Day trips in 3 countries bordering Germany
 

Hello! We're interested in visiting the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg (one day in each country), while we have a vacation rental in Germany, perhaps in Aachen. I've been searching the internet for ideas as to what the most interesting things to see in border towns in those three countries would be, other than the point where Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium meet. Our preference would be to visit an old part of a town close to the border in each country, if at all possible, or small villages. We'll have a rental car. Please share any personal experiences with "must-sees/"must-dos" for these regions. Thanks very much!

Why? Is it a scavenger hunt?

We stayed Spa (eastern Belgium) for several days and from there saw liege (charming old center/cathedral plus a couple of interesting museums) and we visited Aachen from there (maybe 30 minutes or so).

After we left Spa we headed south into Belgium and came across a number of charming small towns - many of them with small local WWII museums plus a couple of quaint castles - purely by serendipity.

Can't help with Netherlands - we didn't go north from Spa.

I'm a little confused: do you intentionally just want to stay at the border or are you interested in the most interesting options within a X hour drive from Aachen?

I think the options depend a lot on what time you're willing to drive.

I really liked Namur, which is southwest of Liege. Leuven is also really really nice. I have pictures of both here (Aachen too):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougla...7632065187036/

I stayed in Liege, and although the cathedral was nice, and La Vaudree was a great beer shop, it had a depressed side to it (yes, the people).

I haven't been to Maastricht for a decade or more, but that might cover the territory you need. There is a fantastic beer shop in Aarschot, which is further west into Belgium, but you might not be a total Belgian beer zealot like I am.

We really enjoyed the town of Echternach just over the border into Luxembourg but it's about 1-3/4 hrs from Aachen so it will be a long day trip.

http://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/mullerthal/echternach

In Luxembourg I can recommend Vianden, with it's 11th century castle propped high on the hill overlooking the town.

http://www.castle-vianden.lu/english/

If you enjoy photography, also in Luxembourg is Clervaux and it's castle, which houses the incredible exhibition <i>The Family of Man.</i>

http://www.steichencollections.lu/en/The-Family-of-Man

If you like WWII history, there is also a Battle of the Bulge Museum in the castle.

http://www.ceba.lu/

In Belgium, we enjoyed our day in Dinant, with it's citadel built into the massive rock perched above the town. If you're into music, this is the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone.

http://www.citadellededinant.be/en/welcome

Maastricht, in the Netherlands, is a larger city which offers a lot of options for sightseeing, including some Roman ruins.

For more information on all these places, you can read my trip report, days 8-10.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...luxembourg.cfm

Robyn :)>-

One more comment on why I think this trip idea is actually a great idea. A friend just returned to Australia after doing a whirlwind that included Europe. Her main observation was that Europe was so much more crowded than it was in the '70's and '80's.

I feel SO sorry for people who feel it is de rigeur to go to Rome/Florence/Venice then Paris/London you know the routine. They may as well go to Epcot-frickin' center because the lines at the imitation sights for each of these venues at Epcot will be shorter than the over-run classic sights they will hit the treadmill to see in 'classic' European cities, with all the dismayed and jaded service people they will encounter - - and the weather will be better in Florida.

Doing a round of towns like artstuff just listed - - that is the REAL deal in visiting Europe today. Though people who have two weeks to do the one big Europe thang, they feel they simply HAVE to get lost in the ant heap, with one misery heaped upon the next, because that's what's famous.

From Aachen: Maastricht in the Netherlands. Wonderful city, lots to do.

Thank you all for you input! We'll be landing in either Paderborn or Hanover, to stay two nights in Detmold. From there, we'll be driving down to the Schwarzwald for seven weeks. Our idea is to spend one day in each of those three bordering countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg) while we have a Ferienwohnung, perhaps in Aachen, for three or four nights.

What we most enjoy is visiting the Altstadt areas, the original, older parts of a town, and roaming the old streets around a market square, mingling with residents, and yes, inevitably, tourists. This will probably (unless we win the lottery!) be our last visit to Germany, so we hope to maximize on our two month stay. Our intention is to visit those three countries just with day trips, and spend the majority of the rest of our time in Baden-Württemberg and Bayern.

As soon as we can finally book our tickets, we'll have a much clearer idea as to how to put this all together. Thanks again for the suggestions! :)