Basel: Les Trois Rois (5 Star Hotel)

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Address: Blumenrain 8 , Basel 4001, Switzerland
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Lonely Planet review

Napoleon, Voltaire, Dickens, Sartre, Picasso, the Rolling Stones and Queen Victoria (before she was queen) are among those privileged to have stayed at The Three Kings, a fairytale palace by the river and the top address in town.

One of Europe's greatest, this five-star hotel is the stuff of dreams. Its lobby alone - a glass-topped colonnaded atrium strung with a double-decker chandelier (pray it doesn't fall) - is magical. Cinderella and her prince charming would fit perfectly in the beautiful belle époque ballroom, while rooms are an elegant ode to the dignified gentry who passed through in the 19th century. Not an ounce of charm was lost with the 2006 makeover, which only ushered in touches of modernity (like the state-of-art Bang & Olufsen media centre in each room) to ensure guests continue to get the best money can buy.