Town centre
First-timersThe market square, the basilica and the abbey.
Echternach town guide
Things To Do In Echternach
The oldest town in Luxembourg, grown up around an abbey on the German border, and the gateway to the sandstone gorges and forests of the Mullerthal.
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Hostels in the city
9.2
Average, from 133 reviews
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The abbey's foundation, around this year
~112 km
The Mullerthal Trail
€0
The bus from Luxembourg City
An abbey town at the edge of Little Switzerland
Echternach grew up around an abbey founded at the end of the seventh century by St Willibrord, an English missionary, and it is the oldest town in Luxembourg. The abbey buildings, the basilica with the saint's tomb in its crypt and the medieval market square are still at its heart. Across the river Sûre is Germany.
The town is best known for two things. Every Whit Tuesday, thousands of people hop through the streets in the Dancing Procession, a medieval tradition now on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage. And it is the starting point for the Mullerthal, known as Luxembourg's Little Switzerland: forest, moss and sandstone rock formations cut into narrow gorges.
One or two days is right, with hiking. The Mullerthal Trail, one of the best waymarked walks in Europe, starts here.
Where to stay
The town is small. Stay in the centre or near the lake, where the youth hostel is.
Echternach Lake
HikingThe lake just outside town, with the youth hostel and trailheads.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 1 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Echternach
Start at the Basilica of St Willibrord and its crypt, where the saint is buried. The abbey beside it, rebuilt in the eighteenth century, has a museum on the abbey's history and its illuminated manuscripts.
The market square, with the Dënzelt, the fifteenth-century former courthouse with its arcades, is the prettiest corner of the town. The Roman villa on the edge of town has the remains of a large Roman country house.
Then walk. The Wolfsschlucht, the Wolf's Gorge, is a short hike from the town centre through narrow sandstone passages. The Mullerthal Trail, a hundred-odd kilometres in three loops, passes through the town, and its most famous stretches run through the rock formations around Berdorf and the Schiessentümpel waterfall.
Echternach Lake, just outside town, has a walking path around it.
Free things
Free things to do in Echternach
The town, the market square and the basilica are free.
The hiking is free and it is the reason to come: the Wolfsschlucht, the Mullerthal Trail and the lake path.
The buses to Luxembourg City and around the Mullerthal are free.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Echternach
Echternach has cafés and restaurants around the market square, serving Luxembourgish and French-influenced food. Lunch menus are the best value.
Luxembourg's national dish, Judd mat Gaardebounen, and the local beers and Moselle wines are on most menus. For hiking, supermarkets and bakeries are the budget option.
Eating out is expensive, as it is everywhere in Luxembourg.
Nightlife
Going out in Echternach
Echternach is a quiet town at night. Evenings are for dinner and a drink on the market square.
For a night out, Luxembourg City is an hour away on the free bus.
Getting around
Getting around Echternach
The town is small and walkable.
Buses from Luxembourg City take about an hour and are free, like all public transport in the country. Buses also run around the Mullerthal villages and trailheads.
Germany is across the bridge over the Sûre. Crossing on foot is free; public transport beyond the border is not.
Bikes can be hired through the regional hire scheme and returned at different points around the Mullerthal.
Costs
What Echternach costs
Echternach is expensive like the rest of Luxembourg. The youth hostel by the lake is the budget option, with dorms from around €33.
A careful day is €55 to €70. The hiking and the buses are free.
Safety
Staying safe in Echternach
Echternach is very safe.
On the trails, the sandstone passages are narrow, steep and slippery when wet, and there are stairs cut into the rock. Wear proper shoes.
Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Echternach
The Mullerthal starts here, and the whole region is reachable on free buses.
Luxembourg City
The fortress capital.
What's on
What is on while you are there
The Dancing Procession on Whit Tuesday is unique in Europe.
Whit Tuesday
Dancing Procession
Town centre
Thousands of people hop through the streets to the basilica, a medieval tradition on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
Spring and early summer
Echternach Music Festival
Basilica and venues
Classical and other concerts in the town.
Hostels
Where to stay in Echternach
Echternach has one hostel, the youth hostel on the lake, close to the trails. It is shown here live from Hostelworld.
When to go
May, June and September are ideal for hiking. Autumn colours in the forest are superb.
Jan
Cold and quiet
Feb
Still winter
Mar
Spring beginning
Apr
Green and quiet
May
Excellent. Dancing Procession possible
Jun
Excellent hiking
Jul
Warm, trails busy
Aug
Peak season
Sep
Superb
Oct
Autumn colours
Nov
Grey and wet
Dec
Christmas lights
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. The forests and gorges are cool and damp even in summer.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Transport is free. Beds are the biggest cost.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Echternach travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is Echternach worth visiting?
Yes, for the oldest town in Luxembourg and, above all, for the Mullerthal hiking.
What is the Dancing Procession?
A religious procession on Whit Tuesday in which thousands of people hop through the streets. It dates to the Middle Ages and is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
How do I get to Echternach?
By free bus from Luxembourg City, about an hour.
How long is the Mullerthal Trail?
About 112 kilometres in three loops. You can walk short sections as day hikes.
Is there a hostel in Echternach?
Yes, the youth hostel by the lake, close to the trails.
Can I walk to Germany?
Yes. Germany is across the bridge over the Sûre.
When is the best time to visit?
May, June and September for hiking, and October for autumn colours.
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