Mullerthal Trail

The 112-km marked footpath through Luxembourg's sandstone gorges, passing through Beaufort.

The Mullerthal Trail is Luxembourg's premier hiking route — three loops totalling 112 kilometres, threading between Echternach, Larochette, and Beaufort through what is genuinely one of the strangest landscapes in northern Europe. Route 2, the loop that passes through Beaufort, is the most varied of the three: ferny gorges, narrow chimneys between sandstone blocks, viewpoints over the Black Ernz valley, and a section that drops past the castle ruins themselves.

You do not need to walk the whole thing. From the centre of Beaufort, a half-day circular walk takes in the castle, the Hallerbach gorge, and a stretch of the trail through the woods. Maps are available free from the tourist office; signage is good. The trail is open year-round but slippery in winter.

things to do sight
A story
The Mullerthal sandstone formations are not karst (limestone) but Luxembourg Sandstone — soft, white, and dramatically fissured by frost wedging over the last two million years. The local name 'kleng Schwäiz' ('Little Switzerland') was coined by visiting Belgian artists in the late nineteenth century, when paddle steamers brought day-trippers up the Sauer to see the rocks.