The most beautiful hiking trails in Luxembourg – Active travel – Travel
Forests make up one third of Luxembourg’s total. In addition, there are hilly meadows, lakes, rivers, picturesque towns and imposing castles and you understand that Luxembourg is very much to explore on foot.
Anywhere Luxembourg excellently marked hiking trails, which sometimes take a break across the border to one of the neighbouring countries. It is very easy to go on several-day hikes as there is a wide range of hotels and other accommodations specifically designed for hikers. If you wish, you can have your luggage taken from one hotel to another so you don’t have to carry a heavy backpack.
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Luxembourg has five regions, all of which have their own characteristics and therefore offer all other types of hiking trails: the Mullerthal, the Ardennes, the Moselle region, the Land of the Red Earth (Terres Rouges) in the south and the capital Luxembourg city and surroundings.
Mullerthal
The Müllerthal is the hiking area par excellence. The area is characterized by spectacular rock formations and is nicknamed “Luxembourg’s Little Switzerland”. This is why the Müllerthal is so popular not only with hikers, but also with climbers.
The Mullerthal lies around the river Ernz Noire and the 112 km long Mullerthal Trail runs directly through it. But there are also many hiking opportunities for leisure hikers who prefer shorter routes. Many of the hiking trails start in Echternach, the oldest city in Luxembourg and world famous for the spring procession.
The Müllerthal Trail is so special that it has been awarded the “Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe” award. You don’t just get such a quality label. For this, a route must meet many requirements. For example, the hiking trail must enhance nature and be local. The hikes should be comfortable and well signposted.
The Müllerthal Trail crosses the region in three loops of 38 kilometres each. The trail leads through forests, meadows, flowering orchards and past beautiful historical monuments. On the way, the hiker is surprised by bizarre throats and rock formations.
The Ardennes
The Luxembourg Ardennes are located in the north of the country on the Belgian border. Like the Ardennes in our country, the Ardennes in Luxembourg are distinguished by beautiful, wide nature, beautiful villages and relics from the past in the form of castles, abbeys and ruins such as in Vianden, Bourscheid and Esch-sur-Sure. When you go there, you feel like you’re alone in the world.
In the Ardennes there are two nature reserves: Our and Öewersauer. The Nature Reserve Unser is located around the river of the same name in the area where the three countries Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium meet. Between meadows and dense forests you will find a varied landscape of everything.
In Öewersauer, the landscape is characterized by changing plateaus and deep gorges. In the nature reserve there is a large reservoir with a circumference of 42 kilometers. It is a special region for sporting activities: hiking, cycling, mountain biking, Nordic walking and tasting delicious regional delicacies along the way.
A long-distance route also runs through the Ardennes, which crosses the entire region: the 104 km long Escapardenne Ice Leak Trail. Just like the Müllerthal Trail, this route can also be called the Leading Quality Trail. Those who love the low mountains will undoubtedly enjoy this path. The route runs from Kautenbach to La Roche-en-Ardenne and passes beautiful villages and picturesque towns such as Clervaux, Asselborn and Munshausen. In history and culture, this path does not have to be inferior to the Müllerthalweg.
You can drive through the Escapardenne in both directions and have your luggage transported from hotel to hotel.
Terres Rouges
This area in the south of Luxembourg has its name from the red colour of the mineral, which made it possible to develop a steel and iron industry here. The most important tourist attraction is industrial culture. A good way to explore this industrial heritage on foot is the Albert Monster Hiking Trail.
This 12 kilometre journey is named after a local resistance fighter and starts in Differdange and leads through an old mine and the French border to Lasauvage. In this village you get an authentic picture of an industrial environment. The mining facilities, the miners’ café and the two museums with historical heritage also catapult visitors back to the end of the 19th century in one fell swoop. Then there is Fond-de-Gras, an industrial and railway park. Back in Differdange itself, you can end your visit with a walk in the woods of Grouwen Park.
Luxembourg City
The capital is probably not the first place you think of for a hiking trail. But you can easily explore the small capital on foot. In less than three kilometres you will pass almost all famous sights, both historical and contemporary places. On an audio tour you will learn all sorts of interesting things about the city on the way.
The Moselle
In the far east of Luxembourg, the Moselle created a beautiful valley with steep slopes where grapes are grown for viticulture. You can also make several hiking trails with the theme “wine”.
There is, for example, the almost five kilometer long ‘Discovering nature and wine – Kelsbaach Trail‘ starts in Grevenmacher and where e learns about nature, viticulture and the history of the region along the way. Also the ‘Wäin, KulTour a Pure Landscape‘ Route has wine, but also geology as a theme. The seven-kilometre journey begins in Greiweldingen.
Theme routes
Wine routes are not the only themed routes in Luxembourg. On the Visit Luxembourg website Here you will find a comprehensive overview of shorter and longer, simple and heavier hikes around a specific topic. For example, there is an eight-kilometre-long trail that revolves around the orchid, but also the 179-kilometre-long Way of St. James, which runs from north to south along old Lord’s roads, watercourses and all the Luxembourgish places that have played a role in the life of the good-natured James.
Throughout Luxembourg, there are excellently marked hiking trails, which sometimes take a moment to dive across the border into one of the neighbouring countries. It is very easy to go on several-day hikes as there is a wide range of hotels and other accommodations specifically designed for hikers. If you wish, you can have your luggage taken from one hotel to another so you don’t have to carry a heavy backpack. Luxembourg has five regions, all of which have their own characteristics and therefore offer all other types of hiking trails: the Mullerthal, the Ardennes, the Moselle region, the Land of the Red Earth (Terres Rouges) in the south and the capital Luxembourg city and surroundings. MüllerthalThe Müllerthal is the hiking area par excellence. The area is characterized by spectacular rock formations and is nicknamed “Luxembourg’s Little Switzerland”. This is why the Müllerthal is so popular not only with hikers, but also with climbers. The Mullerthal lies around the river Ernz Noire and the 112 km long Mullerthal Trail runs directly through it. But there are also many hiking opportunities for leisure hikers who prefer shorter routes. Many of the hiking trails start in Echternach, the oldest city in Luxembourg and world famous for the spring procession. The Müllerthal Trail is so special that it has been awarded the “Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe” award. You don’t just get such a quality label. For this, a route must meet many requirements. For example, the hiking trail must enhance nature and be local. The hikes should be comfortable and well signposted. The Müllerthal Trail crosses the region in three loops of 38 kilometres each. The trail leads through forests, meadows, flowering orchards and past beautiful historical monuments. On the way, the hiker is surprised by bizarre throats and rock formations. The ArdennesThe Luxembourg Ardennes are located in the north of the country on the Belgian border. Like the Ardennes in our country, the Ardennes in Luxembourg are distinguished by beautiful, wide nature, beautiful villages and relics from the past in the form of castles, abbeys and ruins such as in Vianden, Bourscheid and Esch-sur-Sure. When you go there, you feel like you’re alone in the world. In the Ardennes there are two nature reserves: Our and Öewersauer. The Nature Reserve Unser is located around the river of the same name in the area where the three countries Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium meetEn. You will find a varied landscape everything between meadows and dense forests. In Öewersauer, the landscape is characterized by changing plateaus and deep gorges. In the nature reserve there is a large reservoir with a circumference of 42 kilometers. It is a special region for sporting activities: hiking, cycling, mountain biking, Nordic walking and tasting delicious regional delicacies along the way. A long-distance route also passes through the Ardennes, which crosses the entire region: the 104 km long Escapardenne Eisleck Trail. Just like the Müllerthal Trail, this route can also be called the Leading Quality Trail. Those who love the low mountains will undoubtedly enjoy this path. The route runs from Kautenbach to La Roche-en-Ardenne and passes beautiful villages and picturesque towns such as Clervaux, Asselborn and Munshausen. In history and culture, this path does not have to be inferior to the Müllerthalweg. You can drive through the Escapardenne in both directions and have your luggage transported from hotel to hotel. Terres RougesThis area in the south of Luxembourg has its name from the red color of the mineral, which made it possible to develop a steel and iron industry here. The most important tourist attraction is industrial culture. A good way to explore this industrial heritage on foot is the Albert Monster Hiking Trail. Named after a local resistance fighter, this 12-kilometre trail starts in Differdange and runs through an old mine and the French border to Lasauvage. In this village you get an authentic picture of an industrial environment. The mining facilities, the miners’ café and the two museums with historical heritage also catapult visitors back to the end of the 19th century in one fell swoop. Then there is Fond-de-Gras, an industrial and railway park. Back in Differdange itself, you can end your visit with a walk in the woods of Grouwen Park. Luxembourg CityThe capital is probably not the first place you imagine for a hiking trail. But you can easily explore the small capital on foot. In less than three kilometres you will pass almost all famous sights, both historical and contemporary places. On an audio tour you will learn all sorts of interesting things about the city on the way. The Moselle has created a beautiful valley with steep slopes in the far east of Luxembourg, where grapes are grown for viticulture. You can also make several hiking trails with the theme “wine”. For example, there is the almost five-kilometre-long “Nature and Wine Trail – Kelsbaach Trail”, which starts in Grevenmacher and experiences on the way to nature, viticulture and history of the region. The route “Wäin, KulTour a Landscape pure” also has wine, but also geology as a theme. The seven-kilometre journey begins in Greiweldingen. Theme routesThe wine routes are not the only themed routes in Luxembourg. Visit Luxembourg’s website provides a comprehensive overview of shorter and longer, simple and heavier hikes around a particular topic. For example, there is an eight-kilometre-long trail that revolves around the orchid, but also the 179-kilometre-long Way of St. James, which runs from north to south along old Lord’s roads, watercourses and all the Luxembourgish places that have played a role in the life of the good-natured James.