Luxembourg (city)

Introduction

The Grund - Luxembourg City

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The city of Luxembourg, capital of the country with the same name, delights visitors with its old churches, cobbled streets, historic fortifications and the Grand Ducal Palace. Standing at Europe's crossroads, between France, Belgium and Germany, the city developed strategic importance in European wars throughout the ages. As a result, it evolved into one of the most heavily fortified cities in the world, earning it the nickname "Gibraltar of the North". The impressive fortifications include a 23-kilometre-long network of tunnels, offering protection to thousands of defending troops.

Sights and Activities

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Notre-Dame Cathedral located in the capital is an 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

• The Gëlle Fra War Memorial
• Neumünster Abbey
• Place d'Armes
• Adolphe Bridge
• The city hall
• Mudam (Musée d'art moderne Grand-Duc Jean) houses works of art by pre-eminent modern artists from around the world.

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 °C 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

Luxembourg-Findel International Airport (LUX) is located 6 kilometres outside of the city. Luxair, the national airline flies to numerous European countries, including Barcelona, Berlin, Djerba, Dublin, Frankfurt, Fuerteventura, Geneva, Gran Canaria, Hamburg, Heraklion, Ibiza, Kos, Lanzarote, Lisbon, London, Madeira, Madrid, Malaga, Marrakech, Milan, Monastir, Munich, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Porto, Prague, Rome, Saarbrucken, Split, Tenerife, Turin and Vienna. The also have some seasonal flights, mainly during the summer season from April to October to Agadir, Ajaccio, Almeria, Antalya, Bastia, Bodrum, Burgas, Cagliari, Catania, Chania, Corfu, Dakar, Dubrovnik, Faro, Jerez de la Frontera, Malta, Naples, Palermo, Paphos, Rhodes, Rimini, Tunis andVarna.

Other carriers frequenting the airport include KLM Cityhopper (Amsterdam), Swiss (Zürich), Iceland Express (Reykjavik), Scandinavian Airlines (Copenhagen), TAP Portugal (Lisbon and Porto) and British Airways (London).
A new terminal is currently under construction.

Sleep

Budget

Keep Connected

Internet

• Internetcafé Cyber Beach City Centre - Location: 3, rue du Curé. Open Mon-Fri: 10:00am-8:00pm, Sat/Sun: 2:00pm - 8:00pm. Phone:(352) 26 47 80 70).
• Internetcafé Cyber Beach Railway Station - Location: 41, av. de la Gare. Open Mon-Fri: 10:00am-7:30pm, Sat/Sun: 10:30am-7:30pm. Phone: (352) 26 64 95 97).

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

External Links

• Official Governmental Website
• Official Tourism Website