Touring the Bock Casemates in Luxembourg

Arguably Luxembourg City’s top historic attraction, the Bock Casemates is a can’t-miss stop when visiting the destination.

A series of underground tunnels, the Bock Casemates, a UNESCO World Heritage site, were built in 1644 as a defensive structure which would expand in the coming centuries, until it took over multiple stories within the rock face wall, descending down as far as 130 feet into the ground.

In 1867, most of the fortress the current casemates were a part of was destroyed, but a good portion of these rock-hewn structures were left as is, and now they are a top spot in Luxembourg’s Old Town.

Visiting is simple, and at €6 per person, you really can’t make any excuses for not visiting the casemates. Tours are self-guided, but that’s part of the fun — getting a little lost in the corridors, which range from narrow, claustrophobic and pitch-black staircases to tunnels breaking out into cavernous rooms with high ceilings and open-air views of the city below. You never know what’s going to be around the next corner.

However, if you do want a guided tour so you can learn a little bit about the structure’s history and how it was at one time home to thousands of soldiers, their livestock and all the operations needed to feed and house an army, guided tours are arranged daily in a variety of languages (the English tours leave at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.). Plus, guided tours are only double the normal price, still plenty affordable.

Do note, though, the Bock Casemates hours change according to the weather. From Feb. 18 through March 31, and Oct. 1 through Nov. 5, hours are 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. April 1–Sept. 30, hours are extended through 8:30 p.m. Guided tours are only available during summer hours.