Luxembourg – A Special Journey into History

In a country like Luxembourg, it's not so much about the size, as the Grand Duchy's roughly 2,600 square kilometers don't really account for much. Instead, there are other advantages, like the fact that you can plan a 230-kilometer motorcycle tour on the best roads from just 60 kilometers of normal route. It's early May when I set off towards the west with my Kawasaki Z900RS and light luggage.

Invited on a press trip by the Luxembourg Tourism Board and without a concrete idea of what awaits me there, I hit the road. Taking it easy, the landscapes and the day slowly pass by until I arrive in Mondorf in the afternoon and check into my room for the first two days of the tour. Before the official part of the evening and the plan for the next few days are explained by Lis Lorang – the press officer – I take a closer look at the hotel complex, as I've never stayed in a casino on my motorcycle tours before.

And the surprises just don't end that evening. As Lis and our tour guide Michael start talking about Luxembourg and its history, I'm startled to realize that I know much less about the Grand Duchy than I thought, making the entire tour all the more exciting in one fell swoop.

Motorcycle Tour through the Three-Country Point

Still filled with information from the previous day and after a hearty breakfast, we set off the next morning to the southeast of the country and into the Three-Country Point between Luxembourg, France, and Germany. Schengen is the destination of the first leg, and our guide Michael knows the secret and especially isolated paths and roads there, which we as motorcyclists always wish for. Forests, meadows, and curves, interspersed with many open views of the landscape, leave us craving for more. Upon arrival in Schengen, there's plenty to discover and admire.

Luxembourg around the Moselle

The next leg of the tour takes us north along the picturesque Moselle, winding through the valley, to the Sauer River and right into Echternach. Small villages and beautiful roads accompany us, fueling the desire for even more. By now, it's already noon, and with temperatures hovering around 27 degrees, a break is truly sensible. Plus, hunger strikes, and the pits in our stomachs need to be filled. The historic marketplace of Echternach is the ideal place for that, with its numerous eateries, small alleys, and nooks & crannies waiting to be discovered in the capital of the Luxembourgish Switzerland. But Echternach has much more to offer, after all, it's the oldest city in the country and widely known beyond its borders.

Refreshed and invigorated, Michael eventually urges us to head to Switzerland. Wait, to Switzerland? Well, in this case, it refers to the adjacent Müllerthal, which welcomes us with an enchanted world of forest, water, and stone. Our path leads right through it. It's incredible how much landscape diversity awaits the visitor here. The coolness under the densely wooded canopies feels good, as the thermometer in the cockpit seems stuck at 27 degrees. Therefore, we skip the closer inspection of the Beaufort Castle ruins, dating from the 11th to the 17th century, and leisurely roll back to our accommodation. Just in time, as it turns out, because the bus that's supposed to take us to dinner is already waiting outside the hotel.

For us, that means quickly getting out of our sweaty motorcycle gear, freshening up a bit, and moving on. The next item on our agenda is a wine tasting followed by dinner in Remerschen. This small town with around 700 inhabitants is close to the border with Saarland and is known for its wine production. Particularly interesting is the Sunnen-Hoffmann winery, which has been focusing on organic wine production for several years. Initially laughed at by fellow winemakers, the winery now produces top-quality wines, which lift our spirits even more before dinner. After dinner and many conversations about the day's motorcycle adventures, the bus takes us back to the hotel, and the day comes to an end.

Esch-sur-Sûre at the Edge of the Ardennes

The next morning arrives all too quickly. So, up and at 'em, because today involves a hotel change and another day of riding. We're heading to Esch-sur-Alzette and the village of Belval. Known in the 19th century as a recreational area with a mineral spring of exceptional quality, the region caught the attention of the steel industry in the early 20th century, leading to the surface mining and processing of ore. Steel was produced here until the early 1990s, before the flame of the last of the three blast furnaces was extinguished in 1997. Since then, Luxembourg has been reclaiming the nature around Belval, and the town is growing into a self-sufficient community around the remains of the steelworks, which is now open as a museum.
Equipped with a university, office and residential buildings, shopping centers, and more, the future looks bright as the town eagerly embraces the opportunities ahead. Time flies as we tour the old industrial site and the new buildings, and the sun is already at its zenith as we set off again.

Following winding little roads, we follow Michael north towards the edge of the Ardennes. In Esch-sur-Sûre, we make a stop to visit Ronald Streumer at his unique biker hotel, the Hotel de la Sure. The lunch he invites us to is decadent, feudal, yet wonderfully simple, and his home-brewed beer called Eschlescher is addictive after just a small taste. Ronald is an innovative host who loves providing tips and routes for his guests. The hotel is a gem, built next to the town's castle and featuring a sensational spa area for relaxation. Not far from the hotel, a lake fed by the Sauer invites guests to swim and linger. But we only stay briefly today before setting off on the last leg of the day.

In the midday heat, with light beads of sweat on our foreheads, we hop back on our motorcycles and leave Esch-sur-Sûre. We delve deeper into the forested region of the Ardennes, which spans French, Luxembourgish, and Belgian territories. The route offers plenty of curves for our small group and leads us to Vianden Castle. This fairytale-like, majestic castle sits atop its hill in the namesake canton. We circle the castle with our bikes, ride through the historic old town, and soon arrive in Clervaux, the last official stop of the day, where we visit the exhibition "The Family of Man." With this exhibition and the subsequent dinner at our final hotel, the Golf and Country Club near Clervaux, this exciting tour comes to an end.

Conclusion of the Motorcycle Tour through Luxembourg

The Luxembourg Tourism Board has succeeded in igniting our curiosity for more in this country of great roads. The openness of the people also plays a significant role. For motorcyclists, it’s truly a hidden gem and definitely worth a trip.
More information, including accommodations, campsites, and more, can be found directly on the Tourism Board's website.

Wishing you lots of fun touring and exploring!
Your Torsten Thimm #lifeisaride

Thanks to Lis Lorang and the Tourism Board, as well as Thierry Dricot for the photos, and Michael Turk for guiding.