A Long Walk in Little Luxembourg

Luxembourg is not such a small country when you walk it. True, the country is only about 50 miles from north to south, but the premiere trail, called the GR5, is 124 miles long.

A week on foot gives a close-up look at misty forests and meandering rivers, as well as castles and towns that look like backdrops for a grand opera.

In Luxembourg, the walker finds a pastiche of other lands. Belgium’s Ardennes extend south as the Ardennes Luxembourgeoises. South Luxembourg, Gutland or Bon Pays, is geologically (and industrially) an extension of France’s Lorraine region.

Luxembourgian landscapes gain identity from comparison to other places: The Moselle River basin is referred to, quite correctly, as the Midi of Benelux. Another area is called Petite Suisse (Little Switzerland), incorrectly, I think; the region reminds me more of the Mediterranean than the Alps.

But Luxembourg is not an offshoot of Belgium or Switzerland, France or Germany. It’s a highly prosperous nation, a banking center, and hosts the meetings of European Union ministers. And its highly educated citizens are big-time walkers. With 3,100 miles of marked trails, Luxembourg claims to have one of the densest trail networks of any country.

The GR5 is a path along three rivers--the Our, which forms the border with Germany; the Sure, which flows east and empties into the Moselle, which is also a German border. In Luxembourg, the GR5 is marked with yellow discs--unlike the red and white stripes that sign it in Belgium and the Netherlands to the north and France to the south.

For the walker, the first section of Luxembourg’s GR5--the wooded hills along the Our--is no picnic. Expect relentless ups and downs. Such exertions are quickly forgotten, however, when you spot Vianden Castle. Turrets and gables looming out of the forest gloom, the castle is a fairy tale come to life. Inside is a Grand Hall said to accommodate 500 and a scary dungeon. The exceptionally charming town beneath the castle is a place to stay, linger, relax.

A word about the picturesque towns: The GR5 typically skirts or passes high above them. The walker needs to make a little effort (little is the operative word in this country) to visit them.

Another town en route well worth a visit is Diekirch, which has a museum dedicated to the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, which devastated so much of Luxembourg. Diekirch, a busy market town, produces a hearty beer by the same name; it’s Luxembourg’s most popular brew.

From Diekirch, it’s off to Little Switzerland, which offers tremendously varied walking through the woods, meadows and streams. Luxembourgers use the Petite Suisse towns of Grundhoff and Berdorf as base camps for walking and climbing excursions in the region.

The walk along the Sure is a walk on the wild side--challenging trails through the deep, dark forest. River’s end is its confluence with the great Moselle. Walking the Moselle is a stately and serene promenade through beech forests, vineyards and villages that look like Walt Disney film sets. GR5 gourmets sample famed Moselle Valley wines--white, dry, fruity--and the local catch of pike and trout.

The spa town of Mondorf-les-Bains, where you soak your sore limbs in hot mineral baths, is a good place to conclude your walk. (The GR5 bends west with the Moselle River and continues across grain fields and an industrialized basin to France.)

A bus ride from any of the Moselle River towns to Luxembourg City is only 12 to 24 miles. Even with stops, you get there in an hour. Luxembourg is a small country, but a memorable one.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Hiking Through Luxembourg Where: Luxembourg. Distance: 124 miles from Belgium to French border. Terrain: Forested plateaus, fields and vineyards. Highlights: Storybook castles and villages, great river- walkin country. Degree of Difficulty: Moderate. For More Information: Luxembourg National Tourist Office, 17 Beekman Place, New York, N.Y. 10022; tel. (212) 935-8888.