The Grand Tour, Luxembourg's official drive, split into five days

Luxembourg is small, but behind the wheel it stretches further than you’d expect, because the good stuff lies along back roads that climb in and out of valleys. The national tourist board answered that with an official route, the Grand Tour du Luxembourg, designed for touring the country in your own vehicle, whether that’s a classic car, an electric one or a motorbike. It’s the backbone I’d use, with a couple of caveats.

What the Grand Tour is

It’s a 464 km circuit starting in Schengen, from the car park opposite the monument to the agreement, and returning there after passing through the capital and all five regions. The official route page gives 7 hours 10 minutes of driving, a high point of 562 m, a low of 135 m and over 6,000 m of climbing in total. It only runs anticlockwise.

If you’re not starting on the Moselle, there are alternative starts at the CNA car park in Dudelange, outside the church in Lasauvage, opposite the town hall in Mersch, at Echternach lake and at the Larei car park in Vianden.

Why the signs aren’t enough

This is where people come unstuck. The sign is a 30 × 30 cm white panel with a dark green arrow and the Grand Tour logo beneath, but it only appears before junctions where the route changes direction. Carry straight on and there’s nothing. visitluxembourg asks you to carry a satnav or phone with the GPX, which always takes priority over the signs, because roadwork diversions aren’t marked for the route. And up north there’s an unsigned stretch through Belgium, between Ouren and Peterskirchen.

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How I’d split it

Doing all 464 km in a day is possible on paper and pointless in practice. I’d use the six regional loops visitluxembourg publishes as stages. They have no signs of their own, but their GPX files and maps are free.

The Moselle loop, 116.66 km, starts at the Remich bridge and runs through wine villages, but also through Manternach, Betzdorf and Flaxweiler, which makes it more than the Moselle wine route. Guttland West, 140.64 km, starts in Mersch and follows the Valley of the Seven Castles, with the Baroque gardens of Ansembourg and Rindschleiden, the smallest village in the country. The Mullerthal loop, 121.36 km, leaves Echternach for Beaufort, Larochette and Bourglinster Castle, which you can only see inside by appointment. The Éislek loop is the long one, 255.96 km, and I’d give it two days.

Five stops I wouldn’t skip

On the Moselle, the climb to the Wormer Koeppchen, the steep Riesling slope with its 1925 chapel. In Guttland West, the tower of Useldange Castle, which you can climb for the view over the valley. In the Mullerthal, the castles of Beaufort (€8) and Larochette (€7, closed on Wednesdays), which the route page itself says deserve more than a photo stop. In the Éislek, Bourscheid, the country’s largest castle, for €7, and Vianden for €13. These are adult prices published by visitluxembourg in September 2026, and the LuxembourgPass gets you into Vianden and Larochette for free.

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Before you set off

Rules matter here. You drive on the right. Motorways are 130, or 110 in the wet; other roads 90; built-up areas 50. The general drink-drive limit is 0.5 g/l. Winter tyres on all four wheels are compulsory in ice or snow. The UK government’s advice is blunt about fines being enforced, and the full rundown is in driving in Luxembourg.

One tip that saves money, don’t use the car in the capital. On-street parking is charged by the hour, between €0.50 and €2, while buses and trams cost nothing. If you’re flying in, pick the car up on the day you leave the city, as I explain in car hire in Luxembourg.

Is it worth it?

I think so, especially in autumn, when the roads through the Éislek and the Mullerthal run between woods. In five days of driving you cover what would take a week on public transport, and you reach viewpoints and small villages without watching bus timetables. For me that freedom is the whole point of hiring a car in a country where the trains and buses are otherwise free.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Remich 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.