Category: Western Europe

During our trip to Luxembourg in Aug 2019, we managed to do a 1-day trip to Trier, the oldest city in Germany. Trier was once the regional capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Second Rome’.

It’s around 45-50 Minutes journey by bus, from Luxembourg.

A normal search on internet would highlight mostly the train options only (which is around 16+ Euros, one side – https://www.thetrainline.com) and some options like Flix bus is available at cheaper rates (around 6 Euros – https://global.flixbus.com).

The best option that I felt was BUS 30 which starts from the Gare De Luxembourg station (city center) Zone 23.

The ticket must be purchased from the counters inside the station and you can purchase the return ticket as well. The to and fro ticket price was around 9.6 Euros/adult.

Please note that you don’t have to carry your passport for your Luxembourg-Trier trip.

We visited the following places in Trier:

1. Porta Nigra (towering Stone Roman Gate):

The Porta Nigra (large Roman city gate) is extremely old, with parts of the structure including the foundations dating back to 186 AD. While you can see the Porta Nigra for free from the outside, you must pay to walk up and explore the ruin itself.

Porta Nigra represents the last bastion of the Roman Empire’s presence north of the Alps.

The Romer Express (City Train ride) and the Hop on Hop off bus trip starts near to this place. You will also find an Information Centre from where you can grab a city map for free (Such free maps are available only with the people in the counters whereas all the other maps in shelves comes with a price tag).

There is also a Euro shop near Porta Nigra, from where you can get some Trier souvenirs (and other articles) at a reasonable price.

2. Karl Marx Statue (Near to Porta Nigra):

In 2018, Trier celebrated the 200th birthday of Karl Marx, it’s most famous inhabitant.

On this occasion, China donated a statue honouring the spiritual father of communism.

The statue weighs 2.3 tons and stands 5.5 meters high. The statue was originally proposed to be 6.2 meters. Trier stated that they would not be able to accept such a large statue so, in the spirit of compromise, the Chinese decreased the height by 27 inches and shipped the current statue.

3. Mosel river Cruise:

I have seen 2 cruise options; 1-hour trip and a 2-hour trip. The price was around 12 Euros/person. I personally felt that the cruise trip is not that attractive.

Various snacks, ice creams and drinks are also served in the cruise boat (not free though). Most of the boats have an open roof. Lot of tourists (especially in groups) explore this river cruise option.

3. A) Mariensäule:

You can also take some snaps of Mariensäule more closely from the cruise. Visible for miles at a height of 300 metres on the left bank of the Moselle is a Marian column placed here in the 1860s. The monument towers above the woodland at the top sandstone cliffs and was funded by donations from Trier’s Catholic congregation.

In case if you want to go near this monument, you can catch a bus to just 20 metres below the column, and on the platform, you can soak up an all-encompassing view of the Moselle and Trier.

4 c) Karl Marx House:

The birthplace of one the most influential German scholars of the 19th century, the Karl Marx House in Trier is among Germany’s most important historical museums.

Redesigned in 2005, the permanent exhibition provides a vivid and accessible tour of Karl Marx (1818-1883) the man, his place in history and the development of his philosophical and economic ideas. Key works such as ‘The Communist Party Manifesto’ and ‘Das Kapital’ are placed in their 19th-century context.

4 d) City Sky Liner:

It’s a Mobile observation tower in Trier.

More details here à https://www.trier-info.de/eventkalender/eventDetails?eventId=22071&terminId=471917

7. Hauptmarkt (Main Market):

This is another major attraction in Trier. It’s basically a square, near Cathedral of Trier.

This is the centre of the city’s commercial activity, and you will find an abundance of stores where you can go shopping as well as cafes and restaurants (including some Souvenir shops)

This public square (where many buildings are facing towards the square) has served as Trier’s main marketplace since medieval times.

8. Alleen center (Shopping mall):

If you are looking for some shopping or some common food chains like Burger King, this mall would be a good option. More details Here — https://alleencenter.com/

Paris, the capital of France has been drawing visitors from across the globe for centuries. This is infact one of the most visited cities in the world and one of the most romantic cities in Europe.

As a part of my business trip, I got a chance to visit Paris in December 2019. It was a 2 day trip and I tried to sneak in some time to visit a couple of major attractions in Paris.

It was an 1.5 hours trip from Dublin to Paris in Flight. Could capture some scenic photographs from the Aer Lingus flight that I had travelled.

There are 3 airports in Paris:

a) The Major one being Charles De Gaulle (CDG) (2^nd largest Airport in Europe after Heathrow). Its around 30 Kms from city centre.

b) Orly. Its around 17 Kms from city centre.

c) Beauvais (Low cost airlines like Ryanair fly out of this airport). Its around 86Kms from City center.

There are bus shuttles from Beauvais airport to Paris which takes around 1.15 Hours+. Please note that these bus shuttle schedules are adapted to the Flight timetables.

More details can be found here : https://www.aeroportparisbeauvais.com/en/access-parking/shuttle/

My flight was to CDG airport. CDG has 3 terminals and they are connected with the CDGVAL airport shuttle (Driverless trains). There are clear markings in the terminals which would help you to reach the airport shuttle.

More details can be found here : https://booking.parisinfo.com/il4-offre_i149-paris-visite-pass-ticket-transport-paris.aspx

Since my itinerary was only for 2 days and my flights were from the CDG airport, I had opted for a 2 days Zone 1-5 card which costed me around 38.35 Euros. The website price was 42.20 Euros. So I believe the tickets from the counter was cheaper compared to the online option.

You can buy travel tickets from the Kiosks or from the ticket counters available in the airport. The most convenient ticket that I had found was the ‘Paris Visit’ card. These are unlimited travel cards and you can select the convenient card based on the Zone/Days. The ticket infact is a small piece of paper and its extremely difficult to handle and there are high chances that it might get misplaced somewhere. So be extremely careful with such tickets. The Paris visit card is valid in trains, Trams and buses. I had travelled only once in bus and the experience has not been great. It was extremely crowded, not sure if it was only with that bus/route which I had taken. If possible, look for metro options than the bus.

In this trip, I had explored some places in Paris:

a) Eiffel Tower:

When you think of Paris, the first thing that comes to mind is the iconic, Eiffel Tower (also known as Iron tower). Even though you feel like it’s a cliché, but Eiffel Tower is a must see place during your visit to Paris. You have options to reach the 1st , 2nd and summit (Top floor) of the tower and the tickets for the same can be purchased online well in advance. Its better to get the tickets booked prior to your trip to avoid disappointment at the last moment. I personally have not travelled to the top of the tower and hence might not be in a position to provide the comment whether it is worth or not.

This place is mostly crowded. So it better to reach the tower early in the morning time to avoid crowds.

The sparkling lights of the iconic monument is something that you cannot miss during your Paris trip. Every hour, on the hour, between sunset to 1:00 am, the Eiffel Tower puts on a sparkling light show that looks incredible at night!

c) Pont Alexandre III Bridge:

There are many royal bridges in Paris. This is one of the most extravagant bridge.

The stone and metal sculptures, along with beautifully decorated architecture itself will define Paris. When you take the river cruise, it’s the most incredible river bridge you’ll be seeing in that journey. If possible, walk down to this bridge during the night time and you can witness some beautiful views from the bridge. The view of Eiffel tower from this bridge is spectacular.

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e) Seine River Cruise:

Boat trips on the Seine are really popular, with everything from five-course dinners to Champagne cruises available. But for a budget way to see the sights along the river, the Batobus does a hop-on-hop-off loop which covers the 9 major attractions. Tickets cost €17 for one day, but better value is the pass for two consecutive days for €19 per person.

The entire round trip (without getting out anywhere) will take around 1 hour 45 minutes or so. The frequency of the boat at any station would be around 25 Minutes. So plan your Hop On and Hop off accordingly.

If you have enough time, you can even walk through the banks of the Seine river.

As a part of my business trip, I got a chance to visit Le Mans in January 2020.

The best and fastest option will be to board a direct fast train (TGV) from Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport to Le Mans(Gare Du Mans station). Direct train would take around 1.45 Hours (around 53 Euros). Follow the boards (in Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport) with marking as ‘Trains’ to reach the train station.

There are only 2-3 major taxi/cab companies here in this city and a total of around 30-40 cars are associated with these companies. Throughout my trip, I had used ‘Radio-Taxi’. Their service was very good and prompt. Many cabs don’t accept cards, so its always a good idea to carry some cash with you while going outside.

The People here are very friendly and caring. They always start the conversation with ‘Bonjour’ (‘Hello’ in English).

One of the major concerns for a tourist in this town will be communication, as most of the people here don’t understand English. The issue is to an extend that even staffs at Mc. Donald’s don’t understand words like ‘Salt’ and ‘Pepper’. We had a tough time trying to make them understand what we were looking for.

The Number of hotels in this place is less. I have hardly seen 3-4 hotels. I stayed in Ibis Lemans Centre. It’s a small hotel but stay was good.

In this Trip, I had explored the following places:

1. Le Mans Car Museum and Racing track.

The whole city of Lemans is known to the outside world because of the Sports Car Race that happens here. Traditionally, this race happens in the month of June every year. Normally, lakhs of people visit here to see this Race and they stay in Public Camp sites near to this Circuit.

The race was supposed to happen on 13^th June 2020, but not sure if it would happen due to the aftereffects of Corona Virus.

There is a Car Museum here (in the North Entrance) which the automobile lovers would love, for sure. The taxi charge from the city center to this palace will be around 17-20 Euros. If you want to save that money, I would suggest taking a tram to station ‘Le Tetre Rogue’ and then walk for 2 Kms (20 min).

The combo ticket for the Museum + Track is around 12.5 Euros.

You can find more details here –> https://www.lemans-musee24h.com/en/

The Museum houses amazing classic cars and memories from the past events. There is also a gift shop from where you can pick up some souvenirs. You can easily spend at least 2 hours in this museum.

2. Cite Plantagenet/ Le Mans Old City:

Its named after the former inhibits of the city named Plantagenets. The most important sites in this area are the Roman Wall, Cathedral and Notre Dame Church.

It has many Cobble stone laid streets with very old houses.

Don’t miss to walk around the old city. Remember that the old city is on a hill. So, if you have any difficulty walking or pushing a pram, it might be a challenge for you. If you want to know more about these places, it will be good to take the help of an experienced guide.

4. Gallo Romans Walls:

This is one of the oldest roman walls to survive.

These walls date back to the 3rd century and span up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) between the Sarthe and the Cathedral in Le Mans, France. The walls were intended to protect this city.

There are many other places that you can explore:

• Abbaye de L’ Epau
• Spaycific Zoo
• Arche de la Nature (Park)
• Papea Parc (Theme Park)
• Maison de la Tourelle (Historic House)
• Palais des Comtes du Maine (Palace)
• Musée de la Reine Bérengère (Museum)
• Roman Thermal Building
• Musee de Tesse

In summer (July, August), the old centre is illuminated with light and sound. I believe this would be a great experience especially for the kids. Seems this is known by the name La Nuit des Chimeres.

Lot of details can be found here in this website –> https://www.lemans-tourisme.com/en/

As usual, I had tried exploring some Indian food here in Le-Mans. The two restaurants that I tried was ‘Taj Mahal’ and ‘Bombay’. The food was good at both the places. They normally prepare less Spicy food, but they will make it spicy on request.

2. Manneken Pis:

This is a handsome little guy (peeping Boy) who is the most popular person in Brussels and a must see on your first trip to the city. Not much time is required here, and the good thing is that its quite near to the Grand Palace (5-10 min walk). Manneken Pis is the best-known symbol of Brussels.

Don’t forget, at certain times, Manneken Pis gets dressed up in all manner of costumes meaning a second visit will always be interesting. Unfortunately, there was no special dressing when I visited.

Also please note that this is not the original one. If you wish to see the actual original boy, you need to visit Museum of the City of Brussels.

Interestingly, Manneken Pis has over 900 costumes, of which 100 are on display in the city museum.

3. Jeanneke Pis:

The ‘sister’ of the Manneken Pis – Jeanneke Pis can be found in a small alley next to the Rue des Bouchers and is been little hidden out of sight.

Due to some reason, Jeanneke Pis is sitting behind the bars and she is not that popular as Manneken Pis.

There is also a Zinneke Pis, but I did not get time to visit that.

5. Atomium: (nearest metro station is Heysel):

This is Brussel’s Eiffel tower.

Built in the 1950’s (for world fair expo), the Atomium is a little outside the city centre but a great spot to see something a little different. Over 100 metres (330ft) tall, it’s a great place to see some views of the city. This is said to be one of the most popular tourist attractions in Brussels. It has nine large spheres connected with tubes. In 5 spheres, there are different exhibitions (Both Permanent and temporary). There was also a light show inside one of the spheres. My personal feeling is that it is worth seeing Atomium from outside, and you won’t really miss much if can’t go inside. At the ticket counter and at the lift to the summit, you will have to spend a lot of time waiting in the queue.

Another concern is about the lack of restaurants in this area. There are very limited options and you will have to depend on the street vendors/vans for your lunch/snacks (mainly French fries, ice-creams and waffles).

More details here : https://atomium.be/home/cover

6. Mini Europe:

It’s one of the nicest family-friendly attractions in Brussels. Combination tickets are available for both attractions (Atomium and Mini Europe). Mini-Europe sits at the foot of the Atomium, so it’s best to do them both together.

Featuring each of the nation members of the European Union, this miniature park brings to life over 80 cities and 350 of the continent’s most famous buildings, containing live action models such as trains, fire, mills and cable cars.

More details here : https://www.minieurope.com/en/

7. Royal palace of Brussels:

The official palace of the Belgian King in the centre of Brussels is used for all kinds of official events and can be visited from the end of July till beginning of September. The Royal family itself lives in the Castle of Laeken, on the outskirts of Brussels.

Please note that Royal palace is closed for public, on Mondays.

8. Cinquantenaire & Triumphal Arch:

The park features a giant, U-shaped building with the city’s Triumphal Arch at the center, inside of which you’ll find the Royal Military Museum, an art gallery, and an automobile museum. Please note that this place is slightly away from the city centre and you might need to use metro to reach here from the city centre.

9. Auto world:

If you are automobile lover, you should never miss this place. AutoWorld is a car museum that has over 300 vintage European and American automobiles from the late 19th century to the seventies. Admission is €12 EUR or €11 EUR (Online) and it’s opened every day from 10am-5pm.

More details here : https://www.autoworld.be/onthaal

10. Parlamentarium:

Despite having administrative centres in Strasbourg and Luxembourg, the EU headquarters are in Brussels. Open seven days a week with no admission fee and audio guide included, visiting the Parlamentarium is a cheap and informative way to spend a couple of hours for visitors of all ages.

11. Mont des Arts:

The Mont des Arts is one of Brussels’ most iconic places, with a long floral garden and views of the city hall tower.

12. Old England Building:

The Old England department store was a large retailer in downtown Brussels, Belgium, partially housed in a famous, important Art Nouveau building constructed by the Belgian architect Paul Saintenoy (1862–1952) in 1898–99. Today its former buildings house the Museum of Musical Instruments, founded in 1877, which forms part of the group of Royal Museums for Art and History.

Don’t leave Brussels before trying the below:

a) Waffles:

This was one of my favourite snacks in Brussels. After all, you can’t leave Brussels without having some of their famous waffles. The no of varieties really surprised me.

b) Belgium or French (Not sure which country created Fries)

Fries here had a different taste and I really loved it. Its mostly served in cones.

NOTE: People say that the French fries originated in Brussles, Belgium.

e) I did not see any of the big chains like KFC. Seems they are very limited.

f) Brussels has a lot of street food options and that would easily fit in to your budget. Best and economical option will be to try out Fast food / Kebab type of shops.