The Perekop, climbing up through the middle of a rock

Most of the Mullerthal’s rocks you look at from below. The Perekop you see from the inside. It’s an enormous sandstone block split by a narrow cleft, and an iron ladder climbs up through it to deliver you onto a viewpoint over the forest. For me it’s the most enjoyable moment on the whole stretch from Echternach to Berdorf.

A giant by the roadside

visitluxembourg describes it as a much-visited rock giant on the edge of the Berdorf to Echternach road, the CR 364, and says thousands of tourists passing through Luxembourg’s Little Switzerland stop to admire it. You’ll sometimes see it spelt Perecop. It lies in the commune of Berdorf, even though it’s out on the road between the two towns.

The rock is Luxembourg sandstone, the same stone that forms the whole plateau. According to the government portal, there was sea here more than 200 million years ago; the rock layers settled on its floor before rivers carved the landscape. The cracks you see in the Perekop, the Wolfsschlucht or Berdorf’s rock mazes are all part of that story.

Can you climb it?

Yes, that’s what the ladder is for. The iron ladder is fixed inside the cleft and leads to a viewpoint. Nobody sells tickets, there are no set hours and no attendant is on duty. That means the common sense is down to you. When the rock is wet, sandstone gets slippery; with a big rucksack, the cleft is a very tight fit; and with small children, I’d climb up behind them. None of that is in the official listing, it’s my own judgement.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Berdorf for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

The Perekop on the Mullerthal Trail

Route 2 of the Mullerthal Trail runs right past it. In the operator’s stage plan, the Echternach to Berdorf stretch is 6.8 km and takes two to two and a half hours. It leaves Echternach’s market square, climbs to the Troosskneppchen viewpoint, enters the Wolfsschlucht gorge, threads a labyrinth of boulders and follows the Aesbach stream to the Perekop. Next comes a footbridge over the Chipkapass and, shortly after, the Hohllay cave and the amphitheatre.

In just a few kilometres, that’s the best of the region’s rock landscape. If you’ve only got a morning, it’s the stretch I’d walk, and the Perekop is where I’d linger longest.

Top of Berdorf’s list

Berdorf’s tourist office puts the Perecop, spelt that way, first on its list of best-known rock formations, ahead of the Hohllay, the Devil’s Island, the Priedegtstull and the Siebenschlüff. Route 2, which runs alongside it, is 39.7 km in all, and the operator reckons on 12 h 50 of walking split over two days, so the Perekop is just one of many stops. The European Ramblers Association rates it among its Leading Quality Trails, and on this stretch you can see why.

If you’ve come from the UK with a single free day in Luxembourg, this is the stretch I’d send you to. Take the bus to Echternach, walk up through the gorge to the Perekop and on to Berdorf, and ride back, with no car, no tickets and nothing to plan beyond decent shoes.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Berdorf for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Fitting it into your day

Walking from Echternach, the Perekop comes roughly halfway along the stretch. Drive along the CR 364 and you’ll see it from the road, but you’d miss the point of arriving on foot through the gorge. Berdorf has bus stops and public transport is free across the country, so you can walk out and ride back.

If you’re staying in Berdorf, the Perekop is on the way to Echternach, so you can do the stretch in reverse. The Hohllay first, then the Perekop, the Wolfsschlucht last, and lunch on Echternach’s market square.

What’s around it

In the same area, between Echternach and Berdorf, are the boulder maze the Trail website simply calls the Labyrinth, the Chipkapass crossing and the Breechkaul amphitheatre. Up on the Berdorf plateau there’s the Raiberhiel, the Priedegtstull and the Wanterbaach-Siweschlëff maze, where climbing is allowed for members of affiliated clubs. That’s a full day of rocks without touching the car, and if you stay the night up on the plateau, next morning the Trail will take you down to the hamlet of Müllerthal and its waterfall.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Perekop on GetYourGuide.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Luxembourg: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

Before you fix your dates, compare tickets to Luxembourg: the same journey can cost very different amounts from one day to the next.