4 Best Sights in The Luxembourg Ardennes, Luxembourg

Around 16 km (10 miles) east of Esch-sur-Sûre, you'll encounter the small town of Bourscheid. You'll likely drive through en route, so make sure to detour along the quiet, winding road up to the ruins of Bourscheid Castle. The building dates back to 1000 AD and was ruled by the Lords of Bourscheid for four centuries. 

The oldest parts of Clervaux Castle date back to the 12th century, when it was built on the order of Count Gerhard von Sponheim, a brother of the Count of Vianden. Over the centuries it expanded greatly, and it was from here that Philip de Lannoi (the ascendant of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) set forth in 1621 to make his fortune in America. But in the dying days of World War II, the first engagements of Germany's Ardennes Counteroffensive (Battle of the Bulge) saw the town and its historic buildings destroyed, as the tanks rolled in. The burned ruins of the castle fell into state hands thereafter, and it was heavily rebuilt. Inside, you'll now find a number of museums and exhibits, including the tiny Museum of the Battle of the Bulge, though this is little signed and is mostly a collection of weapons and shrapnel, and a museum of 1/100 scale models of Luxembourg's castle. But pride of place goes to The Family of Man exhibition of photography, the greatest artistic sight in the country. Two entire floors are taken up by this UNESCO-listed exhibition that was curated and assembled by the Luxembourg-born photographer Edward J. Steichen (1879--1973). In 1951, he invited entries for a collection of images that would record mankind in all its flawed wonder and mystery. He whittled the entries down from 2 million to around 500 and toured them around the world. Since 1994, it has been exhibited in Clervaux and remains one of the world's great cultural sights, charting war, life, death, happiness, sadness, family, and everything in between in simple black-and-white prints. A must-see. 

Driving around the last bend into Vianden, you're greeted by a full-length view of Vianden Castle rearing up on the hill, replete with conical spires, crenellation, step gables, and massive bulwarks. The castle was built on Roman foundations at the turn of the first millennium, though its most spectacular portions date from the 11th, 12th, and 15th centuries. Its near-pristine appearance is the result of massive restoration in the 20th century.

The reservoir was dammed in 1961 to create a long-term source of drinking water for Luxembourg. Chunks of it are still off-limits because of this, but there's plenty to explore. In summer, solar-powered boats (May–October) take you on two-hour tours of the water. Mercifully, no motorboats are allowed here, but on warm days the lake fills with windsurfers, paddlers, and wild swimmers. You can rent canoes, kayaks, and SUPs from the youth hostel in Lultzhausen in July and August, and for walkers, there are some 90 km (56 miles) of trails to explore (maps are at the visitor center). But if you'd rather relax, several beaches line the shores at Insenborn, Lultzhausen, and across the water at Liefrange, with a more secluded stretch found just past the Burfelt viewing platform. This is where locals come to escape for the day.