The hotel where you can sleep in Switzerland and France at the same time

The Arbez Hotel is built across the French/Swiss border north of Geneva, meaning travellers can stay in two countries simultaneously. Photo / Creative Commons image by Wikipedia user Roland Zumbuehl

Once you're inside this cross-border hotel, you can walk from one country to the other in seconds.

Most hotels have just one address - but one property in Europe not only has two addresses, it's also simultaneously situated in two different countries.

The two-star Hotel Arbez straddles the border between France and Switzerland north of Geneva, meaning that it has both a French and a Swiss address.

On the French side, the Arbez is on the Rue de la Frontera in La Cure while on the Swiss side, it's on the Route de France in Cure.

Once you're inside, you can walk from one country to the other in seconds.

The Arbez' unique position came about in 1862, when the French and Swiss governments signed a treaty to modify the border between the two countries.

Before the Treaty of the Dappers came into effect, a local businessman, Alphonse Ponthus, decided to build a property that was on both sides of the new border.

He opened a bar on the French side and a shop on the Swiss site.

In 1921, Jules Joseph Arbez purchased the property and transformed it into the hotel.

During WWII, the second floor of the hotel was even used as a refuge for those fleeing the German soldiers as the staircase crossed the Swiss border.

The hotel remains family-run today and just about every room is divided by the border.

You can even sleep with your head in one country and your feet in the other, according to Conde Nast Traveler.

The hotel's restaurant also takes advantage of its borderline location by serving both French and Swiss fare.

You can pick from a menu that serves Swiss fondue or French foie gras, for example.

And for those who are on a cross-country ski trip or travelling from France to Switzerland or vice versa, it's the perfect location to stop for the night and soak up the unique environment.