Key takeaways

• Six hotels, two per city. Each dates from before 1940 and is open in 2026.

• Vienna has the oldest pair. The Imperial opened as a hotel in 1873 and Hotel Sacher in 1876.

• Budapest's pair came back in the 2000s. Both reopened as hotels after war damage, closure, or other use.

• Prague's pair date from 1904 and 1932. The Brandejs family still runs Hotel Paříž, and Alois Krofta built the Alcron.

• Hotel Sacher turns 150 in 2026. It holds three Michelin Keys and placed 42nd in The World's 50 Best Hotels for 2026.

Central Europe's grand hotels that are still open

Vienna converted a ducal palace into a hotel for the 1873 World Exhibition, Budapest opened hotels for the 1896 Millennium Exhibition, and Prague added Art Nouveau and Art Deco hotels after 1900. The six below survived wars, nationalization, and long closures.

Our survey of the most awarded hotels in Europe covered western Europe, from London and Paris to Lake Como and Barcelona. This list stays in Central Europe.

The criteria: the building or hotel dates from before 1940, it is operating in November 2026, its history is documented, and any award is named with its year. Star ratings weren't used to rank them; our guide to what a hotel star rating means in different countries explains what stars measure.

1. Hotel Sacher Wien: a hotel opposite the opera

Eduard Sacher opened this hotel across from the Vienna State Opera in 1876. His father, Franz, is credited with the Sachertorte, first made in 1832. The hotel has 152 rooms and suites, and it placed 42nd in The World's 50 Best Hotels for 2026.

Best for: Opera-goers and first visits to Vienna

Location: Philharmoniker Strasse 4, Innere Stadt, Vienna

Opened: 1876

Honors: Three Michelin Keys (2026); No. 42, The World's 50 Best Hotels (2026)

2. Hotel Imperial, Vienna: a ducal palace on the Ring

Arnold Zenetti designed this building as a palace for Duke Philipp of Württemberg, completed in 1865. It opened as a hotel on April 28, 1873, days before the Vienna World Exhibition opened, and Vienna's tourism board counts it among the first palace hotels.

Best for: Travelers who want a former palace on the Ringstrasse

Location: Kärntner Ring 16, Innere Stadt, Vienna

Opened: 1873 (building completed 1865)

Honors: Two Michelin Keys (2026)

3. Anantara New York Palace Budapest: an insurance office turned hotel

The building opened in 1894 as the Budapest office of the New York Life Insurance Company, designed by Alajos Hauszmann, Flóris Korb, and Kálmán Giergl. Its ground-floor New York Café took back its original name in 1989. It reopened as a hotel in 2006 and took the Anantara name in 2021.

Best for: Travelers drawn to Budapest's café culture

Location: Erzsébet körút 9-11, Erzsébetváros, Budapest

Opened: 1894 (hotel since 2006)

Honors: One Michelin Key (2025 and 2026)

4. Corinthia Budapest: the Grand Hotel Royal of 1896

This hotel opened on April 30, 1896, as the Grand Hotel Royal, timed for the Millennium Exhibition. After war damage, shelling in 1956, and closure in 1991, it was rebuilt behind its facade and reopened in 2003. The gilded ballroom and the Royal Spa, built in 1886 to 1888, survive from the earlier complex.

Best for: Larger groups and longer stays

Location: Erzsébet körút 43-49, Erzsébetváros, Budapest

Opened: 1896

Honors: Forbes Travel Guide Recommended (2026)

5. Hotel Paříž Praha: Art Nouveau in the Old Town

Hotel Paříž opened in 1904 opposite Prague's Municipal House, in a building that mixes Gothic Revival and Art Nouveau. Bohumil Hrabal set much of his novel I Served the King of England here, and Prague's tourism board notes that the Brandejs family still runs it. The building was declared a historical monument in 1984.

Best for: Travelers who want the Old Town on foot

Location: U Obecního domu 1, Staré Město, Prague

Opened: 1904

Honors: Protected historical monument (1984)

6. Almanac X Alcron Prague: Art Deco off Wenceslas Square

Alois Krofta, a Prague businessman, built and opened the Alcron in 1932 on Štěpánská street, near Wenceslas Square. The communist government nationalized it in 1948. It's been open again since 2023, after a €20 million renovation that restored its Art Deco public rooms.

Best for: Fans of interwar design

Location: Štěpánská 40, Nové Město, Prague

Opened: 1932

Honors: Michelin Key hotel in the 2026 Czech selection

How to choose

• Pick the neighborhood first. Vienna's pair sit near the Ring, Budapest's on the Grand Boulevard, and Prague's in the Old and New Towns.

• Ask what's original. Corinthia was rebuilt behind its facade, while Hotel Paříž is a protected monument.

• Read the award for what it measures. Our explainer on what Michelin Keys mean for hotels covers how the Keys are assigned.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the oldest hotel on this list?

Hotel Imperial in Vienna, which opened as a hotel in April 1873.

Which of these hotels hold Michelin Keys?

In 2026, Hotel Sacher Wien holds three, Hotel Imperial two, and Anantara New York Palace Budapest one. Almanac X Alcron Prague is also a Key hotel.

What counts as a historic grand hotel here?

It's a hotel in a building that dates from before 1940 and is still operating. Some, like the New York Palace, became hotels later.