Bahnhofstrasse / Lakefront

Baur au Lac

★★★★★

Baur au Lac is the hotel that defines luxury in Zurich, and it has done so for more than 180 years. Johannes Baur opened it in 1844 as a summer residence on the shore of Lake Zurich, in what was then open land at the end of the old town, and his descendants still run it today, now in the seventh generation, with Marguita Kracht and her father Andrea Kracht at the helm. That continuity is the secret of its character: the house has the polish of a palace and the warmth of a family home, and many of its staff have served generations of the same guests. The hotel stands at Talstrasse 1, in its own private park of mature trees with lawns running down to the Schanzengraben canal and the lake, a rare green island at the bottom of the Bahnhofstrasse, so that guests step out of a quiet garden into Zurich's most exclusive shopping street, with the lake promenade and the Buerkliplatz boat landing a minute away. The 119 rooms, including 46 suites, are individually designed, from classic interiors with fine fabrics and antiques to fresher contemporary styles, and many look out over the park, the canal or the lake towards the Alps. The restaurants are among the city's best-known addresses. Marguita, redesigned in 2024, serves Mediterranean cuisine with a terrace on the lake side; Baur's, the brasserie and bar redesigned by Martin Brudnizki in 2019, is a lively all-day place for Zurich's business and social life; Le Hall is the all-day lobby restaurant; and afternoon tea is served from October to April. The hotel also runs a wine merchant, Baur au Lac Vins. There is no spa, but a fitness area looks over the lake and the Alps, with personal training on request. Each summer the park becomes an open-air gallery for the Art in the Park programme, held since 2007. Baur au Lac holds three Michelin Keys, the guide's highest distinction for hotels. Rates are at the very top of the Zurich market.

Staying at Baur au Lac: the experience is about service and setting more than gadgets. Rooms are calm and spacious, with marble bathrooms and high-quality beds, and the best face the park and the lake; suites add living rooms and, in some cases, terraces. Staff know returning guests by name, and the concierge is one of the best-connected in the city for restaurant bookings, opera tickets at the Opernhaus and private excursions. In summer, breakfast and dinner on the terraces and the park are the highlights; in winter, afternoon tea and the warm lights of Le Hall and Baur's make the hotel a cosy refuge.

Eating and drinking: Marguita is the place for a long summer lunch by the water, Baur's for a lively dinner or a cocktail at the bar, and Le Hall for a light meal at any time. Non-residents fill the restaurants, which gives the hotel a buzzing local atmosphere. Book ahead for dinner, especially on weekends and during events.

Location and who it suits: at the lake end of the Bahnhofstrasse, the hotel is a short walk from the Paradeplatz, the Old Town, the Fraumuenster and the lake boats, and about ten minutes by taxi or tram from the main station. It suits travellers celebrating an occasion, luxury travellers who value tradition and discretion, and anyone who wants a quiet, green base in the very centre of the city. Those who want a spa or a contemporary design hotel may prefer elsewhere, and rates are steep, but as an experience of Zurich at its most refined, there is nothing quite like it.