Have you ever thought about a tour through Luxembourg? No? Then it’s high time! You don’t have to travel to faraway countries to discover new things. Our neighboring country, Luxembourg, has a lot to offer and awaits you with diverse landscapes, charming towns, an interesting history, plenty of culture, and a wide range of leisure activities.
Distances within the country are short, so you can get from A to B quickly and see and experience a lot in a short time. In today’s article, we’ll take you virtually on our Luxembourg tour and reveal our top sights and tips. You can watch the entire trip in our stories on Instagram (highlight “Luxembourg 1” and “Luxembourg 2”). Enjoy browsing!
- General information about the country
- Our Luxembourg tour & route
- 2. Blast Furnaces of Belval
- In the Land of Red Earth
- Wine & Hiking on the Moselle
- The Mullerthal – Luxembourg’s Little Switzerland
- Echternach – The Oldest Town in the Country
- Canoe Tour on the Sûre
- Walk through Vianden & Castle
- Luxembourg Tour – Our Hotels
- Arrival in Luxembourg City
- Luxembourg Tour – Our Conclusion
General Information about the Country
Luxembourg is one of our neighboring countries and is located between France, Belgium, and Germany. Only around 640,000 inhabitants live in this small European country, many of whom originally come from abroad. From north to south, it is just 82 kilometers and from east to west, 57 kilometers. What describes the country quite well: Small but mighty! Luxembourg also scores points for its 6 diverse regions: Among other things, you can expect the land of red earth (Minett), the green valleys of the Éislek region, the beautiful vineyards on the Moselle, the impressive rock formations in the Mullerthal, the lively and charming city of Luxembourg, and the expansive green spaces in the Guttland.
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Our Luxembourg Tour & Route
We traveled through the small neighboring country of Luxembourg for almost a week (including departure and arrival) and gained a first glimpse into 5 of the 6 regions. In the following section, we’ll take you virtually on our truly fantastic Luxembourg tour and reveal which places, highlights, and regions we visited. Thanks to the manageable distances within the country, you can experience a lot in a short time. The longest journey took us just 45 minutes, the shortest only 20. So, are you ready? Then let’s get started…
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1. The cool city of Luxembourg
We liked Luxembourg City from the very first minute and kept repeating to ourselves: “Luxembourg is such a cool city, I wouldn’t have thought it!”. You can easily explore the city on foot or use public transport, which is well-developed and free throughout the country. There’s a lot to see in Luxembourg. The best place to start is the Wenceslas Walk, which is 5.5 km long and takes you past numerous highlights and viewpoints. You shouldn’t miss a stroll through the old town or a shopping session in the train station district.
Luxembourg City is a very busy yet laid-back city with a very special charm. We asked ourselves several times why we had never been there before? Somehow, we hadn’t even considered it. We especially enjoyed the mix of historic buildings, charming alleyways, cool shops, and hip cafés. We’ll definitely be back again, that’s for sure! More about this here: Our top sights and highlights in Luxembourg City.
2. Blast Furnaces of Belval
Our tour through Luxembourg now took us to the south of the country (Minett region) to Esch-sur-Alzette. Here, we were able to delve a little into the country’s past and see the enormous blast furnaces of Belval. You should know that Luxembourg owes its prosperity primarily to the steel industry, and Belval was an important location for steel production. Today, in the modern “City of Science”, you’ll find the gigantic blast furnaces as a link between past and future.
The last furnace has been out of operation since 1997, but can still be visited. For just €5 admission, you can see the large machines and enjoy the view from over 40 meters above. It was somehow totally surreal to stroll through the mighty Blast Furnace A. The dimensions are particularly impressive, and you only realize them when you’re standing right in the middle of it. Incidentally, Belval is part of the so-called “Minett Tour”. This is a 35-kilometer-long route that connects the five most important steel industry locations in Luxembourg (Fond-de-Gras, Belval, Dudelange, Rumelange and Esch/Alzette). More about this here: Minett Tour.
In the land of the red earth
The south of the country (region Minett) boasts an extensive network of spectacular mountain bike trails that lead directly through the Land of Red Earth. You might be wondering why the region is called “Land of Red Earth” in the first place? It owes this to the bright red iron ore that gives the earth its color. Where iron ore was once diligently mined, nature is now left entirely to itself. Since 2020, the Minett region has also been awarded the UNESCO “Man and Biosphere” label.
Together with forester Claude, we explored the region on two wheels. He developed these trails, which are mostly between 25 and 30 kilometers long and can also be connected. We rode through former open-cast mining areas, marveled at spectacular views from sandstone cliffs up to 5 meters high, and strolled through abandoned mines. Claude likes to call this area the “Grand Canyon of Luxembourg,” as iron ore mining once created many deep gorges. Interested in a tour like this? Here’s the selection: RedRock Trails.
Wine & Hiking on the Moselle
Out of the land of red earth and into the land of wine. The Moselle region forms the natural border between Germany and Luxembourg and awaits you along almost 39 kilometers with many picturesque wine villages, varied hiking trails, and charming wine cellars. The hike on the Palmberg Ahn Wine and Nature Trail is highly recommended. You’ll hike directly through the vineyards, enjoy beautiful views of the Moselle Valley, stroll through the lush Donverbach Valley, and pass meter-high cliffs. Of course, you shouldn’t miss a wine tasting in one of the wine cellars afterwards (recommendation: Cave St Martin).
Another highlight is the small village of Schengen, where the Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985. This abolished controls on the movement of people and goods at the common land, air, and sea borders. Also recommended are the Haff Rémeich nature reserve and the Biodiversum visitor center near Schengen. The nature reserve is known for its great diversity of bird and plant species, which you can explore on the two adventure trails (lengths: 2.3 km and 4.6 km). You can read more about this in our separate article: The Moselle in Luxembourg.
The Mullerthal – Luxembourg’s Little Switzerland
What we call Saxon Switzerland in Germany is the Mullerthal, also known as “Luxembourg’s Little Switzerland,” here in Luxembourg. Wild nature, waterfalls, impressive rocky landscapes, pristine forests and valleys, and rather narrow rock crevices awaited us here. The Mullerthal is a paradise for hikers and boasts an extensive and well-developed network of hiking trails.
One popular hiking trail is the Mullerthal Trail, which is 112 kilometers long and divided into three stages. In addition, there are many local and national hiking trails, as well as circular trails. The mayor of Berdorf recommended the local hiking trails B5 and B2 (starting from Berdorf) to us, as they were said to be varied and very adventurous. Of course, we couldn’t miss them…
The hike led us past impressive and bizarre rock formations, through narrow crevices and caves, through lush green forests and fairytale gorges. It really couldn’t have been more beautiful! Especially in the hot summer temperatures, you’re sure to find a refreshing way to cool off here. The 10-kilometer circular hike took us about 4 hours, but it can be done a bit faster. You can find possible hiking routes here: Hiking in the Müllerthal. You can find everything about our hike in the Müllerthal here: The Müllerthal.
Echternach – The oldest town in the country
Since we were staying in Berdorf for our hikes in the Mullerthal, we naturally also made a detour to Echternach, the oldest town in the country. Here, we were greeted by winding alleys, historic buildings, the remains of an old city wall, numerous restaurants and cafés, a large market square, a pretty city park, and much more. It’s worth strolling through the streets, walking along the water, and ending the day in one of the restaurants (tip: Au Petit Palais – Italian restaurant). We were also recommended the hike from Berdorf to Echternach, with its bizarre rock formations, deep gorges, and lush forests. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time for this hike.
Canoe Tour on the Sauer
We actually had a canoe tour planned, but it was canceled at the last minute due to flooding. Nevertheless, we would like to introduce you to the possibility of exploring the area by canoe. In the Mullerthal, we found two providers that offer adventurous tours on the water: Kanu & Kayak Dillingen and Ronn’s Bikes & Kayak. The tours usually last between 2 and 3 hours and take you one way from a starting point to a destination. You can then return by bus, bike, on foot, or by taxi.
Walk through Vianden & Castle
After the canceled canoe trip, we spontaneously drove to the small, charming town of Vianden in the Éislek region. If you type “Vianden” into the Google image search, the first thing that will catch your eye is the beautiful Vianden Castle, which sits atop a hill above the town. This is certainly THE top attraction in the small town. But the town itself is also very charming and invites you to stroll and enjoy yourself. Here you will find mainly restaurants and cafés, a few museums, and accommodations.
The restored Vianden Castle can be visited daily from 10 a.m. (admission: €10). It’s best to take a leisurely walk up from the town (about 30 minutes) and then explore the castle’s interior. Afterwards, you can take the cable car (€4.30) back down to town. Right next to the valley station is the Hot Stone Chalet restaurant, where we ate truly delicious cheese spaetzle on the terrace. Shortly before continuing our journey, we drove up the road to the castle again and a little further. There you will find great viewing points to photograph the mighty castle as a whole (Google Maps: “Vianden – Route de Diekirch”).
Luxembourg tour – Our hotels
We had during our Luxembourg Round trip with 4 different accommodations. In the following section, we’ll introduce you to these hotels in more detail and provide links to them. Of course, you’ll find many more accommodations in all the towns and regions; you’ll be spoiled for choice, so to speak. However, we can definitely recommend all of our accommodations.
1 night | Luxembourg City
This charming boutique hotel is located in the Grund district and awaits you with individually designed rooms, a terrace with seating, a breakfast room, and free Wi-Fi in all areas. We had the room on the top floor with a freestanding bathtub, shower, comfortable bed, and TV.
Book a room here*
1 night | Moselle – Stadtbredimus
During our time on the Moselle, we stayed at the cozy Hotel Ecluse. This hotel is located directly on the Moselle River in Stadtbredimus and is a great starting point for exploring the region. The modern rooms feature a bathroom with shower, comfortable beds, a balcony with a view of the Moselle, and seating. A wellness area, a restaurant, and a bar also await you.
Book a room here*
2 nights | Berdorf – Müllerthal
During our time in the Müllerthal, we stayed at the Trail-Inn Natur & Sporthotel. This hotel is located in Berdorf and was the ideal starting point for our hikes. The hotel offers rooms and apartments, a restaurant, a bar, and a terrace. The rooms are rather functional and simply furnished, but the delicious dinner in the restaurant, the friendly staff, and the top location were all worth mentioning.
Book a room here*
2 nights | Luxembourg City
We spent the last two nights at the chic 4* Hotel Mercure Luxembourg off Kirchberg. As the name suggests, this hotel is located in the Kirchberg financial district. The city center is just a 5-minute bus ride away (the bus stop is right in front of the hotel). Our Privilege room had a bathroom with a shower, minibar, TV, a large bed, and storage space. Everything is very high-quality and modern.
Book a room here*
Arrival in Luxembourg City
By train: Our train journey from Rostock on the Baltic coast to Luxembourg City took approximately 10 hours. First, we took the ICE to Hamburg and from there the IC to Koblenz. From Koblenz, regional trains depart almost hourly for the neighboring country of Luxembourg. If you’re coming from North Rhine-Westphalia, it only takes about 3.5 hours by train from Cologne or Düsseldorf, 1.5 hours from Saarbrücken, and just under 8.5 hours from Berlin. Shorter routes start at €18.90 (e.g., Cologne – Luxembourg), and longer routes (e.g., Munich – Luxembourg) start at €30.90. You can book your tickets here: Deutsche Bahn*.
By bus: Of course, you can also travel by bus; it makes sense, especially from western Germany. Flixbus* buses depart from Berlin, Frankfurt, Koblenz, Munich, and Stuttgart to Luxembourg. However, keep in mind that travel times can be considerably longer (16 hours from Berlin). Deutsche Bahn IC buses and VGS buses also run between Saarbrücken and Luxembourg (from €5.99).
By car: We don’t like driving long distances and usually prefer the train. From Rostock, the journey would have taken more than 8.5 hours, which we didn’t feel like doing. So we prefer to make ourselves comfortable on the train and pass the time on our laptop, book, or cell phone. In general, you can reach Luxembourg relatively quickly by car, especially from western Germany. From Stuttgart, it’s just under 4 hours, from Frankfurt 3 hours, from Cologne 2.5 hours, and from Saarbrücken 1.5 hours.
Luxembourg Round Trip – Our Conclusion
Luxembourg really surprised us, because before our trip, the country was a small, gray spot on our map. We can’t even tell you why we’ve never been to Luxembourg before. However, the round trip through Luxembourg showed us that this small neighboring country is diverse, exciting, and varied. Since you never have to travel long distances within the country itself to get from A to B, you can experience and see a lot even in a short time. We recommend 5 to 7 days for our short round trip, so you can get a good first impression of the country. Our final word: Luxembourg is awesome and highly recommended!