The Best Places for Hiking in Luxembourg

During our last visits to Luxembourg, we didn’t just explore the city and went for a crazy fun horseback ride in the Luxembourg Ardennes, but we also discovered two different spots for nature lovers in this small country in between Belgium, France and Germany.

One is called the “Mullerthal Trail” in Petite Suisse (Small Switzerland), and the other is the Premium way “Traumschleife Schengen without borders” in the Moselle region, South-East Luxembourg.

Today, we’d like to take you on some gorgeous walks… from the comforts of your own home!

HIKING IN LUXEMBOURG

Get The Luxembourg Card!

Before you start hiking, one of the things we can recommend you get is the Luxembourg Card, especially if you’re not travelling by car, like we did.

The card is available for 1, 2 or 3 days and will give you not only free access to more than 60 museums and tourist attractions in Luxembourg (in the ENTIRE country), but also provides free 2nd class access to trains and buses on the national public transport network of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg.

You can get an individual card for 1 day (€13), 2 days (€20), 3 days (€28) and there are also family cards available.

More information: www.visitluxembourg.com

Hiking in Luxembourg: Mullerthal Region

Lush green forests, steep cliffs, dark caves and small rivers: just some of natural highlights you’ll see when hiking in the Mullerthal region, North-East from the capital of Luxembourg. Popular because of the ‘Schiessentümpel’ waterfall, this area attracts thousands of nature lovers each year. It’s a very accessible hiking trail, suitable for all types of hikers. All well-marked, you can also easily combine different routes to create your own itinerary.

Because of limited time and not bringing proper hiking shoes, I got recommended to walk just part of the 112km Mullertal trail, 6km from Echternach (the oldest city in Luxembourg!) to Berdorf, following the E1 trail. This would be a fairly easy walk and I would make it back in time for the last bus to Luxembourg City for dinner. Perfect!

Before I began my half a day ‘pilgrimage’, I had a great lunch at Restaurant Comte Godefroy in the picturesque town of Esch-sur-Sûre, from where we travelled onto Echternach, the starting point of the hike. I chose for a tasty looking platter with melon and ham.

Here is more information on (part of) the route I walked: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/stage-trail-mullerthal-trail-route-1

When returning to Echternach, this trail is 11.7 kilometer, but we only walked one way, so it was about 5 kilometer for us. The start is at the Echternach bus station and from there the start of the trail is clearly signposted.

Because you walk quite a bit uphill, I can recommend good shoes (I wore sneakers, which was alright, but proper walking shoes would have been better). Also don’t forget to bring a bottle of water. We did the hike when it was quite hot and I regretted not bringing a bigger bottle.

Route:

• Echternach, 0.0 km
• Troosknäppchen, 0.5 km
• Wolfsschlucht, 1.6 km
• Labyrinth, 3.3 km
• Pérékop, 3.6 km
• Hohllay ( Berdorf), 4.9 km

After a steep slope you reach the viewpoint “Troosknäppchen” (wooden pavilion). The track leads through the forest until “Wolfsschlucht”, a dark gorge with a proximately 50m rock formation covered with high moss. She owes her name to the fact that this used to be a perfect trap for wolves.

On the way out of the gorge you can climb to two viewpoints, on your right towards “Bildcheslay”, on the left to “Paulsplatte”. The main road directs to Berdorf “Labyrinth”, a maze of rocks, and then towards “Perecop”, a wall of hang over rocks, which can be climbed.

When you arrive at the hollow rocks, you will see lots of strange markings. From the Middle Ages until the 19th century, the mill stones for the numerous mills in the region were cut from these impressive caves called “Hohllay” or “Breechkaul” (Amphitheatre). This activity left its traces as bizarre patterns on the rocks.

At the hollow rocks, it was a little bit unclear where to go, as the road splits in different directions, but going through them on the left, we picked up the trail marks again an found our way easily out of the forest.

For the last couple of hundred meters, we walked through the fields and ended up in the little town of Berdorf, where it was easy to find the bus stop to take us back to Luxembourg city.

To get back to Luxembourg city, Take the last bus from the Berdorf-Kiosque to Luxembourg-Badeanstalt: Nr 111 at 4:53PM, 5:53PM and 6:53PM.

Hiking in Luxembourg: Schengen Region

During our last visit to Luxembourg, Nick and I were suggested to hike the Premium way “Traumschleife (“dream loop”) Schengen without borders”, which starts in Schengen, the village that became famous because of the signing of the Schengen Agreement“ in 1985.

The hike leads from the European Museum into the protected nature area “Strombierg” and continues into France (how exciting!) in the vicinity of the wine growing village of Contz-les-Bains.

Along the way, we got great views into the Mosel valley, hiked up steep vineyards and had amazing panoramic views in the direction of Luxemburg and Lorraine. It was definitely not an easy hike, so bring good shoes! (you can read a review of the shoes I walked on here)

Distance : 7.7 Km

Time : 03:30 hours

Difficulty : Medium

More Hiking in Luxembourg

There are currently 326 hikes all around Luxembourg: 296 hiking trails and 30 long distance hiking trails, all waiting for you to explore them! Here are some of the best hiking trails in Luxembourg:

01. Walking Tours in Luxembourg
Luxembourg has numerous circular walks, which range in length from 4 to 16 km, are well maintained, and they are easily accessible. When you have finished your hike you will end up back where you started, which makes things nice and easy for you!

Read more: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/hiking-luxembourg/walking-tours

02. European Stage Trail E2-GR5
The footpath known as E2 links the Netherlands and the Mediterranean Sea. The difficulty of this hiking trail is Easy.

Read more on: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/european-stage-trail-gr5-e2

03. Escapardenne Lee Trail
Distance : 53 Km
Difficulty : Expert

Read more on: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/european-stage-trail-escapardenne-lee-trail

04. Escapardenne Eislek Trail
Distance : 106 Km
Difficulty : Difficult

Read more on: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/escapardenne-eisleck-trail-leading-quality-trails-best-of-europe

05. Mullerthal Trail
The Mullerthal Trail is an exciting trail with magnificent views. It takes you to all sorts of cultural and natural attractions which are great for families and children. The trail stretches over 112 km and consists of three big loops (Routes 1, 2 and 3) in six stages, each with its own distinctive character. And there are four additional routes called the “ExtraTours” (A, B, C and D) which complete the wonderful Mullerthal Trail.

Read more: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/hiking-luxembourg/mullerthal-trail

06. “Traumschleifen” (Dream Loops) in Luxembourg
Hiking in the Moselle Region gives you the opportunity to discover on one hand the remains of the Roman history and on the other hand to stroll along romantic wine villages and vineyards with panoramic views on the Moselle river. There are three loops to choose from

Read more: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/hiking-luxembourg/traumschleifen

07. NaturWanderPark Delux
Discover exceptional hiking trails along the rivers Sûre and Our, in the NaturWanderPark Delux. This hiking park has nine cross border routes between Germany and Luxembourg, offering some 170 km of superb hiking trails. Each circular walk has its own unique character and charm.

Read more on: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/naturwanderpark-delux

08. Hostel to hostel hikes
Every year, from 1st April to 31st October, various hostels in Luxembourg offer walks with an optional luggage transfer service for the entire length of your hike.

Read more on: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/youth-hostel-to-youth-hostel

09. Train station to station hikes
If you don’t have a car, but travel by train, these hiking trails are perfect for you!

Read more on: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/train-station-to-train-station

10. Thematic Trails in Luxembourg
Local tourist offices and municipal administrations have over 100 walking circuits and thematic walks to offer.

Read more on: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/thematic-trails

11. National Trails in Luxembourg
Luxembourg has a network of national footpaths which cover the whole country and link up the biggest tourist sites. There are about 20, ranging in length from 15 to 68 km.

Read more on: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/hiking-luxembourg/national-trails

12. International Trails in Luxembourg
Two long-distance European footpaths cross Luxembourg, following the course of the national footpaths. These are the E2/GR5 European footpath, which links the Netherlands to the Mediterranean, and the E3, which stretches from the Bohemian Forest to the Atlantic. Luxembourg is also situated on the Way of St. James (or El Camino de Santiago), a Christian pilgrimage route.

Read more on: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/international-trails

Websites:

• Public Transport – www.visitluxembourg.com/en/travelguide/transport-to-luxembourg
• Public Transport – www.mobiliteit.lu
• The Mullerthal – www.mullerthal.lu/en
• The Moselle – www.visitmoselle.lu/en
• Hiking in Luxembourg – www.visitluxembourg.com/en/what-to-do/nature-tours/hiking
• Lunch at Restaurant Comte Godefroy – www.hotel-de-la-sure.lu
• Walking Trail E1: www.mullerthal-trail.lu/en/hiking-tours/walking-tour-1-echternach
• Walking Trail E1: www.berdorf-tourist.lu/walking-tour-e1-0
• Walking Trail Schengen: www.visitluxembourg.com/…/schengen-without-borders-guided-walk

Useful apps:

• National Airline Luxair – iOS / Android
• Luxembourg Airport – iOS / Android
• Luxembourg Card – iOS / Android
• Public Transportation – iOS / Android
• Luxembourg City – iOS / Android
• Geoportal.lu (hiking trails, biking tracks, etc.) – iOS / Android
• Escapardenne Hiking Trails – iOS / Android

READ OUR OTHER ARTICLES ON LUXEMBOURG:

What to do in Luxembourg for a Weekend? Complete Guide to a Perfect City Break!

Icelandic Horse Riding Luxembourg: Discover the Ardennes in a Unique Way!

10 Places to Visit in Luxembourg That Will Make You Grow as a Person

See more fun things to do in Luxembourg (and around):

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READ OUR REVIEW:

Lightweight Travel Must-Have: Keen Terradora Mid Hiking Shoes Review

Disclaimer: I was in Luxembourg on invitation of Visit Luxembourg during both occasions. All photos and opinions are, as always, 100% my own.