Luxembourg

Perhaps an unusual choice of destination, but Luxembourg packs quite a punch for a country of only half a million. So what do you think of when someone mentions Luxembourg?

Fairytale castle at Vianden

We had no preconceptions when we visited a couple of years ago, and to be honest we went there en route to Germany rather than as a specific trip. However, there were plenty of things there that surprised us and kept us entertained.


Luxembourg City, the capital is a relatively compact place but still has the feel of a European capital. It's easy to navigate by public transport, bike or even on foot. It's history dates back hundreds of years including a spell under Roman influence. Highlights include the castle and the old quarter and the fortifications. The city is surprisingly hilly and leafy giving plenty of opportunities to climb out and look down. There is also an incredibly well-kept American  war cemetery.

Wendy in Luxembourg City

Away from the capital, Luxembourg has a reputation for fairytale castles and forests. We visited Echternach and Vianden to scratch that particular itch, and also the Chateau de Bourscheid. Walking and cycling opportunities are in abundance here although we did find the cycling a bit challenging at times, both due to the hills and to the slightly impatient drivers!

The Moselle passes through Luxembourg and constitutes part of the wine-making territories perhaps more associated with Germany. There is a wine route in the Remich region giving you the opportunity to sample and buy.

Luxembourg City

In terms of food and drink in general, one of Luxembourg's attractions are the low taxes they put on things like alcohol, cigarettes and fuel. All of this leads to a bit of 'duty free' type tourism with some people making a specific trip through the country to stock up. It remains one of the cheapest places in Western Europe for diesel!

Provence dans le camping car

Typical Provencal Town

 Wendy's favourite film is 'One Good Year', which we own on video and have to watch every time it is on Film 4 - and that's quite a lot. It's a romantic tale of a successful city banker who inherits a vineyard in Provence from his Uncle. He is then faced with the tricky choice of either carrying on his career in the city or making wine and living in a chateau with a beautiful French woman. I think you can work out how it's going to end!

Rich in Greek and Roman history, the area now is best known for wine, lavender, unspoilt historic towns and villages, mountains, gorges, rivers and coast. It really is an area of contrasts. It's also an area of tourists so you need to pick your times and locations.

Anyway, the best part of the film is that it's set in Provence and this year we managed to do a bit of location-spotting as we travelled the length and breadth of the area. Provence covers a large area in the south east of France from the Rhone in the west across to the Italian border. It also encompasses a vast stretch of coastline onto the med, the Cote d'Azur.

The coast is inevitably busy when the sun comes out. We have been down in this area as early as April, and you can feel the season starting already. By June, the beaches are fairly packed although it's still possible to get on local campsites. The main larger cities and towns that we visited on the coast are Nice and Cannes (both chintzy and glamorous resorts) and Toulon (rich in naval history).

The Bridge at Avignon

For us though, the main attractions are inland. There are some beautiful towns the pick of which are Avignon and Aix-en-Provence. There are also some fantastic hillside towns such as St Paul's and Gordes. The latter of these was where they filmed much of 'One Good Year' so inevitably we made a trip. Nearby is an amazing medieval village called Les Bories, where all the houses are made entirely out of dry stone walls and roofs.


Provence really  makes the most of its natural resources and there are loads of opportunities to visit vineyards, lavender fields and even perfumeries (in Grasse) on top of all the gastronomic treats in the region.

Our advice is to go in Springtime so you get decent weather while missing the worst of the crowds.