in between Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord, two of our favorite French train stations, and in a perfect Parisian location. Little nods to the golden age of train travel like old school luggage and a locomotive-drawn train riding around the ceiling make this 4-star hotel all the more charming.
Wanna sleep on a train?
Is your European itinerary so packed that you’ve got little time for sleep? Download the Trainline app and discover dozens of sleeper trains that let you travel across the continent while you catch your z’s.
Header Image Credit: Asaf Kliger. Design: Benny Ekman. Image Location: Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. © ICEHOTEL www.icehotel.com