Thrilling Elevator Rides To Take Across the Globe

Take a swim with the fish while you ride the elevator in the atrium of the Radisson Blu Hotel in Berlin’s city centre. The impressive cylindrical glass lift provides 360-degree views of 1,500 aquatic residents, contained within the world’s largest free-standing aquarium. Measuring 25m (82ft) in height and 11.5m (37.7ft) in diameter, the cylinder holds 1m litres of salt water. The glass-floored lift travels at a speed of 0.30m (1ft) per second through the underwater world and can hold a maximum of 30 people.

The incredible Bailong elevator, in Hunan, China, holds the record for being the world’s tallest outdoor lift. At 326m (1,070ft), this mechanical marvel inside the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park offers incredible views over massive karst monolith rock formations. Passengers start the journey in an underground shaft, before the glass elevator emerges above ground, sliding up the side of a tree-lined quartzite cliff. Open to the public since May 2002, the lift has three double-deck elevators and it takes 1 min 32 secs to reach the top.

For a taste of the high life, visit Guangzhou, China, where, in September 2019, Rosewood Hotel Group opened the tallest five-star hotel in the world. It occupies the top 39 floors of the 108-storey CTF Finance Centre (the seventh-tallest building in the world). Rosewood Guangzhou soars 530m (1,740ft) high and boasts the world’s fastest elevator, travelling at 75.6kph (47 mph). The lifts are simple in design, with red panelled walls and wooden flooring. The sky-high hotel is also home to private residences, restaurants, a spa and a swimming pool.

At a dizzying height of 1,132m (3,714ft), the Hammetschwand Lift in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, is the highest outdoor lift in Europe, and its glass walls giving you unrivalled views of Lake Lucerne and the surrounding mountainous landscape. The elevator whisks passengers up 153m (501ft) in less than one minute. The pioneering contraption, enclosed within a metal lattice tower, was built in 1905 by the hotel and railway businessman Franz Josef Bucher. At the time, it took three minutes to reach the top, and the lift carriages were constructed from wood and zinc. In 1935, the elevator was upgraded, using a lighter metal, and capacity increased from eight passengers to 12.

No advice needed at the music-themed Sir Adam Hotel in Amsterdam – apart from pack your dancing shoes. Each of the hotel’s four lifts leaves a lasting impression. First, grab a free glass of bubbly at reception, then jive your way over to lift C. Decked out with a glittering disco ball, hip-shaking playlist and light-up disco dancefloor, this funktastic lift is perfect to get you in the mood if you’re on your way into town – but maybe best skipped if you’re nursing a sore head the next day.