Dalheim and Ricciacum, the Roman town of the Moselle

Dalheim is the Moselle village that smells least of wine and most of history. It sits inland on a plateau, around 325 metres up according to the commune, and two thousand years ago there was a whole Roman town here, Ricciacum, whose theatre and part of a residential quarter you can still see. The commune had 2,377 residents on 1 January 2026 in three localities, Dalheim, Filsdorf and Welfrange, in the south of the Luxembourg Moselle valley. To my mind it’s the most underrated cultural stop in the whole region.

A town for changing horses

The Centre des Monuments, which runs the site with the national archaeological research institute, tells the story clearly. Near today’s village stood a small town called Ricciacum, on the great road linking the Mediterranean and the Rhine via Lyon, Metz and Trier, where travellers stopped to rest, trade and change horses. It was founded under Augustus, around 18 or 17 BC, as a roadside relay. In the first century it was rebuilt in stone with an ordered street plan and grew to nearly 35 hectares, with temples, baths and a large theatre.

The commune adds that it was once the largest Roman settlement in the country, that it flourished from the second century to the first half of the third, and that Germanic raids burned it in 275 and again around 353 or 356. The detail I find most striking comes from the site’s managers, though. Large parts of the ancient town were never built over in modern times, which is exceptional for Luxembourg.

The theatre, the main event

The theatre was found in 1985 in a slope off the Neie Wee and held around 3,500 spectators. The Centre des Monuments singles it out for its condition and for something very rare, seats of honour with backrests and armrests, the only known example in Gaul. According to the commune, it faces north-east so the afternoon sun didn’t dazzle the audience.

Beside the N13 you can also see part of the residential quarter that lined the main street. Both sites are free, and in a country this expensive, that feels like a gift. If you want some background first, the history of Luxembourg starts with the Celts and the Romans.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Mondorf-les-Bains before prices climb.

2026 opening days and planning your visit

The theatre and museum open between 10:00 and 18:00 (the gate lets you in until 17:00), but not all year. In 2026 it’s weekends from 21 March to 28 June, every day from 11 July to 15 September, then weekends again from 19 September to 1 November. Groups of up to 15 can book a guided tour by email at €80 an hour, €95 for ninety minutes and €110 for two hours. Dogs are welcome on a lead, but wheelchair access is difficult.

visitluxembourg also recommends the Argo augmented archaeology app, which rebuilds ancient sites of the region on your phone.

The finds that went to Paris

The commune’s website has a couple of surprises. The bronze statues of Jupiter and Minerva found on the Pëtzel, the high part of the village, are now in the Louvre. And of the more than 50,000 Roman coins found in Luxembourg over the last 150 years, Dalheim is the largest single site. Since 1977 a local society, the Ricciacus Frënn, has backed the excavations.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Mondorf-les-Bains before prices climb.

On foot along the Roman road

Two walks stand out. The Dalheim circular walk, 7.87 km and about two hours, leaves the town hall, heads into the Buchholz woods and follows a raised stretch of Roman road for a kilometre to Hadrian’s milestone, which pointed the way to Trier, before returning past the Napoleon monument. The other, 7.09 km, also starts at the town hall, passes the Roman baths of the Taverne Ricciacus and the theatre, and carries on towards Mondorf-les-Bains.

That second one is my pick, because it ends near the Mondorf spa, the best possible reward after a morning among old stones. If you’d prefer something gentler, neighbouring Bous-Waldbredimus has walks among cherry orchards. For a bed, Mondorf-les-Bains is next door and has more hotels than any other village on the southern Moselle.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Mondorf-les-Bains and choose by the reviews.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Luxembourg on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

So you do not pay over the odds, look at trains, coaches and flights to Luxembourg on Omio and pick the one that suits you.