Gaalgebierg, from gallows hill to Esch's favourite green space

Luxembourg’s second city is better known for steelworks than greenery, which is exactly why Gaalgebierg is such a pleasant surprise. The name means gallows hill, and visitluxembourg notes that in the 17th century this was where people were executed. Now it’s the green lung of Esch-sur-Alzette, a wooded hill on the edge of the centre where locals walk, run and let the children loose.

A town park on the hill

The upper part is the municipal park, with flower beds, formal French-style gardens, woodland paths and quiet lanes. There’s a football pitch, tennis and basketball courts, a pétanque ground, a campsite and a natural ice rink. Esch also uses it for big open-air events such as the Luxembourg Beach Open and the Bairrada party, though neither has a published date as I write. If skating is your thing, I’ve gathered the country’s ice skating rinks in a separate guide.

The Escher Déierepark, free and always open

In the middle of the woods sits the Escher Déierepark, a five-acre enclosure where deer, goats and rabbits share space with animals from more than 25 species. Admission is free and it never shuts. To feed and stroke the animals you need either a guided visit or to come on a Tuesday afternoon, when the mini zoo opens. There’s also an educational farm with an old breed of horse, two playgrounds and the Bamhauscafé, a café up in the trees that serves from 9am. It’s one of the plans I’d put first in Luxembourg with kids.

Access has been thought through. The loop round the enclosures is roughly 1 km, most paths work on foot or in a wheelchair, with one 14% ramp about 15 m long, and there are accessible toilets plus reserved parking around 300 m away.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Esch-sur-Alzette on Booking.com and filter by area before price.

Walking up from the station

The official directions couldn’t be simpler. Leave Esch station, cross the footbridge, the white steel bridge right beside it, and a few minutes later you’re among the trees. Second-class trains from Luxembourg City are free, so whether you landed at Findel or arrived by rail through Brussels or Paris, the trip here costs you only time.

Treehouses for the night

This is the bit I like most. Inside the animal park there are treehouses you can book to sleep in, the Escher Bamhaiser, and one of them is adapted so that anyone can use it. If you’d rather something conventional, the campsite is on the same hill and the town’s hotels are covered in hotels in Esch-sur-Alzette.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Esch-sur-Alzette on Expedia and filter by area before price.

Making a day of it

I’d spend the morning at the Belval blast furnaces and the afternoon up here. If you still want countryside after that, the Ellergronn nature reserve starts just south of town, an old mining area taken back by nature, with a visitor centre and waymarked trails.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Gaalgebierg and pick one that fits your day.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Luxembourg before you arrive rather than at the desk.

If you still need a way in, check the best ticket deals to Luxembourg from where you are.