Description
Experience Luxembourg’s Guttland region on a relaxed “slow cycling” tour. This unique journey on two wheels takes you along rivers and the former Attert railway line on a route of 85 km (110 km with an excursion to Pétange). Travel through picturesque villages, admire medieval castle ruins, and let yourself be enchanted by the diversity of the area’s natural beauty.
One highlight of the tour is riding through the impressive Schwaarzenhaff nature reserve near Steinfort, where pristine landscapes and spectacular biodiversity await you. You can also explore an old Attert railway line tunnel and Useldange castle, the latter dating to around 1100 and both living relics of bygone eras.
Your route takes you all the way to the vibrant capital of Luxembourg City, where the glass-cabin lift nestled in the Alzette Valley offers a breathtaking panoramic vista. Don’t miss this incomparable view of the city!
Whether you plan the tour as a sporty one-day outing or a leisurely trip of several days, you set the pace. Thanks to the clearly signposted cycle paths, safety and convenience are always guaranteed with only a few short segments running along roads with traffic.
Directions
In Mamer, we ride along the tracks on “Rue de la Gare” until we reach the railway bridge, on which we turn left. From here, we follow the signposted cycle path (PC13), turning right at the second street (“Rue du Baumbusch”). We pass Holzem in the north and enter N13 to the left shortly before Garnich. After about 300 metres, we turn right onto “Rue de la Forêt” and continue following the cycle path. Shortly before we cross the autobahn, the cycle path connects with PC12, which we follow north.
Excursion to Pétange: At the intersection with PC12, a former railway line, we can also head south. Stopping at the former Clemency railway station, which now houses a nice restaurant with a lovely terrace and a play area for children, is especially worthwhile. You may also enjoy a detour to the village of Kahler, where many of the house fronts have been spray-painted with big, striking graffiti murals.
Cycling north on the former Attert railway line (the “Prënzebunn”), however, we ride through Hagen and pass by Steinfort and Eischen before reaching Hovelange through a 700-metre lighted tunnel. Looking to the left, we can see the village of Beckerich at a distance.
In Beckerich, we can prolong our tour by ascending one of the signposted “VeloWesten” loop trails. The “Wisen West Tour” and “Dällchen West Tour” will take you to the higher areas of the region.
The “Eaux de Beckerich” buildings, which export millions of litres of mineral water to half of Europe, are also located in Beckerich. Beckerich’s former mill houses a pleasant little restaurant, where you can stop for a bite to eat. The national cycle path PC17 to Arsdorf begins after Noerdange, but we continue on PC12, which takes us to Useldange. Plan to take some time to visit the renovated castle in Useldange. There are also several nice eateries there, where you can relax and have a good time. From Useldange, the cycle path follows the Attert River through the towns of Boevange-sur-Attert and Bissen up to Colmar-Berg.
There, we continue on the road past the Goodyear plants and follow “Avenue Gordon Smith” (N22) for a while, before turning left on “Rue des Écoles”. This takes us to “Allée Grande-Duchesse Charlotte”. PC12 ends here, and we follow PC15 to the right over the railway tracks. Behind the railway tracks, we turn left onto a cycle path that takes us across the Alzette twice, once under the N7, and once under the autobahn to the riverbank. We pass Cruchten and Pettingen, ride through Mersch, touch upon Lintgen, and, between Steinsel and Walferdange, we reach the town of Beggen, located at the gates of the capital. We continue following the cycle path via Dommeldange and Laval Park until we reach the Pfaffenthal district. In Pfaffenthal, we take the panorama lift up to the Pescatore Foundation Park, and from there we continue on “Avenue de la Porte-Neuve” to Luxembourg’s city park, which takes us to the starting point of our tour.
Descriptions of the localities along the route:
Mamer: The city has Gallo-Roman origins and is situated on the former Roman road “Kiem”, leading from Reims to Trier. The 18th-century parish church and the remains of Roman baths from the first century are worth seeing. The city’s most famous citizens are undoubtedly the philosopher Nikolaus Wagner, alias Nicolaus Mameranus, born in 1500, Nicolaus Frantz, who won the Tour de France in 1927 and 1928, and the Olympic gold-medallist Josy Barthel, who won the men’s 1500 metres in 1952.
Steinfort: The town on the Belgian border is considered the gateway to the “Valley of the Seven Castles”, through which the Eisch River flows. The former ironworks (Al Schmelz) of the old industrial centre have been restored and now serve as a museum and cultural centre.
Colmar-Berg: Apart from the facilities owned by the tyre manufacturer Goodyear, which runs a research centre and testing track here, Berg Castle and its extensive park, residence of the Grand Ducal family since 1911, are also impressive.
Walferdange: One of Luxembourg’s largest municipalities with about 8,500 residents, the town was already settled in Roman times, as evidenced by the remains of an extensive villa in Helmsange and the impressive tunnels of an underground aqueduct, the “Raschpëtzer Qanat”. Walferdange is located on the western edge of the “Gréngewald”, one of the country’s largest forested areas.
For your safety
Journey
Parking: The starting point of the tour is at the Parking Glacis (fee required).