A beautiful city providing a great weekend city break. Luxembourg City is a charming city, that is sadly too often overlooked by travelers.
My flight from London only took an hour to reach Luxembourg Airport, and from the airport I was checked into my hotel in less than 30 minutes, which was accessible by the free public transport! This was the start of my very positive impression I got of this capital city.
But before we begin on what to see and do in the city, here are a few cool facts about the country:
- 3 official languages
- The only Grand Duchy in the world – a Grand Duchy is a country whose head of state is a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess
- Tesla as Police Cars
- Free Public Transport (super reliable, frequent, easy to use and gets you to where you want it)
It is also one of the wealthiest countries in the world, so prices may be slightly higher than other places you have visited before.
What to do in Luxembourg City
The best thing to do in Luxembourg City is to walk around and admire the cute little streets and views. Luckily it is pretty compact, making it very walkable, but do not it is pretty hilly and some paths can be steep.
As usual, I would highly recommend taking a walking tour. The walking tour I joined not only took us around to the main sites around the capital, but explained history and facts of the city as well as providing recommendations on places to visit, eat and drink. I used this company for the walking tour.
Le Chemin de la Corniche (aka Europe’s most beautiful balcony)
With such a title, I had high expectations, and certainly was not let down by the view. Hopefully the photos below show why it has such as name. You can walk along the balcony for beautiful views of the city. When I visited Luxembourg City (late May) they had the annual duck race, when plastic ducks race along the river for charity.
You can cross the road to the panoramic vantage point on the other side to see into the valley below (Casemates Memorial Point), which is a little tower you can climb up.
Grund
Grund is the area located at the bottom of the valley and is where many cafes, restaurants are bars are located along the water side. You can walk down to Grund, or take the lift.
Notre-Dame Cathedral
It is a beautiful building both inside and outside, and was one of the stops along the walking tour. Do not forget to visit the crypt too!
Palace of the Grand Dukes
This is the official residence of the Duke of Luxembourg, and during the summer months you can take a tour around the palace.
Pfaffenthal Lift
A glass lift that connects the main part of Luxembourg City down with Grund. The view of the valley from the top of the lift is great and this is another attraction in the city which is totally free.
Walking Trails
There are numerous walking trails accessible from the city centre, including along the river. They extend out of the city centre too and the tourist centre can help plan your route.
Restaurants
Here are some of the bars and restaurants I visited during my trip, as well as those recommended by the walking tour guide. The cuisine is inspired by neighbouring Germany and France. On Friday evening and Saturday the restaurants were all super packed. Be sure to try out the Luxembourg grown sparkling wine (Crémant de Luxembourg) which is from Moselle area of the country.
- Vinoteca – wine bar, with great views over the city. Vins Fins is another wine bar which also has a fab selection of wines. Dipso looked nice too
- Bakeries – I popped into a random bakery to grab my breakie, which I can not relocate on Google Maps sadly. But Luxembourg City has many bakeries providing a wide range of treats. Pâtisserie Viaduc is one I planned to go to whilst Pâtisserie Oberweis Grand-Rue serves super pretty deserts
- Wanderscheid, Urban City and Resturant Mamacita seem like decent restaurants too (Mamacita had nice Mexican food and friendly staff!)
- Mama Shelter – a hotel with a great rooftop and restaurant serving good food and great cocktails. They also had a great DJ when we visited on the Friday evening, and it has a super atmosphere
