Bastogne - Luxembourg - Abbey of Notre Dame d'Orval - Chateau de Bouillon

Route: Charleroi - Bastogne - Luxembourg - Abbey of Notre Dame d'Orval - Chateau de Bouillon - Charleroi
Duration: 11 h
The first stop of our tour will be at Bastogne, the city that will always be connected to the second world war, has a rich past and culture. During WWII’s Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne was encircled and heavily bombarded by German forces but refused to capitulate. More than 70 years later, the town's tourist industry still revolves around its valiant wartime history and it's a place where the US soldiers are unambiguously seen as heroes. There you will can visit to museum Military  history the battle and  the famous Mardasson Memorial. There was the last major Nazi offensive. Hitler hoped to split the Allied forces by launching a surprise attack. 140,000 soldiers and infantry forces were killed or captured.The next stop will be at Luxembourg city where you take experience the delights of the city of Luxembourg and discover the tourist places steeped in both history and modernity. Enjoy your stay to visit the capital with a guide and walk among UNESCO World Heritage monuments and contemporary architecture in the heart of the city. You will walk around the city for two hours and discover a host of specific attractions: Place d’Armes, Place de la Constitution, Government District, Corniche, Monument of the Millenium, Old Town, grand ducal Palace (outside), Place Guillaume II.
After we will leave the Luxembourg and drive to Orval Abbey which is a spiritual island of tranquility and tradition, famous for its world-renowned brewery. The monastery also has a cheese factory, bakery and confectionery, supporting the monastic community in harmony with Cistercian regulations. The Abbey today is the product of centuries of ritual, peppered by drastic events, making Orval possibly Belgium’s most captivating Trappist monastery. In medieval legend, the newly founded monastery of Orval was visited by Mathilde, the Countess of Tuscany, in 1076. Weary from her journey, she stopped at the nearby spring and with cupped hands drank the refreshing water, only to discover that she had lost her wedding ring in the river. Though she and her attendants searched, the ring could not be found. In desperation, the countess beseeched the Virgin Mary and at that moment a trout jumped from the spring with her ring in its mouth. In thanks, she exclaimed that this was truly the ‘valley of gold!’ In appreciation of the legend, the emblem of Orval beer is a jumping trout with a gold ring in its mouth.The last place of our tour will be the small town of Bouillon where  castle de Bouillon  lies high on a ridge overlooking the town and the River Semois and is a remarkable monument in the province of Luxembourg, retracing almost a thousand years of history and military architecture and is now considered to be one of the most beautiful medieval castles in Belgium.. Get a taste of medieval history at Chateau de Bouillon, a castle with origins dating back to 988. Enter by way of one of the three drawbridges, and then explore the castle while learning about its rich history. Visitors can explore the extraordinary maze of tunnels and passageways leading through dark dungeons to lofty battlements, towers and embattlements with vertiginous views over the river below. Finish off with a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape by climbing the 16th-century tower. Do not miss the falconry demonstrations, for a full medieval atmosphere. After we will return to Charleroi.
Price: per person