Exploring Luxembourg: Irene’s Guide to the Hidden Heart of Europe
I was very lucky to be invited on a fam trip to Luxembourg by Visit Luxembourg. Luxembourg is not the first city you think of for a short break so I was interested to see what there was to do there.
On arrival at Luxembourg airport I took the tram into Luxembourg City Centre. It’s very straightforward with one line in and one line out and the best part is that all public transport is free in Luxembourg (apart from first class rail), no need to get a ticket, just jump on. It took about 30 minutes to the nearest stop for my hotel and although it was late and dark I never felt unsafe on my own.
Day 1
I wasn’t meeting the rest of the group until lunchtime the next day, so after a fantastic breakfast at Le Royal Hotel (5*) I took the opportunity to have a wander by myself. It was a beautiful morning and I found myself wandering through lots of lovely parks that they call ‘Urban Gardens’ which surround Luxembourg City. The parks were lovely with beautiful flowers, lots of seating and many dust-bins, I found Luxembourg to be very clean!
After a short talk by Patrick from Visit Luxembourg we had our first lunch. The food in Luxembourg is diverse, but they’re known for food from the land – very simple but so tasty! Feeling full, a city tour was just what we needed to walk off all the food. Our guide walked us around the centre of Luxembourg City, it was interesting to see the fortifications from the Old City of Luxembourg which have been part of UNESCO Cultural World Heritage since 1994. Luxembourg City is very walkable and there are also lovely shopping streets with gifts shops and boutiques and a shopping centre featuring a Galeries Lafayette.
We had some free time so some of us made the most of it by experiencing a lovely drink from Luxembourg sitting outside on the main square. That evening we were hosted by Le Royal Hotel and experienced a beautiful 3 course dinner outside on the terrace.
Day 2
Today was checkout from Le Royal day, so after another amazing breakfast we all headed off on a short coach journey across the red bridge to reach the district of Kirchberg, decidedly different to the old town of Luxembourg. This area is very modern and our guide showed us buildings such as the Museum of Modern Art, the pillared front of the Philharmonie and the European Court of Justice.
Back on the bus we journeyed north and in just under an hour we were at the stunning castle of Vianden in the Luxembourg Ardennes region. We had a really interesting tour of the castle by a very informative guide, followed by a hearty lunch at a traditional restaurant in the town of Vianden. This area is very popular with walkers and cyclists and is very beautiful.
After lunch, we were back on the bus to Clervaux to get a guided tour of the Family of Man exhibition which is housed at Clervaux Castle. This was a fascinating exhibition of 503 black and white photographs by 273 artists from 68 countries. The exhibition was meant as a manifesto for peace and the fundamental equality of mankind via the humanist photography of the post-war years. The collection was inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World register and was very thought provoking.
The last stop of the day was in the south of Luxembourg in an area called Minett – Land of the Red Rocks. We checked into the Hotel Noto at the GridX complex. At the moment, the complex is a bit of a building site but gradually things are being added and there will be museums, shopping, restaurants and a concert space. It will be a good stopping place between Luxembourg City and the 2nd largest town in Luxembourg Esch-sur-Alzette. The 3-star hotel was lovely, simple and scandi feeling.
Day 3
After breakfast at the Hotel Noto we were back on the bus to Belval and a visit of the Blast Furnace and the City of Science. Here we had a talk on the history of steel production and a tour of the industrial wasteland which has been reconverted into a new urban district including a University and concert hall. The different types of architecture was quite striking.
Lovely lunch in Schifflange and onto our last trip of the fam Schengen! Here we saw the central point in the river where Luxembourg, Germany and France meet. We were also lucky enough to go on the boat the Prinzessin Marie-Astrid Europa where the Schengen Treaty was signed on 14 June 1985. The Schengen area is a system of open borders that encompass 29 European countries.
Back to the airport and that was the end of a very interesting fam trip. I would definitely recommend Luxembourg for a short break of 2-3 nights in the city. It would also be a great place to stop off if doing a self-drive or rail trip through Europe as it’s so close to France, Germany and Belgium. In fact, the borders are so close many people from these countries come in to work in Luxembourg during the week as they can get public transport free from the borders.
Irene’s Top Tips
- It’s a very walkable city, but make use of the public transport – it’s all free except first class rail
- Try out the food – it’s simple but hearty and delicious!
- Have a glass of Crémant – a Luxembourg sparkling wine which can’t be named as champagne as it’s not produced in the campagne region… but just as good!
- Luxembourg beer and cider are also a fantastic option
To find out more about Irene’s visit to Luxembourg or if you’re interested in a similar trip,
give the team a call on 0131 243 8098 or send us an email.
