Auberge du Mouton

At the southern end of Porrentruy’s cobbled Grand Rue, Auberge du Mouton has been part of the townscape for more than three centuries. The heritage-listed building dates from 1715, originally served as the local school and later became a guesthouse, its distinctive façade now one of the landmarks of this small Swiss Jura town near the French border. Rebecca Leaver and Samuel Tobler took over the Auberge in 2023. The couple met at hotel management school in Lucerne and had long dreamed of creating their own small hotel with a slow-food restaurant. Rather than imposing a completely new identity on the building, they chose to work with what was already there: age, imperfection, craftsmanship and history.

Old Bones, New Ideas

The building had been carefully restored in 2016, preserving much of its original fabric. Rebecca and Samuel subsequently worked with Zürich-based Studio Norma to bring a younger, more design-conscious sensibility to the interiors. Historic stone steps, exposed beams and centuries-old architectural details now sit alongside solid oak, herringbone floors, contemporary furniture and carefully sourced vintage pieces. Wall lamps were handmade by a ceramicist friend, folding curtains commissioned from a local artisan, and designer furniture is mixed with objects discovered at vintage markets. The result avoids both rustic Alpine cliché and over-polished boutique styling. It is simple, tactile and quietly beautiful—the sort of design that allows a historic building to remain the protagonist.

Twelve Rooms, No Formula

There are only 12 rooms: eight in the main house and four in an adjoining building. Each is individually furnished, combining minimalist contemporary design with the irregularities and discoveries that come with a 300-year-old structure. The attic Junior Suite is particularly special, with original timber beams, a sculptural solid-oak shelf behind the bed and its own rooftop terrace overlooking Porrentruy’s old roofs and the green hills of the Jura beyond. Throughout the hotel, the emphasis is on good materials rather than unnecessary luxury. Rooms feel calm, warm and personal—more like spaces that have evolved naturally over time than interiors created according to a hotel formula.

Slow Food, Naturally

The restaurant is not an add-on but the heart of Rebecca and Samuel’s idea for the Auberge. The kitchen follows the seasons and the market, working with high-quality ingredients from the surrounding region and keeping the menu deliberately small. Vegetarian cooking receives the same attention as meat, while Samuel’s wine selection focuses particularly on organic and natural wines from Switzerland and neighbouring regions. Guest chefs occasionally take up residence in the kitchen, adding another layer to the Auberge’s informal, collaborative character. There is something wonderfully uncomplicated about the experience: a glass of wine outside the house, dinner in the intimate dining room and food that reflects where you actually are.

An Undiscovered Corner of Switzerland

Porrentruy sits close to the French border in a part of Switzerland that remains surprisingly overlooked. A castle watches over the historic centre, while beyond the town lie the forests, hills, hiking trails and cycling routes of the Jura. Many guests arrive for one or two nights while travelling onwards to France. Rebecca and Samuel would rather persuade them to stay. And that may be the greatest appeal of Auberge du Mouton: it turns somewhere you might have considered a stopover into somewhere worth travelling to in its own right. Their definition of luxury is refreshingly simple—having time, and doing something for your own wellbeing. C’est ça.

Your hosts: Rebecca LEAVER & Samuel TOBLER