There is something quietly radical about choosing to go somewhere with no inbox, no traffic, and no agenda beyond prayer and stillness. Remote Christian retreats have been doing exactly that for centuries, tucking communities of monks, sisters, and seekers into mountains, river valleys, island coastlines, and ancient forests far from the ordinary rush of daily life.
Some of these places sit on 500-acre estates in Ireland. Others require a ferry ride to a Scottish island, or a winding drive up a California cliff road that makes your knuckles go white before you even arrive.
What they all share is a deliberate distance from the noise of modern life, paired with a genuine invitation to slow down, reflect, and pray. This list covers 15 currently operating retreats across the United States and several countries, each one offering a genuinely different experience of Christian contemplative life in nature.
1. New Camaldoli Hermitage, Big Sur, California
Perched 1,300 feet above the Pacific Ocean on a mountainside in the Santa Lucia Mountains, New Camaldoli Hermitage may be the most dramatically placed monastery in the United States.
This Camaldolese Benedictine community welcomes retreat guests for private, self-guided stays of at least two nights, as well as preached retreats led by a retreat master.
No phones, internet, or television are available in the retreat house, which makes the solitude feel genuinely complete rather than optional.
Rooms are arranged in a crescent shape to maximize ocean views, and meals are provided daily. Highway 1 is fully open from both Monterey and San Simeon in 2026, so the journey itself sets the tone long before you arrive.
2. St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre, Tremeirchion, Wales
St Beuno’s looks across the Vale of Clwyd toward the mountains of North Wales, and the view from the grounds is considered so central to the retreat that it is described in the center’s own program materials as part of the experience.
This Jesuit residential center specializes in silent and individually guided retreats based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, with each retreatant receiving daily guidance from a dedicated spiritual director.
The daily rhythm includes the Eucharist and a half-hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, alongside substantial time for solitary walks and personal prayer.
Themed programs for 2026 and 2027 include retreats focused on writing, gardening, film, and music. Bursaries are available for those who need financial support.
The booking calendar for 2026-2027 is currently open, and spaces fill steadily throughout the year.
3. Abbey of Gethsemani, Trappist, Kentucky
Founded in 1848, the Abbey of Gethsemani holds the distinction of being the oldest working Trappist monastery in the United States, and it still runs on a schedule that starts with Vigils at 3:15 in the morning.
The monastery famously shaped the life and writing of Thomas Merton, which gives the grounds an additional layer of history worth sitting with.
Retreats here are silent, unstructured, and open to men and women of all faiths. The retreat house offers 30 air-conditioned rooms, each with a private bath.
Guests can join the monks for seven daily prayer services and walk miles of trails across 1,500 acres of abbey land. Stays typically run Monday to Friday or Friday to Monday, with a minimum of two to three nights required.
4. Glenstal Abbey, Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland
Glenstal Abbey in County Limerick offers two very different ways to spend time on its 500-acre estate: a traditional guesthouse with 12 en-suite rooms and home-cooked meals, or a “God Pod,” which is a small self-contained wooden hermitage on a wooded hillside with views of pastures and mountains.
The God Pods include a kitchenette, sleeping space, bathroom, and a wood stove, and a minimum three-night stay is recommended to make the most of the solitude.
Guests at both options are welcome to join the Benedictine monks for five daily prayer services in the Abbey Church, where Gregorian chanting is a regular feature of the liturgy.
The grounds include forests, lakes, and streams with plenty of walking space for anyone who wants to spend the day outside. Retreat days and residential programs are actively scheduled throughout 2026.
5. Mepkin Abbey, Moncks Corner, South Carolina
About 30 miles north of Charleston, Mepkin Abbey spreads across a 3,200-acre estate on a bluff above the Cooper River, which is a setting that tends to make people speak more quietly the moment they arrive.
The Trappist community here was founded in 1949 by monks from Gethsemani, and the grounds include gardens with camellias and azaleas, ancient live oaks, open woodlands, and river views that change with every season.
The grounds are open to visitors daily from 9 AM to 6 PM, and guided tours of the Abbey Church run on select weekdays and Saturdays at 11:30 AM.
Day retreats are offered periodically for those seeking structured reflection. The abbey gift shop sells monk-made products including honey, mushrooms, and preserves, giving visitors a small, tangible piece of monastic life to take home.
6. Holy Cross Abbey, Berryville, Virginia
Roughly 60 miles west of Washington D.C., Holy Cross Abbey sits among Virginia farmland near the Shenandoah River, which means the retreat is genuinely removed from the capital’s pace without requiring a cross-country flight.
The Trappist community, established in 1950, offers unstructured retreats for both men and women in 16 single-occupancy rooms, each with a private bathroom.
There are no scheduled conferences, but a monk is available for spiritual direction and the Sacrament of Reconciliation for anyone who wants guidance.
Guests are encouraged to maintain silence in common areas and can join the monks for five daily liturgical services. Weekday retreats run Monday to Friday, and weekend stays go from Friday to Sunday.
Bookings typically fill months in advance, so planning ahead is strongly recommended.
7. Taize Community, Taize, France
The village of Taize in Burgundy draws tens of thousands of visitors each year, which makes it the most populated destination on this list, though the experience is deliberately simple and communal rather than tourist-facing.
The Taize Community welcomes young adults aged 15 to 35 and adults 35 and older for week-long stays built around three daily communal prayer periods, Bible introductions led by a brother, and small group discussions.
Afternoons include optional song practice, international group interaction, or practical community work such as cooking and gardening.
The 2026 community theme is “What are you looking for?” with workshops covering topics like ecological transition and faith in professional life. Guests are encouraged to bring tents during peak seasons, as accommodation ranges from shared dormitories to camping.
The rural Burgundy setting keeps the focus firmly on reflection rather than sightseeing.
8. Saint Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana
Saint Meinrad Archabbey occupies a 250-acre campus in southern Indiana, and its grand Benedictine church is the kind of building that makes first-time visitors stop walking and simply look up for a moment.
The Guest House and Retreat Center hosts a full calendar of monk-led retreats throughout the year, covering topics from Scripture and Benedictine wisdom to Lenten reflection and the Rule of St. Benedict.
Young adults between 18 and 35 can access reduced-rate retreats, including specialized programs designed specifically for that age group in 2026.
Guests can join the monks for daily Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, and the campus includes ADA-compliant facilities and electric vehicle charging stations. Weekend retreats run from Friday evening through Sunday noon, and weekday options go from Tuesday evening through Thursday noon.
9. Holy Wisdom Monastery, Middleton, Wisconsin
Just outside Madison, Holy Wisdom Monastery manages to feel genuinely rural despite its proximity to a university city, thanks to the restored prairie, wooded trails, and open land that make up most of its property.
This ecumenical Benedictine community of women welcomes individuals and groups for personal retreats, with simple guest rooms available in the main retreat house and private hermitages tucked into a wooded section of the grounds.
The hermitages include a kitchenette, living area, bedroom, bathroom, and an outdoor deck, and guests can stay anywhere from two nights to three months.
Personal retreat reservations are actively accepted for 2026 for both guest rooms and hermitages. The monastery’s mission connects prayer, hospitality, and care for the natural environment, and hiking the property is considered part of the retreat experience rather than a distraction from it.
10. Mount Angel Abbey, Saint Benedict, Oregon
Mount Angel Abbey crowns a hilltop in the Willamette Valley, and several rooms in the retreat guesthouse look directly out over hundreds of feet of valley farmland below, which is not a view most people forget quickly.
The Saint Benedict Guesthouse and Retreat Center hosts both individual retreatants and groups, with a retreat calendar that includes monk-led programs alongside offerings like a faith and writing retreat and a women’s retreat focused on spiritual rootedness.
Private day and week-long retreats are also available for those who prefer a self-directed schedule.
Guesthouse rooms were recently updated, and guests can join the monks for daily Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. Financial assistance may be available for oblates.
A full retreat calendar is actively scheduled through late 2026, making advance reservations a practical necessity.
11. Saint Joseph’s Abbey, Spencer, Massachusetts
Southern New England is not the first region that comes to mind for remote monastic retreats, which is part of what makes Saint Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer such a quiet discovery.
This Cistercian Trappist monastery maintains a retreat house with 11 private rooms, each with its own bath, and organizes the day around Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, morning conferences led by a monk, and ample time for silent prayer and sacred reading.
Weekday retreats run Monday afternoon through Friday morning, and weekend stays go from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon.
Costs range from $250 for a weekend to $500 for a midweek stay, with a $100 non-refundable deposit required. Silence is treated as a genuine practice rather than a rule, and the surrounding woods and countryside give the whole experience a settled, unhurried quality.
12. Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, Georgia
Thirty-five minutes from Atlanta and yet somehow genuinely quiet, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers pulls off a geographic trick that most suburban locations cannot manage.
The property includes lakes, lawns, and 31 miles of wooded walking trails bordering the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, giving retreatants a substantial amount of outdoor space to use throughout the day.
The retreat house accommodates up to 40 guests across three floors, with separate sections for men and women, and meals are served in a silent dining facility.
Both preached and personal private retreats are available, with options for weekend stays and longer five-day programs. The monastery also operates a bakery, a garden center, and the largest Catholic retail store in Georgia.
Retreats are actively scheduled through late 2026.
13. Iona Abbey, Isle of Iona, Scotland
Getting to Iona Abbey requires a ferry ride to a small island off Scotland’s west coast, which means the journey itself does some of the spiritual work before you even walk through the gate.
St. Columba established a monastic community here in 563 CE, and the Iona Community continues to welcome overnight guests in 2026 for week-long programs built around communal worship, shared meals, and service.
Guests participate in cooking, cleaning, and hosting alongside the community members, making the experience feel less like a hotel stay and more like joining a working household of faith.
Specific 2026 programs include “Rewilding Your Spirituality,” “Writing the Island,” and “Experience Easter on Iona,” among others. Accommodation includes seven nights at the Abbey or Bishop’s House with all meals provided, and personal time on the island is built into the weekly schedule.
14. Communaute de Grandchamp, Areuse, Switzerland
Switzerland is better known for ski resorts than contemplative retreats, which makes the Communaute de Grandchamp in Areuse a genuinely under-the-radar discovery for anyone seeking structured silence in central Europe.
This ecumenical community of sisters draws members from multiple Christian traditions and countries, and welcomes both individual guests and organized groups for retreats ranging from a single day to several days in length.
Guests join the community’s four daily prayer periods, which include the Eucharist and Evening Prayer, and are encouraged to spend significant portions of the day in personal solitude.
Individual guests can be accompanied by a sister for spiritual guidance. A solidarity system allows those with more financial means to support those with less, so cost is not a barrier to participation.
A full 2026 program including contemplative prayer days is confirmed and available.
15. Volmoed Christian Conference and Retreat Centre, Hermanus, South Africa
The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley translates from Afrikaans as “heaven and earth,” which turns out to be a fairly accurate description of the setting Volmoed occupies outside Hermanus on South Africa’s Western Cape.
Volmoed is a Christian retreat community that has long used its mountain-ringed location for prayer, reconciliation, conferences, and personal renewal, drawing guests who want to be genuinely removed from the busy coastal town nearby.
The surrounding landscape includes open land and mountain scenery that gives the property a scale and quietness hard to find closer to the coast.
The center focuses on creating space for spiritual growth through Christian teaching, community interaction, and contemplative practice. It remains an active retreat destination in 2026, welcoming both individuals and groups looking for a Southern Hemisphere alternative to Europe’s better-known monastic retreat options.
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