Basel

Switzerland

Positioned at the meeting point of Switzerland, France and Germany, Basel is a refined cultural destination shaped by centuries of intellectual exchange, contemporary design and world-class architecture. Unlike flashier Zurich, Basel offers something quieter and deeper – a city break steeped in substance.

Often celebrated as Switzerland’s centre for art and architecture, Basel is home to an impressive constellation of institutions: the Fondation Beyeler with its serene parkland setting and modern masterpieces, the kinetic brilliance of the Tinguely Museum, and the Swiss Architecture Museum (S AM) – a space where the built world is interrogated through a curatorial lens.

The city’s streets blend medieval textures with bold modernism. Herzog & de Meuron, one of architecture’s most respected practices, grew out of this very soil – their fingerprint is visible on the Kunstmuseum extension, the Schaulager and the nearby Vitra Campus just across the German border.

With its red sandstone cathedral, leafy university cloisters and riverside swimming culture, Basel offers an unhurried rhythm, ideal for thoughtful travellers. Explore cobbled alleys in the Old Town, browse cutting-edge exhibitions at Kunsthalle Basel or float down the Rhine as locals do – belongings tucked in waterproof bags.

Basel may be compact, but its influence is far-reaching – a European city shaped by curiosity, creativity and cross-border thinking. For lovers of design, culture and architecture, this is one of the most rewarding destinations in Switzerland.

Villa Hundert

Eye candy sets the tone, a decisively chilled design refuge of honeyed timbers and smooth noir accented interiors, a foodie basecamp and cabin-esque hideout for the lovers of keeping it easy, perched hillside overlooking Engelberg.

Hasenberg Lodge – Design-Led Hideaway at Lake Walen, Swiss Alps

APARTMENTs - Walensee, Switzerland

Hasenberg Lodge

Perched above Lake Walen, Hasenberg Lodge is a reawakened 1970s chalet by architects Michelle Corrodi and Roger Zogg — a soulful private-hire retreat where design, light and Alpine poise converge.

Canton of St. Gallen

Buchs

Buchs can be found in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland, on the border with Liechtenstein surrounded by the bountiful regions of Werdenberg, Toggenburg and Heidiland. Werdenberg in particular is a gem of a town, retaining a unique wooden character being the only wooden medieval settlement in Switzerland.

BelArosa Chalet – Luxury All-Suite Design Hotel & Alpine Escape in Arosa

Chalet - Arosa, Switzerland

BelArosa

Luxury, dismantled. BelArosa Chalet flips the Alpine script with private pools, elemental design and raw-edged beauty. Not just a hotel – an escape carved from silence and stone.

Arosa, Graubünden: Boutique Hotels & Alpine Design Escapes

Grisons

Arosa

Where bluebird skies meet architectural cool: Arosa is the Swiss Alps distilled – raw, refined, and ready to steal your breath in every season. This is mountain life, redefined.

Period Villa Mansion House | Signau House – Zürich’s Boutique Villa Hotel & Design Hideaway

Hotel - Zurich, Switzerland

Signau House & Garden

Off-radar and quietly bold – a mansion hideout wrapped in lush gardens, where heritage meets high design, secret cinema nights unfold, and Dry Martinis flow. Zürich’s sleekest secret, just slightly off-centre.

THE OXEN Küsnacht | Best Restaurants Zürich + Apartment Suite + Gasthof

Hotel - Küsnacht, Switzerland

Gasthof Oxen

Rethought Gasthof Inn with a fabulous Restaurant, an upstairs private Apartment Suite by Monocle, Guest Rooms, and a Kiosk make this a popular pitstop along Zürich’s Gold Coast.

Chalet Arva – A Secluded Swiss Alpine Retreat by Lake Oeschinen /Oeschinensee

Chalet - Oeschinensee, Switzerland

Arva

Ditch the noise. Chase altitude. High above Kandersteg, Chalet Arva is a raw, fuss-free alpine escape where wild nature rules, simplicity thrives, and adventure meets tranquility. Let the mountains pull you in.

The Brecon Adelboden | Images, Interiors, Restaurant, Rooms

Hotel - Adelboden, Switzerland

The Brecon

An adults-only newly opened hotel-chalet chameleon married to a curatorial melange of mid-century nostalgia and a dialogue of soft luxury perched in altitudinous Adelboden.

Gasthaus Traube Buchs | Design Hotels in St Gallen, Switzerland

HOTEL - Buchs, Switzerland

Gasthaus Traube

A fabulous creative fusing of two historic landmark buildings, this popular restaurant and newly created design hotel is decked in Swiss and Scandi aesthetics and crafts.

Beausite Design Hotel | Best Views of the Matterhorn in Zermatt

Hotel - Zermatt, Switzerland

Beausite

Perched high, this reborn majesty presides over the larch-wrapped resort of Zermatt in the Swiss canton of Valais, a design hotel that rekindles the Geist of Golden Age alpinism.

Pontisella Stampa | Bergell, Grisons, Switzerland | The Aficionados

Guesthouse - Bergell, Switzerland

Pontisella Stampa

A curated style jungle of mid-century furnishings, abstract modernism and bespoke pieces are flavoured by the original pine panelling dating back to 1848 - and all this cuteness is wrapped in a canvas of wild herbs and mountain eye candy.