Ten years after her rain-drenched first visit, Échappées Belles host Sophie Jovillard returns to a sun-soaked Luxembourg for a new France 5 episode, exploring the country’s hidden gems on motorbike and by foot – this time with RTL’s Annick Goerens as her guide.
The long-running French travel series on France 5, now nearing its 20th anniversary, has built its reputation on exploring regions through the eyes of locals, revealing hidden gems and lesser-known corners that typical tourists might overlook.
Back in Luxembourg for the first time since 2015, presenter Sophie Jovillard embarked on a new journey through the Grand Duchy. This time, she was accompanied by RTL journalist Annick Goerens, who took her on an adventurous motorbike ride through the natural landscapes, and even introduced her to climbing among the sandstone rock formations of Berdorf.
While France 5 captured the journey for broadcast, RTL offered a behind-the-scenes look at the filming process.
As with every episode in the series, the aim of this special edition is to showcase a destination through the stories and passions of the people who call it home.Sophie explained that one of the show’s key challenges was to truly uncover Luxembourg through its unique personalities, and that Annick proved to be the perfect guide for this journey. She described her as a journalist full of energy, with a love for motorbikes, mountains, and a generous spirit.
Annick shared how the collaboration began: when the producers first approached her and asked what kind of activities she could do with them, she jokingly listed everything from climbing and paragliding to skydiving. The presenter quickly ruled out paragliding, so they agreed on rock climbing instead. Sophie didn’t quite make it to the top, but that didn’t matter to her. The real reward, she said, was the beautiful weather that bathed the region in sunshine and greenery – quite the contrast to her rain-soaked visit a decade earlier.
She explained that she had wanted to return to showcase a different side of Luxembourg, adding that the bright skies and birdsong this time around made for a far more uplifting experience. She’s confident it will be a truly beautiful episode.
During the ten-day shoot, Sophie also met several other well-known figures, including science communicator "Mr. Science", Michelin-starred chef René Mathieu, social media personality Mike McQuaide, known as "An American in Luxembourg", and horse trainer Charel Braquet with his Ardennes horses.
The Luxembourg episode of Échappées Belles will air on Friday 14 June at 9pm on France 5.
