We planned a short trip for the Easter Weekend. I had researched a bit before our visit to India and saved a few links. I re-read some of the blogs and also found a few new ones to refer to for our trip to Luxembourg. Luxembourg is a land of castles with more than 50 castles and picturesque villages.

Day 1 – 8 April 2023

We had an early morning breakfast & drove from the Netherlands to Belgium and reached our stop Dinant by 12 pm. Dinant is a city in Belgium’s Walloon Region. It’s on the banks of the Meuse River and backed by steep cliffs. Its main feature is an impressive skyline, with the Dinant citadel atop a huge rock face that dominates over the city.

We stopped at Rocher Bayard which is a 40-metre-high piece of rock that has separated from the main rock face, and now a road runs through it. It was on the way to the city centre so parked near it and clicked a few pictures. We were able to drive through the gap as we entered Dinant, which was a really cool experience.

We drove directly to the Dinant Citadel which is built atop a huge rock face and bears down on the small city. The current fort was built in 1815 on a site which was originally fortified in 1051 when the region was ruled by the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. The citadel overlooks the city of Dinant and the strategic Meuse River which runs through the town. We learned some history of the place, saw the rooms soldiers used to sleep in, and the kitchen where they had to cook food for 400 people. There were two other rooms in the Citadel that had the largest impact on us. The first one was the room that featured a trench from World War I. Loud booms and the sound of firing bullets could be heard all around us as we moved through the trenches in the dark. The second was a sloping room that was a replica of a bunker that had been bombed; walking through it was a fantastic experience. We stumbled sideways while holding onto the walls out of fear that we would lose our equilibrium, trip, or fall into the river. As I eventually made it to the other side of the chamber, I could finally breathe fresh air and feel a solid, level surface beneath my feet. However, my head was still spinning. The entire experience just lasted 10 to 20 seconds, but I don’t believe we’ll ever forget it! Apart from these rooms, we also loved the view of the city from there.

We then drove across the river to admire the Dinant Skyline. The skyline is made up of the Dinant Citadel and Notre Dame Collegiate Church, and also these gorgeous colourful houses that sit by the water. It was the perfect place for photos.

Then we walked across the Charles De Gaulle Bridge which spans the river Meuse right near the church of Notre Dame. The bridge is adorned with saxophone statues to celebrate Adolphe Sax. The saxophones on the bridge are all decorated in the style of different themes or countries.

Finally, we walked to Maison De Monsieur Sax which was a small free museum. Dinant is the birthplace of the inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax. The home he was born in has now been transformed into an interactive museum about his life and the saxophone. Outside the museum, there is a bench where a statue of Sax sits. While returning we also spotted a few decorated lampposts with information.

After our visit to Dinant, we started our drive to Luxembourg. Luxembourg City is the capital of a small European nation of the same name. Built amid deep gorges cut by the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers, it’s famed for its ruins of medieval fortifications. The drive was also quite beautiful despite it being a little stressful due to the speed limit changing in a lot of places without any indication or sign board.

We walked to the City Centre of Luxembourg City. The Centre or Ville-Haute district is one of the most lively areas of the city. It is considered the smallest district of Luxembourg. There were street shops selling some vintage as well as some new stuff.

We then walked to the Notre Dame Cathedral which is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Luxembourg City. It was originally a Jesuit church, and its cornerstone was laid in 1613. It is the only cathedral in Luxembourg. The church is a noteworthy example of late Gothic architecture; however, it also has many Renaissance elements and adornments. The church was quite pretty on the inside and I loved the intricate carvings on the gate.

Then, we walked along Le Chemin De La Corniche which runs along the Alzette Valley on ramparts built by the Spanish and French in the 17th century. A corniche is a road or walkway built into the side of the mountain, with the terrain steeply rising on one side and falling away on the other. The Chemin de la Corniche is a walking path along the Bock’s sides and offers stellar views of The Grund and the Alzette Valley. It was called “the most beautiful balcony in Europe” by Luxembourg writer Batty Weber. We enjoyed the lovely view and wanted to visit the old town below. We saw there were some stairs which could take us down, but we were too tired from the journey. So we decided to relish the view and come back the next morning to the old town.

Since we were not going to the old town, we decided to walk around and see nearby places. I found a Self-Guided Walking Tour of the Gare District which is a shopping street, so we added a few points from that to our map and created our own route. We started our walk from Place de Metz which is a square and walked to the Luxembourg Railway Station, a beautiful copper-topped building which was constructed in 1907. The shopping area is an exciting jumble of streets filled with shops, boutiques, restaurants and cafés. We passed by Avenue de la Liberté which is known for its trendy boutiques and has been voted the second most attractive shopping street in the world.

Finally, we drove to our hotel which was situated just outside Luxembourg in Germany called Hotel Fronhof Mettendorf. So, including our home country, we touched 4 countries in one day. These things occasionally just excite me and make me grateful to be in Europe because few people can say the same about travelling anywhere else in the world.

Day 2 – 9 April 2023

Our hotel had a good breakfast spread so we had a hearty breakfast before starting our day.

As planned, we drove back to Luxembourg City to visit the old part of town called Grund which is located in the valley below the centre of Luxembourg City, it is nestled on the Alzette River and is incredibly picturesque with its charming architecture and beautiful backdrop. It is a nice place to stroll and is also ideal for photo opportunities.

We then drove to Heringer Millen which is one of the starting points of the Mullerthal Trail with the tourist information centre. The full Mullerthal Trail is 112 kilometres long and consists of three different routes, that all can be combined. In addition, there are several ‘extra tours’ that are connected to the official Mullerthal routes. This makes the Mullerthal Trail suitable for a week, weekend, or even a day trip. We decided to do a short hike and visit 2 of the many points on the trail. The first one was Schiessentumpel Cascade which was a beautiful waterfall. On the way, we found a pretty spot where we sat and drank a bit of wine while appreciating the gorgeous view. After our break, we started our walk towards the waterfall and finally reached the amazing view of the waterfall with the Black Ernz Bridge on top. We then walked to our next selected point Kallektuffquell which is situated in the valley of the Ernz Noire crystal-clear calcareous water flows over a rock formation into a basin. The colours of the water and the rock as well as the variety of moss are impressive. Although we did a short hike, I was a little tired but I enjoyed the hike a lot.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg abounds with castles known for their beauty and rich historical heritage. There are many to visit and choose from, some in better condition than others. We picked three of the castles that we wanted to visit.

We drove to Bourscheid Castle which is a medieval fortress. This stone castle, the largest in Luxembourg, dates back to the year 1000. The castle belonged to the important Luxembourg family Stolzemburg. Initially, it was only a stone castle, but in 1300 a ring wall was built around the castle. There are amazing views from the castle over the whole valley around Bourscheid. The castle was in ruins but the towers gave me Hogwarts feels.

We then went to Clervaux to see the castle from outside as it was closed due to Sunday. The castle stands at a height of 365 metres on a rocky spur above the town, surrounded on three sides by a loop in the River Clerve. On the outside, this castle still has a medieval feel. But I had read that since it has been fully renovated, it looks completely modern from the inside so we were not interested in going inside anyway. The castle was pretty charming from the outside and even had easter decorations in the garden. We also visited the church next to the castle.

On our way back to the hotel, we found a beautiful spot to enjoy the sunset. So we parked our car on the side of the road and had a mini picnic on the grass.

Day 3 – 10 April 2023

Since we had squeezed in a small unplanned trek the previous day, we decided to visit the last castle on our list before leaving. We saved the best one (according to lots of blogs) for last since this castle was near our hotel.

After a short drive, we reached Vianden Castle which is one of the biggest and most beautiful feudal residences from the Romanesque and Gothic periods. The castle was built between the 11th and 14th century on the foundations of a Roman castle and a Carolingian refuge and for a long time belonged to the Grand Ducal family, before passing into state ownership in 1977. Since then it has been restored to all its former glory. We bought the audioguide for €2 and it was worth it. The tour is very interesting, and also the exposition on recent archaeological findings and film presentation on the history of the castle going back more than 1000 years. We were a little surprised to know that at one point in history, the castle belonged to the Royal Orange Family of the Netherlands. In the last room before exit, there was an exhibition of Easter Eggs for the occasion by artists. We loved the collection so much that we ended up buying one of the eggs for €40 and even met one of the artists.

Finally, we drove back home with memories & souvenirs!