Following Auto-Pédestre Trails in Luxembourg City

Chronicle.lu has put together a short series of articles on exploring the Grand Duchy by foot, with the help of the Auto-Pédestre guide to a series of walking trails covering the five regions: this second article explores Luxembourg City and Limpertsberg walks.

The Luxembourg city trail is a scenic walk of approximately 6.5km that explores the beauties of the city. It starts at the Gëlle Fra monument at the Place de la Constitution.

The route descends the steps to the left of Place de la Constitution; we followed the blue arrow symbols all the way down to the Pétrusse valley. A gentle stroll along the river, we passed by the skate park before crossing the Alzette and walking along the fortress walls, where there are amazing views of the city to admire.

The trail continues on to the Rham Plateau which was used for military purposes throughout the centuries, as well as a home for the destitute; it currently houses a retirement home. There are imposing semi-circular (former city defence) towers here that form part of the Medieval Wenceslas Wall. It is well worth a detour to explore this area which includes four barracks built by Vauban in the 17th century.

The Jacob Tower (Dinselpuert) is also known as “The old Gate of Trier”. The charming Tour Malakoff in Clausen, which is now used by scouting groups, was built in 1861 and was the last gateway erected before the destruction of the Luxembourg Fortress in 1867.

The route then goes up Kirchberg, up to the Museum of Modern Art at Mudam. A pleasant stroll around the front of the Mudam leads to the impressive fortress that is now the Dräi Echelen Museum, located inside the renovated Fort Thüngen. 

The old fortress, Fort Obergrünewald, is the perfect spot for a picnic, or just to relax while enjoying a scenic view of the old town of Luxembourg across the valley.
 
A pretty descent into Pfaffenthal follows, past the youth hostel and the Schlossbrücke, or Castle Bridge and the Bock Casements and  Corniche to the Notre Dame Cathedral, and our starting point at the Gëlle Fra.

This picturesque walk is very well marked with blue arrows, though we did have difficulty finding one after the Corniche and relied on the geoportal link to be certain of the route. Although the trail is described as easy we found it quite challenging in places and felt it required a respectable fitness level. The myriad of steps and slopes, both up and down, could be quite hard on the knees and legs. 

Our second walk was the Limpertsberg auto-pédestre trail which starts in Glacis carpark, and is a 7.5km tour of this former rose-growing area.

Limpertsberg is first and foremost a residential area and this was evident as we initially walked along Avenue Pasteur which bustled with activity as people went to and from supermarkets, cafés and restaurants. The blue arrow signs guided us past the American embassy, and down a hidden stairwell, pausing briefly to admire the view of Grand Duchess Charlotte bridge, (the Red Bridge), before arriving at the statue of Péiter Onrou. Here legend says that women, who have been cheated on, can seek revenge by visiting the statue and lighting candles with needles pierced into them.

The route continues past parks, playgrounds and the many schools in the area as it follows the valley of the Alzette, overlooking Millebach, as far as Tony Neuman Park. There are several seating areas here from which one can admire the beautiful flower beds as well as the collections of modern sculptures and rare trees that the park is renowned for.

A short stroll on Avenue de la Faïencerie leads to Kinekswiss Park and our starting point in Glacis carpark.

This interesting and pleasant walk has frequent blue arrow signs and is easy to follow.

Both walks can be done in a little over two hours but there is so much to see and admire on the trails that extra time is advised. The Luxembourg city walk has many areas of cultural and historical interest whereas the Limpertsberg walk passes the many schools, playgrounds and parks  that cater for the area’s residents. We found the city walk somewhat more challenging and would recommend walking poles for anyone with knee difficulties.

These two  delightful walks are within easy reach from the city and are worth putting on the to-do list. There is ample choice of cafés and bars at both finishing points if a rest and refreshments are required.