Battle of the Bulge, La Roche-en-Ardenne Belgium
September 13, 2023 - by Muriel Dassen
In this part of the Belgian Ardennes the river Ourthe draws large, graceful loops in the typical Ardenne landscape. The exceptional natural beauty has made the heart of the Ardennes and La Roche-en-Ardenne popular for visitors. From the 19th century the first tourists came to La Roche to enjoy the mountains and the castle ruins that stand above the village. Like a work of art of transience. The early visitors were the founders of tourism and the prosperity of La Roche and hotels were built, restaurants opened and a tourist office established. So a perfect central point for our Battle of the Bulge motorcycle tour here in the Ardennes.
Of course you can download the GPX / ITN files and full e-books of the 2 rides we have in this tour via our roadtrip planner but you can already find the info in this blogpost.
You will already find some nice bars and restaurants in the true centre of La Roche, but don't forget to cross the bridge over the river Ourthe to the Place du Bronze as you will find more bars and restaurants here with nice terraces to enjoy your evenings. And from this place you can take the tourist train.....it is said to be a good way to explore the city of La Roche for just a few euro’s.
From La Roche's main shopping street, Rue Chamont, you can turn into a small side street, and then it is a steep climb to the entrance of the castle. The castle was built between the 11th and 14th century and is built entirely of slate and inside you can clearly see how the slates are stacked. The castle was inhabited until the end of the 18th century, when it was stripped by the people of la Roche: all usable parts were taken out with brute force. It was only at the end of the 20th century that the tourist value of the castle was recognised and a start was made on clearing it and making it accessible. From the castle you have a beautiful view over the charming little town of La Roche-en-Ardenne and the river Ourthe and the castle dominates the valley as it is nestled between this loop of the Ourthe and the steep sides of the Deister hill. If you are interested, you can visit the Castle. Find more info on its website here.
Musée de la Bataille des Ardennes
We chose La Roche-en-Ardenne as the central point for our Battle of the Bulge tour as La Roche was situated right in the middle of the actual bulge that the German forces caused in the winter of 1944-1945. This was a surprise attack by the German forces against the allied forces on their way to Germany after liberating Belgium in September 1944. Starting on December 16, 1944 the German troops tried to break through the allied lines through the snow covered Ardennes. They wanted to reach the river Meuse and from there advance to Brussels and Antwerp. This attack literally caused a bulge in the allied lines over the Ardennes. The German troops did not succeed and did not reach the river Meuse as in January 1945 the allied forces counterattacked with the Battle of the Bulge. It was the largest battle of WW II altogether with 1 million man and 1000 tanks and at the end of January 1945 the allied forces had pushed back the Germans liberating the Ardennes and
Belgium again. The Musée de la Bataille des Ardennes in La Roche-en-Ardenne is a good start if you want to get to know more on the Battle of the Bulge. It tells the story of the Battle of the Bulge and how La Roche was almost razed to the ground and is the only museum that pays attention to the British troops who were
involved. For more information please visit this website.
Recommended hotels:
Rating on Booking.com: Very Good 8.5
With free private parking on site – not covered
With bar and restaurant
10 minute walk to city centre La Roche
Rating on Booking.com: Good 7.7
With free private parking on site – not covered
With restaurant
In city centre La Roche
Rating on Booking.com: Good 7.3
With free private parking on site – not covered
WIth bar and restaurant
10 minute walk to city centre La Roche
With pool (July and August)
Also self catered accommodation
Rating on Booking.com: Good 7.6
With free private parking on site - not covered
With bar and restaurant
25 minute walk to city centre La Roche
Rating on Booking.com: Very good 8.4
With free on site parking – not covered
With restaurant (closed on Sundays) and wellness pavilion
8.5 km / 5,5 miles from city centre La Roche
Rating on Booking.com: Very good 8.5
With free private parking on site - not covered
With bar and restaurant
25 minute walk to city centre La Roche
Rating on Booking.com: Superb 9.1
With free private on site parking - not covered
With bar and restaurant and wellness area
4 km / 2.5 miles from city centre La Roche
Ride 1
Ride 1 is going East – North East of La Roche-en-Ardenne for about190 km/ 118 miles. And we know this area has some really nice roads for a good bike ride. Throughout the Ardennes you will come across numerous bigger and smaller WW II related memorials, like memorials and plaques in villages and military vehicles just besides the road. In this ride we have stops within the Battle of the Bulge theme, but if you want you can stop as many times as you want of course.
Baugnez 44 Historical Centre - UNFORTUNATELY THE MUSEUM IS NOW CLOSED
This museum is the first Battle of the Bulge stop that we want to bring under your attention. If you’re interested and have did not leave really late for this ride you will have the time, this museum is definitely worth a visit: Baugnez 44. The museum is dedicated to the Battle of the Bulge and the so called Malmedy Massacre that took place in that field right next to the roundabout there - in the hamlet of Baugnez. Authentic material, vehicles, photographs and films of the time full of history and emotion will take you back to the heart of the Battle of the Bulge. In different scenes the daily life of soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge is presented: two of these scenes equipped with sound and light are unique in Belgium and will really take you back to the winter battlefield of 1944. For more info this is the link.
Right next to the museum you will find Brasserie-Restaurant Five points if you want to have a coffee or maybe lunch already. We went to our next stop for lunch as we like to get some wind in our faces after all these impressions!
But before we get to the lunch stop we have a quick stop is in the village of La Gleize where you can find another museum on the Battle of the Bulge: December 44 historical museum. It has one of Europe's most important collections from WW II with a King Tiger tank as one of the most unusual features just in front of the building. Maybe 2 museums in 1 day is a bit too much, but it is definitely nice to stop at the King Tiger tank for a quick KODAK moment. For more information on this museum you can visit its website here.
We are not bringing you to Durbuy for Battle of the Bulge memorials, but just because it is a city that we did not want you to miss. It is the smallest city in the Ardennes and received its city rights in 1331, but it never became a real city. That is, until it proclaimed itself to be the "Smallest City in the World" with only 400 inhabitants in the heart of Durbuy. In the years that followed, many tourists came to the beautiful city in the Ardennes because of this cleverly made up slogan. And it is still one of the most important places in the Ardennes and a nice city to stop and have a stretch of the legs with a walk through the small historical centre.
Besides Durbuy 3 other cities claim to be the smallest city in the world. According to the Guiness Book of World Records the hamlet of Hum in Croatia is the smallest city in the world with only twelve houses and thirty inhabitants. Furthermore the Dutch cities of Sloten, with 350 people living in the centre, and Bronckhorst with less than 200 inhabitants call itself the smallest town in the world. But hey, Durbuy surely is a nice small city!
From Durbuy it is still about 35 km / 22 miles to get back to La Roche on some more winding roads and of course the GPX/ITN file that you can download via our roadtrip planner will bring you back there.
Ride 2
This is ride 2 of the Battle of the Bulge tour. As usual we started this ride at the petrol station so you are good to go on the ride of about 200 km / 125 miles. On this ride we will be going South-East of La Roche into what is called biker paradise: the country of Luxembourg! This ride is filled with WWII museums and memorials, but we also will look for coffee- and lunchstops and a view that you will remember.
The town of Clervaux is an absolute highlight in Luxembourg. Especially with its beautiful Clervaux Castle, which you can already see from the parking that we
added to the GPX / ITN file that you can download via our roadtrip planner, it has a bit of a fairy tale look to it. Of course you can just go for a coffee, but in the castle you will find this Musée de la Bataille des Ardennes. You can visit the museum for a few euro already. For more info you can visit the website of the museum here, although it is only in French and German.
We added a photo stop with a view on the castle of Vianden. The castle does hold a museum, but not a Battle fo the Bulge related museum. But we think you should not miss this "Kodak moment", even in bad weather like we had. The town of Vianden below the castle lies on the border of the river Our and borders with Germany. If you are looking for an extra stop it is a very picturesquely city situated in this beautiful valley. The castle was built between the 11th and 14th centuries on the
foundations of a Carolingian and Roman fortress (castellum). It is one of the largest and most beautiful noble residences of the Romanesque and Gothic periods in Europe. The ruins have been restored and can be visited, but we will settle for the view in this ride.
Musée National d'Histoire Militaire
We have not visited this museum, but did want to bring you here before we go into Diekirch for lunch as there are some impressive vehicles on display just in front of the museum. But if you are interested in visiting, you will find more info on its website here.
Diekirch was one of the first tourist resorts in Luxembourg. It’s an attractive town, the first in the Grand Duchy to create a traffic-free zone. Apparently Diekirch caters
for lovers of terraces, so a perfect stop for lunch. Diekirch is a charming town on the river Sûre. With the nice pedestrian zone it is a great place to walk the old streets past the historic houses and grab a terrace, maybe even for a cool blond Diekirch beer. And look for donkeys, as Diekirch is known as the 'donkey city'. It is not entirely known why the donkey is such an important animal for Diekirch. According to the most likely story, farmers around Diekirch used to use donkeys for their fields and vineyards. Donkeys were the only way to carry out the heavy work on the gentle slopes. According to another anecdote, inhabitants of Diekirch were called
'stubborn donkeys' when they protested against the construction of a railway line. Whatever you believe to be true, if you look closely, you will see donkeys
everywhere. Diekirch sure is a nice city to stretch your legs during this ride and sit down to have some lunch
Bastogne War Museum and Memorial du Masdasson
Back in Belgium we have one last stop for you in theme of the tour: the Bastogne War museum. It offers a contemporary interactive context of the causes, events
and consequences of the Second World War, with a particular emphasis on the Battle of the Bulge. Last entry here is at 4 pm and 5 pm in July and August. If you
really want to take your time to explore this museum, you might want to come back here as it is only 30 km/19 miles from La Roche. For more info on the museum you can visit its website here.
Whatever you do regarding the museum, we do recommend you to visit the Memorial du Masdasson just behind the museum. A memorial site of the Battle of
the Bulge honouring the American soldiers who died on Belgian soil during World War II. The monument takes the form of a five-pointed star 31 metres long.
There is also an impressive crypt containing 3 altars: a Catholic, Protestant and Jewish and the walls are decorated with mosaics. And if not under construction you
can access the viewing platform at the top of the memorial where you can enjoy a wonderful panorama of almost all the defensive positions during the occupation of the city of Bastogne.
Go on your own QUAZY RIDE
You can download the GPX / ITN files of the rides and the full e-books via our roadtrip planner and then we hope you will enjoy the rides you will be doing in this Quazy Rides Battle of the Bulge tour and your stay in La Roche-en-Ardenne.
If you are posting on social media, don't forget to tag Quazy Rides or use the #QuazyRides, because we LOVE to see you having fun with our rides.
