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returned from a short break feeling you need another? |
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Reward yourself
with a real short break by visiting the tiny Grand Duchy
of Luxembourg
Of
course you can be adventurous and have breakfast in Germany, lunch in
France, dinner in Belgium, and still be home in time for the nightcap,
but most visitors to Luxembourg end up discovering the real meaning behind
the “weekend break” formula: to have a short rest.
Unlike many a larger capital, our 1000-year-old fortress city divulges
many of its premier sights in the space of an afternoon’s leisurely stroll,
e.g. on the "Corniche" along the top of the old ramparts, known
as "Europe's most beautiful balcony". The main centre of our
capital city measures merely about a
mile by a mile and a half, so you won't get lost, nor will you waste much
time in getting to the right parts of town. (check out the city
map). And for those who are easily lost without internet access, HotCity
offers a citywide wireless network.
You could visit a museum, perhaps take in a
concert followed by dinner in one
of the city's many fine restaurants
(Luxembourg has more Michelin
stars per square mile than any other country in the world!) and generally
have a proper break!
The
next day, have a leisurely “lie-in” in the morning, safe in the knowledge
that you have seen the capital’s major sights and have truly “been there”.
Unspoilt nature is a mere five-minute train or bus ride out of town, where
the world’s densest network of hiking paths entices you to a refreshing
walk.
And
it's not just us folks in the tourist office who think so: Check out:
The
Independent; The
Times (1); The
Times (2); Daily Mail (1)
Daily
Mail (2) for just some of the more recent "Luxembourg Travel"
reviews.
Allow
us to show you some things you might want to see and do in the course
of a short break to Luxembourg.
Luxembourg
City is the capital of one of Europe's smallest sovereign states:
the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, measuring a mere 51 miles from top to bottom
(32 miles from East to West) harbouring a population of around half a
million. The cosmopolitan capital is perched high atop a rocky outcrop,
overlooking the rivers Petrusse and Alzette, and offers stunning views
from the city's old ramparts – both by day and by night. You might like
to check out the excellent new Luxembourg
City Urban Information System
Throughout
the Middle Ages Luxembourg City was a mighty fortress -called “Gibraltar
of the North”- and parts of the original walls and fortifications remain.
It is now a UNESCO world heritage site. Luxembourg is a lively city with
gourmet restaurants, outdoor bars and cafés and excellent nightlife.
Luxembourg is only an hour's flight from London, there are 10 scheduled
flights a day from the UK (Heathrow, City,
Gatwick & Manchester), and your airport-city
trip takes a mere 15 minutes.
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What
to do and see in and around Luxembourg
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Luxembourg
fortress
The
citadel within the [now dismantled] fortress Luxembourg dates back
to 936, and is built on a rock called “Bock”. All that remains today
is the base of a stone tower and a belfry known colloquially as
the “hollow tooth” (you'll see why!).
However archaeological excavations revealed the extent of the castle
and there is now a museum on the site displaying its history. The
museum is also the entrance to the “Casemates”,
part of a once 13-mile network of man-made underground caverns hewn
into solid rock, and used in times of siege to house men, horses
and armour from 1644 onwards. (See also 360°
view)
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Luxembourg
Old Town
Cobbled streets, ancient battlements, historical buildings, museums
and art galleries blend with contemporary boutiques and outdoor
cafés, giving the place a totally unique charm.
Luxembourg's parks and gardens spill out from the Old Town and
make this an ideal walking city -especially considering the small
size (cf street map) - combining nature
with both a modern and a traditional feel.
The stunning Pétrusse Valley -200 feet lower than the main
town- is an oasis of peace and calm.
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Place
d'Armes
The Place
d'Armes is the city's “sitting room”: A tree-lined square at the
centre of Luxembourg's old town with outdoor cafés and a central bandstand,
located in the pedestrian centre of town.
Relax and watch the world go by whilst enjoying coffee and cakes -or
the excellent local beers and wines- serenaded by the frequent free
concerts that take place throughout the summer.
Every second Saturday, the
Place d'Armes plays host to the city's flea-market.
Conveniently,
the Luxembourg city tourist office
is located very close to the Place d'Armes on the adjoining Place
Guillaume.
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On
the adjoining "Place Guillaume" -known as "Knuedler"-
a flower and vegetable market is held every Wednesday
and Saturday morning until 1 pm, while there's a general market held
every 3rd Sunday of the month (as of mid-April)
from 10 am to 5 pm on the "Place des Glacis", a mere 8 minutes
walk from the Place d'Armes.
A large underground car park under the "Knuedler" (car entrance
in Rue Notre Dame), makes for easy access to the City Centre.
Check out the City street map [square
B2] |
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Grand-Ducal
Palace
The Palace was originally built as the Town Hall in the 16th century,
but was adopted by the Luxembourg royal family in the 19th century.
In summer you can take a guided tour around the rooms and admire the
opulent tapestries, chandeliers, and wood panelling (tours are organised
by the city tourist office) |
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Musée
National d'Histoire et d'Art
The Museum is housed in a group of medieval houses near the old Fish
Market (Marché-aux-Poissons). There are over 120 rooms including collections
of paintings, artifacts, and sculptures from the stone age to the
present day.
The Museum includes works by Turner (including several gorgeous paintings
of Luxembourg City), Rubens, Rembrandt and Breughel, but also of lesser-known
local artists.
The bold exterior façade, added in 2004 when the museum doubled its
exhibition space, is in striking contrast to the patrician's houses
around the old square, and had created quite a stir when it was first
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Another
stupendous museum to visit is the “Musée
d'Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg”. It retraces the evolution
of the city and of its population through the ages. In as small
a city as Luxembourg, it should come as no surprise that it is located
a stone's throw from the museum of History and Art.
[see also: Luxembourg museums]
While talking about museums, don't
miss the opportunity to visit MUDAM,
the city's museum of modern art -opened in July 2006-, designed
by star architect I.M. Pei.
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Cathedral
The
17th century Notre-Dame Cathedral is some 200 metres south of the
Place d'Armes, overlooking the "Petrusse Valley". The
baroque gallery -carved in 1622 by Daniel Muller- is part of the
Jesuit monks' convent church [the adjoining building, now used as
the National Libary, was a Jesuit college at the time]. The apse
contains "The Comforter of the Afflicted", a wooden statue
of Madonna and Child, to whom the cathedral is devoted.
The
tomb of 'John the Blind' (one of Luxembourg's medieval rulers, father
to Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, known today as the Father of
the Czech Nation) is in the crypt.
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Nightlife
We
should be the first to admit that -some years ago- Luxembourg was somewhat
behind other cities in terms of nightlife... BUT, how quickly times
do change! Today, Luxembourg is a buzzing, heaving, thriving, screaming
hub of activity once the sun goes down! Check out the likes of nightlife.lu,
the videos in the "by Night section on videoshopping.lu,
or any of the links we have on our page of events
in Luxembourg if you need convincing. The addition of the new Rockhal,
the new Philharmonic hall, and
the return to use of the Grand Théâtre
(which was being cleaned of asbestos, and hence was closed for several
years) is bringing out the locals in droves night after night. And that's
just for the major venues! Dozens of smaller, more intimate, clubs and
bars have opened recently and provide a very lively entertainment scene
indeed.
Ask at the tourist office in Place Guillaume
or in the railway station for all the “in” places, or simply head down
to the “Grund” area at the foot of the mighty city walls if you
want to dance away the night. There is a convenient lift at the Plateau
du St. Esprit avoiding the hundreds of steps or the steep incline down
to the Grund. The "Hollerich" suburb, near the railway
station is another part of town where nightclubs and bars have recently
shot up.
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Getting
around
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Don't
miss a ride on the Pétrusse
Express miniature train -it runs May to October- which allows
you to discover the valleys and ramparts of the city, [without you
having to walk] and offers exciting insights into the city's spectacular
views, while listening on headphones to a radio play about the History
of this milennial city. |
Another
excellent way to see the city is on the hop-on
hop-off city sightseeing bus. Routes go through the old and the
new areas of the city, and are a great way to get to know the capital.
That said, the beauty of such a tiny destination as Luxembourg city
is that you can get everywhere on foot, nowhere is more than -say-
a mile away. |
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Should
you want to use 'regular' city buses,
get yourself a network ticket giving you free rides on all trains
and buses (of the entire country!) at a cost of five euros (about
£ 3) per day. And check out the “LuxembourgCard”
-it's on sale at hotels/tourist offices/stations/etc- if you want
to visit some of the towns outside the capital. The card gives you
free entry to more than 50 attractions -and free public transport-
for 1, 2, or 3 days, from as little as 9 euros (± £6).
More details sub "Getting around Luxembourg" |
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... BUT
...
Since Luxembourg
is such a tiny country (some 50 miles long and 30 miles wide!), the countryside
is but a few minutes away and with cheap public
transport you really ought to make use of your short break to visit
a couple of places outside of the capital. You'll simply be amazed at
the variety that such a small country has on offer. For
a start, one third of the country is forested, especially so in the "far
north" -as the locals like to refer to places about an hour's drive
away - in the Ardennes
region featuring towns like Vianden and Clervaux. The
"Little Switzerland" area around Echternach beckons with
its sandstone rocks, and on the eastern border with Germany lies Luxembourg's
wine-making country along the river Moselle.
And nowhere
is further than an hour or so from the capital!
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Vianden
Vianden is a delightful medieval town on the
German border, an hour's bus ride north of the capital. It is famous for
its chateau-castle which was
restored to its former glory during the 1970s and contains antique weapons
and armour, furniture, gobelins, and drawings. There's always something
happening in Vianden, whether it be a "sound and light" event,
a medieval fair, a jousting tournament, or a nutty market. The Vianden
tourist office web site has all the details.
During his political exile from France, Victor Hugo often visited Vianden,
and the house he stayed in is now a Victor Hugo museum, containing a bust
of Hugo by Rodin, and Hugo's furniture, documents and drawings.
There's also a chairlift that takes the
strain out of walking up to the hilltop castle, and a number of smaller
museums.
Benni, the tourist train takes
visitors through town.
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Echternach
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Echternach
is a small picturesque town some 20 miles northeast of Luxembourg
city on the German border. The medieval Abbey dominates the town,
it was founded in 698 by St Willibrord – a Northumbrian monk who
came to christianise the region and also Luxembourg's only Saint
- whose coffin is now in the crypt of the basilica.
Every year on Tuesday after Whitsun the world's only “dancing
procession” commemorates St Willibrord, Luxembourg's major Saint.
Visit the Abbey museum containing facsimiles of the Bible copies
that were made here in the 11th century, and the Museum
of Prehistory that examines how Stone Age Man lived in the area.
And
if that's too old for you, check out the Roman villa that
has been excavated near the Echternach lake, and which retraces
Life some 2000 years ago.
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Echternach
is the capital of Luxembourg's Little
Switzerland area, so called because of its craggy sandrock formations
and myriad of small streams criss-crossing the region's dense forests,
a genuine hikers paradise!
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Clervaux
An
hour's train ride from the capital city, located in glorious “Ardennes”
countryside, -and complete with its own golf
course- lies Clervaux, whose castle
has been transformed to contain the photography exhibition: “The
Family of Man”.
Put
together in the 1950's by Edward Steichen, a native Luxembourger,
who was then curator of the photography section of New York's Museum
of Modern Art, the exhibition features 503 pictures by 273 photographers
from 68 countries, all showing people (and emotions!). In its time,
it was a ground-breaking exhibition that established photography
firmly as an art, and that was seen by more than 9 million people
when the show toured the world several times in the 1950's and 60's.
The "Family of Man" was listed on UNESCO's
“Memory of the World” register in 2003.
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The
Moselle
The
river Moselle forms the border with Germany, and is our country's
wine region. As befits such an appellation, the area is awash
with wine cooperatives, tasting rooms, vineyards, and wine shops
beckoning you to taste the local produce.
Remich,
Grevenmacher,
Stadtbredimus,
Wormeldange
and Bech-Kleinmacher are some of the better-known places, but
most any small village along the river will show off its produce.
The picture below shows one of the many wine festivals along Luxembourg's
Moselle. At this fete, wine flows freely from a central fountain,
a guarantee for a good time!
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Or
combine the tasting with a pleasure boat trip: A number of well-equipped
boats call at the larger localities -especially Remich and Grevenmacher-
inviting you to discover the region while eating and drinking (and
even dancing) aboard, or simply while lying on a deck chair on the
solar deck watching the villages and vineyards scroll by (Picture
above: MS Marie-Astrid)
One town on Luxembourg's Moselle you might already have heard of:
“Schengen” gave its name to the European agreement on open borders.
Find it at the southern end of the Moselle river, some 200 metres
from Germany, 200 metres from France and 200 metres inside the Grand
Duchy. |
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Activities
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you want to take more of an active break, Luxembourg
offers you the world's densest network of both hiking and
cycling paths, more tennis courts than you can throw a ball
at, and more fitness centres than you thought would fit into
this stamp-sized country. (Check out our Sports
& Leisure pdf brochure)
The
area around Echternach -known as “Luxembourg's
little Switzerland”- is an Eldorado for hikers,
with hundreds of mostly circular walking paths leading you
through the area's vast forests and past curious sandstone
formations.
If
golf is your thing, then we have
five 18-hole courses to offer you, none at more than an
hour's drive from the capital.
Fancy some watersports? Then aim for the lake
of the Upper-Sûre, near the medieval market town of
Esch-sur-Sûre, where you can swim,
sail, fish, scuba-dive or simply
lie on the grassy beaches and use one of the many barbecues
installed here.
Mondorf-les-Bains in
the south-eastern corner of the country is Luxembourg's
only spa, and features also Luxembourg's only casino,
as well as a gorgeous spa garden.
Take
a ride in a Hot-air balloon
(Luxembourg often holds the ballooning world championships),
have a go on quad bikes,
kayak down
the river Sûre, ride the waves behind a motorboat, or test
your skills at a rope
garden ... the sky's the limit, and Luxembourg offers
it all..
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We
hope that this page will have whetted your appetite to take a short
break to Luxembourg, and would like to be of
further service to you, if we can.
In case you are calling from the UK, do check out our listing
of tour operators offering holidays in Luxembourg
See
you in Luxembourg!
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![Luxembourg City - remnants of the fortress. Picture taken from the "Corniche" [Photo: Serge Moes]](./pics/bock_alzette3.jpg "Luxembourg City - remnants of the fortress. Picture taken from the \"Corniche\" [Photo: Serge Moes]")
