“You are in room nine, it’s one of our binational rooms,” the hotel manager confirmed with a smile, handing over an old-school metal key.
I could hardly contain my delight. If the prospect of showing up at a hotel not knowing which country I would be sleeping in that night was already thrilling, what about sleeping in two countries at the same time?
It had been a long drive through winding roads to get to La Cure, a tiny hamlet nested atop the thickly forested Jura mountains, which separate France and Switzerland.
Now, thanks to a little-known mid-19th century international treaty, I was about to enjoy one of the most genuinely unique hotel experiences you can get anywhere in the world.
Built in the rustic style that is so prevalent in this part of Europe, the small family-run hotel Hotel Arbez Franco-Suisse – also called L’Arbézie — has the peculiarity of sitting right on top of an international border.
This unusual setup is an unintended consequence of the 1862 Treaty of Dappes, by which France and Switzerland agreed on a small territorial swap, in order to allow full French control of a nearby strategic road.
