Still about 3.5 hours' drive from Utrecht, you will find the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In all the violence of the surrounding regions such as the Belgian and Flemish Ardennes, the Eifel and further south the Vosges Mountains, this area is quickly forgotten. For many, it is a stop on the way to sunnier Alpine resorts. For club football fans, though, the names Dudelange, Differdange and Esch will mean something more. To the north of this stamp on the European map lie the Ardennes. The Luxembourg Ardennes, that is. We investigated and here are the best places for a nice trip and a great cycling holiday! Cycling in Luxembourg is a must.
Beautiful playground
The Luxembourg Ardennes run roughly from the northern border with Belgium to Redange on the south-west side and Diekirch on the south-east. It is a beautiful hilly area, where you can be surprised by the length of the climbs, but certainly also the gradient. A small example: the rue du Sanatorium sounds friendly but you get a lot of altimeters in 3.8 kilometres with 7% average. And it peaks there to 15%(!).
Enough to look forward to in any case. So the interesting thing about this region is its hilly profile, but also the possibility to do some cool gravelling. The region around Kautenbach is then a designated destination, but also towards the border you will find beautiful unspoilt stretches where you can plan a nice adventure. The border triangle near Ouren is then a great starting or finishing point for a mini-adventure or an extended cycling holiday.
(c) Nas Raddine Touhami/VisitLuxembourg
Superb frontier classic
Speaking of borders. Surely the place to go in Luxembourg is Mont St Nicholas. Over 2.7 kilometres, you get 10.1% (!) with an outlier to 17%. Unheard of and quite unprecedented in the Benelux. Everyone is always talking about the Ardennes Classics in Belgium, but this is also worth a look. The beauty of this climb is the start at Bivels, where you also have a kind of 'horseshoe bend' in the river Die Our. The nice view is on the German side of the river, though. But oh well, we turn a blind eye to that. You can do this climb from several sides. A little further on, you'll also find the aforementioned Rue de Sanatorium. For fans: Vianden Castle is also worth a stop!
(c) Dominic Ketz
Against the wall (up)
There is something about climbs that have the name 'Muur or Mur' in them. Muur van Geraardsbergen, Mur de Huy, Mur de Bretagne. Always spectacle. The Mur de Putscheid, as it is called, is also a tough calf bite with an average of 10.1%, a maximum of 15.4% and that over more than 2 kilometres in length. As Rob from the Taste Police would say: it won't make you happy!
Around Kautenbach
The climb to Kautenbach is a nice one. You can be quite long on the road here (4 kilometres) and you have several options to ride up here. Personally, I have something with this region because when I was a little boy I first slept in a hotel in Wilwerwiltz. That really made an impression. Now I will be less upset about it, especially when I see where that hotel stood. Next to the railway line. Ride up from Wilwerwiltz and you can turn right after the descent in Kautenbach for a beautiful cycle path along the Wiltz river.
(c) Tristan Schmurr 
(c) Tristan Schmurr
Edge of Luxembourg
Another cool way to explore the area is an 'edge' of Luxembourg. As a starting point, you can take the three-country point and from there you can drive nicely along the river down towards Vianden or drive west towards the Belgian Ardennes. There you will find the (second) highest point of Luxembourg at Huldange. Along the border you will also find several border posts, which makes it easy to see the Luxembourg variant of the Borders Classic can drive!
More to explore
Of course, there is more to explore in this Grand Duchy. We will discuss the south side in a later follow-up. Also, we are far from bored with this region and would love to come back again. For now: enjoy! For more inspiration, visit the website of Visit Luxembourg!
