Taking in a view of the Moselle River outside Schegan, Luxembourg. His bike is a late-model Honda CBF 250, a cool little DOHC 4-valve 250 single we don’t get here in the U.S.
Editor’s Note:
While we get lots of suggestions for great rides and destination points here in the U.S., it’s not every day – heck, this is the first time! – we get suggestions for cool rides overseas. But we got just that when Andrew Breeden, a reader in Luxembourg, a small country of just barely 1,000 square miles bordered by Germany to the northeast, Belgium to the northwest and France to the southwest, dropped us a line. Originally from England, Andrew found our magazine during one of his regular trips to the U.S., and now follows us regularly from his home in Luxembourg. Read on for a great ride Andrew’s discovered, one he thinks Motorcycle Classics readers should know about if they’re ever lucky enough to find themselves in Luxembourg. – Richard Backus
Although I am English, my home is the small country of Luxembourg, squeezed in between Germany, France and Belgium, in the heart of Western Europe. As a result of being in such close proximity to the other countries, it is possible to take a hundred mile ride or less and visit three countries on a Sunday morning’s ride.
Parked for a break in Thionville, France.
Anyone visiting this part of the World will enjoy this ride. I head out of Luxembourg City on the National 3; this keeps me off the main highways. You are very quickly into lovely countryside, and within minutes crossing the border at Frisange in to France and the small town of Evrange. In France the road becomes the N53, and heads down towards Thionville, a former industrial town on the Moselle River. Thionville was annexed by the German Empire in 1871, and did not pass back into French territory until after the First World War, when the Treaty of Versailles deemed the city French.
Here we cross the river and basically follow it North East. You travel through some small villages with very Germanic names, such as Koenigsmacker, even though this is still France. Follow this road to Sierck Les Baines. Now search for the small turn off to Kitzing, this road is called the Route De Waldwisse, and does not actually have a designated number. Continue to Merschweiller and visit the Chateau De Malbrouck, this was built in the 1400s and the place teams with history, from the days when this area was ruled by Dukes and forever changed ownership, due to battles.
Back to the main road, and a few more miles will find you in Schegen, a small town where Germany, France and Luxembourg meet. This town has since become famous in Europe as it is where the Schegen agreement was signed on board the Luxembourgish river-boat “Princess Marie-Astrid”. This agreement started the path to the opening of the borders in Europe, eventually making it possible to pass from country to country without showing a passport.
At Schengen we once again cross the Moselle river, which is part of a navigable system, linking to the Rhine, and is used to transport coal, oil, steel etc on large barges.
A view of the old center of Luxembourg.
We are now on Luxembourg’s national 10, which again runs along the river and heads for Remich, a very touristic town with lots of restaurants and terrace cafes. You can now choose between travelling on the German or Luxembourg side of the river, up to Grevenmacher, where you will see a large lock to help prevent floods. From here it’s a 20 mile or so ride through farm country back into Luxembourg. A pleasant ride, coffee and sandwich at Remich, and all in a very relaxed morning. – Andrew Breeden
