Luxembourg (city)



The city of Luxembourg is the capital of the namesake country, and with a population just above 130,000 it is the second smallest national capital of the European Union, after Malta's Valletta. Very different in character from the bustling metro areas of the continent, Luxembourg is defined by its hilly location and abrupt cliff faces afforded by the deep and narrow valley of the rivers Alzette and Petrusse it was built upon. The city has historically been an inconquerable fortress, which led it to be nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the North".

Luxembourg may not feature on most tourists' bucket lists, but it sees a very generous share of incoming visitors every year for a city of that size. This is due to its importance in the European financial sector, with many banks and institutions having their headquarters or subsidiaries there. Moreover, as one of the founding members of the European Union, Luxembourg hosts a number of EU institutions. Finally, Luxembourg has favourable taxation regulations for international holding companies, so that many multinationals locate their European seats there. This all makes the small city have a very upscale and business feel, and the tourist industry there is geared towards the business traveller.

Quarters
Luxembourg is officially divided into 24 quarters. Some of those of interest to tourists:


 * Ville Haute ("High City") — the medieval town core. Home to cafés, restaurants, and high street shops.
 * Grund (Ville Basse) ("Low City") — situated in the gorge that cuts across the city and the most picturesque area.
 * Gare ("Station") — the location of the train station, a 15-min walk south of Ville Haute and home to many restaurants and cafés.
 * Kirchberg - a modern quarter across the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge in the north east of the City. The cityside eastern area of Kirchberg is home to many European Union institutions including the Court of Justice of the European Union, European Court of Auditors, parts of the European Commission, the Secretariat of the European Parliament and the European Investment Bank. The western end of the Kirchberg plateau is home to Luxembourg's thriving international financial services district. The Mudam modern art museum, the Philharmonie and the Dräi Eechelen fortress are near the Place de l'Europe beside the impressive EU institutions buildings.
 * Hollerich — a formerly independent commune which was a prominent industrial site within Luxembourg. The remains of the industrial heritage are still to be seen around it.

Get in
Getting into the country of Luxembourg basically means getting into the City of Luxembourg, as all major connections to Luxembourg terminate there. Follow the advice given in our guide to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Findel Airport
Luxembourg is served by the

The airport is dominated by the country's flag carrier, Luxair, which operates a network of connections to most European capital cities, along with flights to major international transport hubs such as Milan and Frankfurt. Additionally, Luxembourg has direct flights to many holiday destinations in the Mediterranean, particularly for seasonal summer flights. This is complemented by some of the Star Alliance European members flying singular connections to Findel from their hubs. Luxair is not a Star Alliance member, but was partially owned by the Alliance's founding partner Lufthansa and shares its frequent flyer programme with them. Oneworld and Skyteam offer few connections to Luxembourg, but there is growing traffic from some regional and low-fare airlines.

Interestingly, while its passenger traffic is largely limited to flights within Europe and around the Mediterranean, Findel Airport is the base and a major hub for cargo airline Cargolux and Qatar Airways Cargo. Cargolux and other major international cargo airlines fly in huge intercontinental jets in and out of Findel daily.

Getting to the city from Findel Airport
There are regular buses to the city center (bus 16, about 15 minutes), the train station (bus 16 and 29, about 20 minutes), and Kirchberg, the European district (bus 16, 10 minutes). Buses to the city center and train station run at least every 10 minutes (15 minutes on Sunday). Bus number 16 runs to the front of the station (Stop: Gare Centrale), and bus number 29 runs to the rear of the station (Stop: Gare Rocade). The bus stop is on an island across the street on the left as you exit the airport.

The Luxembourg City tram will be extended to the airport in 2024, which will directly connect the airport to the center of the European institutions in the suburb of Kirchberg.

Other airports
An alternative to flying into Luxembourg, which may be costly and time-consuming from some locations in Europe, is taking a low-fare flight with the likes of Ryanair or WizzAir to either Charleroi in Belgium, and transferring to Luxembourg from there. Luxembourg City can also be reached from Brussels Airport (~3.5 hours) and Frankfurt Airport (~4 hours). Reaching both airports requires one change of train and costs about €30 per person, one way (2023 prices).



By train
The imposing neobaroque It is relatively well served by connections from neighbouring countries. The railway station can be reached by the tram and most local buses. The city centre is within walking distance (around 1.5 km). The train station has a restaurant and a large newsagents, as well as a left luggage office (flat fee of €5 per bag) on platform 1. The train station is immediately adjacent to the long distance bus station as well.


 * The domestic train operator CFL has EuroCity-class trains going to Paris and Brussels
 * CFL 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.

By bus
There are two bus stations (for lack of a better term)


 * The central railway station has some services to towns in neighboring countries, including Saarbrücken (1h15, line L40).
 * The P+R Bouillon parking, located in the southwest of the city, is the Flixbus hub for Luxembourg, allowing connections to hundreds of cities throughout Europe. It is, however, poorly connected to the rest of the city.

Get around
The best way to get around Luxembourg is by foot, bike, tram and bus. As of 1 March 2020, all public transport will be free in the whole country, thus also in the capital city.

On foot
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 historical city on foot.

Luxembourg city has quite significant height differences. To overcome these, there are two lifts (free access); the most useful for tourists between Grund and Plateau du St. Esprit in the high city, and another one between Parc Pescatore and Pfaffenthal. In addition, there's a funicular between Pfaffenthal and Kirchberg.

By bus
Buses serve all quarters. They run frequently (usually every 10-15 minutes during weekdays, less often on Saturdays and especially Sundays). The most useful bus stops for tourists are Gare Centrale at the train station and Hamilius in the city centre. Almost all buses include the section between Gare Centrale and Hamilius in their routes, leading to a bus on this section about every 2 minutes.

Since 29 February 2020, public transport is free across the entirety of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

By bicycle
The city operates a self-service bike scheme and the stations can be found in various locations around the city centre. You first need to get a pass which can be obtained from one of the terminals at the bike stations. A 7-day pass costs €1 and gives you every first 30 min for free. Each additional hour costs €1 for a maximum total of €5 for 24 hr. For more information check the Ville de Luxembourg (VDL) website.

By tram
The tramway operates a single line, which reached the central rail station in December 2020 and is to be extended to the airport in 2024. The tram is, like the buses, free.

Ville-Haute
The pedestrianized old town is where the greatest concentration of (rather expensive) shops as well as bars and restaurants are to be found. Specific sights are few but all around town you can spot details that remind you of Luxembourg's historical value.


 * Luxembourg Grand Ducal Palace 01.jpg
 * Norte-Dame.jpg
 * Luxembourg Grand Ducal Palace 01.jpg
 * Norte-Dame.jpg
 * Norte-Dame.jpg
 * Norte-Dame.jpg

Kirchberg




Do

 * Football: since 2021 the men's national soccer team play at Stade de Luxembourg (capacity 9400) 4 km south of city centre - a tram line is expected to reach it in 2024. It replaced Josy Barthel stadium, which is due for demolition. Racing-Union play in National League, the country's top tier, with home games at Stade Achille Hammerel (capacity 5800) in the city's Verlorenkost district.

Buy
For information, guidance and ideas, head over to the websites of the UCVL (Luxembourg City Trade Association) and Goodidea.lu.

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 who 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. Owing to the number 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. English themed pubs





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

Budget




Respect
Try to show respect for the local language and make some effort to say a word or two of it even if it's just the standard greeting "Moien". In restaurants and high-end service establishments the personnel are generally expected to serve you in French, so if you speak French, do use it.

Stay safe
Luxembourg City is safer than most other European capital cities, and it is rare to encounter any physical threat. Nevertheless, extra vigilance is required in and around the train station (especially late at night), which contains a handful of seedy clubs and prostitutes, mainly in the Bonnevoie neighborhood, on the rue de Strasbourg, and all surrounding streets. You will also encounter people panhandling in this area.

Embassies

 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands
 * 🇷🇴 Romania
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Connect
The city has 5G from all Luxembourg carriers.

Go next

 * Vianden
 * Echternach
 * Mullerthal
 * Trier (Germany)
 * Metz (France) - By train is €16.50.
 * Arlon (Belgium)