Grand Hotel Zermatterhof

When Edward Whymper made the first — and infamously tragic — ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865, the Zermatterhof was already there to receive the survivors. The hotel has been the base camp of choice for mountaineers, royalty, and well-heeled skiers ever since, sitting in the centre of car-free Zermatt with the Matterhorn filling the sky behind it. The building has the solid, reassuring look of a Swiss institution that knows exactly what it is. 78 rooms, fine dining at Alpine Gourmet Prato Borni, and an enviable position at the foot of the most recognisable mountain in the world.