Hiking in Luxembourg, from Mullerthal rocks to the Ardennes

Luxembourg is one of the best places in Europe for walking, not because of mountains, which it doesn’t have, but because of how well it’s set up. Visit Luxembourg claims one of the densest trail networks on the continent, with waymarked routes in all five regions and free public transport that solves the eternal problem of getting back to the car. Here’s what there is, by region and by how much time you have.

Three long trails with a European label

The best known is the Mullerthal Trail, 112 km in three loops starting from Echternach and from the village of Müllerthal. The operator gives Route 1 as 36.7 km, Route 2 as 39.7 and Route 3 as 37.7, and the national portal also breaks it into six stages of 13 to 25 km, with walking days of five to nine hours. Route 2 is the rocky one and the hardest. It carries the Leading Quality Trails label from the European Ramblers’ Association.

So does the Escapardenne Éislek Trail, 106 km in five stages of about 20 km linking Kautenbach with La Roche-en-Ardenne, over the Belgian border. Roughly 50 km are in Luxembourg, including all of the first two stages via Clervaux and Asselborn. Visit Luxembourg adds the Lee Trail, about 52 km from Ettelbruck to Kautenbach. Both, stage by stage, are in the Escapardenne trail guide.

The third is the Minett Trail, 90 km through the old mining south in around ten stages, with branches to Bettembourg and Dudelange from Esch-sur-Alzette. What sets it apart is the Kabaisercher, overnight huts set up in former industrial buildings, schools, factories and even the entrance portal of the Parc Merveilleux.

What if I’ve only got a day?

This is where Luxembourg beats almost anywhere. There are more than 150 Auto-pédestre trails, circular and 5 to 15 km long, spread over all five regions. You follow a blue diamond, and every one starts at a car park or a public transport stop. The Éislek alone has over 200 circular trails, and 18 of them make up the Éislek Pied network, picked for their scenery. According to the capital’s tourist office, the Éislek was the first region in Europe to win the Leading Quality Region label.

In the centre of the country the Guttland.Trails are gentler, such as the 7.56 km Mamerleeën among sandstone caves or the Siwe Brécke-Wee in Préizerdaul, 5.15 km over wooden footbridges. On the Moselle there are Dream Loops through the vineyards certified by the German Hiking Institute, such as the 7.71 km Schengen grenzenlos. And for anyone less steady on their feet, or with small children, Visit Luxembourg lists comfort trails.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Berdorf before prices climb.

Walking without a car, station to station

What I like most about hiking here is that the car is redundant. Since 1 March 2020 public transport has been free in second class, and Visit Luxembourg lists CFL trails that run from one station to another, such as Diekirch to Ettelbruck, Clervaux to Munshausen and Drauffelt, or Mersch to Kopstal and Mamer. Take the train out, walk in a straight line and ride back from another station without paying a cent. The network itself is covered in trains in Luxembourg.

For multi-day walks there’s Move We Carry, which collects your luggage after 10:00 and delivers it before 16:00 to your next paid accommodation, from 1 April to 30 November.

Longer and cross-border routes

If you want more, two options cross borders. The Moselle3 Trail, about 33 km in a single stage with some 960 m of ascent, starts and finishes at the European Museum in Schengen and takes in France and Germany. The GR E3, the European long-distance path, runs almost 70 km through Luxembourg along the German border, from Schengen to Rombach. In the south, the cross-border steel trail covers 21.5 km, about five hours fifty, between Luxembourg and France.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Berdorf before prices climb.

Before you set off

Three things to know. The national portal warns that some sections can be muddy, damaged or diverted, and asks you to check with the region’s tourist offices before a long walk. In hot, dry spells, Visit Luxembourg points to the official wildfire advice and LU-Alert warnings. And in winter the light goes early, with plenty of fog from November to January.

That’s why my favourite months for walking are April, May, June and September, as I explain in the best time to visit Luxembourg.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Berdorf 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.