Like lots of Italy’s most gorgeous destinations, Lake Como has felt the pressure of overtourism in recent years (so much so that it’s considering implementing an entry fee). But its beautiful scenery and ornate buildings mean it’s still a mainstay on plenty of our bucket lists.
And somewhere that combines both those things, as well as world-class service, is the Passalacqua hotel, which has just been named as the best hotel in Europe and the second best on the planet.
The World’s 50 Best Hotels are voted on by over 600 industry experts, and the full list for 2024 has just been published. Passalacqua claimed the overall crown in 2023, and we spoke to Como-born Valentina De Santis, the hotelier at the helm of this outstanding hotel.
‘To open a hotel is an experience that is hard to put into words,’ Valentina says. ‘It is very much like when you prepare a theatre show, you spend months, even years, planning every single detail of the performance, you feel the pressure that everything needs to be perfect, you dream of it every night, and all of a sudden you find yourself on stage with hundreds of spectators watching at you.’ You can read the interview here.
In second place across Europe was Cheval Blanc in Paris, and in third it was Claridge’s in London (one of three top 50 entries for the UK capital). Check out the list of the 10 finest hotels in Europe below.
The 10 best hotels in Europe
- Passalacqua, Lake Como
- Cheval Blanc, Paris
- Claridge’s, London
- Raffles London at The OWO, London
- Hôtel de Crillon, Paris
- Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes
- Four Seasons Firenze, Florence
- Borgo Santandrea, Amalfi
- Four Seasons Madrid, Madrid
- Le Bristol, Paris
There’s more information about each hotel here – and you can check out the latest hotel reviews on our Travel hub.
Did you see that the trending European destinations to visit this winter have been revealed?
Plus: These are the best European city breaks reachable by train from the UK.
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