Saar-Lor-Lux

Travelling in low-budget in Europe? That is definitely possible. I recommend you to buy a Saar-Lor-Lux ticket!

DB (Germany), SNCF (France), and CFL (Luxembourg) have this cooperation that allows people from Saar-Lor-Lux to travel cheaply on Saturday and Sunday. Saar-Lor-Lux stands for Saarland-Lorraine-Luxembourg. The ticket costs 20 Euro for one person, 30 Euro for 2 persons (@ 15 Euro), 40 Euro for 3 persone (@ 13,33 Euro), 50 Euro for 4 persons (@ 12,50 Euro), and 60 Euro for 5 persons (@ 12 Euro). Of course it will be cheaper if you have 4 people to travel with so you can buy the ticket for 5 persons.

So, what are the rules of this ticket? With this ticket you can travel for one day with all trains in these 3 regions (Saarland-Lorraine-Luxembourg) inclusive Trier and Zweibruecken in Germany. The ticket can be bought just in these 3 regions. So you cannot buy it in Paris or in Cologne.

Last Saturday I travelled again with this ticket. The first time I travelled with it was in spring and the weather was terrible. And it's summer this time!

I travelled to
1. Metz Ville, France
2. Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
3. Trier, Germany
and I'll give you then some info about the city where I live: Saarbruecken, Germany


Metz Ville, France
I departed from Saarbruecken Hauptbahnhof at 7:30 am to Metz. The journey takes an hour. Metz is the capital city of Lorraine. The city is still very ancient and unique. It is so 'french'. It has many allies with old buildings and the best part of it is that it is passed by the Moselle, a beautiful river that in the end meets with the Rhine in Koblenz (read my previous post about Koblenz). In Metz you should visit the Cathedrale St. Etienne. It is basically the main attraction of the city. It's a very big cathedrale with beautiful sculptures at the front gate. Unfortunately it was under renovation when I was there. But actually there are more to see in Metz than just the cathedrale. The centre ville is very interesting with lots of shops if you're into shopping. And of course you have to visit the Mosel. There is a delta on the river and on the delta there's a little church. And it is so beautiful. I actually don't know what's the name of the church.




The cathedrale St.Etienne, Metz


This is the beautiful church on the Mosel. Look at those swans!

Ville de Luxembourg, Luxembourg
So let's head to the capital city of Luxembourg. I always believe Luxembourg is the heart of Europe because of its location. Luxembourg is an interesting country for me. It's like so small and so rich. I guess it has higher standard of life than France or Germany. The EU parlament building is here and Luxembourg is the country where Schengen policy was ratified. Its capital city is now part of UNESCO World Heritage Sites due to its uniqueness. The people don't have any stereotypes I guess. I don't know what's the typical character of Luxembourgeois. Anyway let's just talk about the trip there.
I departed from Metz at 12:20 pm. The journey to Luxembourg takes 45 minutes. I can divide the great spots of Luxembourg into two parts: Ville Haute and Ville Basse. Well, if you speak French of course you know what it means. Ville Haute means high city and Ville Basse means low city. Well I recommend you to first take the Ville Basse. In Ville Basse there are beautiful old buildings and a medieval castle or something like that. Walking in the Ville Basse is really enjoyable and romantic. The river, the old little bridge, the flowers, the trees they're really a perfect dating spot. I haven't done it yet but I recommend you to have a picnic at Vallee de la Petrusse. It is very beautiful there.
Here are some views from Ville Basse



In Ville Haute you can see the Ville Basse from above. And they're extremely beautiful. In Ville Haute you can also find the Centre Ville with many shops like Louis Vuitton, etc. If you like shopping, it is the right place. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the centre ville. It's not really my thing.



Anyway, tips to travel in Luxembourg:
Wear comfortable shoes! Luxembourg is very up-and-down with lots of steep roads. Never use high heels because the streets are still made of stones.


Trier, Germany
I don't know whether it's true or not but all German towns were totally destroyed during the second world war except Heidelberg and Trier. That's why Trier is worth a visit because it still has medieval buildings. The main attraction of the town is Porta Negra. It's a medieval monument. There are still many other buildings like Roman amphitheater. And, visiting the Mosel again is not a bad idea.




And the last I'm going to tell you about the city where I live, Saarbruecken, Germany.
Saarbruecken is the capital city of Saarland, one of the smallest state in Germany. If you read its history, Saarbruecken was badly damaged during the world war. Of course it was. Saarbruecken is located at the border between France and Germany. So, all french or english troops have to go through Saarbruecken first to reach Germany. Although we don't have many medieval buildings than other cities in Germany. The city is still very beautiful. It has a river at least and sunbathing or biking or jogging along the river is worth a try. Saarbruecken doesn't offer you many things to see. But I think Saarbruecken is a very nice place to live. A friend of mine told me that all cities in Saarland are not very interesting for tourists but they're nice to live in. Most Saarlanders come back again and live in Saarland eventhough they have got a good job in other parts of Germany. I guess it is true. I also feel so comfortable in Saarbruecken that I don't want to leave this city anymore. But if you're a tourist, then visit Ludwigskirche. The church is unique because it's all white unlike other churches in Germany. Churches in Germany are mostly dark with coloured glasses. But Ludwigskirche and St. Basilika in Saarbruecken is so bright with white walls and transparent glasses so that the sun can come in. And of course I suggest you to hang out along the river Saar.



So one day, you can visit 4 cities in 3 different countries with just 12 euros for the transport! Worth trying, right?