Best Luxury Hotels in Zurich

The Widder Hotel is certainly among the most impressive historic hotels Zurich, if not all of Switzerland. The property comprises nine protected buildings that date as far back as the 12th century. It took over four years of careful building work and restoration to merge the separate houses while retaining as much as possible of the original period detail and character, including medieval wooden beams and even murals from the Middle Ages. Today, the 49 unique rooms (including 15 suites) feature a chic blend of mid-century modern furnishings and original period details -- some rooms even feature original murals and thick, gorgeous wood beams. In-room amenities are suitably swanky, and include free high-speed Wi-Fi, high-end stereo systems, and Bang & Olufsen TVs, while free mineral water and fresh fruit are replaced daily. Spacious bathrooms are finished in marble and come with robes and slippers; some suites have walk-in showers and stand-alone soaking tubs. There's also an excellent on-site restaurant with a huge selection of single malt whiskies. Rates are high even for a Zurich luxury hotel, especially given the lack of spa or fitness facilities. 

Considered one of the best hotels in Europe, the five-pearl Baur au Lac is a 170-year-old property set in beautiful gardens on the edge of Lake Zurich, just off Zurich’s famous luxury shopping street, Bahnhofstrasse. Its 120 guest rooms and suites are spacious and lavish, with marble bathrooms and many luxurious extras. The hotel offers three fine-dining restaurants, one of which has a Michelin star. Not surprisingly, the rates here are some of the highest in the city, but the hotel lacks certain facilities commonly found in luxury properties, like a swimming pool or spa.

Opened in 2004, the Park Hyatt Zurich was the city's first purpose-built luxury hotel and still holds the position of one of the finest properties in the city. The hotel's 142 rooms are some of the largest in the city and feature floor-to-ceiling windows, Italian furniture, and high-end amenities, like Nespresso machines and Bang & Olufsen TVs with satellite channels, on-demand movies, and DVD players. Other nice touches include daily fruit baskets, fresh flowers, and free mineral water. Marble bathrooms come with fluffy bathrobes, Grohe rainfall showers, separate soaking tubs, and luxury Laura Tonatto toiletries. Dining and drinking options are also impressive, though the hotel does lack a few features one might expect from this level of property (for example, a pool). Rates are sky-high, even by Zurich standards.

Storchen Zurich is a 66-room upscale hotel set in the center of Old Town. Its roots trace back more than 650 years, and it's the only hotel in Zurich that's right on the Limmat River. That means plenty of lovely waterway views from restaurant terraces and many of the rooms. Rooms have old-fashioned styling that include blue-and-white toile fabric, wooden furniture, and blue carpeting. Depending on one's taste, the hotel might feel a little dated or charmingly traditional. 

The only airport hotel actually attached to the airport, this 330-room luxury hotel is geared especially toward business travelers. Chic, sophisticated decor maintains a professional, but eclectic accents disclose flair. The centerpiece of the hotel is a spectacular 50-foot wine tower in the lobby (bottles are retrieved by cable-lifted “Wine Angels” who perform aerial acrobatics). Modern rooms include flat-screen LCD TVs with cable, coffee and tea stations, minibar, and free high-speed Wi-Fi. Some rooms come with Bose sound systems, bathrobes and slippers, free morning newspapers, or Nespresso coffeemakers. The hotel offers a wide-range of business amenities, including over 50 meeting rooms along with conference rooms that can accommodate up to 600 people. Perfect for busy business travelers, the hotel has everything guests need on-site: a fitness center, sauna, restaurant, bar, and more -- not to mention the attached airport.