Beau-Rivage, Geneva’s original family-run grande dame, has revived the legacy of one of its most famous guests; Empress Elisabeth of Austria, informally known as Sissi, with a new experience inviting visitors to take a stroll back in time, staying in her favourite suite and re-tracing her footsteps through Geneva. Commemorating the life one of Europe’s most glamorous and intriguing princesses and highlighting Beau-Rivage’s links to her story, the new package gives first-hand access to Empress Sissi’s regal hideaway in Geneva, telling her colourful tale right up to her untimely assassination, an impactful moment in European history to which the hotel’s then-owner Fanny Mayer was witness.

The new Sissi Package includes:

• One night’s accommodation in Sissi Terrace Suite, the Empress’s favourite suite, which features a painting of Empress Sissi as well as the most historical object in the hotel; an original untouched mirror dating from the establishment of the hotel, 1865.

Just outside of the Suite is a display of unique artefacts, including: a rose, given by the Empress to Fanny Mayer (grandmother of Jacques Mayer, owner of Beau-Rivage Geneva, 4^th generation), a piece of purple ribbon stained with blood and belonging to Sissi, cutlery engraved with her initials as well as a pair of gloves, also embroidered with her initials. The display also showcases the last picture of the Empress, taken in Geneva.

• A two-hour guided tour through Geneva following Sissi’s footsteps and visiting the Sissi statue, a memorial sign by the bridge and visit through the Old Town
• Airport transfer to and from Geneva airport in Mercedes S Class
• Commemorative book detailing the history of Beau-Rivage Geneva
• Buffet breakfast

The opulent Sissi Terrace Suite offers unrivalled views over Lake Geneva and its iconic jet d’eau fountain from its grand private terrace and boasts a sumptuous bathroom designed like a private spa, adorned with marble and superbly-appointed with amenities that include a steam room and Jacuzzi.

The story of Empress Sissi at Beau Rivage

The life of Élisabeth of Austria sounds like a romantic novel: a vivacious Bavarian princess with floor-length hair and known as a beauty queen of her time, she became Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary by marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1854. She lived a turbulent life, from the death of her son in a murder-suicide at his hunting lodge in Mayerling to her assassination in Geneva in 1898, to which Fanny Mayer, then owner of Beau-Rivage, was witness.

Empress Sissi regularly visited Switzerland during her later years and was a frequent visitor to Beau-Rivage where she stayed in her favourite suite, now named the Sissi Terrace Suite, under a number of pseudonyms, enjoying the hotel’s utmost privacy between exploring nearby Medieval towns such as Montreux and walking in the mountains.

On 10^th September 1898, the Empress left the hotel to stroll along the quay to catch a boat over Lake Geneva before being struck by Italian anarchist Luigi Luccheni with a sharpened nail file, her injury undiscovered until her collapse on board the boat. Empress Sissi was carried by the concierge back to Beau-Rivage where she passed away 20 minutes later, attended to by the hotel’s owner and her husband, who were presented with a rose taken from the coffin as well as a small piece of ribbon from her dress, which remain at the hotel today in commemoration of the Empress.

Prices start from £1645, for more information or to book, visit www.beau-rivage.ch