Larochette Castle
A wildly romantic double ruin on a sandstone spur 150 m above Larochette village and the Mullerthal.
Larochette Castle ruins above the Ernz valley
What to expect at Larochette Castle
Two castles once stood side by side on the sandstone crag above Larochette — the Créhange house and the Hombourg house — home to rival branches of the same family. Both burned in the 16th century and were never rebuilt, leaving a ridge of jagged towers and roofless halls that is one of the most atmospheric ruins in the country. The Créhange house has been partially restored and you can climb through vaulted rooms and up to the wall walk; the Hombourg side remains raw ruin.
It is a short but steep climb from the village — 15 minutes up a switchback path from the market square. Larochette sits right on the western edge of the Mullerthal, and the castle is the traditional pause on the Mullerthal Trail Route 2, which links it to Beaufort and Echternach. Give it an hour on the ramparts, add lunch in the village square below, and you have a very good half-day out of Luxembourg City.
Questions about Larochette Castle
Adults $4, students $3, children 6-17 $2, under 6 free. Cash preferred at the small on-site kiosk.
No free entry days, but the LuxembourgCard covers Larochette.
About an hour on site, plus 30 minutes total for the climb up and back down to the village.
Closed 1 November to 31 March. In summer, open daily 10:00-18:00.
No — walk-up only. The castle is rarely crowded even in July.
Bus 100 or 101 from Luxembourg City Central Station to "Larochette, Bierger-Center" (about 45 minutes, free). The castle path starts across the square.
Hotels near Larochette Castle
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.