Winter is high season for hygge in Winnipeg.
If you are unfamiliar with the term, hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is loosely translated as a Danish word for creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people.
Savouring a cup of warm tea is hygge. Sitting around a toasty bonfire is hygge. And there’s nothing more hygge than gathering with your travel companions in Winnipeg, where all these places and experiences will make you feel warm, cozy, and above all, content. Curl up under a fuzzy blanket and read on...
Thermëa by Nordik Spa-Nature
Starting with the obvious, Winnipeg’s outdoor Scandanavian spa could be featured on a hygge postcard. As soon as you enter, you’ll immediately slow down, inhale a deep breath and experience the warmth, scents and serenity of this stunning facility. Don your robe (which is supplied) and toque then take in the surroundings which include several thermal pools, a massive Finnish sauna, steam rooms, numerous firepits, and a relaxation chamber with heated tile seats, headphones tuned to tranquil spa music and plenty of mats for dozing.
Go with a small batch of travel companions and quietly converse in the outdoor pools surrounded by snow. Or, spend some quality 'alone time' reading in a heated hammock or inside the relaxation chalet with a cup of tea (also provided).
Its Restö offers a mix of indulgent cuisine, along with craft cocktails, local craft beers and wine by the bottle or glass. Plus, you get to dine in your robe, with options of the tiered dining room or the lounge which is centred around a crackling fireplace.
Go early and be sure to make a reservation, as this place can fill up fast in the winter. You may not want to make plans for the evening as Thermëa is known to make you so relaxed that you’ll most likely just want to doze when you get back to your hotel.
This place hygge(s) that hard.
Board games and brunch
Cell phone scrolling is so not hygge, but board games certainly are.
Bring your group to Across the Board Game Café and select one the 1,600+ board games from the floor-to-ceiling library. This cheerful, welcoming café offers up a fresh and fun menu of small bites, pizzas, sandwiches and desserts to share or savour yourself, as well as a mighty fine selection of boozy coffees. The atmosphere here is always warm and welcoming, with game masters available on evenings and weekends to help you select a game, learn the rules, and perhaps even tap into when you need to make an all-important call to settle a point.
The Forks Market embodies hygge, with its multiple rooms and halls for relaxation, along with its diverse array of food and drink. To make it even more approachable, Sunday Brunch with board games is now back this winter. From 10 a.m. to noon you can enjoy mimosas, boozy coffees and a selection of brunch dishes from several vendors –– including the new Passerby Bar with its ‘brunch bites’ –– while Fete Jockey Events is on hand slinging board games like dim sum (from a cart). The Market now has free ping pong tables to use, which is totally hygge on a winter’s day (if you don’t gloat after you ace a serve).
Have a hot cuppa
The Danes like a glass of gløgg (mulled wine) with their hygge, so take a page from their book and find something that warms your cup and soul. Try a tea cocktail at Amsterdam Tea Room, such as the soothing London Fog made with Kenyan Earl Grey gin, Madagascar vanilla bean and steamed milk.
You can also pick a seasonal latte from some of the city’s hippest coffee spots, which you can find all over the city using our Eat & Drink website (search under cafés).
Walk in nature (without leaving the city)
Taking a walk and getting close to nature — with all the sights, sounds and smells that come with it — is the perfect way to hygge, especially if you reward yourself with a hot drink and sweet treat afterwards.
Trek on snowshoe (rentals available onsite) or on foot around FortWhyte Alive’s seven kilometres of groomed trails that wind throughout the marsh and forest. You’re almost guaranteed to spy white-tailed deer, along with North America’s largest urban bison herd.
Should you get peckish or chilly, the Buffalo Stone Café awaits with farm-to-table fare and hot beverages, along with views of the surrounding snow-covered landscape.
