About 45 km from Lake Geneva, in the Jura mountains, lies La Cure, a village with a unique geographical position: one-third of its area is in Switzerland, while the rest belongs to France.
Today, the international border divides at least four buildings in the village, with each structure being half in France and half in Switzerland. The Arbez hotel (also known as Hotel Arbez Franco-Suisse) is one of these four buildings, where the dining room and guest rooms are separated by an invisible boundary.
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When France and Switzerland signed the Dappes Treaty in 1862 to redefine their border, the new boundary coincidentally ran straight through a field owned by a local named Alphonse Ponthus. He built a shop straddling the border, allowing him to conduct business simultaneously in two countries. He opened a bar on the French side and a restaurant on Swiss territory. In 1921, entrepreneur Jules Joseph Arbez purchased the property and transformed it into a hotel. The hotel currently has both French and Swiss addresses.
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The Arbez hotel today. Photo: UH |
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Inside the Honeymoon Suite, where one-half of the room is in France and the other half is in Switzerland. Photo: UH |
The hotel's restaurant. Photo: UH
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The staircase has its first steps in France, with the other half in Switzerland. Photo: UH |
Inside another room at the hotel. Photo: UH
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The hotel is located on French territory. Photo: UH
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The remaining part is in Switzerland. Photo: UH
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Inside the rooms, flags of both countries are displayed. Photo: UH
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The hotel at sunset. Photo: UH
On the French side, the Arbez hotel is located on Rue de la Frontera in La Cure, while on the Swiss side, it is on Route de France in Cure. The hotel is still managed by the Arbez family today. To leverage its cross-border location, the hotel's restaurant serves two French-Swiss dishes.
The invisible international border runs through the building, meaning guests can experience two parallel worlds simultaneously: sleeping with their head on French soil and their feet on Swiss territory.
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During World War II, the hotel hosted Nazi German troops, who were permitted to operate on the French side, and French resistance fighters, who took refuge on the Swiss portion of the property.
This unique location made the hotel a safe haven for those fleeing Nazi Germany during World War II. When German soldiers arrived at the hotel to search for resistance fighters, they could only stand on the French side and could not cross into Swiss territory to apprehend anyone.
Today, the hotel serves as an ideal stopover for ski enthusiasts and explorers looking to access the magnificent Alps. A double room starts from 200 USD per night, with a minimum stay of three nights.
The hotel holds an overall rating of 4,3/5 stars based on nearly 1,000 Google reviews. "This place is beautiful. However, the street on the Swiss side is a bit noisy; if possible, book a room on the French side", one guest commented.
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The Arbez hotel is not the only nearby location where travelers can cross multiple countries. Located in the Alsace region of northeastern France, Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Airport serves travelers arriving and departing from the neighboring cities of Basel (Switzerland), Mulhouse (France), and Freiburg (Germany). The airport is divided into two zones, with French and Swiss customs officials working side-by-side. The airport is jointly operated by France and Switzerland, with a management board comprising 16 people: eight from each country and two German advisors.
By Anh Minh (Source: DM, Unique Hotels)
