The castles in Luxembourg are a lot considering the small size of the country and these are 15 of the best castles to visit when there.
Luxembourg and its valley rivers have always held a strategic position on the borders with Belgium, Germany, and especially France, and that’s part of the reason for the castles being built.
Luxembourg City is a great place to base yourself and it’s easy to get out and see the castles in Luxembourg from there.
Important: There are links to the official sites of the castles under each section. Check these before visiting to make sure the castle is open and for the timings as they can change.
Vianden Castle
Vianden Castle is the number one of the castles in Luxembourg to visit. If you had to choose just one castle in Luxembourg to go to, make it Vianden.
It’s been described as one of the most beautiful castles in the world.
The construction of the castle started in the 11th century and was expanded on until the 14th century making it one of the largest castles west of the Rhine.
It’s an epic medieval castle although a renaissance-style mansion has been added in the 17th century.
It’s located above the town of Vianden and looks over the River Our. It also hosts a medieval festival every year.
There’s an excellent day tour from Luxembourg City to Vianden Castle and Beaufort Castle that is highly recommended if you don’t have your own car.
You can get an entry ticket for Vianden in advance here.
Bourscheid Castle
Bourscheid Castle is the largest castle in Luxembourg and my recommendation is to visit it along with Vianden. It’s located in the northeast.
The original site for the castle started around the 10th-century but much of what you see today is from the 14th-15th-centuries. In the 19th-century it was abandoned.
It’s set high up on a hill looking down to the River Sûre and has 11 watchtowers around its wall.
It’s open to visitors.
Tip: Check out the manor house called Stolzembourg House which is nearby and dates to the 14th-century. The whole area is fascinating for history lovers to visit and anyone with an interest in historical buildings.
Beaufort Castle
Beaufort Castle is an old medieval castle from the 11th-century and is located in the east of Luxembourg. In the 14th-15th-centuries the castle was expanded and in the 16th-century a Renaissance part was added.
By the early 19th-century, the castle was in ruin and abandoned but in the late 19th-century into the early 20th-century, the castle was bought by Henri Even and restored.
It’s open for visitors but closed in winter.
The tour mentioned in the Vianden section goes to Beaufort Castle as well.
Bourglinster Castle
Bourglinster Castle is an old castle dating to the 12th-century, although like many castles it has been extended since, especially in the 15-16th-centuries. The castle was restored in the late 20th-century by the Luxembourg government.
Many events are held at the castle such as exhibitions and receptions. Save an appetite for lunch or dinner as there is a well-known restaurant in the castle called La Distillerie.
It’s open for visitors.
Clervaux Castle
Clervaux Castle originally dates to the 12th-century and has been added to since, particularly under the House of Brandenburg in the 15th-century.
The castle was heavily damaged in WWII but has now been fully restored to what you see today and there are three museums in the castle compound to explore.
Vianden is not that far so you could see both on the same day.
Tip: Check out the nearby Clervaux Abbey when in Clervaux.
Larochette Castle
Larochette Castle looms over the town of Larochette and is in a semi-ruinous state.
The origins of the castle date to the 11th-century although much was destroyed by fire in the 16th-century but has been somewhat restored in the 20th-century.
It’s open for visitors.
Differdange Castle
Differdange Castle is a 16th-century castle in the south of Luxembourg in the town of Differdange. There was another castle on the grounds dating to the 14th-century but the current structure was built over that.
It’s built in the Renaissance style and also used to have a moat and a drawbridge, although they are now gone.
It has been used as both a hotel and a restaurant in the 20th-century but since 1997 has been used as a university.
Grand Ducal Palace
Grand Ducal Palace is technically a place (hence the name) but is often described as a castle itself so is added here, especially as it’s a very popular place to go by.
It’s officially the town residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
It dates to the 16th-century when Renaissance architecture was used for building work.
It’s not open for visitors but there is a changing of the guard you can watch and if you are in Luxembourg city you should definitely go by there to see it.
New Castle of Ansembourg
The New Castle of Ansembourg is part of the “Valley of the Seven Castles” which is the valley of the Eisch River that flows along a valley with, you guessed it, seven castles on it.
It dates to the early 17th-century when it was built by Thomas Bidart and was extensively added to in the 18th-century. These days the castle is owned by a Japanese religious group called Sukyo Mahikari.
The castle is closed to visitors but the gardens are open to walk around. Sometimes special events are held there.
Tip: Check out the Old Castle of Ansembourg which is around one kilometre above.
Schoenfels Castle
Schoenfels Castle is also along the Valley of the Seven Castles and dates to the 13th-century. In the 17th-century the castle was burned down but then restored.
A manor house was added to the castle in the 19th-century but was demolished in 1976.
It’s one of the smallest castles in Luxembourg but that just adds to its charm.
It’s not open for visitors but there are plans to build a visitor centre there.
Pettingen Castle
Pettingen Castle is one of the oldest castles in Luxembourg to visit and is in a semi-ruinous state of affairs.
The original castle dates to the 13th-century and over its life during medieval times and later has been host to many notable events, such as Henry IV’s accession to the throne.
The castle started falling into disrepair in the 19th-century and by the early 20th-century, it was left in ruin.
It’s open for visitors.
Brandenbourg Castle
Brandenbourg Castle is one of the more scenic castles of Luxembourg being perched upon a hill surrounded by forest.
It dates back to the 10th-century when a wooden fort was at the site and by the 13th-century a stone castle was built and added to greatly in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Today it is completely ruined but definitely good to visit for the history and stunning location..
It’s open for visitors.
Esch-Sur-Sûre Castle
Esch-Sur-Sûre Castle is definitely one of the more ruinous castles and oldest castles of Luxembourg but still, it’s worth going to as it’s located in such a nice small village of the same name.
The origins date back as far as the 11th-century but a massive defensive upgrade was done in the 15th-century. From the 17th-century onwards it fell into disrepair and was even used by local villagers as a home.
It’s open for visitors.
Wiltz Castle
Wiltz Castle is a grand looking building that houses three museums, including the National Brewery Museum (if any excuse was needed to visit that’s the one).
During the 12th-century the Wiltz lords built the castle only for it to be destroyed by French forces in the 14th-century. It was rebuilt and destroyed again in the 15th-century and most of what you see today is 16th and 17th-century construction.
The Wiltz family is one of the oldest in Luxembourg going all the way back to the 12th-century.
It’s located by the Wiltz River and is open for visitors.
Hollenfels Castle
I’m adding Hollenfels Castle as an extra one at the end as these days nearby there is a youth hostel and many activities at the castle for youth are held.
So if you are young enough go and stay by a castle!
It’s also part of the “Valley of the Seven Castles” and has a long history dating back to the 11th-century and is located in the village of the same name by the River Eisch.
The main tower was built in the late 14th-century and by the early 20th-century, the castle was falling into ruin until the state purchased it and restored it after WWII, turning it into a youth centre.
The Best Castles In Luxembourg
If visiting Luxembourg, or even if you are living there, and you want to see some great castles then these 15 castles in Luxembourg are the best ones to go to.
At the very least see Vianden Castle and Bourscheid Castle. There are many other things to do in Luxembourg when in the country as well that you should definitely also do when there.
For more castles take a look at the 25 best castles in the Netherlands to visit.
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