Echternach Abbey & Basilica
Willibrord's abbey and his tomb
The basilica crypt holds the saint's tomb; the abbey buildings frame a formal garden.
EchternachAbbeyChurch
Echternach & the Mullerthal, Luxembourg
Ideal: 2 daysBest: Apr–OctPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Echternach & the Mullerthal in 60 seconds
Echternach grew up around the abbey Saint Willibrord founded in 698, and the town still gathers round its basilica, where the saint lies in the crypt. Every Whit Tuesday thousands of people dance through the streets behind his relics in a hopping procession inscribed by UNESCO. Just outside town begins the Mullerthal, nicknamed Luxembourg's Little Switzerland: a forest of mossy sandstone towers, narrow clefts and ferny streams that the Mullerthal Trail threads in three long loops. The Wolf's Gorge rises straight from Echternach, the Hohllay quarry cave lies above Berdorf, and the little Schiessentümpel cascade with its stone bridge is the region's postcard. Two days of walking, with Beaufort's two castles for a rainy afternoon.
HistoryForest
Best for
- Hiking
- Nature
- Hidden gems
Known for
- Mullerthal Trail
- Echternach Abbey
- Dancing procession
- Schiessentümpel
Skip if
You do not want to walk — the Mullerthal is seen on foot, and the paths are rooty and wet after rain.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Echternach & the Mullerthal fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Mullerthal Trail
Three marked loops through the rocks
Pick a section rather than the whole: the stretch around Berdorf has the most dramatic rocks.
MullerthalHiking
Schiessentümpel
Cascade under a stone bridge
A small three-stream fall in the woods; come early to have it to yourself.
WaldbilligWaterfall
Hohllay
Cave carved out by millstone quarrying
A vast hollow in the sandstone where millstones were cut for centuries.
BerdorfRock
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Echternach
Market square, abbey and Sûre riverside
A walled old town on the German border.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Echternach
ModerateHotels in town
Trails start from the edge of town.
Walkable
Berdorf
ModerateVillage on the plateau
Sleep among the rocks for an early start.
Hiking
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Buses from Luxembourg City take about an hour; public transport is free.
- Dancing procession
- On Whit Tuesday, the Tuesday after Pentecost — the town fills, so book ahead.
- Trail tips
- Wear boots with grip; the sandstone is slippery when wet.
- Taste locally
- Riesling from the Moselle next door, Gromperekichelcher and Quetschentaart in season.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 698
Saint Willibrord founds the abbey at Echternach.
- 739
Willibrord dies and is buried in his abbey.
- 2010
The hopping procession is inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
The Luxembourg Moselle
Vineyards and crémant
The Luxembourg Moselle has its own guide.
40 min by carWine
Vianden & the Luxembourg Ardennes
Castles in the north
Vianden & the Luxembourg Ardennes has its own guide.
40 min by carCastle