MarkHey folks, I’m back from Luxembourg after a one night stay in the capital, Luxembourg City. This city and it’s medieval Old Quarter really took me by surprise. I thought it was stunning and really underrated for a short weekend break. It is slightly more expensive than Dublin but whenever I got the bill I never baulked at the price. Food and drink was a bit more expensive but accommodation was cheaper. Public transport is also free!
While I did quite a lot while I was there, feel free to leave a comment about what you saw/did while there. Everything is correct at time of writing 24th March 2024.
About Luxembourg:
Luxembourg is a small European country, surrounded by Belgium, France and Germany. It’s mostly rural, with dense Ardennes forest and nature parks in the north, rocky gorges of the Mullerthal region in the east and the Moselle river valley in the southeast. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is famed for its fortified medieval old town perched on sheer cliffs.
Getting there:
Ryanair and Luxair (flag carrier of Luxembourg) fly direct from Dublin to Luxembourg. Getting from the airport to the city was one of the most seamless transfers I’ve done at an airport. The main train station is 20 minutes on the bus from the airport and the best part of it is it’s completely free. I’ll be writing this a lot in this post but public transport across the whole of Luxembourg is free! Except if you wanted first class on a train but the journeys are short enough for a country roughly the size of Roscommon!
The bus is the easiest way to get from the airport to the city. The 16 and 29 can take you to the city centre every 10 to 15 minutes. I hopped off at Gare (the cities main train station) and it took 20 minutes. There are taxi’s if you are in a particular rush to get to/from the airport.
Getting around:
Public transport is completely free across the whole country. Buses, trains, trams etc all free! If you are in Luxembourg City, which is a very walkable city, I’d recommend walking around the medieval Old Town and taking in it’s beauty.
Where to stay:
While in Luxembourg City, I stayed in the Park Inn by Radisson Luxembourg City, which was a clean, modern, comfortable 3* hotel, perfect for an overnight stay. A great place to explore the nearby Old Town, it was a 15 minute walk from the Palais Grand-Ducal, or to get to Gare (main train station) which was just over a 5 minute walk away.
Hotels:
Park Inn by Radisson Luxembourg City (3 star)
JJ32 (3 star)
Hotel Perrin – former Carlton (4 star)
Hotel Parc Beaux Arts (4 star)
Grand Hotel Cravat (4 star)
Kazakiwi (4 star)
Hotel Le Place d’Armes – Relais & Châteaux (5 star)
Things to see/do:
Luxembourg Cities Old Quarters
Notre Dame Cathedral
Grand Ducal Palace
Bock Casements
Pfaffenthal Lift
Grund (historical neighbourhood)
St Michaels Church
Expensive shopping streets – Louis Vuitton, Channel etc.
Outside of Luxembourg city:
Vianden Castle
Luxembourg American Cemetery Memorial
Bofferding Brewery
Food and drink:
While I was only in Luxembourg City for a night, these were the places I had visited:
Ënnert de Steiler – Luxembourg’s oldest pub near St Michaels Church, not the cheapest but there is a lovely balcony with views.
Bella Ciao for Espresso Martini, thanks to Claire for the tip!
The Pyg Irish Bar – watched the Ireland vs Scotland 6 Nations game here
Notaro Ristorante – lovely Italian food! Two pizzas, a cocktail and a pint was €50.
Scotts Bar – late bar with DJ, have to be sitting at a table to be served a drink which I found strange!