Luxembourg (city)

Introduction

The Grund - Luxembourg City

© Rish_n_Ben

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 and Varna. Destinations by other companies are among others Manchester, Warsaw and Zürich.

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.

By Train

The imposing neobaroque Gare Lëtzebuerg adored with a clock tower and huge windows is Luxembourg's main train station. It is relatively well served by connections from neighbouring countries.

• The domestic train operator CFL has EuroCity-class trains going to Paris and Brussels.
• CFL also obviously connects Gare Lëtzebuerg with pretty much every other station within the country of Luxembourg.
• The Belgian SNCB/NMSB also has trains connecting Luxembourg with Bruxelles-Midi. Some trains continue to Strasbourg in France and Basel in Switzerland.
• Deutsche Bahn operates the IC35 Ostfriesland from Luxembourg through Koblenz, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Münster.
• Additionally, Deutsche Bahn's regional services operate the DeLux Express from Luxembourg to Trier.
• The French SNCF operates a high-speed TGV train from Gare de l'Est in Paris to Luxembourg. There is also a slower Intercite connection via Nancy all the way south to Nice.
• TER Lorraine line 1 goes from Nancy via Metz and Thionville to Luxembourg.
• The Swiss SBB operates several long distance trains from stations in Switzerland such as Zurich, Geneve, Chur and Interlaken to Brussels that stop in Luxembourg on their way.

Getting Around

The best way to get around Luxembourg is by foot, bike and bus. Due to the city's small size and beautiful scenery, by foot is also the best way to appreciate it. In a few hours (or dividing your trip in two days) you can get to know the whole city on foot. Buses are regular and they all pass through the central bus station 0Hamilius.

The city also operates a self-service bike scheme and the stations can be found in various locations around the city centre.

Also in the city is the country's main railway station and this can be got to by most buses. The station is a good way of getting around the country or speedily getting into any of the neighbouring countries.

Eat

Home to a surprisingly high number of Michelin star establishments, the city houses many fine eateries. Luxembourg also has a very large population of Italians that came to the country in the late 19th century so Pizzerias in Luxembourg are always very reliable and frequent. For something cheap and quick the Place d'Armes is the best bet.

Drink

Luxembourg is a decent place to have a drink. Due to the amount of ex-pats who live in Luxembourg there are a wide variety of establishments in addition to the Luxembourgish bars. Pubs in Luxembourg tend to be a traditional affair, although more modern bars, and English or Irish themed pubs have also become the norm. Luxembourg is a low-key capital city and is generally not the best place for big nights out, although during the months of warmer weather it can have its moments.

Sleep

For a city of that size, Luxembourg has a hotel room supply that is more than ample, thanks to the large amount of business travellers visiting the city. Therefore, the industry is geared mostly towards them and consists largely of mid- to high-standard business hotels.

Upscale

You can use the form below to search for availability (Travellerspoint receives a commission for bookings made through the form)

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).

Wi-fi access is available in most parts of Luxembourg, certainty in Luxembourg city. Signs in storefront windows usually indicate if WiFi is available.
There are some internet cafés as well, but they are not that common.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Luxembourg's international phone code is 352. There are no area codes in Luxembourg. New phone numbers are 8 digits in size including the extension, however older numbers may range from five to nine digits.

There are quite a few providers for cell phones, offering packages including internet. You can also buy a local SIM card to avoid high charges regarding both phone calls as well as internet. Be sure to swtich of roaming if you use your own SIM card.

Public telephones can be found in most Post Offices, supermarkets, train or bus stations. They only take phone cards as coin-operated public phones have been phased out. If you prefer to pay for calls by prepaid calling card, it is easy to do. Cards can be bought at news-stands, post offices, small shops, etc.

Post

Luxembourg's national postal service offers fast and reliable services at competitive prices. Most offices are open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. To send packages internationally, you can also contact one of the private couriers companies like DHL, TNT, UPS or FedEx.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website
• Official Tourism Website