Echternach Abbey
The 7th-century Benedictine abbey where St Willibrord is buried — start line of the UNESCO Dancing Procession.
Baroque facade of the Basilica of Saint Willibrord at Echternach Abbey
What to expect at Echternach Abbey
Founded in 698 by the Anglo-Saxon missionary Willibrord, Echternach Abbey became one of the most important scriptoria of early medieval Europe — the Codex Aureus and other illuminated manuscripts came out of its workshop. The Romanesque basilica was rebuilt in Baroque style in the 18th century, flattened by bombardment in 1944, and reconstructed after the war to its original medieval proportions. Willibrord's white marble sarcophagus sits in the vaulted crypt below the high altar, and the abbey museum in the adjoining palace displays facsimiles of the great illuminated codices.
The abbey is the anchor of Luxembourg's oldest town and the traditional start of the Dancing Procession (Sprangprëssessioun), inscribed by UNESCO in 2010, held every Whit Tuesday when thousands of pilgrims dance through the streets to the crypt. Even outside procession week, Echternach is a good half-day trip from the capital: pair the abbey with a walk on the Mullerthal Trail Route 1, which leaves from the town's Roman villa.
Questions about Echternach Abbey
The basilica and crypt are free. The Abbey Museum charges $4 adult, $2 student, free under 12.
The basilica is always free. LuxembourgCard covers the museum.
45 minutes for the basilica and crypt, plus 45 minutes for the museum — around 90 minutes total.
Basilica open daily 8:00-18:00 outside services. Museum closed Mondays and the whole of January.
No — walk-up entry for both. Guided tours in English can be arranged via the tourist office on Parvis de la Basilique.
Bus 110 or 111 from Luxembourg City Central Station to "Echternach, Bus Station" (about 55 minutes, free). The abbey is a 5-minute walk.
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