Tucked away in a rather remote valley in the Swiss Alps just next to the Italian border you find the Convent of St John. Founded in Carolingian times on a major trade route across the Alps it still serves as a nunnery to this day. It's primary draw are the colorful Carolingian and Romanesque murals.

At the time of my visit (Summer 2018) both the main altar as well as the next door chapel were under renovation. The site itself isn't large and with plenty of it covered in scaffolds I wasn't able to fully appreciate it.

And as fascinating as I find all things Carolingian I have to admit that most of the Carolingian sites (including Müstäir) are rather simple and small in scope. The single exception is Aachen Cathedral which is in a league of its own when it comes to Carolingian sites.

Your Visit

Visiting the abbey is free. There is an attached museum which charges entry, but it's a rather simple offering, so you may want to skip it. There are also regular tours. But I would have had to wait at least an hour and decided against joining.

One practical hint: The abbey is really dark on the inside. I had a hard time making out all the murals solely relying on natural light. There are light switches, though, when you enter that will illuminate the murals.

Getting There

It's a close to 4h trip from Zürich to the abbey. You have to change trains twice and then hop on a bus in Zernez. The last stretch by bus takes you through the sole Swiss National Park, aptly named Swiss National Park. Travelling in Switzerland, you can rest assured that you will catch your connection as trains and busses run on time.

While You Are There

The next Swiss world heritage site is the Rhaetian Railways site. Return to Zernez by bus and take the train to Samaden. Samaden itself is already part of the Rhaetian Railways. I combined both sites into a single day.

On the Italian side you can continue to Merano/Bozen and get to the Dolomites.

If you enjoy Swiss alpine resorts, both Davos and St. Moritz are within reach.