Ettelbruck

Ettelbruck (Luxembourgish: Ettelbréck, German: Ettelbrück) is a small city in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It's located in the centre of the country, where the rivers Sauer, Wark and Alzette meet. This practical location has made Ettelbruck a major junction and transport hub, both historically and today. Although this friendly place doesn't have any of the impressive sites some other cities in Luxembourg have, it makes for a fine base from where to explore this compact country.

• Tourist Information Office, 5, rue Abbé Muller. M-F 10:00-17:00. Located on the church square, between "Le Resto" and the "Schumacher" bakery. 

Get in

Ettelbruck is easily reachable by car, as it lies along the A7 Motorway (sometimes called the Motorway of the North).

By train it's equally well-connected, as it serves as a major railway junction. The main line 10 from Luxembourg (city) to Liège stops here. From Ettelbruck station, connecting trains run in the direction of Diekirch.

Get around

Practically all parts of town are reachable by car and bike. The centre itself is small enough to walk around, although the camp site and Grondwee area are a bit further.

See

The town's main attraction is the George S. Patton Memorial Museum, opened in 1995. It's a tribute to the American army General Patton, a folk hero and famous for quotes like "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country". Although the general himself never set foot in Ettelbruck, the town promotes itself as "Patton town", and he is widely celebrated as the Ettelbruck's liberator and symbol for the victory over the Germans in 1944.

The central square is named after him, and in July, there's the annual Remembrance Day celebration, in honour of him and the American, British, French, Belgian and of course Luxembourgish troops who fought in the region. There's also a memorial for the celebrated general. Both the square and the memorial are located along the Sure-bridge, right at the spot where the Allied Forces finally succeeded to stop the German advancements into the south.

• George S. Patton Memorial Museum, 5, rue Dr. Klein, ☏ +352 81 03 22. 1 Jun to 15 Sep: daily 10:00-17:00; other months: Su 14:00-17:00. Truth be told, this is not the best war time museum in the area. Nearby Diekirch has a museum of its own with perhaps an even more impressive collection, but still, the Ettelbruck Patton Museum has a well maintained selection of World War II helmets, costumes, weapons and photographs on display, as well as some fallen aircraft parts. €5 for adults, €3 for children. 

Do

As in all of Luxembourg, hiking and biking are popular activities. The tourist information office has some good routes.

When you're travelling with children, there's a water playground below the camp site, at the bottom of the hill. This area is called the Grondwee.

Eat

Several restaurants are available in the town centre. Don't expect any haute cuisine, but there are different cuisines to choose from.

• River Café, 15 Rue Prince Henri, ☏ +352 26 81 08 86. Serves mostly grill dishes. around €25. 
• Le Resto Chez Fred, 7, rue Abbé Henry Müller, ☏ +352 81 02 80. 11:30-14:00 and 18:30-21:30; closed on Tu W evenings. One of the better restaurants in town, serving simple but tasty French bistro dishes. Mains from €17, dish of the day for €9.50. 

Sleep

There are a few accommodation options in and around Ettelbruck, but there aren't nearly as many as in more tourist oriented towns. If you have no luck, drive a few km out of town or even to nearby Diekirch or Bourscheid for additional options. In about a 10 or 12 km radius, you'll find a number of fine options.

• Campsite Ettelbruck, 88, Chemin de Camping, ☏ +352 81 21 85. Fairly small camp site with 150 or so spacious places, clean sanitary provisions and some play grounds for the kids. There's also a vegetable garden where - when available- you can get fresh veggies for free. It's owned by the municipality but run by a friendly Dutch lady and her daughters, who are all very friendly and relaxed. You can usually pick your own spot and (unless the place is booked full) there's no set arrival or departure time. It's a fairly long walk or short drive to the centre of Ettelbruck, which is about 2 km away, but there's a small bistro/snack corner and you can order breads for breakfast the evening before. They have about 15 camper places too. Internet is available for about a euro per hour and only works in and around the bistro. €8 for a spot, plus €6 per adult per night. 
• Hotel Lanners, 1, rue de la Gare, ☏ +352 812127-1. 
• Hotel Dahm. Located a few kilometres out of Ettelbruck. It has a somewhat expensive but good restaurant too. 

Go next

• Bourscheid - just a few km out of Ettelbruck, Bourscheid's castle is nicely lit at night and can be visited during day.
• Diekirch
• Vianden
• Luxembourg (city)