What's New

Faced with the majestic mountain scenery of Switzerland, you may feel that everything around you is eternal. But there are always changes -- a new resort opening up or an old favorite shutting down, and the roster of what's hot in dining shifts from year to year. Here are some highlights of the latest developments in Switzerland.

Zurich

Dining -- Although not a lot happened on the hotel scene in Zurich in 2006 and 2007, new or revitalized old restaurants exploded onto the scene. Hailed by some members of the press as the best restaurant in Zurich, À l'Opéra, in the Hotel Ambassador, Falkenstrasse 6 (tel. 044/258-98-98), has generated the most excitement with its first-rate take on continental cuisine. By using rigorous, precise cooking techniques and flawless ingredients, the chefs deserve their accolades.

The red-light district of Zurich seems an unlikely place to open a top-notch restaurant, but the owners of Seidenspinner, Ankerstrasse 120 (tel. 044/241-07-00), did just that. Specializing in an organic continental cuisine, the chefs prepare an often-changing handwritten menu that is a delight in its fresh, well-prepared, and most satisfying selections. Their soups are perhaps the best in town, and they even make their own pasta by hand.

Lusalle, Schiftbaustrasse 4 (tel. 044/258-70-71), installed in a converted factory from the 1800s, is a hip restaurant and a hot dining ticket. Its international cuisine is full of flavor, and much of the menu is simply prepared but artful, with an occasional elegant touch such as a truffle cream sauce.

St. Gallen

In the major city of northeast Switzerland, Radisson SAS Hotel, St. Jakob-Strasse 55 (tel. 071/242-12-12), is the largest, newest, and most modern hotel in town. It's a favorite of commercial travelers, but it's also suitable for vacationers who prefer an address with the latest technology to a more traditional Swiss inn. Lying within an easy walk of Altstadt (Old Town), it stands opposite the trade fair grounds.

Basel

Today the best hotel in town is the Swisshotel Le Plaza, Messeplatz 25 (tel. 061/555-3333), patronized by both commercial travelers and well-heeled vacationers. Its location, linked to the Basel Congress Centre, assures it year-round business. Bedrooms, ranging from midsize to spacious, are the most luxurious in town.

Fribourg

Au Parc, Route de Villas 37 (tel. 026/429-56-56), is a modern hotel with excellent facilities including a Thai restaurant and a nightclub. The bedrooms are functional yet tops in town for comfort.

Bern

In the capital of Switzerland, Meridiano, in the Hotel Allegro Bern, Kornhausstrasse 3 (tel. 031/339-5245), has emerged as one of the city's finest restaurants, serving a first-class Mediterranean cuisine on the 6th floor of this elegant hotel. Ingredients used in the innovative dishes are impeccably fresh and prepared with flair by the well-trained kitchen staff.

Lausanne

The restaurant scene has improved considerably here. Modern, trendy dining choices are the best they've ever been. Some of the finest include Nomade Vinothèque, Resto & Bar, Place de l'Europe 9 (tel. 021/320-1313), serving a first-rate international cuisine. Its wine bar is the hippest in town, and young foodies of Lausanne flock here to sample the wares.

Another good choice is Pur, Port-France 17 (tel. 021/311-9933), a restaurant and bar specializing in a tasty continental cuisine, with an impressive list of cocktails.

Geneva

Accommodations -- The long-established Le Palace Hilton has changed its stripes, becoming the even more elegant Kempinski Geneva, 19 quai du Mont-Blanc (tel. 022/908-90-81). The new owners have made radical changes, making the luxe property even more desirable than before. It's also architecturally dramatic, with a suspended footbridge leading to the lobby and the lower ground floor was inspired by a Roman amphitheater. The tasteful, luxurious bedrooms have been completely revitalized, as have the drinking and dining facilities.

Dining -- After a long dormant period, the once sleepy restaurant scene has exploded, with old favorites of yesterday closing down and new ones -- or newly discovered ones -- rising to take their place. Hotel restaurants used to be considered dull, but not any more, at least in Geneva. Some of the best dining today is in hotel specialty restaurants such as Spices in the Hotel Président Wilson, 47 Quai Wilson (tel. 022/906-65-52). It has emerged as one of the most elegantly decorated and exciting restaurants on the scene, with picture windows overlooking the lake. Its international cuisine is first rate with some of the best market-fresh ingredients in town.

In the Hotel Angleterre, Windows, 17 quai du Mont-Blanc (tel. 022/906-55-55), is one of the best, but least publicized, restaurants along the lake, serving a first-rate continental cuisine in an updated atmosphere. It attracts diners ranging from movie stars to U.N. officials, and is one of the best places to sample obmle chevalier, that famous whitefish caught in Lake Geneva.

In the rapidly emerging Paquis districte, Nologo, 11 rue de Fribourg (tel. 022/901-0333), is becoming one of the most desirable places to eat, especially if you like a Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. It's been around since 2004 but only started to get noticed by the press in 2007 (call it a "sleeper"). The decor in black with stainless steel evokes TriBeCa in New York.

No Sushi, 8 rue de la Confédération (tel. 022/810-39-73), is becoming a hip lunchtime rendezvous for devotees of Japanese food. It boasts the only automated sushi bar in Switzerland, but does many other dishes, including teriyaki specialties, exceedingly well.

Another Japanese discovery, Le Sumo Yakitori, 15 rue de Monthoux (tel. 022/731-19-50), doesn't serve sushi or sashimi. Its specialty is char-grilled beef or chicken brochettes, the best dish of this type in town.

Lucerne

The Fine Arts Museum and the Modern Art Museum have now combined into a single museum of art at Europaplatz 1 (tel. 041/226-78-00). The Fine Arts Museum traces Swiss art from the Renaissance to the present, with exceptional works from the early and high Baroque periods, whereas the modern art collection focuses more on avant-garde art.

Bürgenstock

This chic resort 16km (10 miles) southeast of Lucerne, retreat of the rich and famous, has closed all three of its swanky hotels for major renovations until its reopening in the summer of 2010 (if all goes well). Predictions are that these hotels will represent the peak of luxury in Central Switzerland.

Klosters -- In this chic resort in the Grisons, Rustico Hotel, Landstrasse 194 (tel. 081/410-22-88), became a success almost from the day it opened. It's small and stylishly furnished, with a cozy on-site restaurant that serves Asian dishes among other offerings, with raclette and fondue a winter specialty. The 12-room inn contains such features as a summer terrace, a winter lounge with a fireplace, and comfortable modern bedrooms.

Ascona

In the Ticino, the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, Riposa, Scalinata della Ruga 4 (tel. 091/791-31-64), is now the most tranquil address for those wishing to stay in the Old Town, lying only a 3-minute walk from the lake. The hotel features individually designed bedrooms, with breakfast served in the courtyard or on the roof terrace.

Morcote

One of the best and most elegant hotels in the Ticino is the new Swiss Diamond Hotel, Via Cantonale, Vico-Morcote (tel. 0917/350-00-00), built in all its modernity and grand comfort on the shores of Lake Lugano. La dolce vita holds forth here; the bedrooms are deluxe, the international food is sublime. Regrettably, you definitely pay for what you get here.

Liechtenstein

In the capital city of Vaduz, Residence Comfort & Business Hotel, Städtle 23 (tel. 423/239-20-20), has a dull name but much to recommend. Lying in a pedestrian zone below the castle, it's almost Japanese in its minimalist concept, using rice paper screens and other artifacts. The Residence also operates one of the best hotel restaurants in the principality.