Vianden & the North

Built between the 11th and 14th centuries on the foundations of a Roman-era fort and an early medieval refuge, Vianden Castle was home to the counts of Vianden and later passed to the House of Orange-Nassau. It fell into ruin after being sold off in the early 1800s, and the Grand Ducal family gave it to the state in 1977, after which a long restoration brought back its Romanesque and Gothic halls, chapels and armoury. Allow about two hours with the 2 euro phone audioguide; the walk up Grand-Rue from the Our bridge takes 10-15 minutes and is steep, but you can also ride the chairlift and walk down. No booking is needed, and in the Medieval Festival week late in July the castle is busy.

Adult €13, students (13+) €7, children (6-12) €4, under 6 free; audioguide €2 (official site, 2026)

First fortified in the 10th century, Bourscheid grew into the biggest castle complex in Luxembourg, with an outer curtain wall and towers built by successive noble families. Long left as a ruin, parts have been restored, and you walk the towers, walls and halls with an audio guide, finishing on a terrace over the wooded Sûre valley. It is open every day of the year, with shorter winter hours from 16 October to 31 March. The castle stands above the village of Bourscheid, so it is easiest with a car; check bus connections to the village on mobiliteit.lu.

Adult €7, seniors (65+) and students (13-25) €5, children (6-12) €4, under 6 free (official site, 2026)

Wiltz Castle passed through several noble families before the state acquired it in 1951, and its courtyard is the stage of the annual Festival de Wiltz in June and July. Inside are the National Museum of the Art of Brewing, in the former stables, which also covers the tanning trade and offers a master-brewer course, and a museum on the Battle of the Bulge and the dark winter of 1944-45. The tourist office is in the courtyard. Nearby on a hilltop the slate-built National Strike Monument remembers the general strike of 1942 against the forced conscription of Luxembourgers. Wiltz is reached by RGTR bus; check connections from Vianden on mobiliteit.lu.

Brewing museum €9 with audio guide and beer tasting, under 21 free; castle grounds and Strike Monument free (visit-eislek.lu, 2026)

The old town hugs the slope below the castle, with the Grand-Rue running uphill from the Our bridge past the Trinitarian church, the history museum and the Victor Hugo House to the castle gate. Cafes, small shops and traditional houses line the lane, and a guided old-town walk is offered by the tourist office. Down at the river you can stroll along the Our, and marked hiking trails start close to the tourist office: the easy local trail VI 2 (about 6 km, 2 hours) passes the old walls and the Fändelchen viewpoint, and the Ourdall Promenade (about 8.8 km, 2.5 hours) suits families. Buses K52 from Ettelbruck and Diekirch stop in the centre. The street is steep and cobbled, so wear flat shoes.

Free

Founded in 1248, the church is counted among the finest examples of Gothic art in Luxembourg. The wide choir was added in 1644, the Rococo high altar by Michel Weiler dates from 1758, and a stone effigy from around 1400 commemorates Marie de Spanheim, the last of the Counts of Vianden. The former Trinitarian cloister next door dates from about 1250. It stands at 49 Grand-Rue, on the way up to the castle, so it makes an easy ten-minute stop; the church is a place of worship, so keep voices low.

Free

Built in 1909-1910 in the neo-Romanesque style, the abbey of Saint-Maurice is known for the bright red roofs that stand out above Clervaux. Benedictines from the French abbey of Saint-Maur de Glanfeuil settled here, and about 12 monks live in the community today. The daily morning mass at 10:00 in the church includes Gregorian chant, and a crypt exhibition shows monastic life. The shop beside it sells books, art objects and apple juice made at the abbey. As this is a working monastery, confirm visiting times by phone (+352 92 10 27) and dress and behave respectfully.

Free

Esch-sur-Sûre grew as a fortified settlement around its castle, whose 10th-century ruins stand on a rock above the village with views over the Sûre valley. The ruins are free to enter, and the climb is steep but short. Short walking loops start in the village: the family-friendly Court Jester (2.7 km, about an hour) keeps returning to views of the castle, and the Éislek Pad (6.5 km, about 2 hours 20 minutes) climbs to the Kuelebierg for a view of the village in its river bend. The Upper Sûre lake and the Duch vum Séi museum are a few minutes away. Esch-sur-Sûre is served by RGTR buses (check mobiliteit.lu), so it combines easily with Wiltz or the lake.

Free

The monument honours General George Patton Jr., whose 3rd US Army liberated Ettelbruck in December 1944. The base was inaugurated in 1954, and a bronze statue of Patton and a US battle tank have stood there since 1970. The square was redesigned in 2024 and now has a Liberation Route Europe marker and three silhouettes donated by the US Embassy. It is outdoors and free, a few minutes from the Patton Museum, so it makes a good ten-minute stop for children who like tanks.

Free

The Old Church of Saint Laurence stands at 5 rue du Curé in Diekirch on the site of a Roman farm estate (a villa rustica) from the 1st century. In the 7th century one of the surviving outbuildings became the first church here, and the present building with two Gothic naves has 16th- and 17th-century frescoes; Merovingian-era burial remains were found under it in 1960. It was declared a national monument in 2017. Visits are by guided tour or on request, so ask the Diekirch tourist office (+352 80 30 23) when it can be opened.

Entry details on request from the tourist office

Victor Hugo stayed in Vianden several times during his political exile from France in the 1860s and 1870s and was captivated by the town, its castle and the Our valley. The house where he lodged, at 37 rue de la Gare, is now a museum with a reconstruction of his rooms and displays of manuscripts, drawings and personal items. It is a quiet, small visit that suits adults and older children, and the house is a short walk along the river from the Our bridge. Guided tours are available by reservation.

Adult €6; children and students up to 25 free; LuxembourgPass free (official site, 2026)

Clervaux Castle was badly damaged in the Battle of the Bulge and rebuilt after the war. Its east wing holds The Family of Man, the photo exhibition curated by Luxembourg-born Edward Steichen for New York's MoMA in 1955, with 503 pictures from 68 countries, which has been on permanent display here since the 1990s and is on UNESCO's Memory of the World register. A free multimedia guide works on your own phone, so bring headphones. The same castle also houses the Battle of the Bulge museum and the castle-model exhibition (listed separately). The castle is a short uphill walk from the Clervaux train station and bus stops, and the exhibition is open Wednesday to Sunday in the season.

Adult €6, reduced €4; visitors up to 21 free (official site, 2026)

Diekirch lay on the front line in the winter of 1944-45, and this museum grew out of local collectors' finds. Its life-size dioramas, built with genuine uniforms, weapons and vehicles, walk you through the Ardennes campaign from the German breakthrough to the Allied counter-offensive. It is a short walk from the Diekirch town centre, and the town is the nearest larger town to Vianden. The subject is heavy for small children, but older children who like history often find it gripping; audio guides can be rented at the desk.

Adult €5, teens and students €3; free with the LuxembourgPass (visit-eislek.lu, 2026)

This small museum tells the story of the Diekirch brewery, which opened in 1871 and now belongs to Brasserie de Luxembourg, with old advertising, glasses, equipment and photographs. It is on Rue de Stavelot, a short walk from the town centre, and combines easily with the nearby Military History Museum. It is aimed at adults and beer fans; for tasting options and the entry fee, ask at the museum (+352 26 80 04 68).

Admission fee paid at the museum (official site gives no price)

The museum at 96-98 Grand-Rue is housed in an old merchant's house and covers roughly a thousand years of Vianden's history, including everyday life in the 18th and 19th centuries. It also has a bakery museum and a section on Edmond de la Fontaine, known as Dicks, the 19th-century national poet who lived and worked in the town. It is small and best for a rainy half hour or as a stop on the walk up to the castle. It is open Wednesday to Sunday only.

Adult €4, children under 12 €1; free with the LuxembourgPass (visit-eislek.lu, 2026)

Housed in Clervaux Castle at 6 Montée du Château, the museum has two parts. One covers the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Luxembourg in winter 1944-45 with documents, uniforms, weapons, and reconstructed scenes; the other shows 22 Luxembourg castles and fortresses at 1:100 scale, with a detailed diorama of the battle around Clervaux Castle between them. It is indoors and suits visitors of all ages. Combine it with The Family of Man in the same castle. Opening days change from week to week, so check with the museum (+352 26 91 06 95) before you go.

Adult €5, students €3, under 21 free; free with the LuxembourgPass (visit-eislek.lu, 2026)

Duch vum Séi is a former cloth factory at the Öewersauer Nature Park Centre in Esch-sur-Sûre. An exhibition explains how wool was processed into cloth, and restored machines still weave woollen fabric during guided tours. A regional shop sells textiles and local gifts. The address is Route de Lultzhausen 15, a few minutes from the village and the lake; the park centre also rents bikes. Opening hours differ by day, and it is closed on Wednesdays.

Adult €3, under 21 free; free with the LuxembourgPass (visit-eislek.lu, 2026)

The museum honours General George S. Patton Jr., whose 3rd US Army liberated Ettelbruck in December 1944. Its rooms trace Luxembourg's war: the German invasion of 1940, the occupation, the American liberation of 1944 and the post-war years, with a large collection of photographs, documents and original objects. It is at 5 rue Dr Klein, a short walk from Ettelbruck station, and the Patton Monument is nearby. Ettelbruck is the transport hub for Vianden, so it fits a stop on the way in or out. Closed Mondays.

Adult €5, ages 10-18 and students €3; free with the LuxembourgPass (visitluxembourg.com, 2026)

The chairlift climbs from a base station near the Our river up the hillside to a viewpoint at about 440 metres, where the whole silhouette of the castle, the town and the Our valley lies below. At the top there is an inn with a terrace and walking trails; a rocky path leads down to the castle, but it can be slippery when wet. The ride is a short, easy outing that pairs well with a castle visit, either up and walk down or the other way round. It runs from late March to late October (daily in July and August, weekdays from 11:00 otherwise) and stops in bad weather.

Adult return €9.50, one-way €6.50; child return €5, one-way €3.50 (official site, 2026)

The lake was created in the 1960s by damming the Sûre to supply drinking water, and it is now the centrepiece of the Upper Sûre Nature Park. Motor boats are banned, so it stays quiet for swimming, canoeing, windsurfing and a solar-powered boat trip, and trails along the wooded shore are good for walking and cycling, including the footbridge near Lultzhausen. The main dam is at Insenborn, about 1 km from Esch-sur-Sûre, and the lake is best combined with Esch-sur-Sûre village. The supervised bathing areas are open in summer; check the dates on visit-eislek.lu before you plan a swim.

Free; boat trips, canoe rental and tours are priced separately by operators

From the top station of the chairlift you look down over the town, the castle and the Our valley, and out to the reservoir of the pumped-storage power station. An inn with a terrace sits at the top, and walking trails lead on from here. You can come up by chairlift or on foot via the Éislek Pad Vianden or the Nat'Our route 5. A rocky path leads down to the castle; it is slippery when wet, so wear sturdy shoes. If you ride one way, going up by chairlift and walking down is the easier way round.

Free (chairlift ticket extra if you ride)

The Niklosbierg lookout gives a view of the upper reservoir of the Vianden pumped-storage power station, run by the Société électrique de l'Our, and of the surrounding Our valley, with an information board explaining how the plant works. There is a car park at the foot of the tower and several dozen steps up to the platform. It is a car-oriented stop above the town, so check the route on mobiliteit.lu if you plan to use public transport. The plant itself can only be visited by written request through the SEO website.

Free