Valley of the Seven Châteaux

The signposted Valley of the Seven Châteaux can be visited on a circle tour west of Mersch, 17 km (10 mi) north of the capital, cutting west to Redange, south to Hollenfels, Marienthal, and Ansembourg (which has an old castle in the heights and a new one in the valley below), then working west to Septfontaines and south to Koerich. The castles, in various stages of repair and representing a broad historical spectrum, have not been restored for visitors, but they loom above forests and over valleys much as they did in Luxembourg's grander days. Follow the road signs marked "Vallée des Sept Châteaux": this rather obscure and never-direct itinerary takes you through farmlands, woods, and—just outside Koerich, at Goeblange —to the foundations of two 4th-century Roman villas, their underground heating and plumbing systems exposed; the rough cobbles leading into the woods are original, too.