2 Best Sights in Echternach and Little Switzerland, Luxembourg

Around 15 km (9 miles) west of Echternach, at the top of the Ernz Noire valley, a short detour leads to Beaufort. Near the village stand two splendid castles, side by side: a magnificently imposing medieval shell only partially restored after World War II bombing left it in ruins, and a Renaissance-style chateau dating from the 17th century. 

Echternach was founded in 698 by St. Willibrord, who came from Northumbria. He established a Benedictine abbey, which thrived until it was razed during the French invasion of 1794. It was rebuilt twice thereafter: first in the 19th century, and then again after it was destroyed in World War II. All the while, the relics of the saint remained safe in the crypt. Beneath the carving of the tomb's neoclassical marble canopy, you can still glimpse the simple tooled stone sarcophagus cut in the 7th century.