Luxembourg

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Quick Facts

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Local name

Lëtzebuerg (Luxembourgish), Luxembourg (French), Luxemburg (German)

Capital

Luxembourg

Government

Constitutional Monarchy

Nationality

Luxembourger

Population

454,000

Languages

Luxembourgish, German, French

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant), Judaism, Islam

Currency

Euro (EUR) €

Calling Code

+352

Time Zone

UTC+1

Summer (DST)

UTC+2

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Introduction

Monument in central square, Luxembourg

© All Rights Reserved jimrogers

Pea-sized it may be, but Luxembourg's size belies its importance in European history. Luxembourg City originated as a fortress in 963 AD; so the nation was birthed. At one time, Luxembourg City was considered the second strongest fortress in Europe. More recently, Luxembourg has taken the lead in international politics by being one of six states to establish the European Union.

Modern-day Luxembourg is an exemplary nation-state, boasting low levels of unemployment and superb standards of living for its 400,000-plus citizens. For visitors, too, Luxembourg packs a delightful punch, especially considering its size. The Ardennes, complete with castles and river valleys, and marking the site of the Battle of the Bulge, is one of Luxembourg's more popular attractions. So is the region commonly referred to as Little Switzerland, where opportunities for cycling, hiking and rock climbing are equally successful at drawing the crowds.

Brief History

Geography

Luxembourg shares international borders with Germany, France and Belgium.

Regions

Luxembourg is divided into three administrative districts:

• Diekirch
• Grevenmacher
• Luxembourg

Cities

• Luxembourg, the country's capital.
• Clervaux
• Echternach
• Ettelbruck
• Esch-sur-Alzette
• Diekirch
• Differdange

Sights and Activities

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Notre-Dame Cathedral, located in the capital of Luxembourg, is a magnificent Cathedral. The Jesuits placed the first cornerstone in 1613, which began the construction of this Cathedral. The church is a good example of late Gothic architecture. Interestingly there are also many Renaissance elements and decorations. This is a great sight to visit while in the capital.

Fort Thüngen

Fort Thüngen is an historic fortification located in the capital. The fort was dismantled after the 1867 Treaty of London, which ordered the destruction of most of the capitals many fortifications. In the 1990s the fort was reconstructed as part of the new modern art museum the Mudam.

The Grand Ducal Palace

The Grand Ducal Palace was originally built in 1572 and was used as a town hall. During the 18th century it was expanded twice to become the French government building. In 1817 the palace became the residence of the Governor. Then in 1890 it was reserved for use only by the Grand Duke and his family. The palace was heavily damaged during the Second World War and was restored in the 1960s. Today it is the current residence of the Grand Duke and is a great building to see from the outside.

Other Sights and Activities

• Mudam (Musée d'art moderne Grand-Duc Jean) - Houses works of art by pre-eminent modern artists from around the world.
• Kneiff - Explore the rolling green hills of this pretty area in the Northern part of the country.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Luxembourg has a mild climate with almost no extremes. Summers are relatively cool with average daytime temperatures around 20 °C, although temperatures of 35 degrees are not impossible on some days
Winters, on the other hand, are mild, and temperatures below 0 °C during the day do not occur that often. Luxembourg doesn't have that much of snow, but still some more compared to for example the Netherlands or the west of Belgium.
The best months to travel around Luxembourg are probably May and June, when days are long and apart from occasional showers, rainfall is lowest. September is fairly good as well, although days are shorter. July and August can be good, if it weren't for the crowds on some places.

Getting There

By Plane

Flights to and from Luxembourg-Findel International Airport (LUX) mainly are with the national airline Luxair. For such a small country and airline there are surprisingly many flights, although many of the destinations are seasonally flights to countries in Southern Europe only. Regular connections include Nice, Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Geneva, London and Madrid. Other connections include Amsterdam with KLM, Copenhagen with SAS, Reykjavik with Iceland Express and Lisbon and Porto with TAP.

By Train

There are international train services to and from Luxembourg city. Destinations include Brussels (3 hours), Amsterdam (5 hours), Paris (4 hours) and Trier in Germany (40 minutes). Most services are hourly, except the trains to Paris (about 6 a day).

By Car

You can travel by car to Luxembourg easily along the following roads:

• The E411 from Brussels;
• The A4 from Paris;
• The E25 from Metz;
• The E44 from Trier in Germany.

There are dozens of smaller border crossings from the three neighbouring countries though, which usually are quite scenic routes.
Don't forget to fill up on fuel as Luxembourg has one of the lowest prices in this part of Europe.

By Bus

Eurolines has buses to several main cities in the west of Europe, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and London. Note that trains are usually faster and more frequent, though generally more expensive, unless you have a Eurail pass or comparable.

By Boat

Allthough several rivers form the border with Luxembourg, there is no public transport bringing you into or out of the country.

Getting Around

By Train

CFL is the national railway company. Trains travel north from Luxembourg City to Mersch, Ettelbrück, Wilwerwiltz and Clervaux. From Ettelbrück you can go to Diekirch as well. Other destinations include Wiltz and Kautenbach. Going south, you can go to Bettembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette. There is at least one train an hour to every city and in every direction.

By Car

Roads in Luxemburg are very good and major highways run towards Germany, Belgium and France. Petrol is among the cheapest in Western Europe, car rental prices are relatively high though. Rental cars are available at the international airport or in most major cities and towns. Traffic drives on the right and your national driver's licence or international driving permit will be sufficient.

By Bus

Comfortable and punctual bus travel is possible between all major cities and towns. Most lines have at least one hourly bus, but Sunday services are less frequent.

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may enter without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.

Money

See also: Money Matters

Luxembourg has adopted the Euro (ISO code: EUR, symbol: €) as its official currency. One Euro is divided into 100 cents, which is sometimes referred to as eurocents, especially when distinguishing them with the US cents.

Euro banknotes come in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. The highest three denominations are rarely used in everyday transactions. All Euro banknotes have a common design for each denomination on both sides throughout the Eurozone.

The Euro coins are 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Some countries in the Eurozone have law which requires cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. All Euro coins have a common design on the denomination (value) side, while the opposite side may have a different image from one country to another. Although the image side may be different, all Euro coins remain legal tender throughout the Eurozone.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also: Travel Health

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

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