The Widder is a rare beast in Zürich – a boutique hotel, with all the style, charm and personal service that the moniker implies. Ten years and CHF 150m in the making, renowned Swiss architect Tilda Theus was tasked with creating a modern hotel from nine medieval townhouses, preserving old frescos, charming exteriors and antique beams along the way. The result: the most stylish hotel in Zürich.

Capacious rooms are decorated with a who’s who of furniture design, including Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Charles and Ray Eames and Frank Lloyd Wright, along with modern paintings and sculptures from Andy Warhol, Augusto Giacometti, Serge Poliakoff and more. Blending antiques and period detail with modern glass and steel and state of the art technology, the hotel has the type of stylish simplicity that many aim for and few achieve. Added to superlative design and a super-central location is one of Zürich’s most decadent bars (see Bars) and a stylish restaurant.