World's Coolest Skating Rinks

At the Venetian hotel’s brand-new rink, skaters are surrounded by rink-side bar kiosks and appropriately flashy decorations like 30 giant sparkly snowflakes. A holiday-theme light show takes place nightly, and there’s a package available that combines a skating session with an outdoor gondola ride. Only in Vegas.

Admission is $24, including skate rental. Through January 8, 2012. venetian.com

The Yosemite Winter Club flooded an unused parking lot to create a makeshift skating rink back in 1928, and it’s since become a cherished park tradition. Half Dome and Glacier Point loom above, while an outdoor fire pit and warming hut keep skaters going. And ice skating is just the warm-up; Yosemite also offers downhill and cross-country skiing, as well as snowshoeing, ice climbing, sledding, sleigh rides, and even fishing.

Admission is $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for children, not including skate rental. Through early March 2012. yosemitepark.com

Is it any surprise the world’s largest ice-skating surface is in Canada? Ontario’s Rideau Canal bobs with boats in summer, but once the temperature drops, the 4.8-mile–long waterway—the size of 90 hockey rinks lined up end-to-end—teems with tourists and with locals skating to work or school. North America’s oldest functioning canal goes through Ottawa, Canada’s capital, all the way to Kingston. If you skate the entire frozen canal (and many do), there are plenty of snack stands along the way, and even an outdoor art gallery.

Admission is free, not including skate rental. Through February 2012. canadascapital.gc.ca

Swimming, surfing, and volleyball come to mind when you think of beachside activities. But if you happen to be in San Diego, you can add ice skating to that list. The city’s Hotel del Coronado hosts a 10,000-square-foot skating rink that overlooks the Pacific. As you spin around the synthetic ice, gaze up at the palm trees and listen to the soothing sound of the waves.

Admission is $25, including skate rental, a portion of which goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Through January 8, 2012. hoteldel.com

Ice skating in July? Yes, please! This Sun Valley public outdoor ice rink is one of the few spots in North America where you can skate any time of the year. Even Olympic figure skaters congregate here to perform their mind-blowing stunts at the Sun Valley Summer Ice Shows. And because Sun Valley is a premier resort town, you can opt to ski, hike, play tennis, or even hunt for celebrities when you’ve spent enough time twirling around the ice.

Admission is $11 for adults, $9 for children, not including skate rental. Year-round. sunvalley.com

Skating doesn’t get much more dreamy than in Paris, where you can glide hand-in-hand 188 feet above the twinkling city—on the first-level observation deck of its most iconic landmark. The view includes the famous golden dome of Invalides, Napoleon’s final resting place. Linger over a cup of hot chocolate or mulled wine with cinnamon at the bar next to the skating rink.

Admission is free, not including skate rental or the general ticket to the Eiffel Tower. Through January 31, 2012. eiffel-tower.com

Last winter, 56,000 people descended on Moscow’s Red Square—not to protest, but to skate. The rink spans 32,000 square feet and covers one quarter of the historic square, shared with St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin. It stays open until midnight, so you’ll have ample time to take in the beautiful lights.

Admission is about 30 cents to $3, depending on the date. Through March 11, 2012. gum.ru/katok/

Japan’s Fuji-Q Highland is known for scary roller coasters like The Dodonpa. But you can still get your kicks in winter, when the amusement park unleashes the largest outdoor ice-skating rink in Japan at 165,750 square feet (3.8 acres). It’s a prime spot for viewing snowcapped Mount Fuji—and for skating newbies: staff are on hand daily for free lessons.

Admission is about $15 for adults, $8 for children, not including skate rental. Through March 20, 2012. fuji-q.com

In time for Christmas, Vienna transforms the front of its imposing Rathaus (City Hall) into a 75,000-square-foot rink. They call it Wiener Eistraum, literally, Vienna Ice Dream, and skating here can feel downright magical. Listen to music from live DJs as you whiz past the elaborate light displays, and refuel at one of the glühwein (mulled wine) bars.

Admission is about $8, not including skate rental. Through April 3, 2012.

This London rink gets its cool factor from allowing you to skate on a centuries-old moat. As you practice your figure eights in full view of the castle’s fortress battlements, alongside the River Thames, consider that you’re right by the world-famous Crown Jewels and—legend has it—the ghost of Anne Boleyn, beheaded in 1536 for treason against King Henry.

Admission is $16-$19 for adults and $12-$13 for children, including skate rental. Through January 8, 2012. toweroflondonicerink.com

Winter’s drama is on display here within Banff National Park, where skaters take in views of the Canadian Rockies and Victoria Glacier. Cooler still is the ice castle carved by the Fairmont Chateau chefs as a centerpiece for the lake’s rink.(If hockey is more your speed, there’s an additional rink nearby.) When you’re ready to warm up, enjoy free hot chocolate while huddling around a big bonfire.

Admission is free to the public, not including skate rental. Through mid-April.

There’s no shortage of cool city rinks, from Bryant Park’s free rink to grand Rockefeller Center, still the go-to skating destination for many tourists. But our pick is Wollman Rink, which is more than three times the size of Rockefeller’s and has better views from the ice—a forest of skyscrapers and Central Park’s trees. Just keep an eye out for teetering kids as it’s a popular family spot; the Central Park Zoo is nearby.

Admission is $10.75 to $16, depending on the day of the week, not including skate rental. Through March 2012. wollmanskatingrink.com/

The lone indoor rink on our list, the Depot Rink is located in a historic downtown Minneapolis train> station. At its peak in 1920, it operated 29 trains a day before closing for good in 1971. Now the rink’s floor-to-ceiling glass windows let you keep nice and toasty as you skate past a spectacular view of the Minneapolis skyline.

Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for children, not including skate rental. Through March 18, 2012. thedepotminneapolis.com