Schloss Schauenstein

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Smallest City in the World, the Biggest Ambitions

Fürstenau proudly calls itself the smallest city in the world, and at its heart stands Schloss Schauenstein — a castle restaurant that has earned a place among the world's finest tables year after year. Since 2010, it has appeared continuously in The World's 50 Best Restaurants, reaching as high as No. 23, a remarkable run for a destination that requires genuine commitment to reach.

Deeply Rooted in Graubünden

The kitchen's philosophy is stated plainly on the restaurant's own pages: "Tief verwurzelt in Graubünden, Geist und Arme weit offen zur Welt" — deeply rooted in the canton of Graubünden, yet with spirit and arms wide open to the world. That tension between local anchoring and global curiosity defines the cooking here. The pantry, as the team puts it, is the gardens, fields, and forests right outside the door. Swiss ingredients, shaped by alpine seasons, are the starting point; restless creativity does the rest.

Andreas Caminada and Marcel Skibba

The creative force behind Schloss Schauenstein is Andreas Caminada, one of Switzerland's most recognised chefs, who runs the restaurant alongside business partner and head chef Marcel Skibba. Together they have documented the restaurant's four full seasonal menus — as well as classic castle dishes — in Beyond Peaks, a cookbook published by Phaidon that offers a rare window into how this three-star Swiss kitchen thinks and works. The front-of-house is led by Sophie Thun and Alexandra Kraxner, with sommelier Martin Trnovec overseeing the cellar.

Castle, Rooms, and a Kingdom of Pleasure

Beyond the restaurant itself, Schloss Schauenstein offers twelve carefully appointed guest rooms, making it possible to extend the experience into a full stay. The surrounding Domleschg valley provides a backdrop for walking, culture, and the kind of unhurried pace that makes a long tasting menu feel entirely natural. Pure passion, the team notes, runs from the breakfast egg to the petit four after dinner — a detail that says a great deal about how seriously hospitality is taken here.

For anyone drawn to serious Swiss cuisine in a setting that is genuinely unlike any other, Schloss Schauenstein earns its global reputation the straightforward way: through consistent, place-rooted excellence.