St. Peter's Island
St. Petersinsel / Île Saint-Pierre
A peninsula in Lake Biel, joined to the shore by a narrow causeway. Rousseau once spent 'the happiest time of his life' here, and the island has a monastery hotel.
St. Peter's Island lies in the southwest of Lake Biel. It was once a small island in the lake, but after the 19th-century Jura Water Correction lowered the water level, it became connected to the village of Erlach on the shore by a roughly 4 km causeway known as the 'Pagan's Causeway'. In 1765 Rousseau took refuge here for several weeks. In his Reveries of a Solitary Walker he called it the happiest time of his life, and his room is still preserved in the island's monastery. The island has vineyards, oak woods and lakeshore beaches, and the monastery has been converted into a hotel and restaurant. You can walk to the island from Erlach in about an hour, or take a boat from Biel or Neuchâtel in summer.
Opening hours
Open all day (ferry runs seasonally)
Nearby sights
- Papiliorama
- Chasseral
- Chaumont
- Laténium
- Aventicum (Avenches)
- Hôtel DuPeyrou
- Museum of Art and History of Neuchâtel
- Lake Neuchâtel Promenade & Boat Cruise