Grumps

Schengen

Published July 5, 2023
Updated July 6, 2023
4 mins read

Many people associate Schengen with the now familiar borderless travel within Europe and don’t know that Schengen is actually a small village in the southeast of Luxembourg. Just 1 km from the German border and 2 km from the French.

Because of this we felt compelled to visit as we were nearby and the Schengen rules have taken on much more significance since we left the EU. But as it turns out Schengen is worthy of a visit in its’ own right.

To quote Wikipedia,

Schengen is a small wine-making village and commune in far south-eastern Luxembourg, on the western bank of the river Moselle. The commune border includes the tripoint where the borders of Germany, France, and Luxembourg meet.

Schengen Village

Understandably the main things to see and do in Schengen are related to the signing of the agreement in 1985.

Inaugurated in 2010, the European Museum is dedicated to the history and significance of the Schengen Agreement.

A piece of the Berlin Wall is on display. Put up to honour the “borderless” Europe that originated here, it still looks pretty much like it did in 1989.

There is also a monument commemorating the signing of the accords which is worth a look.

And something not related to the agreement, dating from 1390 but almost completely rebuilt in the 19th century, Schengen Castle is now a hotel and conference center.

The Schengen Agreement

The Schengen Agreement signed on June 14, 1985, initially by just 5 EU member countries, is a treaty that led most of the European countries towards the abolishment of their national borders, to build a Europe without borders known as the “Schengen Area”.

The key part of the agreement that affects people living outside of the EU, such as the likes of us in the UK, is the 90/180 day rule. This rule can be confusing. To calculate your allowance you have to count back 180 days from the current date. So it’s a moving timeline. You cannot exceed 90 days in the preceding 180 from the current date.

We used an app to track it because going in and out of Schengen countries means it can be difficult to keep track of your remaining time. A quick Google of which countries are not in Schengen will tell you which ones will stop the Schengen clock. We spent time in Bulgaria and Romania, both lovely countries, but there are quite a few others as well.

There are four EU countries that aren’t currently part of the Schengen Agreement:

Bulgaria
Romania
Cyprus
Ireland

Most nations geographically located in mainland Europe are included in the Schengen Zone. However, not every European state is by definition a Schengen state either. The majority of nations not included in the Schengen agreement are Eastern European states. While they are still generally associated with Europe, their border checks have not yet been abolished. There are 11 of them, and they are:

Albania
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Macedonia
Moldova
Montenegro
Serbia
Ukraine
United Kingdom

Time spent in any of these 15 countries does not count towards the 90 days allowed.

Of course, time spent in countries such as Morocco and Turkey, which are outside Europe, won’t count towards the 90 days allowance either. These have become popular as destinations to stop the clock ticking.

It is worth noting that many of these non-Schengen countries also have a similar 90 day rule when visiting them. This means that you may have more than one “timer” to keep track of if you are dipping in and out of these countries.

Parking

It is possible to park at the European Museum, Rue Robert Goebbels. Space, however, is a little limited, and at busy times it may be difficult to find a spot.