Bock Casemates
17 km of tunnels blasted into the cliff — the underground heart of Luxembourg's UNESCO fortress.
Stone tunnels of the Bock Casemates carved into the cliff
What to expect at Bock Casemates
The Bock is the rocky spur where Count Siegfried built his castle in 963, giving Luxembourg its name. Under the ruin sprawls a warren of casemates — defensive tunnels first hollowed by the Spanish in 1644 and extended by the Austrians to shelter 1,200 soldiers, horses, bakeries and workshops. Around 17 km survive today, and a signposted 200-metre route drops you through gun galleries, deep shafts and viewing slits framing the Alzette valley below. It is easily the most atmospheric castle experience in the city.
Buy tickets at the small kiosk on Montée de Clausen at the entrance to the Bock rock — queues move fast but can back up on rainy summer afternoons when everyone bails on the Corniche. Wear proper shoes: the sandstone underfoot is slick, ceilings are low in places, and the stairs down into the deep gun chambers are steep. Allow 60-90 minutes if you follow the full arrowed circuit.
Questions about Bock Casemates
Adults $14, students and seniors $10, children 4-12 $7, under 4 free. Family ticket (2 adults + 2 kids) $32.
No free days, but entry is included in the LuxembourgCard ($15 for one day, $30 for three days).
The self-guided arrowed loop takes 60-90 minutes. Guided tours in English run Saturdays at 15:00 in summer and last about 75 minutes.
Closed from early November through March for safety reasons (water and ice inside the tunnels). Reopens 1 April.
No advance booking — tickets are sold at the on-site kiosk. Arrive before 11:00 or after 16:00 to skip the longest queues.
Bus 9 or 14 to "Clausen, Rue Jules Wilhelm" is 4 minutes away; from Hamilius in Ville Haute it is a 6-minute walk along Rue Sigefroi.
Hotels near Bock Casemates
More walks
All walksFrom the journal
All posts
Comparisons & rankings
Hotels with free parking in Luxembourg City, ranked
Parking in the capital runs $25-40 a day, so the 9 hotels below with free or bundled garages actually save you real money.
Comparisons & rankings
Best hotels near Vianden Castle, ranked
Ten places to sleep within a 10-minute walk of Luxembourg's most photographed castle, from $65 guesthouses to $220 river-view rooms.
Comparisons & rankings
Hotels with spa and thermal pools in Luxembourg, ranked
The country has exactly one real thermal town and about 8 hotels serious enough to book for a spa weekend — here they are.