Luxembourg isn’t typically on most people’s European itinerary. But personally, this country felt like a hidden gem which was only meant as a pitstop on my way to Belgium, but I wish I could have stayed longer to explore the country’s outdoor landscapes.

Luxembourg is not cheap to stay in, or eat and drink, but this is offset by the fact that public transport across the country is free (current in July 2022). Yep, you read that right – FREE. I very much enjoyed being able to take trams and buses as much as I liked, and one afternoon I just took the tram around Luxembourg City to see where I would end up.

Day 1

Luxembourg City is a charming, pretty and very clean city, filled with lots of parks, viewpoints and even some ruins near the Alzette River. It also felt very safe.

I spent my first day in Luxembourg roaming the city centre, mainly checking out the viewpoints and winding alleys of the Old Town and then lazing in one of the many parks with a book, which seems to be what many of the locals do too.

Luxembourg is a lovely city to just roam aimlessly and see what you find, and as the public transport is free, it’s easy to get around and see a lot in a day.

Day 2

My second day in Luxembourg was spent exploring the eastern part of the country near the border with Germany.

It turns out that Luxembourg has some nice forests and hiking trails, and the hike I did in Berdorf was one of the prettiest and most unique hikes I’ve done in Europe.

The forest in and around Berdorf and neighbouring Echternach has an enchanted feel to it as you wind through labyrinths of rock, down narrow corridors, and pop out at panoramic views. These hiking paths are part of the 112-kilometre Mullertal Trail that winds through the eastern part of
Luxembourg. The hike is broken into three distinct sections, but you can opt to do just a small part of these sections.

To start the hike, I took bus Route 110 from Luxembourg City to Echternach. The journey takes about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the time of day. The bus runs approximately every 30 minutes to an hour during the summer months.

From Echternach, I followed trail signs to a 5km path that went through a dense forest section and popped out at Berdorf via a series of interesting rock formations, including the Perekop viewpoint.

I then headed over to a forested area on the west side of Berdorf off Um Millewee, about a 15 minute walk from a bus stop and also where I popped out on the first trail.

This forest is a landscape lover’s dream as you weave past sandstone rock formations and bright green, almost iridescent in certain light, moss filled sandstone caves, gorges, crevices and viewpoints, and along boardwalks and bridges.

I spent a few hours roaming aimlessly through the sandstone wonderland seeing what was at the other end of narrow crevices, looking down into deep grottoes, climbing up to viewpoints, and wandering into gorges, happily snapping photo after photo with a big grin on my face.

From Berdorf, you can return to Luxembourg City on bus route 110 or 111. The bus runs every 30 minutes to an hour back to Luxembourg City during the summer months.