A weekend in Luxembourg
Luxembourg, a small state in the middle of Europe, has a rich history and plenty of interesting spots to visit despite its reduced size. After several centuries of being an independent state, Luxembourg became part of Southern Netherlands, and then passed onto Austria. In 1815, Vienna transformed Luxembourg in a Grand Duchy in union with the Netherlands, until its formal independence in 1867. Enjoy a weekend in this particular country, currently one of the richest ones in Europe, and discover its history, culture, and the many official languages they have (Luxembourgish, German, and French)!
Itinerary
Day 1 – Explore the city of Luxembourg
Old town Luxembourg
I had the chance to visit Luxembourg when visiting some of my friends. They showed me around town, which is a great way of getting to know the city – from the local’s perspective! Be aware that, despite being a microstate, Luxemburg is not that small. There’s a few cities and if you choose to visit outside of Luxembourg city you’ll need a train or a car.
We started exploring the city from the old town (la ville haute), just walking around the streets. The Grand-Rue has the main international stores, from which you can reach the Palais Grand-Ducal, which can only be visited by tourists during a certain time of the year, usually in summer. We stopped for a tasty snack at Chocolate House Nathalie Bonn, a small place offering both take away sweets and sit-down breakfasts. From there, you can walk to the Place Guillaume II, a large square with some nice local restaurants. From the city center you can reach a pleasant semi-circular park, great to walk around, and which had plenty of flowers during my spring visit.
Panoramic views & Casemates du Bock
If you walk towards the Alzette river, you will reach Chemin de la Corniche, from where you get the famous views of Luxembourg, together with the reminder that the old city is a UNESCO Heritage Site since 1994. Walking all the way through this street, you’ll end up in the Casemates du Bock.
The Casemates were built during the 18th Century by the Austrians as a defense structure. One can visit the Casemates (not good for claustrophobic people!), which go underground and at some point you can even cross underneath the river, after going down through some spiral stairs. The ticket of the visit costs 11€ (2026) and we had to wait some time since we didnt buy the tickets in advance, so make sure you reserve yours!
Grund
Luxembourg has an interesting structure, as part of the city is on the lower level, while the other part in higher up. The old town is on the upper part, but there’s more to explore on the lower part of the city as well. That area is called the Grund, and is felt less crowded. It has some nice walks around and next to the river, a pleasant parc with some skateboars structures for youngters to practice, and you can see the Neumünster Abbey, which you’ve seen before from the top.
If you continue your walk along the river, you will reach the Panoramic Elevator Pfaffenthal, which will bring you back to the old city..
Day 2 – Visit the Chateau de Viandeb & some museums in Luxembourg
Chateau de Vianden
A fact is that Luxembourg has plenty of castles. The numbers seem to be debated depending on whom you ask, but in any case, this means this country is the perfect one to visit a castle! When researching Luxembourg, I got overwhealmed with the amount of castles, so I was happy when my friends made the choice. We went to the most visited one, the Vianden Castle, built between the 11th and 14th centuries. It’s very well restored and some rooms are dedicated to showcase Luxembourgish history. The chapel of the castle as well as the terrace are some of the nicest spots to see. Once can enter for 13€.
Musée Dräi Eechelen and Mudam Luxembourg
Since that felt like enought castles for the weekend, we decided to spend the rest of the day going to museums. We started with the Musée Dräi Eechelen (7€), located in a fortress and dedicated to the military history of Luxembourg. If you ever wanted to see a guillotine, that’s your chance. You can also climb to the top and have nice views of the parc in front and the Mudam Luxembourg of Modern Art.
This museum was our second stop of the afternoon. It’s quite small in terms of content, but very spacious. I liked the exhibits they had, they were pretty cool, and from what I understood they only have temporary exhibits, so every time you’re back they’ll have something new. The enty was 10€.
Close by the museums, there’s also the Philarmonie, so if you plan in advance, you can get to a show in the evening after the museum visits.
How to arrive to Luxembourg?
Being on of the precurssors of the EU (remember BeNeLux?), Luxembourg is very well connected to other European countries.
- One possible way to come is by train. Coming from Switzerland I used this option, which only took about 8 h and left me in the center of the city. Super convenient.
- Airport. There’s obviously an airport in Luxembourg. The airport is quite small and well-organized. There’s not much to do there, so try not to come too long in advance.
- Bus. Flixbus will always be there for us.
Compare prices when you’re traveling between the options that are acceptable to you. I am still surprised (and a bit disappointed) that it is often cheaper to fly than to take the train to other European countries. It’s more convenient though, not gonna lie.
Practical tips
- Public transport is free! It feels weird, but no need to pay for anything within the city of Luxembourg, be it the trams or the elevators.
- The city is very child-friendly. If you’re looking for an easy destination with your family, this is the place to be. There’s plenty of parcs, children playrooms, and so on.
- Luxembourg is very safe. As usual, don’t be naïve because things can happen anywhere, but they’re not likely to happen here.
- Since Luxembourg is one of the richest countries in the EU, it’s also not cheap to visit.
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