Hello, I am looking at spending some time in the Ardennes (for the scenery but more so for the Battle of the Bulge history) and some time in Luxembourg as my husband and daughter have never been there (I was there as a child). We will be coming from Lisieux, France on June 29th and will return to Lille for the first day of the tour on July 4 so that gives us 4 full days and 2 half days to spend in this region. We will have a car. I was thinking arrive June 29th, do a formal tour on the 30th (1/2 day) and a visit to the museum. Then head to somewhere in Luxembourg for the remainder of the time. We love small villages, beautiful scenery, delicious food and drinks (so we like to stay somewhere we can either walk to dinner or a hotel that has an excellent restaurant if it is more isolated. I would like to see the American cemetery in Hamm if possible.

Is Bastogne charming? If not is there an alternative area within an hour's drive that we could start from, maybe someplace west go Bastogne so the drive from Lisieux is not so long.
And can we skip Luxembourg City? Or should we stay one night there and the other two nights elsewhere. We don't care about packing and unpacking; we are seasoned travelers.

Any help would be great.

I'm a bit confused-- is the 'formal tour' in the Ardennes? It sounds like you only want to spend one or two days in Belgium and the rest in Luxembourg. Bastogne is where the headquarters and all the war correspondence were so it got all the 'attention' but it depends on which part(s) of the 'Bulge' most interests you. When I visited I was specificallt interested in the area when my father was during the battle so I centered my touring around Stavelot which is NE of Bastogne and more in the 'Bulge' and near significant places like Malmedy. I hired a driver guide for a full day exploration of the sites of major skirmishes, sieges and all the various memorials to different Allied units (there are memorials to specific units in almost every town and hamlet)

This is my trip report - its long but the relevant part is post # 26.
Honoring my Father, Belgium, Amsterdam, London and TWO GTGs

ps: Since my trip was several years ago I figured Henri might not still be available but found his name and e-mail on several more recent websites for guides and such so he may still be active. He is a wonder. He's based near Bastogne but will take you anywhere in the Ardennes and he knows EVERYTHING there is to know about the Battle of the Bulge and will customize the tour for what/where you want to go

Henri Mignon : [email protected]

Hope this helps

Janis, odie1 meant Le Tour de France, starts June 5th in Lille.

I haven't been to Luxembourg city, but my brother spent several days there last year and hated it. Luckily they had a car and their bikes so they got out of the city as much as they could. I would perhaps do a few hours there if you really want to visit. Public transport is free in all of Luxembourg so look into going by bus maybe.

Bastogne is worth a visit, especially of course for the Bulge, but it's not my idea of charming. It does have plenty of accommodation.

I am trying to pin down where exactly in the Ardennes my father was located. He was a Dutch national, a member of the Resistance, and joined the allies the day they liberated Eindhoven. Because he was not a formal US military personnel, it is difficult to know for certain. I have a letter from the commanding officer of the QMC but the letter is headedHeadquarters Seventh Army

European Thester

APO 339 US Army

(That APO was associated with the ninth so I am confused). I am trying to do some research, if you happen to have any good ideas for best places to reach out to, I would appreciate it.

And yes, we are headed back to Lille for the Tour de France.

There are literally heaps of beautiful little villages in the Ardennes. Google 'Ardennes tourism' to get some good websites; here is one to start you off: https://www.visitardenne.com/en/best-ardennes/top-10 . You will need a car as this part of Belgium is not terribly well connected by train. It is a bit hilly.

To 'organise' your trip you might follow the Meuse or the Semois rivers, both are lovely. The best known of the many villages would be Durbuy (it calls itself Belgium's smallest city but it isn't a city by my definition). It is packed with Dutch tourists and is by no means a secret.

Lavandula

Uh -- I don't see how this quote from the OP which is what I was trying to understand has anything to do the the Tour de France: "do a formal tour on the 30th (1/2 day) and a visit to the museum."

That's what my comment was about

Janisj- I was going to hire a tour guide for a half day. Again, I am still trying to nail down the rough area in the Ardennes my dad wasin but even if I can't, I am interested in any part that I can see.

Thank you Lavandula - I will take a look there.

For easy travel, one possibility is to go to Spa, Belgium (where the word spa comes from!) and drive fifteen minutes to the village of Remouchamps, which has caves that used to be an air raid shelter (though they may be temporarily closed) and chateaux overlooking the hillside--see the Chateau de Montjardin, etc.--and also magnificent nature nearby--see Balade du Ninglinspo, Cascade de la Chaudiere. Some Battle of the Bulge action took place near here, as well as some Napoleonic war action.

If Spa isn't your thing, you can also easily visit from Liege with a twenty-five minute drive.

In terms of researching about your father, the Quartermaster Corp. kept extensive records, now housed in the National Archives. The question is: would they include foreign nationals? If the answer is yes, then it is a possibility that his name will appear in the record. Some records (but not nearly all) are online:

https://catalog.archives.gov/advanced-search