STAGE 1 - Interlaken
Image source: Wikimedia, Dietrich Michael Weidmann
Interlaken, Switzerland
Before the founding of Switzerland in 1291, an Augustine monastery had existed here since 1133. In the 14th century, the control of the monastery extended from the Grimsel region across the region of the lakes of Brienz and Thun and Bern. Over the centuries, many pilgrims used the monastery for the start of pilgrimage “St. Batten” (today’s Beatus caves above Lake Thun). It was an importance source of income for the monastery. After the Reformation of 1525, the monastery ownership was transferred to the state of Bern and it was converted into a hospital.
After soaking up all this history, retreat the stylish country chalet that is Landgasthof Ruedihus. Rooms are decorated with period furniture but come with luxury facilities. Set just outside the charming village of Kandersteg, guests may also use the spa facilities of a neighbouring hotel. The Ruedihus Restaurant offers traditional Swiss Cuisine focusing on produce from the Bernese Oberland and uses fresh ingredients from its own herb garden.
STAGE 2 - Einsiedeln
Einsiedeln, Switzerland
Pilgrims have been visiting the monastery of Einsiedeln for over 1000 years. The buildings you see today were built in the 18th century with a Baroque exterior with four inner courtyards, but the history of the Roman and Gothic buildings goes back to the year 835. A highlight is The Mercy Chapel (Gnadenkapelle), a chapel made of black marble, it sits underneath a dome covered in frescoes. You will also see the famous Black Madonna. The monastery includes a school, workshops, a wine cellar and stables. This is a large space that is spectacularly set surrounded by jagged mountains and near the tranquil lake. This is a place where nature and history combine perfectly.
Stay at the nearby Romantik Hotel Schweizerhof. Built in 1903 in the Belle Époque and Art Nouveau style, the hotel has welcomed a glittering array of guests. Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and the Empress Zita all used it as a summer retreat.
STAGE 3 - St. Petersinsel
St. Petersinsel
In the middle of Lake Biel sits St. Peter’s Island. There are bronze age settlements on its banks. Cluniac monks settled here in the Middle Ages, founding a monastery around 1100 and they continued to live here until the Reformation.
The most famous visitor to the island of St. Peter’s Island was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who spent about six weeks at the island in 1765. He wrote about his stay: “I have stayed at many lovely places; but nowhere have I felt so truly happy as on St. Peter’s Island in the middle of Lake Biel, and I think back on my stay with such sweet longing.”
The extensive and sympathetic refurbishment The Restaurant-Hotel St. Petersinsel has brought 1000 years of European history and culture to life once again. The former monastery complex have been combined with the needs of a contemporary hotel.
STAGE 4 - Abbaye de Maizières
Abbaye de Maizières, France
Moving from Switzerland into neighbouring France, The Abbaye de Maizieres is a 12th-century former Cistercian Abbey right in the historical centre of Beaune, in the famous wine region of Burgundy. Restored into a beautiful boutique hotel, there are just 12 rooms, all have antique furniture and some have original Cistercian windows. Breakfast is served in the vaulted cellar. The hotel can arrange wine tours of the nearby Cote de Beaune vineyards.
STAGE 5 - Fontenay Abbey
Fontenay Abbey, France
This Burgundian monastery was founded by St Bernard in 1119. It is a wonderful illustration of the ideal of self-sufficiency as practised by the Cistercian monks. It features a church, cloister, refectory, sleeping quarters, bakery, dovecote and ironworks. Built in the Romanesque style it is one of the oldest and most complete Cistercian abbeys in Europe and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.
Just 40 minutes away, in the heart of Burgundy you will find the charming Hostellerie de la Tour d’Auxois. A former convent from the 17th century this gem of a place has it all: History, delightful French food served in its restaurant and 29 bedrooms and 6 suites lovingly restored from their former convent beginnings to offer a luxurious space for relaxing.
