A Day Trip to Trier: Germany’s Oldest City, Straight from Luxembourg

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through a link, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure here.

If you’re basing yourself in Luxembourg City, Trier is one of the easiest day trips you can add to your itinerary — and one of the most rewarding if you love Roman history and pretty German squares without the tourist crush.

Getting there

The train from Luxembourg drops you right at Trier Hauptbahnhof, and the whole trip is genuinely simple — no connections to stress over. I’ll be honest: stepping off the train, the area right around the station felt a little sketchy, and we weren’t totally sure what to expect. Don’t let that first impression put you off. About a ten-minute walk in, the city opens up and the beauty starts to show itself.

What we saw

Trier wears its Roman history on its sleeve, and the monuments are genuinely cool to see in person — the Porta Nigra especially. The old market square (Hauptmarkt), the cathedral, and the architecture around town made for a really fun wander, and the shopping was better than I expected. Those core sights sit fairly close together, so it’s an easy stroll from one to the next.

Where the distances start to add up is getting out to the Roman amphitheater. It sits a good 15-to-20-minute walk from the Hauptmarkt and the main shopping streets, off on its own edge of the center — so tacking it on after a morning of wandering is more of a trek than the map makes it look.

Which brings me to my most practical tip: there’s a real spread between some of the sights, so we ended up doing the hop-on-hop-off bus — and it was completely worth it. It let us reach the amphitheater and a few extra spots without piling miles onto our step count, which on a hot day made a real difference.

A few honest notes

It was hot the day we visited, so we stopped for a drink partway through — a cold beer for part of our group, and I had a Granini juice topped with sparkling water, which was ridiculously refreshing and something I’d order again in a heartbeat.

One thing I appreciated: without the Christmas markets in full swing, Trier didn’t feel especially touristy. It felt like a real, lived-in German city that just happens to be beautiful. Lunch was a proper German spread and hit the spot.

Is it worth it?

Yes — easily. If you’re in Luxembourg and want a low-effort day trip that delivers history, good food, and a change of scenery, Trier is a great pick.

Comfort tip: this is a walking-heavy day even with the bus, so wear shoes you already trust and bring water — it gets warm in summer. My go-to travel bottle is the Owala FreeSip insulated 24 oz, and I wore the New Balance 1080 v15 for the extra cushioning on a high-step day.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Affiliate Disclosure for details.

---

Part of A Summer Grand Tour of Belgium, Luxembourg, Alsace & Switzerland.