Luxury Hotels in Sanremo

Articolo del May 10, 2026. Pubblicato in HISTORY AND CURIOSITIES

The Most Luxurious Hotels in Sanremo: From the Grand Hotels of the Late 19th Century to Modern Five-Star Hotels

There was a time when arriving in Sanremo meant entering one of the most exclusive salons in Europe. Between the end of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century, the City of Flowers was one of the favourite winter destinations for kings, aristocrats, artists, diplomats and businessmen from all over Europe. The mild climate, the proximity to the French Riviera and the arrival of the international railway quickly transformed a quiet Ligurian town into a cosmopolitan destination capable of competing with Nice, Cannes and Monte Carlo.

Making this extraordinary transformation possible were above all the grand hotels that were built along the seafront and on the hills overlooking the Mediterranean. They were much more than simple hotels: they were meeting places, centres of social life and symbols of a refined lifestyle that found its ideal setting on the Riviera.

The first great protagonist of this story is the Royal Hotel, built between 1872 and 1874 by the Bertolini family. Overlooking Corso Imperatrice and surrounded by a large subtropical park, it was created to satisfy the needs of a high-level international clientele. Throughout its long history it has welcomed members of Europe's leading royal families, aristocrats, artists and personalities from the political and cultural world. Even today it preserves much of its original charm and is considered one of the most prestigious historic hotels on the Italian Riviera.

Alongside the Royal Hotel, other hotels were built that would become symbols of Sanremo's Belle Époque. The Grand Hotel & Des Anglais, inaugurated in 1888, was one of the city's most elegant hotels and welcomed distinguished guests such as Winston Churchill and Guglielmo Marconi. The Miramare, originally known as the Hotel des Iles Britanniques, attracted an international clientele fascinated by its panoramic seafront location. The elegant Hotel Parigi, with its refined Liberty architecture, and the famous Hotel de la Méditerranée, renowned for its innovative seawater therapies, helped build the image of an exclusive and fashionable Sanremo.

During the Belle Époque these hotels were true worlds of their own. Guests spent entire winter seasons here, taking part in concerts, receptions, sporting activities and social gatherings. Exotic gardens, reading rooms, tennis courts and panoramic terraces were all part of an experience that went far beyond simple accommodation.

As the twentieth century progressed, economic and social changes profoundly transformed international tourism. Many of the great historic hotels closed, were converted to other uses or demolished. Others, however, managed to adapt to changing times while preserving their historical identity.

Today the Royal Hotel continues to represent the symbol of Sanremo's great hotel tradition. A member of prestigious international luxury hospitality collections, it still preserves its tropical park, privileged seafront location and timeless atmosphere that recalls the era of Europe's great travellers.

In recent years another historic landmark has returned to play a central role in the city's hospitality scene: the Europa Palace. Opened in 1874, during the same years that the railway brought the first international visitors to Sanremo, it has recently undergone a major restoration project that transformed it into a modern five-star hotel. Its reopening has returned one of the city's most symbolic buildings of its golden age, reinterpreting the elegance of the Riviera in a contemporary way.

The Miramare The Palace is also a perfect example of continuity between past and present. This historic building, surrounded by a tropical park, has been restored and relaunched as an elegant five-star hotel, where the charm of tradition blends with modern comfort and services. Its seafront location and elegant atmosphere still recall the period when travellers came to the Riviera to spend long winter holidays.

Walking today along Corso Imperatrice, it is still possible to read this history in the façades of the buildings, the century-old gardens and the architecture that has witnessed more than a century of international tourism. Some hotels have disappeared, others have changed their purpose, but all have left a lasting mark on the identity of the city.

Contemporary Sanremo continues to live thanks to this heritage. The luxury hotels that today welcome guests from all over the world are not simply high-end accommodation: they are the guardians of a tradition that began more than one hundred and fifty years ago, when the Riviera dei Fiori became one of the most sought-after destinations in elegant Europe.

Useful Information

Historic luxury hotels still operating in Sanremo:

• Royal Hotel Sanremo
• Europa Palace
• Miramare The Palace
• Hotel de Paris
• Grand Hotel Des Anglais
• Lolli Palace Hotel

Many of these buildings can be admired during a walk along Corso Imperatrice and still represent some of the finest surviving examples of Ligurian Belle Époque architecture.

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