TA4 Trail: Discover the Château de Brandenbourg

Magnificently varied 9km hike, mostly through wild, unspoilt landscapes.
The trail includes a visit to the hugely-underrated Château de Brandenbourg (free entrance, opening hours apply).
Our variant includes a short-but-essential detour to the Kinneksknäppchen viewpoint for the best panorama over the castle (see cover photo)
Park and hike at An der Kepp, Brandenbourg. By bus: Brandenbourg Bakes or Brandenbourg Kapell

Vianden and Bourscheid. Two of Luxembourg’s largest and best-known castles. Grandiose views, inaccessible walls and soaring turrets… but also tourists, audio guides, entrance fees, more tourists, and a nagging feeling of reconstructed inauthenticity.

But did you know that almost exactly half-way between these two castles – and a mere 5km from both – there’s a third grand “Eislek” château that is almost as spectacular as the other two without any tourist trappings whatsoever. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you: the Château de Brandenbourg!

Entrance to the Château de Brandenbourg, Luxembourg

This glorious ruin, nestled at the confluence of three valleys in Luxembourg’s rugged Eislek, dates back to the 10th century. Initially built as a fortress to guard trade routes, it also passed through the hands of local nobility, including the Counts of nearby Vianden. Ravaged by wars, fires and – worst of all – time, it had fallen into ruins by the 18th century and has only been partially restored since. This potted history is the perfect recipe for the romantic, atmospheric, authentic château that remains today.

A great way to discover the castle is to take a hike around the verdant hills surrounding the village. Given the vast quantity of hiking trails in Luxembourg, it is perhaps surprising to learn that there is only ONE hiking trail in Brandenbourg – the TA4. When there’s only one restaurant in town, the menu has got to be top notch, so let’s check it out:

Entrée – The Eislek Countryside

From its starting point in the centre of the village, you can hike the TA4 in either direction. We spontaneously chose anti-clockwise, along a boardwalk skirting the Blees stream, then past a pretty chapel on a quiet road leading out of town. The trail then turned left… and we knew immediately that this was going to be a good one:

Just look at the photo on the right above: do you see how lush and wild the path is? This is NOT a well-trodden “Eislek Pad” or “Mullerthal Trail”; the TA4 is well and truly off the beaten track. Grasses, wildflowers, bushes and trees lined our route as we climbed steadily for several kilometres towards the plateau, arriving at a welcome resting place with a WWII memorial under the shade of an ancient oak tree.

What followed – a plod across farmland on asphalt paths – is arguably the least exciting section of the trail, but it affords fine views over the Eislek countryside. The wide-open expanses eventually give way to scrubland of riotously-yellow broom, then into forest as it begins the long descent back down towards the village once again.

Main Course – The Castle

Back in Brandenbourg, the trail takes an unexpected turn, up a narrow flight of wisteria-covered steps at the side of a house, then steeply up and over a typical Eislek “lee” ridge. You can barely see it yet, but you are approaching the star attraction of your day – the castle.

Don’t underestimate the time that you need to complete this hike. In addition to the actual time walking, you will spent at least one hour – and quite easily two – indulging in the simple delights of exploring these atmospheric ruins. There’s no entrance fee, no audio guide, no souvenir shop, no crappy knights in tin-foil armour, just whispering stone walls, crumbling towers, dark cellars and wistfully empty window frames… almost all of which can be discovered, explored and admired at your joyful discretion. We absolutely adored it.

Dessert – THE Viewpoint

If you can ever drag yourself away from reliving your childhood fantasies of knights and princesses, you’ll find yourself descending quickly down towards Brandenbourg again, then even more quickly back out of it. An old, weather-beaten signpost advertises a “Point de Vue” following the TA4 route, and then, after a few hundred metres, diverging from it. The single most important piece of information that you need to know from this article is this:

Go to the viewpoint! At all costs!!

Yes, it’s a tough uphill clamber to get there, but, my goodness, the view over the Château de Brandenbourg is exquisite. This is the Kinneksknäppchen (“The King’s Little Hill”). The experience of the unfolding panorama is augmented by the distinctive wooden viewing structure sitting on the very edge of the ridge. There’s also a picnic table there; another excuse to linger for a while and drink it all in.

Descending from the viewpoint (watch out on the “ladder” down!) and rejoining the TA4, the trail continues to delight. There are no further Insta-moments, just a quiet path leading through surprisingly untamed forest scenery, all the way back to your starting point. A perfect moment to feel the satisfying weariness in your limbs and to reflect on the fact that, despite living in a world of almost-perfect information, there ARE still places like Brandenbourg to discover and cherish. You just need to get out there and look for them.