Hikes in Bauler

Very varied and very adventurous with breathtaking views. Around the Vianden Castle and Falkenstein Castle.

Alpine hiking feeling. The five cross-border Nat’Our routes in Éislek surprise with the diversity of the Our Nature Park. Each of the Nat’Our routes is dedicated to a special theme.

Nat'Our Route 5 offers a varied path layout on narrow trails. The town of Vianden, with its castle, is one of the most important tourist destinations in Luxembourg.

Circular hike with slightly alpine sections in the Our valley between Bivels and Vianden with castles, chapels, and churches

Millebierg - Our - Romebierg - Porbrätchen - Mëschett - Veianer Bildchen - Schënnbierg - Biergerbësch - Boukels - Bivels - Église du Sacré-Coeur - Burg Falkenstein - Sankt Rochus The route crosses an international border

Spectacular trails with alpine sections and magnificent viewsOn this varied and challenging circular tour, we first visit Vianden Castle, which was built from the 11th to the 14th century on a rocky outcrop above the Our Valley. Influenced by the Hohenstaufen dynasty, the castle palace is one of the largest and most beautiful feudal residences of the Romanesque and Gothic periods in Europe. In 1977, the castle was restored to its former splendor and today it is considered one of the most significant architectural monuments in Europe. The tour continues to a shelter hut and then steeply down to the Bildchen Chapel before reaching the Our Valley reservoir. The Vianden pumped-storage power plant was built from 1954 to 1964 and is the largest of its kind in Europe. Over the Bivelser Bridge we reach Falkenstein Castle, situated on a high rocky spur, probably dating from the 11th century. From the small village of Waldhof (20 inhabitants), we enjoy a fantastic view of the Our Valley loop and from Lätgesberg the exciting, alpine-like border trail leads us back down to the Our Valley reservoir.

Karlshausen - Dauwelshausen - Rodershausen - Waldhof-Falkenstein - Falkenstein Castle

Vianden 23-km Hike on May 5, 2018

A magnificent, cross-border loop that mostly follows the Ourtal Valley. Passing Vianden Castle—one of Europe’s most impressive castle complexes—we hike up and down scenic ridges and enjoy wonderful views of the Ourtal Valley loop.> From Hiking Portal 01, we cross the parking lot and follow the road (signs for “Veianer Schloss”). Watch out after about 50 m near a modern residential building. Here, turn sharply left onto a path leading uphill (green “NaturWanderPark delux” markings). We pass the stations of a Way of the Cross and go under a chairlift. After about a 10-minute climb, we reach a trail junction with trail signs. Here, first turn left toward Vianden Castle 02, where you can visit one of the most beautiful castles in Europe. Then return to the trail signs and follow the small road uphill to the right (toward “Télésiège”). Shortly before the chairlift, we turn left and climb steeply up the trail, which is initially lined with a railing. At a trail fork, take the right fork and continue uphill through the low-lying hillside forest. Below the mountain station, we reach the chairlift again (magnificent view of the castle, Vianden, and the Our Valley). Now continue straight ahead, passing under the chairlift, and follow the flat forest trail through the woods until you reach a crossing trail. We continue straight ahead and follow the marked forest trail uphill. A few minutes later, we reach a pavilion 03 with a scenic view (beautiful views of the Our Valley and the village of Bivels). Right next to the pavilion, a narrow path leads steeply downhill (toward “Bildchenkapelle”). We quickly lose elevation on tight switchbacks, then cross a paved road. Here, turn left toward the Bildchenkapelle 04. The trail continues downhill (with a turbine plant on the right). At a fork in the trail, continue straight ahead (toward “Our”). Then we cross a stream and, about 30 m beyond it, take a path to the right uphill, which then quickly descends into a stream valley. We follow the wide forest road (with the pump-turbine plant on the right) uphill to the right. At the next fork, we follow the path to the right (toward “Our”) down to the N 10 road. Just before the road bridge, we keep to the right (toward “Bivels”) and, about 30 m after that, pass under the road bridge, turning sharply to the left. Now walk directly along the reservoir, passing a campground. Then follow the road to the church in Bivels 05. Continuing along the lakeside path, we pass the cemetery and arrive at the Bivels footbridge, which we cross. Now in Germany, we follow the signs to Falkenstein Castle to the left. We cross a stream, then the trail continues steadily uphill through the forest. Roughly at the head of the valley, the trail turns over to the other side of the valley and continues ascending to Falkenstein Castle 06 (private property). Just under 50 m later, take note: Here we take the marked trail to the left (signpost “Keppeshausen”) down into a romantic stream valley, cross a small wooden bridge, and continue hiking uphill along the trail (toward “Waldhof-Falkenstein”). The narrow path leads through low-lying oak forest and broom to a bench, from which we can enjoy a fantastic view of the Our Valley. Afterward, we cross a stream and climb steeply and steadily uphill. We follow a meadow path crossing our route to the right, up to the Waldhof-Falkenstein residential area. Then we take the road to the right uphill to a bench with a magnificent view of the Our Valley. Continuing uphill, we go straight ahead at a left-hand curve and reach the hiking parking lot on a gravel area. Behind it is Hiking Hut 07, offering a panoramic view of the Our Valley loop. Continuing along the scenic route, we come to a fork in the trail: Go straight down (toward “Burg Falkenstein”). About 800 m after that, take note: Here, we follow trail 08 to the left (toward “Vianden”). The trail starts on a rocky path, then becomes steeper and continues steadily uphill. A bench slightly above the trail offers another wide view of the Luxembourg countryside. This is followed by a lively succession of small ascents and descents; occasionally, the trail also levels off. At a fenced-in meadow, we climb about 30 m up to a bench with a panoramic view. A few meters further uphill, we take a sharp right onto the marked trail and continue along the meadow slope. At a trail junction, we head slightly to the right and then down to the left (toward “Vianden”). The forest trail leads for about 900 m, mostly on level ground, through the woods to a trail junction 09: Here, turn right (marked “NaturWanderPark delux”) and soon descend steeply on a stony, rocky path through coppice. Then climb up rocky steps to a rocky ridge, where the Luxembourg 10 weather vane stands. Continue along the rocky and narrow border trail of the Lätgesberg. Almost 10 minutes later, this alpine-style section of the trail ends at a bench. A forest path continues downhill; at the next fork, we keep to the left and hike down into a stream valley. We cross the Bausterbach over a covered bridge, then follow the marked forest trail to the right. Upon reaching the reservoir, we also reach the N 10 road and the Bivelser Bridge. We cross the road and turn left, walking along the bank of the dammed river. Soon, the imposing castle complex looms above us. Then we cross the dam and turn left. Passing the cemetery, we reach Hiking Portal 01 at the parking lot again.

Beautiful circular hike through the Our Valley to Falkenstein Castle