Widder Hotel

Throw out the stereotypes about Zurich and its stuffy bankers and chocolate shops—the Widder defies all these with strikingly inventive design, while never forgetting about the fundamentals that make Swiss hotels some of the most professional in the world.

Cobbled together from eight medieval townhouses on the Old Town side of the Limmat river, the Widder′s traditional exterior gives away no hint of the ultramodern interiors inside. No two of its 42 rooms are alike, and in fact each building′s interior differs widely—expect anything from architecture-office chic, metal catwalks suspended by cables, to a sort of arts-district loft-renewal look, with visible ceiling beams and exposed brick or stone walls, to the beyond-traditional baroque looks of the Haus zum Pferch, with its ornately carved woodwork and minimal modern furniture.

All are aesthetically pleasing, the designs fully realized—you′ll not likely have the sense of having drawn one of the “off” rooms, no matter where you end up—and all are exquisitely comfortable, no corners cut in furnishings or fixtures. And that celebrated, unflappable Swiss hospitality—we′ve seen hotels this gorgeous, elsewhere in Europe, marred by spotty and forgetful service, courtesy of amateur staffers seemingly cast for their looks. Not so here: though by and large young and not unattractive, the Widder′s help is as cool and efficient as they come.

Zurich has always been mad for jazz, and that′s the theme at the Widder Bar. What, you were expecting a bass-thumping disco? Not likely in this town, where locals avoid using running water after midnight, so as not to wake the neighbors. There are options for the nightlife enthusiast, just not directly underneath any of the guest rooms—which is, as any number of you can attest from personal experience, a decidedly good thing.