Bollendorf – gateway to three worlds
Chalet SonnEck 69 sits in one of the most fascinating corners of Western Europe: between the wild Eifel landscape, the mystical Mullerthal and the two-thousand-year-old Roman city of Trier. Here no day is like the next – and no excursion like the last.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mullerthal – Little Luxembourg Switzerland
UNESCO Global Geopark · 5–10 km away
5–10 km · approx. 10 minutes drive
Entering the Mullerthal for the first time, you can hardly believe your eyes: house-high sandstone rocks rising from the forest floor like ancient giants, narrow gorges with crystal-clear streams and moss-covered grottoes straight out of a fairy-tale forest. No wonder the Luxembourgers fondly call it Little Switzerland.
Its centrepiece is the Schiessentümpel – a three-streamed waterfall spanned by a romantic stone bridge. Around Berdorf, the Mullerthal Trail (112 km in three routes) leads through the wildest rock landscape in Western Europe – certified as a “Best of Europe Trail”.
- 🥾 112 km
- 🌊 Schiessentümpel
- 🪨 Sandstein
- 🌍 UNESCO Geopark
Photo: Berthold Werner · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Trier – Germany’s oldest city
UNESCO World Heritage · 32 km away
32 km · approx. 35 minutes drive
Almost 2,000 years of history at a stroke: Trier is Germany’s oldest city – founded by the Romans around 17 BC as Augusta Treverorum. Walking through the mighty gate of the Porta Nigra, you literally tread in the footsteps of antiquity. Since 1986 the ensemble has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Yet Trier is no museum – the city is alive. The old town with its wine bars, street cafés and colourful main market invites you to linger. The amphitheatre, imperial baths and Constantine Basilica tell the story of a former imperial residence. The Moselle vineyards just outside round off any visit.
- 🏛️ Porta Nigra
- 🏟️ Amphitheater
- 🛁 Kaiserthermen
- 🌍 UNESCO 1986
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Vianden – knight’s castle & chairlift
Medieval castle town · 19 km away
19 km · approx. 20 minutes drive
Some places look as if a fairy-tale illustrator invented them. Vianden is one of them. Enthroned on a rocky ridge above the Our valley, Vianden Castle towers over the medieval old town like a stone exclamation mark. Built in the 11th century and exemplarily restored, it is considered the most beautiful castle in Luxembourg.
The highlight for adventurers of all ages is the chairlift – the only one in the entire Grand Duchy. It carries you gently over the Our valley to a height of 440 metres. At the top, a panoramic terrace awaits with views of the castle, the valley and the glittering river.
- 🏰 Burg Vianden
- 🚡 Sessellift
- 🏘️ Altstadt
- 📖 Victor-Hugo-Museum
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Echternach – Luxembourg’s oldest town
Gateway to the Mullerthal · 10 km away
10 km · approx. 12 minutes drive
Right on the Sauer, where Germany and Luxembourg shake hands, lies Echternach – the oldest town in the Grand Duchy. Founded in 698 by Saint Willibrord, Echternach has lost none of its charm. The picturesque market square with its Gothic house is among the most beautiful townscapes in the region.
Echternach is famous for its Dancing Procession – a hopping procession at Whitsun, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010. The town is also an ideal starting point for hikes into the Mullerthal – the Mullerthal Trail begins here, right on the banks of the Sauer.
And when the day winds down: nowhere nearby do you eat better than in Echternach. Around the market square and in the old town’s lanes you’ll find good restaurants, brasseries and cafés – from hearty Luxembourgish to fine French cuisine.
- 🕌 Abtei (698 n.Chr.)
- 🎭 Springprozession
- 🍽️ Restaurants
- 🏖️ Strandbad
Photo: Cku · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Teufelsschlucht & dinosaur park
Rock labyrinth near Ernzen · approx. 12 km away
approx. 12 km · approx. 15 minutes drive
At the end of the last ice age, massive sandstone slabs crashed into the depths here – leaving behind a labyrinth of metres-deep rock crevices that a hiking trail now squeezes through. The Teufelsschlucht (“Devil’s Gorge”) is the natural wonder of the southern Eifel: narrow, cool, moss-green and one big adventure for children.
Right next door, the Teufelsschlucht dinosaur park awaits with life-sized prehistoric models along a woodland circuit – the perfect family outing. The nature park centre at the entrance offers an exhibition, a café and guided tours.
- 🪨 Felsspalten
- 🦕 Dinosaurierpark
- 🏛️ Naturparkzentrum
- 👨👩👧 Familien-Tipp
Photo: Tristan Schmurr · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Grüne Hölle – Bollendorf’s wild hiking trail
Moss-covered rock wilderness · reachable on foot
Circular trail no. 55 (“Grüne-Hölle-Tour”) · starts right in Bollendorf
The name (“Green Hell”) does not overpromise: in the Grüne Hölle above Bollendorf, moss and ferns have conquered every stone. The path winds between mighty sandstone blocks through a shady rock wilderness that stays pleasantly cool even at the height of summer – a piece of primeval forest right on the doorstep.
You set off right in the village – no car, no drive. If you like, combine the loop with the Devil’s Hole and Bollendorf Castle for half a day of hiking, or be back on your own terrace in time for afternoon coffee.
- 🥾 Ab der Haustür
- 🌿 Moos & Farne
- 🪨 Sandsteinfelsen
- 🌳 Kühl im Sommer
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bollendorf & the Sauer
Your home away from home · hiking, canoeing & rocks
Right here · you’re already there!
Sometimes you don’t need to travel far at all. Bollendorf itself is an insider tip among hikers and nature lovers. The Sauer, the border river between Germany and Luxembourg, winds picturesquely through the valley and invites canoeing, fishing or simply dangling your feet.
Behind the village rises an impressive rock landscape with routes for every level. The Devil’s Hole and Bollendorf Castle await explorers. The Felsenweg 2 trail (NaturWanderPark delux) begins practically on the doorstep of Chalet SonnEck 69.
- 🛶 Kanuverleih
- 🥾 Felsenweg 2
- 🏰 Burg Bollendorf
- 🎣 Angeln
Ready for your holiday?
All of this awaits you – and Chalet SonnEck 69 is your perfect base for it.