Working on my trip for next year and need help on Bastogne. My dad landed in France shortly after D-day and fought in France, Belgium, and Germany. I will be tracing a lot of his footsteps in France and Germany. Bastogne is out of the way but would like input from anyone that has been there. Is it worth a visit and why, even though it would take an extra day to get there? I have read and studied a lot on the area. It was a great battle but I have a lot to see and do and schedule is pretty full.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Here's a link to topics discussing this:BastogneBastogne moreBastogne accommodations
Posted by
TX
515 posts
We traveled to Belgium in June after 4 nights in Bayeux taking Battlebus tours of Normandy (highly recommend)...then train from Bayeux to Paris, then Thalys to Brussels. Next morning we were picked up at our hotel by Mr. Martin King, with whom we traveled in his car for 2 days seeing the sites associated with the 11th Armored Division and Battle of the Bulge. My husband's father served with the 41st Recon Cav in the 11th. Mr. King (I found prior recommendations for him on the RS site) is a Scottish fellow who lives now in Antwerp, retired professor, is affiliated with the History Channel, currently working on a book about the Bulge. He does only occasional tours. His tour was not cheap, but we felt that what we saw and heard was so worth it. This was a once in a lifetime trip for us, and we could NEVER have seen all the places and known the remarkable stories that he was able to tell us. Here is his site:
http://users.skynet.be/fa531049/home/index.html
For us, yes, Bastogne and vicinity, was worth the extra days of travel; the Ardennes is both magnificent and moving. We stayed overnight at the Hotel du Sud, just a block off the square in Bastogne. It's a fine basic old hotel at a lesser rate than the hotels on the square. Our rooms were comfortable and there was Internet access, and included breakfast. We flew home from smaller and easier Brussels airport.
There is another gentleman who also has highly recommended tours...Henri Mignon, who was a child in Bastogne during the battle. And here is his site:
http://users.skynet.be/bastogne.battle.bulge.guided.tours/index.htm
I am sure that both men or perhaps other guides that are unknown to me, will tailor the tour to your particular desires. For us, it was the path that the 11th Armored took, plus others. We went to places we had never heard of and saw placques and memorials we never dreamed we would see. The Mardasson Memorial outside Bastogne was just that, so memorable. Contact me for a few photos.
Posted by
Nashville, TN
9 posts
Another vote for Henri. We had such a wonderful time riding around, seeing the sights (such a beautiful countryside), and listening to his stories. We just got back Sunday night, and I have been telling people that Belgium was my favorite part. Mostly because of the fantastic tour that Henri does. It's not a set tour like other operators--he can take you to see as much or as little as you like.
I recommend (as does Henri, as his niece and her family run the hotel) the Hotel Melba (Best Western). Compared to the other E100(ish) hotels we stayed in through France and Germany, the hotel Melba was a luxury palace. And they have a lovely restaurant.
We took the train from Bayeux back through Paris to Luxembourg City to see the American Cemetery at Hamm (where General Patton is buried, as well as one young man who won the Medal of Honor), then the best way to get from Luxembourg City to Bastogne is a train to Libramont and then a bus to Bastogne from there.