Travel TipsLuxembourg

TOURISM

Luxembourg-Ville
The capital, Luxembourg-Ville, is split into two districts: the delightful old center, complete with fortress towers, turrets and winding, cobblestone streets; and the modern downtown area on the plâteau du Krichberg – the Luxembourg version of Wall Street. The city’s history goes back to the year 963 AD, when Siegfried, Count of the Ardennes, had a castle named Lucilinburhuc built on a rock overlooking the River Alzette. It was the famous French fortress builder Vauban who, at the service of Louis XIV, later turned Luxembourg into one of his masterpieces, suitably known as the ‘Gibraltar of the North’. At its height, the fortress was girdled by three ring-walls studded with 24 forts and linked underground by a 23km- (15 mile-) network of underground tunnels. It survived until 1867, when it was dismantled according to the provisions of the Treaty of London. But many of the old fortifications remain well preserved to this day and, in 1994, the entire old part of Luxembourg-Ville was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Luxembourg City Tourist Office (whose main office is on the Place d’Armes) can provide details and maps for numerous walks taking visitors past the city’s medieval remains and historic sites. The underground tunnels, known as casemates, can also be visited. A special open-air tourist train called the ‘Petrusse Express’ offers frequent guided tours through the Petrusse Valley (from which many of the remaining fortifications can easily be viewed), giving visitors an insight into life in the former fortress, with commentaries in several languages. The train departs from underneath one of the arches of the Pont Adolphe viaduct. Tickets can be bought from the city tourist office. Most of the city’s historical sites are easily visited on foot and a walk through the Petrusse and Alzette valleys (which are spanned by several bridges) offers excellent views of the ancient fortifications. The city’s main square, the Place d’Armes, has a number of outdoor cafes and restaurants although, after redevelopment, the square has lost some of its ‘French’ charm. In the city center, the area known as the Grund, near the River Alzette, has many lively cafes and restaurants; it can be reached via a lift going down through the ancient rock (with the entrance located on the square Fëschmaart above). Other attractions in the city center include the recently renovated Palais Grand Ducal, the official residence of the Grand Duke, where visitors can observe the changing of the guard; the Place Guillaume (also called Knuedler) and its twice-weekly market (Wednesday and Saturday); and, near the Place Guillaume, the 17th century Notre Dame Cathedral. Art lovers will find numerous galleries in the capital. Interesting museums include the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of History and Art and the Museum of the City of Luxembourg (whose architecture interestingly combines the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ and which displays a very detailed and informative account of Luxembourg’s colorful history). The modern district on the plâteau du Kirchberg (reached via the Pont Grand Duchesse Charlotte – the most impressive of the many bridges in the capital) is expanding rapidly. Luxembourg’s main cinema complex, Utopolis, is located here, next to the country’s biggest shopping complex. The myriad of new modern office complexes being built on the plateau Kirchberg testify to Luxembourg’s reputation as a major international financial center. The country’s geographical position at the ‘heart of Europe’, its strict banking secrecy laws and fiscal legislation are amongst the reasons why there are some 12,000 holding companies, 1300 investment funds and over 220 banks based in the capital, making Luxembourg the country with the highest banking concentration in Europe. The Kirchberg is also home to numerous European institutions. Proud of its role as a founding member of the EU, Luxembourg sees itself as playing a prominent position in European affairs and there are a number of European Union institutions based in Luxembourg-Ville, including: the Commission of the European Community (including the Statistical Office – EUROSTAT – and the Publications Office); the European Court of Justice; the General Secretariat of the European Parliament; the European Investment Bank; the European Court of Auditors; and the Official Publications Office. The sessions of the European Council of Ministers take place in Luxembourg three months a year.

Beyond the Capital
Luxembourg is an attractive country with a green and picturesque landscape and many historical sites within easy reach of one another. The country is divided into five tourist regions. The central and southern part of the country that surrounds the capital, known as ‘the Good Land’, consists mainly of rolling farmland and woods. To the northeast is the Müllerthal, characterized by sandstone rock formations and forests (website: www.mullerthal.lu), while the northern third of the country is the Ardennes, set in beautiful forested hills and valleys. South of the capital is the Land of the Red Rocks, so named from its ‘red earth’, rich in iron. The southeast frontier is marked by the Moselle Valley, famous for its wines.

Müllerthal
Approximately 30km (19 miles) north of the capital, the Müllerthal region is frequently referred to as Luxembourg’s ‘Little Switzerland’. Hundreds of footpaths through densely wooded forests (many of which have vast expanses of needle trees), crystal-clear brooks and spectacular rock formations combine to make this one of the country’s most popular areas for walking and hiking. Coach tours to the Müllerthal, also known as the Germano-Luxembourg Natural Park, leave daily from the main bus station in Luxembourg-Ville. The main resorts are Beaufort and Larochette, both of which also have castles located on a hilltop offering good views. Another well-known resort in the area is Berdorf.

Echternach
Further east, the town of Echternach is particularly well known for its religious dancing procession, which takes place annually on Whit Tuesday and attracts pilgrims from all over the world. The town’s Benedectine Abbey (which was founded in the seventh century by St Willibrord and now also houses a museum) and, in particular, the St Willibrord Basilica (with its crypt as a centerpiece) are well worth visiting. Echternach also has a distinctive 15th-century Town Hall overlooking the market square.

Ardennes
Almost one-third of Luxembourg’s total land area consists of forest and it is particularly the north (a region known as the Luxembourg Ardennes referred to locally as Eisléck) which offers the best natural attractions. The scenic beauty and quiet of this region, which consists of forested plateau, wooded hills and lush valleys, attracts many nature and outdoor enthusiasts. The towns of Diekirch and Wiltz, where two of the country’s breweries are located, are the gateways into the Luxembourg Ardennes. The small town of Esch-sur-Sûre is a well-known regional resort which is entirely surrounded by the natural moat of the River Sûre (Sauer). A few miles further upstream is the country’s drinking water reservoir, where a barrage dam (the Staudamm) makes a beautiful lake, used extensively for many types of watersports, and located within the Upper Sûre National Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Vianden
The town of Vianden, crossed by the River Our and located close to the eastern border with Germany, is well known for its magnificent castle, built between the 11th and 14th centuries and one of Luxembourg’s major tourist attractions. The castle overlooks the town from a 450m- (1476ft-) elevation that can be reached by the country’s only chairlift. Vianden also has a wild boar sanctuary. Another castle can be visited at Bourscheid nearby.

Clervaux
Further north, Clervaux is a medieval market town, sunk into a narrow and tortuous valley, surrounded by rugged hills covered with woods. The town’s main attraction is the 12th-century Clervaux Castle, which now houses the offices of the local government, the reception of the local tourist office (syndicat d’initiative), a small war museum exhibiting weapons and souvenirs from the 1944-1945 Ardennes offensive (the famous ‘Battle of the Bulge’), and the renowned collection of documentary art photography, the Family of Man, by Edward Steichen.

Red Rocks
In the extreme south, a number of industrial towns and largely redundant steelworks testify to Luxembourg’s once booming steel industry. The south’s main city, Esch, is also the country’s second largest. A number of cultural establishments, notably the Kulturfabrëk, testify to the city’s lively cultural life.

The Moselle Valley
In the southeast, the River Moselle (a tributary to the Rhine) flows through the lush valleys of Luxembourg’s main wine-producing region (referred to as ‘the Moselle’ or d’Musel in Luxembourgish) and forms a 42km- (27 mile-) border between Luxembourg and Germany. Grevenmacher, from where a bridge crosses the river into Germany, is the main administrative and commercial center of the region. The small village of Schengen nearby, where the Moselle marks the meeting of three countries (Luxembourg, France and Germany) has become internationally known after the ‘Schengen Agreement’ was signed there in 1995. It has a picturesque castle which was painted by the French writer Victor Hugo while he was in exile in Luxembourg. Many wine cellars in Grevenmacher and in the nearby towns of Remerschen, Remich and Wormeldange offer excellent wine tasting. Boat-cruises on the Moselle are also available. The spa town of Mondorf-les-Bains offers extensive thermal health treatments as well as sports and leisure facilities and a casino.