We visited Luxembourg during our October 2024 multi country adventure in Europe including Iceland. Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in the world, yet quite powerful; it is home to so many banking and financial institutions. It is well connected by train and road to its neighbors of Belgium, France and Germany and one can easily cover this in a short time as a day trip from Brussels or Paris. We took the early morning train from Brussels which took us just under 3 hours to get us to Luxembourg and were back in Brussels for the night stay.

Fun Facts

Before we start, here are some fun facts about this tiny country –

1. It is the 2nd smallest country in the European Union after Malta and 7th smallest in Europe.
2. The entire public transportation including buses and trams within the city is free for everyone. This has been done majorly to discourage people from driving their own vehicles and reduce congestion and pollution.
3. Despite its size, the country has the world’s highest GDP per capita at nearly $144,000.
4. It is the only grand duchy in the world today – ruled by Grand Duke Henry.
5. The entire capital city is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
6. Luxembourg has 3 official languages – French, German and Luxembourgish (based on German dialect).

What we did

Luxembourg city is built in primarily 2 floors, the upper quarters of Ville Haute, the historical city center and the lower Pfaffenthal, in the Alzette valley. The train station is built on the upper floor and we first explored all the attractions on the top floor before moving down to the charming quaint setting.

Notre Dame Cathedral

A short bus ride from the train station got us to the Notre Dame Cathedral, the only cathedral in whole of the city. It has a typical Gothic style structure with prominent dooms and constantly ringing bells.

Monument of Remembrance

A very short walk from the Cathedral takes you to the Monument of Remembrance. It is a war memorabilia with a gilded statue of a woman on the top dressed in gold. Lot of the souvenirs you buy from the city will carry this piece of art. The square around the statue also serves as a good place to enjoy the landscape of the city, its bridges and various viaducts.

Place d’Armes

This is the central square on the fortified town which is pedestrian only and has numerous cafes and restaurants where one can stop by to relax, unwind and enjoy the vibe of the city.

Grand Ducal Palace

This is the official residence of the grand duke of Luxembourg, which almost looks like a castle. There is also the changing of the guards that one can witness, but happens very infrequently – like once a month in the summer season.

Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator

A short walk from the palace on a cobble stone path gets you to a panoramic elevator which takes people from the upper floor to the lower old town. Along the way, you will find some stunning views of the city with the famous Alzette river running through the city on the lower floor. The elevator itself is made of glass and offers good views of the city as you go up and down the floors.

Grund

Walking around the lower town (Grund) of the city feels like stepping into a completely different era. Its well preserved historical buildings and cobble stone paths adds to the charm of this part of the city.

Final thoughts

We didn’t have much expectations from Luxembourg city but we ended up liking it a lot. For the most part, it looks like something from a fairy tale, very structured, beautiful and clean buildings. It is pristine, it is spotless and feels very calm, unlike other capital cities which feel very hectic to visit.