Vianden is a small city in Luxembourg located only a few minutes’ drive from the German border of Rhineland-Palatinate. Despite its small size and inhabitance, Vianden is a popular tourist attraction thanks in part to the recently restored Vianden Castle. Large and beautiful, the towering castle has a checkered history but can now be toured as a museum.
We visited in late September on our second to last weekend as expats in Germany; it was a farewell tour of sorts. On Friday we spent most of the day leisurely driving up from southern Germany with a spectacular detour to Eltz Castle. We checked into our hotel, Auberge De L’Our, late that night and woke up the next morning to a chilly, overcast day. Our small but comfortable room looked out at the Church of St Nicholas.
After breakfast we stuffed our bags in our rental car and began touring the city by walking along the Our river. We met some friendly ducks and one skeptical swan.
The ducks were very entertaining as they kept jumping up and running circles around us. We had a great time playing with them while enjoying the scenic view, as the Vianden Castle can be seen from most locations in the compact city.
After feeding the ducks every last bit of our biscuits, we strolled along the streets of Vianden over to the chairlift. It takes just a few minutes to climb up to a somewhat alarming height of 440 meters. At the top you can enjoy stunning views of the castle, city, and countryside from Adventure Park. It’s a must do activity in my opinion as it only costs €4.80 per person round trip.
The chair lift starts out bumping gently along over someone’s backyard, then crosses the river and a road before starting its steep incline upwards. The chair is only secured with a lap bar, so it may require some courage on your part to hop on.
After hopping off at the top, you’ll circle through a café and can wait as long as you’d like before taking the lift back down. With views like these, though, you may want to plan for a long break.
There’s a trail that connects the overlook to the castle, in which case you could purchase a one way ticket on the lift and then hike over to the castle. According to Google Maps, the trail is 300 meters long and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Keep in mind that the road from the castle back down to the city isn’t too long at about one km but is steep.
As tempting as it was to stay, we didn’t linger for long since we were driving to Cologne that afternoon. Going back down on the chairlift was a bit harder to swallow for me, but fortunately I was distracted by the views of the castle on the right and the city below.
Once our feet were safely on the ground we slowly made our way back to the car, wishing we could stay for longer in one of the cozy cafes along the riverfront.
On our way out of the city we planned to stop at the castle for a closer look, but it was quite overrun with tourists and we were unable to find a parking spot. The tourist season was certainly not over yet – we had difficulty navigating through the people crowding the cobbled city streets.
The small, peaceful city of Vianden was a treasure that we were sad to leave. We were in awe of the rolling hills dotted with windmills as we drove north in Luxembourg – a country that’s high on my list of places to return to.
Have you been to Vianden, Luxembourg? Share in the comments!
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This post is linked up with Weekend Wanderlust, Fly Away Friday, The Weekly Postcard, Monday Escapes, City Tripping, and Faraway Files.
very nice! and it's got a castle:)
Always a plus! Thanks, Tanja!
Those are some spectacular views! The castle would be enough to draw me to Vianden but the scenery itself looks gorgeous. I don't think I'd be able to tear myself away. #FlyAwayFriday
That’s exactly how I felt! Thank you.
"Skeptical swan" is so funny! The ducks were definitely trying to get you to feed them, right? Ducks are so cute and greedy. 🙂
Thanks! Yes, the ducks were snatching the food out of our hands if we didn’t hand it over fast enough!
Hey! Glad you enjoyed your trip to my little country! That chairlift is, indeed, not for the faint hearted. I think most visitors don't realise how high the hills can be here. Next time come just a few dozen kilometers to the south to the Mullerthal region – it's beautiful here too!
Greetings from Luxembourg!
Thanks so much! I would love to explore Mullerthal!
I have only being to Luxembourg City, but this looks more charming. I love the idea of doing the chair lift. The view looks lovely. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
It was very charming! Thanks!
I've never been to Luxembourg but this looks like such a charming little town #FlyAwayFriday
Thanks!
I think like many people I manage to underestimate the size of Luxembourg. Vianden looks gorgeous and I love a good castle. I have family friends in Luxembourg, maybe its time to visit them and come here along the way! #WeekendWanderlust
Sounds like a good plan! Yes, there’s a lot tucked inside the borders of Luxembourg.
We lived in Bonn Germany for 4 years and used to drive to Luxembourg all the time but totally missed this town! Wow it looks awesome, we will have to get back there to see it – thank you for sharing! 🙂
Hope you get to visit! Thanks!
What a coincidence that you wrote about this castle. The other day I saw a picture of it on Instagram, it had the name but not the location. I had to google it of course. I found out it is located in Luxembourg, next to a river. In my opinion, it is very beautiful place and the views are great. I am glad I learned more about the area thru your post. #FlyAwayFriday
So glad I could help, Ruth! It’s one of those castles that’s hard to forget. 🙂
We will be in Germany this summer and plan to head to Luxembourg. Bookmarking this! What a charming and beautiful town. I can't stay away from European castles!
I love the castles too, Mary. Have a great trip!
Germany is high on my list and know I have added Vianden to my list. Looks very charming and it has a castle! #WeekendWanderlust
Glad you like it! Thanks!
Luxemburg looks awesome! Must visit it one day! Great post and pics, as always, Ava! 😉
It looks how I would imagine Austria to look, the mountains and buildings I think give it that fel. It is certainly beautiful #MondayEscapes
It is indeed similar to Austria in that way. Thanks for commenting!
Very beautiful! Vianden looks like a great place to visit. I love that castle – it looks like a smaller version of something from the Harry Potter world to me!
Yes, I’m so sad we didn’t get to see the inside of the castle!
Such amazing views! Great photos, thank you for sharing #MondayEscapes
Thank you!
Thank you!
The scenery looks absolutely stunning and I definitely think I would have my heart in my mouth on that chair lift! #MondayEscapes
Ah so we have that in common. Thanks!
I've never been to Luxembourg, but it looks super pretty, even with cloudy skies. Must put it higher on my wishlist 🙂 #TheWeeklyPostcard
It’s a great place, I’m sure you’d enjoy it Vlad. 🙂
such great pictures and tips!!! love the castle! xo
Thanks, Shannon.
What a fantastic castle – love the way it sits towering above the river and town. I would definitely be a bit nervous about coming down in that chair lift too! Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
Of course!
Wow, this sounds and looks amazing! The castle obviously, but I also love taking chairlifts off-season :). #mondayescapes
Thanks! Me too.
The views from the top over the city and castle are wonderful – I love a good view. Luxembourg intrigues me! I need to visit it sometime. #citytripping
It’s definitely worth visiting. Thanks!
It looks beautiful!
Wow the only word that comes to mind is CHARMING! So, so charming! I would love to visit. It doesn't hurt that there's adorable ducks and swans too 🙂 Thanks for joining Fly Away Friday, hope to see you again this week!
Thanks, Kana!
Aw I just love Europe!! I've never been to Luxembourg but definitely want to now after seeing this! So beautiful!!
I’m sure you’d love it!
I have never been to Luxumbourg, but it looks adorable. I know that I would be drawn to get on that chairlift with my family then probably be freaking out the entire time. How long was the ride? Thanks for sharing with #FarawayFiles this week, cheers from Copenhagen, Erin
The ride wasn’t long, maybe 2-3 minutes each way. Thanks!
I love finding these little secret places on our #FarawayFiles community. Looks like a sweet place to while away a day or so. Pretty castles are my favourite. Thanks for sharing
Thank you, Katy.
That castle looks like something out of a fairytale, Ava! The more I read about Luxembourg the more I want to visit. It looks so enchanting. Thanks for sharing with us on #FarawayFiles
Thanks, Clare!