Belgium/Luxembourg

[Devonboy]

Where are the best places to stay in Belgium and Luxembourg and the things to see. Just fancy something different to France ( which we love). Be great to hear your sugetions.

 

[DianneT]

I suggest if you go a few miles over the Belgium border into Germany there is an excellent Campsite, here From there you can visit Luxembourg just 20 minutes drive away.

In an hour you can drive to the Mosel Valley and visit the quaint towns along the river and the lovely old city of Trier.

For more info go to my website and on our trip there in 2014 you can see extensive photos of the Campsite which takes ACSI Camping Card out of season. If you need any more info just ask will be happy to help.

 

[Hutch]

Dianne T, just a thought, , winter touring in Germany requires , winter tyres on cars , do you know about regts for caravans, might open new tnread. ☺

 

[DianneT]

As far as I know it is just cars but I will check and post here when I know the answer.

Dianne

 

[JonnyG]

OP makes no mention of winter touring ,so i would assume they are after info for their summer holiday. We went to Echternach, last sept and caught it on a festival weekend never the less pretty little place in Luxembourg on the german border top right.. Larochette with its ruined castles and decent countryside was also nice ,both for me could be done in a day. Luxembourg public transport is brilliant cannot recall the prices but you get 2 hours travel per ticket which means getting around the small principality is easy.. would also recommend the road train that takes you around the capital itself alas not a hope on hope off system but very enjoyable even if its to wonder how the driver gets it around some of the tight streets and descents...If you like Motorsport then the nurburgring is 70 miles north of central Luxembourg and set in the Eifel mountains area of Germany either is,well worth the drive. of course with trier only 30 miles away and following the Mosel north had some very spectacular settings Cochem seems to spark a memory or 2.Trier i found a little disappointing,but then maybe i expected too much of such an old city never the less worth a visit..enjoy

 

[Woodentop]

For Belgium I would suggest a start at Gent. Much nicer place than Brugges and not so many Brits about. There are a number of sites around the city - we stay at Blaarmeersen which is next to the national watersports centre. Big site, shop, restaurant, bistro, good facilities, and a bus stop into the city almost outside the gate. It is also only about 40 miles of free motorway to Lille for a dip into French.
From Gent if you are interested in the battlefields I would go for the municipal in Ypres. Good site, 10 mins walk to the Menin Gate and the city centre.
From Ypres my next stop would be in the Ardennes - Dinant is a useful place and has a couple of sites. Alternatively somewhere in eastern Belgium around Liege whence you can troll off into the northern Ardennes and (as we did) trip over the F1GP circuit at Spa Francorchamps which is worth a look and has free access (or it was) - that hill at Eau-Rouge just has to be seen!
Finally Luxembourg: the city is worth a few days, has interesting shopping and a good museum. We stay at Kockelscheuer a bit to the SW. Good site, shop, bistro, sports centre with pools next door, and spotless heated facilities. Bus stop into city about 200m walk. It is also a viable day trip to go into 'Little Switzerland' in the north of the Duchy, places like Vianden.
As someone else has mentioned the eastern border area such as Echternach is very pleasant. For a good site try the municipal at Born about half way between Echternach and Wasserbillig - the old border crossing before the autobahn was built. Good modern facilities, restaurant/bar on site, and quiet. It is close enough to the German border to not only visit Trier but also Piesport and Bernkastel-Kues on the Mosel.
On the way back go to the old capital of Holland, Mechelen, and Antwerp, then Knokke (as in the Golden Rose of..) and down the coast back to the ferry. Many people never realise what a beautiful sandy coast Belgium has - to the extent that there is a tram line all the way from Knokke to Ostend. Knokke is rather - shall we say - up market.

 

[DianneT]

Dianne T, just a thought, , winter touring in Germany requires , winter tyres on cars , do you know about regts for caravans, might open new tnread. ☺

OK a German Friend has sent me this.

Winter Tyres

The law in Germany is very vague. It just says that the tyre equipment must be appropriate to suit the conditions, full stop. There is no time limit, so here again, theoretically one would have to fit winter tyres if there is a particularly early snowfall in autumn or a late one in spring, respectively. Conversely, if the winter is mild or if you live in a part of the country where the temperatures rarely drop below freezing, you could maybe get by with summer tyres all year.

The above only applies to motor vehicles below 3500kg GVW and not to caravans, etc, In Germany winter tyres only need to be fitted to the wheels of a driven axle of motorhome over 3,500kg

I hope this helps
Dianne.

 

[Hutch]

Thanks DianneT,, this is nice to know as we have friends in Switzerland, that we go to see, through France, Belgium, Luxemburgh and Germany,
Thanks again.
Hutch.

 

[Devonboy]

Thanks great info.

 

[Hutch]

About two years ago I was staying in Montrueil, Fontaine, les Clercs, and travelled over to look at a few sites in Belgium towards Brugge, but found a lot of them very large, for my liking. ACS Also do a smaller sites guide, which I didnt have at that time.