Baur au Lac

Baur au Lac Review

Austria's Empress Elisabeth paved the way (spending an entire summer here with a retinue of 60 people). The Russian Tsarina and German Emperor Wilhelm II followed; Richard Wagner arrived and premiered the first act of his Die Walküre here, accompanied on the piano by his father-in-law, Franz Liszt. Kings and queens, empresses and dukes took turns visiting (and let's not forget Arthur Rubinstein, Marc Chagall, Henry Moore, and Plácido Domingo), making this hotel a truly upper-crust establishment ever since it opened its doors in 1844. Today there is nary an empress in sight. This is still one highbrow patrician—it even goes so far as to turn its broad back to the commercial center; its front rooms overlook the lake, the canal, and the manicured lawns of its own private park. Le Hall, the vast lobby, has a Jugenstil flavor and is just the place to aperitif the late afternoon away. Upstairs, the signature classic room decor gleams with rich fabrics and Empire mirrors. In summer meals (including breakfast) are served in the glassed-in pavilion along the canal; in winter, in the glowing Restaurant Français.