WALKING and CYCLING take pride of place in Luxembourg!

In virtually no other country in Europe can such differing landscapes be found in such short distances. Within a radius of less than 50 kilometres around the Luxembourg capital (which itself lies in a gentle, undulating landscape of woods and meadows known as “Gutland”), there are four different natural landscapes to admire, walk through or cycle through. These are the Ardennes, with their plateaus, deep green river valleys and castles; the Mullerthal - Luxembourg's Little Switzerland region, with its woods, strange rock formations and caves, the charming Moselle valley with its vineyards and winegrowers’ villages, and the “Land of the red rocks” with its reddish rocks on former opencast mining sites.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a real paradise for ramblers, cyclists and mountain biking enthusiasts. With 5,000 km of footpaths, it has one of the densest networks of waymarked trails in Europe. A total of 201 circular routes (varying in length between four and 16 km), 25 national footpaths and several cross-border hiking trails pass through the Grand Duchy. The European long-distance trails E2 and E3 trails also cross through Luxembourg, following the national network of hiking trails. In addition, there are trails linking stations, youth hostels or specially equipped "hiking huts", as well as hikers’ highlights, such as the recently established “Mullerthal Trail”. http://tourisme.geoportal.lu/

Many of the 575 kilometres of cycle paths that crisscross all regions of the Grand Duchy run along former railway lines, dotted with old stations converted into restaurants, as well as tunnels and bridges. They are suitable both for athletic expeditions and for gentle rides through the countryside. Each route is marked in green and has a cycle path number to that you can find your way easily and without complications and get your bearings.
The safe asphalt tracks, free of cars, are ideal for trips with children. In addition, the Luxembourg railway company, CFL, carries bicycles on all trains free of charge. Several tourist offices and firms providing accommodation (as well as some sports shops during the week) offer bicycles and mountain bikes for hire.

Self-service bicycles 24 h a day, seven days a week are available in Luxembourg city (twenty-five stations and 250 bicycles at intervals of between 500 m and 3 km; safe cycle routes through parks and boulevards).
Info: www.veloh.lu

The highly-varied terrain of the Luxembourg Ardennes, with its relatively uneven topography and luxuriant vegetation, was the perfect area to establish the first mountainbike trails. The 16 routes (between 10 and 40 km) with a total length of 300 km of clearly-marked routes, cross dense forests and deep valleys. Different degrees of difficulty match the expectations of all riders. At the Luxembourg Moselle, 5 new mountain bike trails (Manternach, Grevenmacher, Greiveldange, Wormeldange, Dalheim) with a total length of more than 100 km are available.

www.velo-tours.lu

Amateurs of nordic walking will find specially adapted nordic trails of all difficulty levels throughout the country.

Luggage-free hiking

A number of hotel associations offer this service, leaving you free to explore the lovely countryside of the Luxembourg Ardennes and the Mullerthal Region, Luxembourg’s Little Switzerland, on foot, without having to worry about your luggage, which is taken from hotel to hotel by the hoteliers.

Luxembourg’s youth hostels by foot and bike

The youth hostels offer packages (3 to 6 nights; full board) for hikers and cyclists.
www.youthhostels.lu

Hiking huts

6 camp sites in the regions Ardennes and Mullerthal - Luxembourg's Little Switzerland offer hiking huts with the possibility to walk from one hut to the other
www.trekkershutten.lu

The Upper Sûre natural park on horseback

The “Oewersauer” (Upper Sûre) natural park has a waymarked circuit of bridle paths covering 120 km. A set of four detailed maps indicates the signposted routes, the accommodation facilities for horse riders and their mounts, and the must-see attractions of the region.
www.naturpark-sure.lu