Luxembourg is a small country in the heart of Western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It’s very green, with one-third of its land covered in forests, and has many well preserved historical castles and fortresses. The city center of its capital – Luxembourg City – is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. If you’re planning a trip to Europe, be sure to add Luxembourg to your must-visit list. Read on for our for an example of a 2-3 day itinerary in Luxembourg.
We have visited Luxembourg as part of our mini Benelux trip over a long weekend. Our first stop was in Maastricht, Netherlands, followed by 3 days in Luxembourg. From there, we continued to Liege in Belgium before returning home to Utrecht. Travelling and sightseeing in Luxembourg is easy – everything is nearby and can be reached within just a few hours. In fact, on the way from the Netherlands to Luxembourg, we drove through Belgium and Germany, making it 4 countries in just 2 hours. Talk about easy travel in Europe! 🙂
Depending on your direction of arrival, you can easily adjust the order of places to visit in Luxembourg. Below is our 2-3 Days itinerary in Luxembourg – laid out in the order we experienced it.
Day 1: Vianden Castle, Hohllay Cave, and Breechkaul Amphitheater in the Mullerthal Region
Vianden Castle
Luxembourg is home to many impressive castles, but if you’re short on time and can visit only one, we recommend Vianden Castle. Set on a hillside with restored rooms, Vianden Castle gives you a great look at Luxembourg’s medieval history.
Vianden Castle was built between the 11th and 14th centuries and sits atop a hill overlooking the town of Vianden. Not only is the castle worth seeing, but the surrounding area is also beautiful and picturesque.
If you’re travelling by car, you can park at Parking Château de Vianden and walk up to the castle. Just be sure to bring coins for the parking machine.
Alternatively, you can park near Der Sessellift, like we did, and take the chairlift up. We bought one-way tickets that brought us to an observation platform and a cafe with scenic views of Vianden Castle and the town below. From the viewing platform, it’s an easy 10-minute walk (mostly downhill) to the castle entrance.
Vianden Castle is open to visitors year-round, check their web site for current opening hours and admission fees.
After exploring the castle, take a walk through the town. Vianden is a small but charming, nestled in forested hills with the Our river (yes, that’s actually its name) winding through the city. We walked from the castle via Grand-Rue, crossed the stone bridge over the river, continued along Rue Victor Hugo, and returned to the car park near Der Sessellift – a nice short loop through the heart of town.
Mullerthal Trail: Hohllay Cave and Breechkaul Amphitheater
We wrapped up our visit to Vianden in the late afternoon and, with daylight still on our side thanks to summer hours, decided to drive to Hohllay Cave (about 30 minutes away).
Hohllay Cave is a man-made cave located in a forested area of Luxembourg. It was shaped by centuries of sandstone mining, dating back to medieval times.
You can park at the designated Parking Hohllay lot, and from there, it’s just a short walk through the woods to reach the cave.
Don’t miss Breechkaul Amphitheater on your walk to or from Hohllay Cave. Amphitheater “Breechkaul” is an open-air theater in a cavity under the rock (also man-made by mining activity).
After short walks in the forest and visits to both Hohllay Cave and Breechkaul Amphitheater, we made our way to Luxembourg City.
It takes about 40 minutes to drive from Hohllay Cave to Luxembourg City. We arrived in the evening – just in time to check into our hotel, enjoy a nice dinner at a nearby restaurant, and call it a day.
Day 2: Luxembourg City
Spend a day in Luxembourg City
Luxembourg city, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is known for its impressive old town fortifications – a blend of medieval charm and military history woven into the cityscape.
We spent the whole day simply sightseeing and walking around. Even though it rained lightly in the morning, it didn’t dampen our impression of the city. Luxembourg is incredibly green, with plenty of historical buildings, age-old fortifications, and scenic views – all thanks to its hilly terrain.
We stayed at a hotel on Place d’Armes – right in the heart of Luxembourg City. With our car parked in an underground parking garage nearby, we explored the city on foot.
Luxembourg City Highlights
Here are some of the sights worth checking out in Luxembourg City in a day:
Palais Grand-Ducal (Grand Ducal Palace) – the official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. If you’re visiting in summer, guided tours are available in July and August, offering a glimpse into the palace’s interiors, including the Grand Duke’s office and the Salon des Rois.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame – a 17th century Catholic cathedral originally built as a Jesuit church.
Palais de Justice Luxembourg – from here, you will get panoramic views of the old town. Walk downhill towards the Grund district to discover gems like the fortified stone bridge Stierchen, Neumünster Abbey, and other medieval sights of Grund district.
Pfaffenthal Lift – this public elevator connects the Alzette River valley with the city center above. Not only it saves your time and energy walking of walking uphill, but it also offers scenic views over the valley thanks to its glass walls.
Adolphe Bridge – a stone-arch bridge with great views to Pétrusse Casemates and Park, and Constitution Square – city square with manicured garden and WW2 memorial obelisk.
Luxembourg City Hall – located on Place Guillaume II, the city’s central square, this neoclassical building has served as the seat of local government since the 19th century.
Neumünster Abbey – this 17th century Benedictine abbey, nestled in the Grund district, now serves as a vibrant cultural center. It hosts concerts, exhibitions, festivals, and public gatherings throughout the year.
Fort Thüngen and Fort Obergrünewald – historical fortifications set a green park with views of Luxembourg City’s center. Fort Obergrünewald was built in the 17th century by French military engineer Vauban – the same architect behind the pentagon-shaped Citadel of Lille (which you can read more about in my post about Lille).
Place d’Armes – a lively city square surrounded by restaurants and cafes. It’s a perfect spot to relax and enjoy a lunch break (or dinner) after exploring the city on foot.
These are the highlights of what to see in Luxembourg City in one day. We really enjoyed our visit and would definitely recommend adding this charming city to your itinerary.
We spent the night in Luxembourg City and headed to the Mullerthal region the next morning.
Read our full post on Luxembourg City here – One day in Luxembourg city.
Day 3: Mullerthal Region
Wolfsschlucht (Gorges du Loup), Labyrinth, and Predigtstuhl in Mullerthal Region
On the third day of our trip in Luxembourg, we set out to explore the natural sights along the Mullerthal Trail – a hike in the woods featuring impressive rock formations, narrow canyons, and winding labyrinths.
You don’t need to complete the full 13km E1 loop to enjoy these sights. If you only have a few hours or half a day in the region, here are the main sights you can easily visit.
Read our full post about the E1 trail – A Forest Walk in the Mullerthal Region, Luxembourg.
Wolfsschlucht (Gorges du Loup)
Our first stop of the day was Wolfsschlucht – also known as Gorges du Loup. We parked at a small lot near Trooskneppchen, a viewing pavilion in the forest, and set off from there.
Despite its name, which translates to “Wolf’s Gorge”, rest assured – there are no wolves roaming the trail or anywhere in the region. What you will find is a spectacular natural canyon with rock walls rising up to 50 meters high. Age-old stone stairs will lead you through the gorge to the top of the cliffs.
The track is well maintained and the stone stairs are easy to climb, making it a great walk for all fitness levels, including families with kids. Our boys loved it and we spent nearly half an hour just in the Wolfsschlucht gorge, climbing the rocks and exploring. We also wandered along small side trails through the forest and made our way to Paulsplatte – a scenic spot atop the cliffs with lovely views over the valley below.
Labyrinth
The next highlight in the area was the Labyrinth. If you’re walking from Wolfsschlucht, simply continue the hike along the E1 trail and you’ll soon find youself in another magical place in the woods – a labyrinth of pathways winding through moss-covered rock formations.
If you’re not walking the E1 trail, an alternative way to reach the Labyrinth is to park at Perekop, just off Route 364. From there, it’s only a short walk to the Labyrinth itself.
Predigtstuhl
Our final stop in Luxemburg was Predigtstuhl (Pulpit) – a beautiful natural site named for its pulpit-like rock formations. the area features narrow passageways carved through the stone and two scenic viewing platforms that offer lovely views of the surrounding forest and valleys.
Predigtstuhl is located along Route 364 near Berdorf. There is a small car park right at the base of the rocks formations, making it a convenient starting point. Though it gets quite busy in summer. We were lucky to get a spot just as someone was leaving, so be prepared for limited parking.
There are passages and viewpoints on both sides of the road, so be sure to explore both. Some of the passageways are really small and narrow, so keep an eye on children – they can squeeze into spots where not every adult would fit! 🙂
After exploring Predigtstuhl, we continued to Liege, Belgium, before heading back home to Utrecht.
We truly enjoyed our time in Luxembourg and look forward to visit it again to explore more of this beautiful country. Hopefully, our sample 2-3 days itinerary will inspire and help you plan your own trip to Luxembourg!
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Love the castles but also really nice looking natures and outdoors. Cannot wait to visit again.
We really liked that mix of city sightseeing, castles and nature walks during vising Luxembourg.
This two to three day itinerarry in Luxembourg sounds amazing. Would enjoy seeing the view from Palais de Justice and visiting Vianden Castle. Was driving around easy?
Driving was really easy, especially taking into account we visited in summer (the most popular tourism season).
Luxembourg is really underrated from what I see. Just the presence of castles and hiking is all I need. I’ll be referring back to this 3 day blog when I go.
We loved the nature too, was a nice break in between cities sightseeing!
I expected castles and charming towns but not the amazing outdoor options. What a great surprise! Thanks for all the tips and a great itinerary 🙂
Yes, we absolutely loved mixing city sightseeing and nature walks during our visit to Luxembourg.
Looks like you had a wonderful time in Luxembourg. We enjoy off the beaten path places like this. You visited in high tourist season but did it seem congested?
Vianden and hiking trails were not busy at all. Luxembourg city was relatively busy, but still there were much less people than in other popular European cities.
This is an amazing itinerary! Looking forward to visit Luxembourg now!