RTL Today - Perfect Luxembourg staycation: Our Top Tips for the "Beauty in the North": the Eislek region

RTL Today has joined forces with the tourist offices in the country. Here are our summer holiday tips for the first region!

Rugged valleys, high plateaus and deep forests: discover the mystical North of the country. This region is called “Ösling”, or in Luxembourgish “Eislek” and it got its name because together with a large part of the forest of the Ardennes it belonged to the “Gau Osninge”.

Bourscheid castle / © Sven Remakel

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Vianden Castle - The beauty in the North, selected as one of the world's most stunning castles

In 2019 the castle of Vianden – the most visited castle of the country - was listed by CNN among the 21 most beautiful castles in the world.

The castle is one of the largest fortified castles West of the Rhine with its origins dating back to the 10^th century. After it was sold in 1820 under the reign of King William I of the Netherlands, it was dismantled piece by piece and destroyed until its restoration and reconstruction from 1977 on, when the family of the Grand Duke transferred it to state ownership.

The medieval castle, which is perched up on top of the a mountain has opened its doors to visitors again and if you want to avoid to hike up, "Move like (Mick) Jagger" in 1995 and take the chairlift .

The picture of Mick Jagger and his son travelling up the hill hangs in the lobby of Hotel Petry in Vianden and the owner shares an anecdote: the elderly cashier at the chairlift did not know either the Rolling Stones nor Mick Jagger, which made it possible for the Superstar to take the trip up incognito.

Before or after your visit, take a break and enjoy the gorgeous panorama over the Our valley at the Restaurant “Buvette Telesiege” at the mountain station.

Bourscheid castle

Situated on a steep promontory, high above the Sûre river, Bourscheid castle is the largest castle in Luxembourg. The medieval castle was built on a site with archeological evidence of structures dating back to Roman times. Standing majestically some 150 metres above the Sûre river, it is enclosed by a circular wall with 11 watchtowers. Enjoy the sweeping views and immerse into the history of the castle with the audio guides for rent.

King or Queen in the North for a day?

If you want to feel like the lord of Bourscheid, who once resided in the castle and fought at the side of the Duke of Luxembourg, it is possible to rent the castle (once coronavirus restrictions are lifted) for your private events.

If you are in the area later during the day, the castle's night illuminations create a fabulous atmosphere.

Enjoy the best trails of Europe and leave your luggage behind!

The "Lee Trail" is one of the certified leading quality trails in Luxembourg.

Lee is Luxembourgish and stands for the "rocky" ridges and steep paths that are typical for the Valley of the Sure.

Many of the countries hiking routes lie in this region and with this link you can find the right one for you. It is possible to sort them by their level of difficulty as well as their distance.

Try the "Smugglers Trail" for example, where you can walk the historic route of smugglers and their human cargo around the area of Troisvierges.

Take your camera and boost your social media presence!

If you download the Eislek App you will get the latest news of the region and find the most beautiful (and instagrammable) spots of the region!

Discover 20 roman stone coffins below the old St Laurentius church in Diekirch!

In 1960, an underground cemetery, probably from the Merovingian period, was discovered below the church.

It is possible to visit the churchyard by entering through the museum of history.

Enjoy time at “the beach” – one of the most beautiful ones at the Sûre river

In Bourscheid, follow the street Buurschter plage direction "Camping du Moulin" to discover the beaches of the Sûre river where you can have a picnic or go for a swim.

Situated at the waterfront of the “beach”, the hotel restaurant Cocoon Hotel Belair invites their guests to take some time out and relax in one of their Hawaiian beds.

The Upper Sure lake offers various beaches to take a cool dip on warm summer days.

They can be found in the villages of:

Rommwiss
Burfelt
Insenborn
Lultzhausen
Liefrange

Parking, however, is challenging in the area so make sure to plan ahead.

Take to the seas with the solar powered boat in Insenborn

It is now possible to take a trip on the solar powered boat again. During a two-hours tour you observe local fauna, get an introduction to the history of the lake and explore the forest discovery centre when it stops in Burfelt.

Canoeing on the river Sure – and you don´t have to be afraid that you will capsize!

Enjoy some time on your own and rent a kayak on the beautiful Sûre river. This part of the river between Diekirch and Ingeldorf allows easy paddling since the current of the river is slow and steady. Note that children below the age of 6 years are not permitted.

The Family of Man- a world class exhibition in the little village of Clervaux, and one of the pictures even made it into space!

The famous Luxembourger Edward Steichen went through 2 millions photographs from photographers all over the world to choose 500 for this exhibition.

Steichen, who had worked as a photographer during two World Wars wanted to depict the human side of people, the one that linked all of them. The last original set of these renowned pictures, of which many of them gained some measure of immortality can be seen at Clervaux´s exhibtion.

One of the famous pictures is floating in space, showing the birth of Steichen's assistant Wayne Miller's baby as one of the things carried in outer space aboard a Voyager spacecraft.

Sleeping overnight with monks in the Abbey of Clervaux

If you ever wondered how monks live, visit the large monastery of the Saint-Maurice Benedictines. An exhibition showcases life at a monastery and the male members of society can go one step further and stay there overnight while women can stay in nearby lodgings.

Be a farmer from the olden days

Discover the life of our ancestors and how life on a farm has been.

"A Robesscheier" offers several workshops, you can visit an old sawmill, ride on a donkey, operate old agricultural machinery, learn about the hay harvest, or take a ride on an old carriage.

It is also possible to stay overnight.

The regional office Eislek recommends the Adrien Ries walk:

Enter the region through the “Nordstad”, the gateway to the Eislek region.

This walk leads through the “Nordstad” region which is known as the entry portal of the Eislek region. The walk links Nordstad’s six municipalities and combines trails through meadows, forests and the country sides. Several castles lie along the way.

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Please note that due to the COVID-19 situation sudden changes may occur, please double check the information on the respective websites.