A Taste of the Belgian & Luxembourg Ardennes suggested itinerary

Tailor-made tours for small private groups - friends, families & social groups

The Paris Skyline

Most of the Ardennes region is in south-eastern Belgium - south of the cities of Liege and Namur, and east of the River Meuse which flows through Dinant. It also covers the northern half of Luxembourg.


Major fighting in World War II took place here in what was known as the ‘Battle of the Bulge’. The Germans attacked American forces in December 1944 and pushed them back 60 miles in a week, creating a bulge in the lines. January of 1945 was spent pushing the Germans back out of this bulge - in fierce winter weather. This huge battle involved 500,000 Americans at its peak. 


Here, for illustration, is a suggested 3-day / 2-night itinerary. Do get in touch to discuss a tailor-made programme for your group:

Part of the German anti-tank defence line

Day One Belgian-German-Luxembourg borderlands


START/END LIEGE  (2hr from Paris by train; 50 mins Brussels)


We start at a Liege hotel, or at Liege station at 10 a.m. - just over 2 hours on the THALYS high-speed train out of Paris, or 50 minutes from Brussels Nord.  Drive 1 hour 20 minutes (+ coffee break to look at maps) to the Belgian-German border to walk into an example of the forest that covers around half of the Ardennes. We’ll see anti-tank defences from 1944, and the tracks down which the Germans sent tanks in their 16 December attack - this was part of the 60-mile start-line of that attack.  


Snack lunch right on the border, then drive an hour (with a stop in St Vith) across the border into Luxembourg to our hotel in the pretty town of Clervaux, enclosed in a valley.  Introductory walking tour: the church, the Castle, and the River Clerf. Two nights here. The adventurous can do a steep valley-side walk with superb views over the town & Castle.

Day Two Vianden and Luxembourg City


A 40-minute drive down the attractive Our Valley to the spectacular castle at Vianden. Afterwards we move on 45 minutes to Luxembourg City. Walking tour and free time.


1 hour back to Clervaux for our second night.


Day Three Bastogne & the Ambleve Valley


30 minute drive across the border into Belgium to visit the town of Bastogne - this is where American paratroopers became surrounded for 5 days around Christmas Day 1944. Striking American Memorial; lunch on the main square.


Drive 45 minutes north after lunch up to the Ambleve Valley - stops at Coo and La Gleize. Here we’ll see some of the best scenery from the Belgian Ardennes, and also a German tank that was left behind from the 1944 fighting (a Tiger tank, the largest tank from World War II). From here it is a 40 minute drive to Liege to drop you for the 5.30 p.m. train to Brussels (into Brussels Nord at 6.19 p.m.), or the 5.49 p.m. THALYS high-speed train to Paris (Paris Gare du Nord 8.05 p.m.)


This tour could be adapted to start/finish at a Brussels hotel if the tour involves a minibus/coach - approximately 2 hour 30 minute drive to our first site, and 1 hour 45 minutes back from the final site. It is also possible to a link to Eurostar travel from the UK: evening Eurostar & night in Brussels before the tour. Final day: get 4.46 p.m. train out of Liege, Brussels Midi 5.35 p.m. Eurostar out of same station 6.56 p.m., London 7.57 p.m. British time.

The Ardennes in mid-winter

Autumn around Bastogne

How we operate


* We organise tours DIRECT with you – we have no public list of tours

* We handle numbers from 2 to 10 – families, small groups of friends.

* We provide personal guiding, but also organise itineraries, book hotels and site entries, and find you a minibus company if your group is larger than 4 people.

* We step onboard your car / rental car *, or a minibus that we can arrange (but you pay direct to the company, in advance). NB: we do not organise travel to/from the tour start/finish point(s) - eg flights, trains.

* You pay our guiding & organising fee, and then pay as you go for your accommodation, meals and museum entries (and, if you need one, you pay for your minibus direct, in advance).

* Go to our Prices & References page for an idea of cost, then email us at aat@drttours.co.uk 

                         *  (happy to drive if you can add us as an Additional Driver)

Dr Thomson’s Tours

Private Guide & Tour Organiser


All text, maps & photos © Dr Thomson’s Tours Ltd.

Website design by Joseph Thomson

Last updated November 2023

Bethany, 37 The Crescent

Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7AW

England


+44-7885-662714

aat@drttours.co.uk