“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”– Andre Gide.
Luxembourg also known as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a country in the western part of Europe. Its bordered by Belgium, France and Germany. Languages like French and German are spoken in addition to its native language Luxembourgish.
The capital city named as Luxembourg City is one of three official capital cities of the European Union (along with Brussels and Strasbourg).
Some Facts about Luxembourg:
1) Second richest country in the world (After Qatar).
2) One of the safest nations in the world.
3) Many of the restaurants here have the largest variety of wine in their menu.
4) Half of the residents of Luxembourg are foreigners.
5) UNESCO certified the city of Luxembourg, a world heritage site.
6) June 23 is one of the most important days in the Luxembourgish Calendar (Grand Duke of Luxembourg’s birthday).
7) It’s one of the founding members of the European Union.
We visited Luxembourg in August 2019 from Dublin (in Ryanair) and it was a short trip of 2 days.
You can also check some popular websites like ‘TRAINLINE’ for your travel needs. Its one of the top destination for Train and Bus tickets. Check the link here, for more details: https://www.thetrainline.com/en-us/trains/europe
I would certainly recommend you to take a 1 day ‘Luxembourg Card’ (2/3 days card is also available). I had taken a Family card which is valid for around 2-5 Persons and costs around 28 Euros. I managed to buy this card from the Hotel that I stayed. Many of the museums and other places are free with this card. You get access to around 60 places free of cost with this card. You are also entitled to get a free booklet along with this card which provides all the details about the attractions. Another advantage of this card is that you can travel in the public transport (inside city and outskirts).
I would also recommend the hotel ‘Park inn by Radisson’.
It is conveniently located in the city centre (near to Main Bus terminal/Railway station).
The public transportation is excellent. Bus ticket costs around 2euros /Hour.
Bus 16 would take you from Airport (Findel Airport) to the city center (Gare de Luxembourg). You can take the bus directly from the main entrance of the airport. Normally you will have to take the bus ticket from the ticket vending machine which is available in all the main stops. Seems you can’t get the ticket directly from the bus driver.
I would like to provide you a one-day full itinerary that would help you to cover most of the important places here. We covered this place on the second day which was mostly a walking tour and the Starting point was ‘Parkin inn By Radisson’ hotel (around 9:30-9:45 AM).
1) La Passerellee Bridge:
This bridge is a great spot to get your first view of Luxembourg City. The city is really two levels. The upper level is the old town, a maze of pretty streets, restaurants, museums, and great places to go shopping. In the lower part of the city you will find more restaurants and bars, houses, plus gardens and canals that are very picturesque.
2) Luxembourg National Museum of National History: (Free entry with Luxembourg card) (Opens @10AM)
If you are interested in Natural history and so on, this would be a good place for you.
This Museum covers all traditional subjects through its collections from the fields of botany, zoology, Biology and so on.
More details here → https://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/place/museum/national-museum-of-natural-history-natur-musee-luxembourg
3) Neumünster Abbey:
This is a public meeting place and cultural centre and is very near to the Natural History museum. This wonderful historic Abbey has been beautifully renovated and is now used as a cultural center, hosting musical events, a charming cafe, and a gallery that has excellent art exhibitions of local and international artists.
4) Grund:
This is a must-see place /surrounding in Luxembourg. The Grund is in the valley below the centre of Luxembourg City on the banks of the Alzette River.
This place really is a photographer’s dream as it can be photographed from above as well as from below once you get to explore its beautiful streets.
The Grund is one of the oldest parts of the city, and arguably one of the prettiest.
5) Bock Casemates: (Entry free with Luxembourg Card)
The Bock Casemates is a fortification that protected the city for many centuries. Its rocky cliffs stand on the bank of the river Alzette. There are complex underground tunnels in the Bock called Casemates. With the total length of 23km, they were used for protection and housed military personnel and supplies during the war. It’s a UNESCO’s world heritage site since 1994. The Casemates are open to the public from March to October.
There is also a city Train ride available in this place. Personally, I have not explored this, so not sure about it.
6) Chemin de la Corniche:
Also known as the “most beautiful balcony of Europe”. From here you can see the image found in most postcards of the city. The view is simply spectacular!
7) Musée national d’histoire et d’art Luxembourg: (Free entry for all)
The National Museum of History and Art, abbreviated to MNHA, is a museum located in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is dedicated to displaying artworks and artefacts from all epochs of Luxembourg history.
The museum has a large archaeological collection, particularly of objects discovered during the various excavations.
More details here –> https://www.mnha.lu/
8) Lëtzebuerg City Museum: (Free entry with Luxembourg Card)
This place can be skipped if you are running short of time.
The Luxembourg City History Museum illustrates the thousand-year history of the City of Luxembourg with both permanent and temporary exhibits.
The museum consists of two parts: the floors below the entrance level illustrate the city’s evolution from an economic, social, political, architectural and town planning point of view, whereas the upper levels are reserved for temporary exhibitions.
9) Grand Ducal Palace:
This is the official residence of Grand Duke of Luxembourg and where he performs most of his duties as head of state.
More details here –> https://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/place/castle/palace-of-the-grand-dukes
There is also a Chocolate house just opposite to Grand Ducal Place.
10) Cathédrale Notre-Dame:
The cathedral’s one-of-a-kind ceiling is one of the most characteristic images of the capital. The bells have a special sound that is played as a song. It’s worth being close to the cathedral to listen to the bells/song
11) Place de la Constitution:
This is a memorial to the Luxembourgers who died during world war 1. Now it symbolizes freedom for the Luxembourg people.
More details here –> https://www.luxembourg-city.com/en/place/monuments/place-de-la-constitution
12) Adolphe Bridge:
The Adolphe Bridge is a double-decked arch bridge in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The bridge provides a one-way route for road traffis. Its upper deck carries two lanes of road traffic, and two pedestrian footpaths. Its lower deck, opened in 2018, suspended beneath the upper deck carries a dedicated bidirectional bicycle path, with access provided for pedestrian use.
13) Place d’Armes:
The Place d’Armes is a square in the center of town. The square is lined by restaurants, hotels, and small shops. You will also find common chains like ‘Mc Donald’s’ in this square.
By now you would have covered 5+ Kms by walk. Obviously, you will be tired as well.
From here, you have a couple of options.
1) If you are ready for a shorter walk again, you can proceed to Pfaffenthal Lift
Pfaffenthal Lift:
The new glass elevator connects the “Pescatore” park located in the city centre to the Pfaffenthal area at the bottom of the Alzette valley. The ride in the glass elevator features sweeping views (71m high) for pedestrians and cyclists alike. Using the elevator is free of charge.
The elevator is running every day from 6 in the morning until 1 o’ clock at night.
More details here: https://www.luxembourg-city.com/en/place/monuments/panoramic-elevator-of-the-pfaffenthal
Some nearby places that you can check are:
Villa Vauban – Museum of Art of the City of Luxemburg,
Grand Theatre of the City of Luxembourg
Casino Luxembourg
Or else, you can also explore the other attractions which are slightly away from the city center and can easily be accessed using Public Transport (free of cost with the Luxembourg card)
One suggestion here will be the Luxembourg American Cemetery Memorial:
The cemetery consists of 17 acres of manicured lawn surrounded by 33.5 acres of woods.
Or probably you can try visiting Place de l’Europe /European Convention Center Luxembourg (ECCL).
Ideally you should plan for a 2-3 days itinerary for Luxembourg (one day can be planned for a trip to Trier, Germany)
Another day, you can plan some trip outside the city like:
Mullerthal:
This is also called as Luxembourg’s ‘Little Switzerland’, which hides some of the best places to visit in Luxembourg. First stop should be charming Echternach, the oldest city in Luxembourg.
Mullerthal is more of a walking trail. Be prepared to walk a lot.
More details here –> https://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/what-to-do/nature-tours/hiking-luxembourg/mullerthal-trail
Please note that there is no direct bus from Luxembourg city center to Mullerthal and one side journey will be around 1 hour by bus.
Nature and Castle Line (Hop on Hop off):
During the trip you will discover the beautiful nature of Luxembourg with its impressive rocks and castles.
The ticket price is around 24Euors/Adult
More details –> https://www.viator.com/tours/Luxembourg-City/Sightseeing-Hop-on-Hop-off-Nature-and-Castle-Line/d36689-174227P1
PARC Merveilleux:
This is around 40 Minutes in Bus from the main city centre.
It is an amusement park just east of Bettembourg in the south of Luxembourg. Designed above all for children, the park has a wide range of attractions including exotic birds, animals in their natural habitats, a pony ranch, a miniature railway, children’s self-drive cars, adventure playgrounds, scenes from fairy tales, a restaurant and a cafeteria. The park is open every day from Easter to early October.
Schueberfouer:
We also got a chance to see the Luxembourg Carnival.
The big traditional fair in Luxembourg, called ‘Schueberfouer’ in Luxembourgish, attracts around two million visitors every year, making it one of the largest events in the region and a much-anticipated occasion to meet with friends and family
In 2019, it was the 679th edition of this event. (23rd Aug – 11th Sep)
Details Here –> https://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/facts-about-the-schueberfouer
Additional Tips:
1) The souvenir shops are little less in Luxembourg city, so grab the one which you like and don’t wait till the last day expecting that you might find better shops with cheaper rates.
2) Some bus stops won’t show long distance bus details/timings in the display board, but these long-distance bus numbers will be marked clearly somewhere inside the Bus stop itself.
3) People are very friendly, and you can always take their help if you need some directions. Most of the people also speak English.
4) There are some tourist office available near few main attractions, from where you can get all the required information.
5)There are chains like Burger King available in the city centre. There are also some other options like the kebab shops from where you can manage to have your food.
