Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Switzerland / Basel / Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois
Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois
Basel, Switzerland · Independent · Grand Luxury
Often cited as Switzerland's oldest hotel, with an inn on this Rhine bank site since 1681, a few steps below Basel's first bridge. Napoleon dined here in 1797. 101 rooms. Leading Hotels of the World, MICHELIN Three Keys, Forbes Four-Star. The house still faces the river that made Basel a terminal of European trade before the railways.
- 101 rooms
- Opened 1681
- Neighborhood: Altstadt Grossbasel
- Architect: Amadeus Merian (1844 main building); Christian Lang (2004–06 restoration); Herzog & de Meuron (2023 renovation and extension)
About Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois
- An inn has stood on this left-bank Rhine site since 1681, below Basel's first river bridge.
- Napoleon dined here in 1797 on his way through the city.
History
A guest house already stood near Basel's first Rhine bridge in 1255, recorded as the House of Flowers at Cross Street beside the river jetties that made the city western Europe's southern terminal before the railways. The 1356 earthquake forced demolition. The first surviving record of an inn under the present name is 1681, when the Drei Könige lodged itinerant merchants. The Three Kings title is a Magi reference common on this stretch of the Rhine: travellers who, like the Biblical kings, carried precious cargo.
On 20 July 1789, dismissed French finance minister Jacques Necker arrived here on his way to Coppet. A royal courier reached him the next day with Louis XVI's plea to return; Necker accepted on 23 July and was back at Versailles on 29 July, a decision that fed the Revolution. A documented luncheon in 1798 placed Napoleon Bonaparte with Basel officials to discuss French-Swiss relations (house tradition sometimes dates the visit to 1797). Voltaire, Dickens, and later Theodor Herzl (here in August 1897 for the First Zionist Congress) joined the guest book.
Master tailor Johann Jakob Senn bought the site in 1841-42, demolished the old inn, and hired Basel architect Amadeus Merian to rebuild it as a Belle Époque grand hotel that reopened on 16 February 1844. The southern block was sold to Basler Kantonalbank in 1915 and became the city tourist office in 1938. Thomas Straumann reunited the buildings, closed the hotel for two years, and reopened on 20 March 2006 in a reconstruction aimed at the 1844 fabric with modern services. Queen Elizabeth II stayed on 1 May 1980 during Basel's Grün 80 exhibition.
The setting
9-minute walk to Basel Minster.
Restaurants and bars
- Cheval Blanc — Restaurant · Chef Peter Knogl (Chef De Cuisine, per press image caption) · Three MICHELIN Stars
- Brasserie Les Trois Rois — Restaurant
- Bar Les Trois Rois — Restaurant
- The Council — Restaurant
- Banks — Restaurant · Social dining with a European-Asian flair
Experiences
- Banks Basel — Restaurant opened on 12 September 2025 at Blumenrain 2, with a central bar beneath an art installation.
- The Council Cigar Lounge — Cigar lounge opened 17 October 2024 with two fireplaces and an atmospheric lighting concept by Herzog & de Meuron.
- Afternoon Tea — Afternoon tea offered at the hotel.
- Fleurs des Rois — Venue listed among the hotel's dining and bar venues and also as an event venue.
Amenities
- Spa
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Cigar lounge
- Fine dining
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Three Keys (2026)
Open Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in Basel
- Hotel Märthof Basel — Independent · Core Luxury
- Boutique & Design Hotel Volkshaus Basel — Independent · Accessible Luxury