Luxembourg is one of many overlooked region in Europe. From Belgium, it's mostly famous because many people commute to work there, but we had heard they had great options in terms of short vacations. We looked into it and discovered a wide range of activities to do there; hiking in the nature, visiting its many castles, enjoying their old and small villages and even experience the capital.
In this piece we will focus on our stay of two and a half day there composed of walking in the Mullerthal, visiting Vianden castle and village, Echternach old town and Luxembourg city. We went at the end of April which was still a bit cold and changing, but it was great for the colors in the nature and avoiding the crowd.
Day 1: Vianden
We started our stay on a Saturday, driving about two hours from Brussels, taking advantage of the long weekend offered by the first of May off day to build a 3 days trip. Our first stop was at our "room" for the weekend. We tried to book different kind of insolite lodging, mainly in campings, because we wanted something easy and interesting financially. With most options already booked, we persevered and we eventually found a nice little hutte in Kengert camping which was nicely geolocated.
We decided to go slow that day and only did the visit of Vianden. It's a small town in the northern part of the country's Ardennes region, crossed by the Our river, really close to the German border. The main attraction is its castle, a beautiful large and old fortified Romanesque castle taking a majestic spot on top of the hill.
To be able to reach it, you can walk or take your time with the cute chairlift going over the river and taking you to the top for 5€. We recommend it, especially if you are missing the ski vibes or too tired in your legs to climb the uphill. Once on top, you have the chance to open your eyes on a great view of the village and its surroundings.
The main goal is of course the castle itself, which was renovated to welcome visitors. The entry fee is 10€ and gives you access to most of the castle, organised as a museum going through its history with pictures, models and paintings. The venue is also showing the remains of castle life from several centuries ago, with many preserved artefacts recreating authentic rooms and scenes.
After such a great visit we wanted to enjoy food in the town and after walking down the hill we found many interesting restaurants. We eventually picked Victor Hugo, an atypical historical hotel-restaurant with lovely old decoration serving French cuisine with touches of Luxembourg specialities. We enjoyed tasty seasonal asparagus alongside a yummy sole fish.
Day 2: Mullerthal and Echternach
The second day was more sportive, with the goal of doing a small portion of the Mullerthal walk. The region with the same name, coined as the "petite Suisse of Luxembourg", offers a huge walking trail for nature lovers. We chose a 10km (2-3 hours) long and interesting walk called the W7 trail.
The walk started from the Touristcenter Heringer Millen where you will find the necessary parking spots and an impressive playground. It starts with a strong climb to reach the top and a wooden cabin to continue more casually through varied surroundings made of trees, rocks, water streams, cows, wooden bridges and more.
If it's your thing, note that there are spots for climbers in other parts of the Mullerthal, as well as longer walks and different views.
The 3 hours long walk ends with the most famous parts. First, two beautiful ponds, in the name of Kalktuffquell, with great colours connected via a small cascade. Second, a more impressive waterfall, called Schéissendëmpel, divided in three parts and crossed over by a cute stone bridge.
After a picnic at the end of the loop, we had the afternoon open for the visit of another town. We opted for Echternach, the oldest town of Luxembourg. It is rather small and colourful with catchy little terraces of cafés and restaurants. You can't miss the imposing abbey nor the old town area.
Picking a first terrace under the sun playing cards, we then chilled in the park, resting on some public hammocks with a view on the river. Once energised again, we went in the commercial street "rue de la Gare" and found a real great brewery with friendly owner (the Philo'Soff), where we enjoyed tasty beers and had our dinner.
Day 3: Luxembourg city
Our last day was focused on the capital city of Luxembourg. We had read about a walk going through the nicest part of the city and did it. The Wenzel walk is amazing knowing you're in a capital as it goes via the Corniche (most beautiful balcony in Europe according to various sources), the oldest quarters, the fortress and the Pétrusse park.
We ended up by chance at the place de la constitution, where there was an event with plenty of stalls serving food and drinks and selling local products. We continued with the upper part of the city centre with the Grand-ducal palace, its soldiers and the great places. It's amazing how the city works with 2 different levels: the upper part and the lower part (Grund).
We really had a great time overall in Luxembourg. Should we come back, we would probably spend more time in the Mullerthal region and would visit more castles and small villages. We think it is a great country to visit at any time of the year, and definitely one you should put in your list of short trips.
We hope you found all the useful info from us, and you got inspired and excited about this one!
Enjoy your next trip!
