Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
TRAVEL ICON LUXEMBOURG CITY
Step back in time in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg’s elegant capital, where subterranean tunnels, ochre-hued architecture and a rich history awaits...
Get orientated
Blink and you’re in danger of missing Luxembourg – but you really shouldn’t. Squeezed between Germany, France and Belgium, and at just 80km from top to bottom, it pinches the best bits from its neighbours – food from France, grand castles from Germany and Flemish art – making for a culture-packed trip.
Its eponymous capital is the best place to soak it all up. Head south to Luxembourg City (we’d recommend the train: it’s free) to walk its maze of rock-carved casemates, eat in Michelin-starred restaurants and soak up the rich military history; the Grand Duchy was a military stronghold for years, with the cliff-perched
Old Town making for the perfect natural defence.
Nowadays, its Old Town – high above the confluence of two rivers – puts it in a strategic position for some of the best views in the country. Gaze across the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers, admire cloud-piercing spires and see old Luxembourg rub against the modern city.
Getting there & around
British Airways flies direct from London Heathrow to Luxembourg (around 1 hour 15 minutes; from £44 return). The Airport is 10km from Luxembourg City, which you can reach by bus: lines 16 and 29 depart every 10 to 15 minutes.
The visit
Your eye will be drawn to the twin spires of the Cathédrale Notre-dame, so start there. Don’t miss the Church’s most famed artefact: the Consolatrix Afflictorum – a 17th century wooden statue of Madonna and the Child. Afterwards, head to the nearby Corniche for some of the city’s finest views. The Corniche is formed around 17th century ramparts, where elegant buildings peer over a steep cliff-face, as if admiring themselves in the river below.
Next, glide through 1,000 years of history in the Musée d’histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg’s glass lift or travel through time in the Musée National d’histoire et d’art.
Or to quite literally climb inside the city’s history, visit the Bock Casemates. These underground tunnels are all that remain of the Grand Duchy’s original castle that gave the country its name. Contrast a wander in the dark caves with the glittering Palais Grand-ducal. With its conetopped towers and caramel façade, the official residence of the grand duke is certainly fit for royalty. Visit in the summer for a chance to peek inside, where chandeliers, ceiling-to-floor portraits and lashings of gold fill the rooms.
End your trip with a drink and dinner at the Place Guillaume II; this lively square proving that not Luxembourg City is not entirely focussed on its illustrious past.
A SHORT WALK:
With its cliffs and deep river valleys, La Vieille Ville (The Old Town) has one of the most remarkable locations in any capital city. Although vestiges remain of the mighty military fortifications, which once defended the city in concentric rings, it is the refined elegance of 18th- and 19th-century urban building that predominates, with the Palais Grandducal as the centrepiece. Two of the city’s best museums are also found here. But the highlights of the area are perhaps the spectacular views, notably from the
Place de la Constitution, the Plateau du St-esprit and the Chemin de la Corniche.
The city’s largest square is named after Grand Duke William II (r.1840–49), whose equestrian statue stands in the centre. The 19th-century Neo-classical Hôtel de Ville lines the entire southern side of the square, which is also known as the Knuedler.
Central to the public life of the nation, Cathédrale Notre-dame was originally a Jesuit church, consecrated in 1621. It became a cathedral when the Grand Duchy was awarded its own bishopric in 1870. The ornately carved gallery forming the organ loft dates from the 17th century.