The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Luxembourg:
Vianden
Vianden, northeast of Ettlebruck along the German border, fits fairy-tale visions of European villages, with a beautiful castle on a hill, a meandering river, lush forests, cobblestone streets, and old churches. There should be a law against this much cuteness. Get info on what to see at the tourist office (37 rue de la Gare, tel. 8-42-57; open daily 9:30-noon and 2-6) or just go out exploring on your own--the town is small enough that finding everything of interest shouldn't be too hard. Buses run from Ettelbruck to Vianden daily (30 min, 140LF). The bus station, really just a glorified bus stop, lies south of town on rue de la Gare.
The big attraction here is the Château de Vianden (tel. 8-41-08; admission 120LF, 90LF students; open daily 10-6), visible from all over town. Restorations completed in 1983 added facilities for exhibitions and concerts, while preserving its medieval appearance. Your entrance fee buys you a small guidebook in English with info on the entire building, including the colorfully painted chapels and the tapestried Count's Hall. Two churches also worth a peek are the Eglise des Trinitaires, on the Grand Rue, and the Eglise St-Nicolas, next to the tourist office. Both have altars that look like they could have come from Paris's Notre-Dame or London's Westminster Abbey instead of a tiny town in the Ardennes.
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