Europe
Grande dames, cliffside palazzos and the hotels that invented luxury.
Europe is where the modern luxury hotel was born, in the gilded salons of Paris, the palazzos of Venice, the alpine castles of the Engadine. To travel the continent well is to move between these institutions, each a small nation of its own with its own rituals, its own regulars, and its own century of stories.
From a garden hideaway two minutes by boat from St Mark's to a Riviera legend that Fitzgerald made immortal, these are the European stays we'd cross a border for.
Hotels in Europe
Grande DameThe Ritz Paris
After a four-year restoration, the address on Place Vendôme is once again the most romantic (and most photographed) hotel in France.
From $1,400 / night
Cliffside RetreatBelmond Hotel Caruso
A thousand feet above the Tyrrhenian Sea, a former bishop's palace holds the most photographed infinity pool in Italy, and a view that ruins you for anywhere else.
From $1,300 / night
Island RetreatBelmond Hotel Cipriani
On the tip of Giudecca, the Cipriani offers the one thing Venice never can: space. An Olympic-length pool, Casanova's old garden, and no crowds at breakfast.
From $1,450 / night
Grande DameClaridge's
Royalty checks in under pseudonyms, the foyer pours the best afternoon tea in London, and the service runs like a Swiss watch in white gloves.
From $990 / night
Riviera LegendHôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc
Twenty-two acres of pine and palm on the tip of Cap d'Antibes, a seawater pool blasted into the rock, and a cash-only history of impossible glamour.
From $1,800 / night
Alpine Grande DameBadrutt's Palace
A fairy-tale silhouette above a frozen lake, where the Engadine light, the Cresta Run and 130 years of aristocratic après-ski all still hold court.
From $1,250 / night
Europe Guides
GuideThe Amalfi Coast: Where to Stay, Eat and Disappear
The most beautiful coastline in Europe is also the most crowded. Here's how to have it to yourself.
7 min read · July 2026
GuideParis for Grown-Ups: Beyond the Postcard
You've done the Tower and the Louvre. Here's the Paris that reveals itself on the second, third and fourth visit.
6 min read · May 2026