Luxembourg is an ancient picturesque city located at the confluence of two small rivers – Alzette and Petrus. The city is divided into 24 districts, but only 4 of them are of interest to tourists:
- Upper Town (Ville Haute), the historical center of Luxembourg
- The lower city (Ville Basse), located on the opposite bank of the river Alzette. Numerous banks, company boards and breweries occupy a significant part of the Lower City area
- Station (Gare), which is a 15-minute walk south of the Upper Town. There are many restaurants, cafes and shops here.
- Kirchberg – a modern part of the city with many buildings of the European Union
Due to the fact that the Alzet River divides the city into two parts – Upper and Lower – the city is replete with bridges. The most picturesque bridges are Adolf and Grand Duchess Charlotte.
Luxembourg Card
To make your trip to Luxembourg as eventful as possible, you should purchase an online Luxembourg Card in advance (official site in English). With its help, you can ride public transport throughout the duchy for free, and most importantly, visit its best attractions without paying a single euro cent for entry.
A personal card for 1 day costs 13 EUR, for 2 – 20 EUR, for 3 – 28 EUR. The cost of group subscriptions for 2-5 people is 28 EUR, 48 EUR and 68 EUR, respectively.
In the capital, holders of the Luxembourg Card have access to Bock casemates, the forum of contemporary art “Casino Luxembourg” (off. site in English), museums “Mudam” (off. site in English), natural history, history and art (off. site in English), Villa Vauban and other objects. And on group excursions – walking, bus, pleasure trains and segways – there are pleasant discounts.
Shopping and souvenirs
Luxembourg City is divided into two shopping areas: Oberstadt and Unterstadt (a square near the Central Station). The main shops are concentrated in the area of the railway station, Grand Rue and adjacent lanes. It is full of boutiques of European brands, there are good art galleries.
The streets surrounding the Place d’Armes are mostly souvenir shops with handicrafts: ceramics, clocks, and art galleries. Fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, breads and cheeses can be purchased at the farmers’ market at Place Guillaume. The market is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 07:00.
Cuisine and restaurants in Luxembourg
Luxembourg is a city with a surprisingly large concentration of gourmet restaurants, including Michelin-starred ones. Even on the smallest streets you can find at least ten restaurants. In addition, Italian cuisine is very popular here, not least thanks to Italian emigrants who settled here at the end of the 19th century. The best place for a quick and tasty meal is Place d’Armes.
Good restaurants are: bistro La Fontaine (25, place de Paris; tel.: +352-494076) with varied cuisine and a business lunch from 8 EUR; Taj Mahal (2, rue de Strasbourg; tel: +352 40 59 41), as the name suggests, offers excellent Indian cuisine; Mousel Cantine (46, Montée de Clausen) – the best place for meat and beer lovers; Le Palais D’Asie (47, avenue de la Liberté) with Chinese and Japanese cuisines.
In addition, Luxembourg is rich in various pubs, English-style pubs and modern bars. You can sip a glass or two at: Britannia Pub – good for Anglophiles and football fans, Ecosse Scottish bar (it can be “hot” here during football and rugby championships), Pygmalion, Scandinavian The Viking, Scott’s, modern Urban (live music every Sunday), Youth The Tube with London Underground style decor, traditional Luxembourgish Vis-a-vis (Rue Beaumont 2, next to Place d’Armes, tel.: +352 46 03 26), Café des Artistes Piano Bar and others.
A fun evening can be spent at the Melusina and Muko Muko clubs.
Entertainment and attractions
Firstly, of course, the Luxembourg fortress, from which many interesting things have been preserved: walls with loopholes, fortress gates (“Three Doves”, Trev), long passages and casemates, the Three Acorns towers and the citadel of the Holy Spirit. Nearby there is a park, ending with a cliff, from which a wonderful view of the ancient suburb of Bokk and the ruins of the castle opens.
Secondly, the Palace of the Grand Duke (Grand Ducal Palace; Rue du Marché aux Herbes), which is still the official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, where he performs most of his duties as head of state. The palace can only be visited for 6 weeks a year, in July-August, when the Duke and his family go on vacation. Guided group tours last ~45 minutes, are inexpensive, and are available in many languages. Tickets can be purchased at the tourist office in Place de Guillaume II.
It is worth visiting the Trier Abbey Refugium of St. Maximin, a former Jesuit college, the City Hall, the Saint-Michel church (10th century), the chapel of St. Quirinus and the church of St. John on the Stone, the bastion of the Holy Spirit. Also of interest is the garden of the Spanish governor Ernst Mansfeld, the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Notre Dame Cathedral, as well as the old quarters of Gron (Stadgro), Dinselpyurt, Klosen, Pfafendal and the ancient Benedictine monastery of Munster with the Church of St. John the Baptist. A popular place with tourists is the former underground systems of the Bock and La Petrus casemates, in which 35,000 people took refuge during World War II.
Every tourist visiting Luxembourg should walk along the picturesque Royal Boulevard and the Ring of Parks, a semicircle surrounding the ancient city center. Other places of interest: Post Street and Monterey Avenue, off Gamilius Square; Arm Square; chapel Waldbylig; a small passage on Wilhelm II Square.
Museums in Luxembourg
The city has just a huge number of museums and art galleries: the Museum of the History of the City of Luxembourg, the Museum of Natural History (Rue de l’Hospice), the Museum of Folk Life, the Museum of Weapons and Fortifications, the Museum of Ancient Musical Instruments, the Museum of Urban Transport, the Museum of Posts and Telecommunications.
Galleries: Municipal Gallery of Pescatore in the building of Villa Vauban, Municipal Art Gallery, Art Gallery and Am Tunnel Rooms, Bumont Galleries (Avenue Monterey), La Cite Gallery (Rue Louvigny), Gerard Kayser Gallery (Rue Notre Dame), Tutesal National Gallery.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the wonderful Museum of Modern Art (MUDAM, Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean), located at 3, Park Dräi Eechelen (Kirchberg, buses 1, 3, 6, Eurobus). The building was designed by the architect of the Louvre Pyramid, and interesting temporary exhibitions from all over the world are constantly held here. Entrance: 8 EUR.
Weather
According to citypopulationreview, the climate is temperate, transitional from maritime to continental. Winters are warm with a predominance of positive temperatures, summers are cool. Clear weather is rare, and precipitation in the form of rain falls regardless of the time of year.
