3 Outstanding Hotels in Switzerland to Include in Your Itinerary

Looking for accommodations in Switzerland? In this episode I share my thoughts on three hotels I recently had the pleasure of staying at.

My recent trip to Switzerland included stays at B2 Hotel Zurich (surely one of the coolest hotels in Switzerland with its unique 33,000-book library), Glacier Hotel Grindelwald and Volkshaus Basel.

Each of these Swiss hotels has its own personality and style, from urban chic to cosy accommodation in the Swiss Alps, and all delivered a comfortable and relaxing stay.

If you are trying to choose hotels in Zurich, Grindelwald or Basel, tune in to learn why I loved these properties before you make your Switzerland hotel booking!

Safe travels,

Carolyn

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Transcript

Announcer
Are you dreaming of visiting Switzerland? Planning a trip to Switzerland is very exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. How do you choose which are the many scenic cities, towns, and villages to visit? Which mountaintop excursions should you take? And what's the best way to get around Switzerland? And of course, how much of the country can you realistically see within your time frame? If you've asked yourself off any of these questions, this is the podcast for you. This is the Holidays to Switzerland Travel podcast. And in each episode, your host, Carolyn Schönafinger, chats with Swiss travel experts to answer your most commonly asked questions provide practical tips and take you on a virtual visit to the most popular destinations, and of course, some hidden gems to help you plan your dream trip to Switzerland. You'll hear plenty of conversations about Swiss cheese and chocolate, too. Are you ready to plan your trip to Switzerland? Well, let's get started.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Grüezi, welcome to this week's episode of the Holidays to Switzerland podcast. Accommodation or lodging is likely to take up a pretty large chunk of your Swiss vacation budget, so choosing wisely is important. Are you someone who's only concern is a bed for the night and you're not that worried about the facilities on offer or the location? Or do you prefer a certain level of comfort and believe that your choice of accommodation can make or break a trip? Well, I definitely fall into the latter category, and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm definitely a four-star traveller these days. For sure, I often stay in self-catering accommodation if I'll be in a location for four nights or more. But for shorter stays, a four-star hotel is always my choice. On my recent trip to Switzerland, I was a guest of three amazing hotels in various locations around Switzerland, which I'm going to tell you about today. These hotels don't belong to big international hotel chains. In fact, outside the major cities, you won't find many of those in Switzerland. And that's something that I find really refreshing. These hotels that I stayed in all have a personality and uniqueness of their own, and they're definitely worth considering, including in your travels.

Carolyn Schönafinger
Now, although I was a guest of these hotels, I can promise you that everything I share with you today is my honest opinion. I genuinely loved each hotel, and I'd gladly return and pay my own way to stay in each of them again. The first hotel was the B2 Hotel, which I touched on a few episodes ago in my post-trip report. The B2 Hotel is a four-star hotel in Zurich, and we stayed here for one night. The hotel is housed in a former brewery, and it's in a quiet location, but within really easy reach of Zurich's Old Town and the main train station. The hotel opened in 2012, and the designers have created a really good blend of modern style with all the modern touches and facilities, but they've combined that easily with the building's industrial past. And one of the unique features or the main feature of the B2 Hotel is its library, which is like the heart and soul of the building. And here you'll find over 33,000 books. Now, I was told that the hotel's owner is a book lover. And when a friend of his was closing down a bookstore, he purchased the books and relocated them all to the new hotels library.

Carolyn Schönafinger
You'll see the books as soon as you walk into the reception area of the hotel, the library is further beyond the reception area, and it looks so impressive. You can actually take any of the books off the shelf and read them while you're there, which is a really nice little touch. Now, also in the library, there's some really trendy chandeliers which are made from beer bottles, a nod to the former brewery. And this is where breakfast is taken each day. So breakfast is included in all room and it's served in the library. It's a buffet style with lots to choose from: bread, cereals, yoghurts, cold cuts, cheese, etc. And it features Zurich made products wherever possible. And you can also have your eggs cooked to order, too. The library is a great place also to have a coffee or drinks or a meal throughout the day. We didn't eat dinner there because we were in Zurich visiting the Christmas markets over dinner But you can definitely have lunch or dinner in the library cafe, or just a coffee or a drink during the day. There's also a seating area on the terrace outside the hotel entrance, which would be perfect for enjoying a relaxing drink on a sunny day.

Carolyn Schönafinger
Unfortunately, it was too chilly to sit outside when I was there in December. The hotel has a total of 60 rooms and suites, and they're all furnished in neutral tones, but with really great pops of colour. And all of them have heaps and heaps of natural light coming in. Even the smallest double room is very spacious at 24 square metres, so there's no squeezing up against a wall to get into bed. I stayed in one of the duplex suites, which features a mezzanine level, and it's a huge. It was 55 square metres. On the downstairs level was a living area, a dining area with a free minibar, the bathroom, which had a rain shower, and even a private balcony. There was also a large TV, a safe complementary WiFi, as you'd expect in a modern hotel. Upstairs was a king-size bed and a free-standing bath, and it really was super comfortable. Now, some of the hotels rooms and suites can accommodate up to three adults, so that's good to know. If you're someone who likes to keep fit whilst you're on vacation, you can enjoy a workout in the gym, which is housed in the former pump room of the brewery, and it still features some remnants of the past, including a bunker that was built for the Brew Master during World War II.

Carolyn Schönafinger
I'm told that the Brew master was told to stay in this bunker and keep an eye on the... Well, actually, he was in there with the recipe for the beer, and that was to be protected at all costs in case the brewery was bombed. Now, thankfully, it wasn't, and the bunker is still in perfect condition today. But boy, is it small? You wouldn't want to be in there for very long, I can tell you. Adjoining the hotel is the impressive Hürlimannbad and Spa, which is a wellness centre with three thermal pools, including a rooftop infinity pool that overlooks the city. Now, Hürlimann was the name of the brewery, and that's where the wellness centre gets its name from. The spa centre is open every day from 9: 00 until 10: 00. It's open to the public. But hotel guests actually get discounted entry, which I'll tell you about in a minute. I visited the spa at around 8: 00 PM at night, and it was surreal, but really incredible to soak in the thermal waters of the Infinity pool and look out at the twinkling lights of Zurich. It was quite amazing. Bathrobes, towels, and slippers are provided for each guest.

Carolyn Schönafinger
And like I said, the hotel guests get a reduced entry fee, and they can also access the spa centre through the hotel via a private lift. So you don't have to go out into any public areas in your bathrobe if you don't want to. Normally, hotel guests get half-price entry to the thermal spa centre. But as a special bonus for our podcast listeners, the B2 Hotel has kindly offered a complimentary glass of wine on arrival and free entry to the Hürlimannbad and Spa for anyone listening to the podcast. So that's a saving of at least 42 Swiss franc per adult, which is fantastic. And the only thing you have to do to take advantage of this offer is you must make your hotel reservation on the B2 Hotel website and add the promo code HT Swiss in the redeem code box. I'll put all the details about the offer and a link to the hotel's website in the show notes for this episode, so you can take advantage of this fantastic offer. As I mentioned, the B2 Hotel is located on a hill in the quiet Inge neighbourhood, and it's just 11 minutes by public transport from Zurich's main station.

Carolyn Schönafinger
15 minutes from the Old Town, and around about 25 minutes from the airport. And if you do arrive by car, the hotel offers valet parking for an additional nightly fee. The very friendly staff or guest ambassadors, as they are called, will be only too happy to help you with the directions and suggestions on how to spend your time in Zurich. So if you're looking for somewhere to stay in Zurich, Zurich, definitely check out the B2 Hotel. The next hotel that I wanted to tell you about today is in Grindelwald, in the beautiful Jungfrau region. It's the Glacier Hotel and Restaurant. It's a four-star superior hotel, and we stayed here for two nights. If there's one thing that you'll always remember about the Glacier Hotel, it's the views. The hotel is located on a hillside which is dotted with typical Alpine chalets and surrounded by towering mountain peaks, including the famous Eiger. It really is the quintessential Swiss Alpine scene. You notice the views as soon as you walk into the reception area, from the huge windows of the restaurants and lounge area, and of course, from the comfort of your room. The hotel is housed in a traditional chalet-style building, and it dates back to 1864.

Carolyn Schönafinger
Obviously, been renovated and updated numerous times over those years, and the latest renovation took place about seven years ago when a new reception area and terrace were added. But honestly, even knowing that the renovation happened seven years ago, everything still looks brand new today. There are only 28 rooms in the Glacier Hotel, and there's three different categories of room. There are double rooms rooms, Eiger View rooms, and Signature rooms. And they all have warm but neutral furnishings and large windows and plenty of light. I stayed in an Iger view suite, which was around 35 square metres, and it had a king-size bed, desk and wardrobe, separate living area with a sofa bed, bathroom had a shower, separate WC, and there was a balcony looking straight to the Eiger. Other amenities in the room included a TV, safe, Wi-Fi, an Nespresso coffee and tea machine, and even a Bluetooth box. Now, there are five of those superior rooms that I mentioned, and this is the highest category of room type. And these all feature a balcony with their own private whirlpool, which faces the Eiger North Face. I'm told that these rooms book out really well on advance as you'd expect, and they're super popular with honeymooners and those enjoying a romantic night away.

Carolyn Schönafinger
Those breathtaking views that I mentioned before hit you as soon as you enter the hotel hotels' reception area, and it's just past that that you'll find both of the hotels' restaurants. There's the Petit Glacier and Glacier Fine Dining. The Glacier Fine Dining restaurant has actually been awarded 16 points at the Gault Millau. Both of the restaurants have floor to ceiling windows, so you can sit there enjoying your delicious meal while you're just taking in those beautiful views. And there's also a terrace which is open for dining in fine weather. Both evenings, I ate at the Petit Glacier, and the meals were exceptional. Now, the first night, our meal was included. We were hosted for that meal, but it was so good that the next night we said, We're definitely eating here again. And we paid for the second meal ourselves. Lots of seasonal and regionally sourced products are used wherever possible in the meals. And I enjoyed mushroom ravioli with butter and sage sauce one night and perch on rice with the butter sauce the next night. My husband ordered the burger one evening and venison with pasta gratin the next evening. And I can tell you that our entrees and desserts were also delicious.

Carolyn Schönafinger
If you're a wine connoisseur, you are spoiled for choice at the Glacier. There are over 150 wines available by the glass. 150? And they've got around 600 different varieties of wine available. Wow. The hotel has even won an award for having the best wine list in Switzerland, which is pretty impressive. Breakfast is included in all the room rates. Again, it's buffet style with a really good selection of hot and cold dishes, including cold meats, cereals, yoghurt, fresh fruit and nuts, bread, eggs, sausages, bacon, etc. There are vegan options too, and everything comes with those wonderful views. One thing that you must do if you stay at the Glacier Hotel is spend some time in the spa and wellness centre. Admission is free for hotel guests, and only a maximum of 10 guests can use the centre at a time. So it's essential that you book a time ahead with reception. There's a Finnish sauna, a steam room, which is heated to 45 degrees and a It's these beautiful essential oils. There's water beds, and the Piece de Résistance is, of course, the outdoor whirlpool, which faces the Eiger North Face. It's heated to 37 degrees celsius, and it's the perfect place to unwind after a day on the slopes or a day on the hiking trails, or just because you can.

Carolyn Schönafinger
Some of the other amenities at the hotel include a small fitness room and a laundry with washing machines, dryers, and irons and ironing boards, and the friendly staff are on hand to give you tips and recommendations for sightseeing and activities as well. The Glacier Hotel is is located away from the main street of Grindelwald, so you're away from all the hustle and bustle, but still really close to all the services. The train station is only about 450 metres away, uphill from the hotel. You can walk there in around 15 minutes. You can catch the local bus, or you can request a ride from the hotel's shuttle van. You can also catch the local bus right outside the door to Grindelwald Terminal. If you arrive by car, there's parking available for guests, too. I just really, really loved my stay at the Glacier Hotel, and I know you will, too. And if you do decide to book a stay and do that directly on the hotel's website and add in our promo code, you'll receive a complimentary welcome drink, per person, which you can sit down and enjoy in the beautiful lounge and look out those floor to ceiling windows at the amazing views. A great way to start your stay at the Glacier Hotel for sure. And the website is theglacier.ch.

Carolyn Schönafinger
The third and final hotel that I wanted to tell you about today. It was the Völkhaus Basel. Now, this was our last night in Switzerland. We were flying out from Basel Airport the next day, and my first visit to Basel. So it was great. The location of the hotel It was perfect. Really close and handy access for me to explore the Old Town and visit some of the city's main sites. As I said, we only had the one night in Basel, and this is a four-star hotel in a perfect location in the Klein Basel area. So it's just across the Rhine from the Old Town. This hotel is housed in a very historical building as well. It's served as both a monastery and a brewery. So there's some theme there. Lots of Swiss breweries become hotels by the sounds of it. The hotel was renovated and reopened in 2020, and it was designed by the renowned architects from Basel, Herzog & de Meuron. The style has been described as modern with 1920s flair, and I think that sums it up perfectly.

Carolyn Schönafinger
All of the rooms and suites, and there are 45 in total, have really clean lines, neutral colours with a signature bold green wall or some element, and unique art and furnishings. And there are a range of different room categories from cosy doubles to the 70 square metre terrace suite, which is a breathtaking view of the Basel Minster from its private roof terrace. I was lucky enough to have a look in this room, and we were on the terrace just after dark. The views were just incredible to the Minster and the lights over the city. I stayed in a spacious Junior Suite, and it featured a king-size bed as well as a casual seating area and a table and chairs. And there was a complimentary Gin bar, which was a really nice touch. Other amenities included a flat screen TV, safe and WiFi our room had a bathtub as well as a separate walk-in shower and a separate WC. And there were plenty of windows overlooking a pretty courtyard. On each floor of the hotel, you'll find a complimentary coffee, tea, and water station, so you can go and grab a drink at any time of the day or night.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Now, if you're looking for something a little stronger or you're not into gin, you can head down to the hotel's Im Bar. It's named after the German artist, Imi Knoebel, who designed the glass windows that are in the bar. So they're a one-off design exclusively for the bar. The bar has street frontage, so it's also a really popular meeting spot for locals who call in for a drink or a snack after work, so it's got a really great vibe to it. Then when it's time for dinner, you don't need to wander far from the Im Bar because the Brasserie is right next door, and this offers a really elegant dining experience. The ambiance is just as impressive as the meals, which include a variety of French and Swiss cuisine. And there's lots of carefully thought out touches, like hand-blown glass lamps and individually designed chairs. That's right. I think there are 100 seats in the restaurant, and every single chair is a unique individual piece, and it's numbered. So you could probably go there a hundred times and be seated in a different chair every single time. For my dinner, which we paid for ourselves.

Carolyn Schönafinger
It wasn't included as a part of our stay. I chose a Swiss classic, which was Veal schnitzel, and it was absolutely delicious. Now, the restaurant is also really popular with the locals, so reservations are definitely recommended. If you're there in the warmer months, I believe that dining out in the courtyard is possible, too. For breakfast, the hotel serves a buffet, again, included in all room rates. It's served in the Im Bar from Monday to Friday and in the Brasserie on Saturday and Sunday. Again, a good selection of hot and cold dishes and juices and hot drinks are available so you can definitely fill up and you'll be set for the day. The hotel, as I said, is very centrally located. It's just a five or 10 minute walk to the Rhine and a 20 minute walk to Basel Minster or the town hall and Market Square. There's a really vibrant shopping centre just around the corner and a tram stop five minutes from the hotel. Basel's many museums can be easily reached by public transport from the hotel, and the hotel staff are happy to recommend their favourites to you. Sadly, we didn't have time to visit any of the museums this time, so we'll just have to go back.

Carolyn Schönafinger
You can get to the Market Square by tram in about five minutes, and Basel main station is only 15 minutes away. The hotel doesn't have its own car park, so if you're coming by car, you will need to park in one of the public parking garages but there's one of those very close by.

Carolyn Schönafinger
So there you have my thoughts on three beautiful hotels in Switzerland. Now, whilst these hotels are all very different from location to style, as I said before, I absolutely loved them all, and I would gladly pay my own way to stay at these hotels again. Now, I do want to point out that if any of the information that I've given you today is incorrect, it's purely my mistake. I took down plenty of notes, took plenty of photos of the rooms and the hotels, but if I have remembered something incorrectly, please forgive me. That's my mistake. You can check the hotels' individual websites to get all the accurate information. And I'll include links to all those websites, plus the details about the bonuses offered by the B2 and Glacier hotels in the show notes for this episode. And I'll also include some of the photos that I took so you can see actually what the rooms look like and what the public spaces look like as well.

Carolyn Schönafinger
Those show notes will be at holidaystoswitzerland.com/episode125. Thank you very much for joining me today. I hope you'll join me again next week for another episode of the Holidays to Switzerland Travel podcast. Until then, tschüss.