From exploring the industrial history of the Belval quarter to touring big-hitting museums and visiting the Palais Grand-Ducal in Luxembourg City, there are plenty of rewarding ways to spend time in Luxembourg.
Beyond Luxembourg City, this tiny European nation is a place of pretty woodland footpaths and quaint, castle-topped villages. This may come as a surprise to first-time visitors, thanks to common perceptions of Luxembourg as a business-oriented hub for banking and EU institutions.
For foodies, there’s a thriving wine industry on the banks of the Moselle River, and a superb dining scene, which ranges from simple local cuisine drawing on rural traditions to a glittering firmament of Michelin stars in the capital.
With abundant things to see and do, and modest distances between attractions, Luxembourg is great for travelers with limited time. Even on a short break, it’s possible to hit all of the nation’s highlights. Start planning your next trip to Luxembourg with this list of the best things to do.
1. Stroll through Luxembourg City’s Old Town
Luxembourg City’s UNESCO-listed Old Town, aka the Haute Ville, is a layer cake of bastion walls, viewpoints and paved footpaths winding through parks and the remains of medieval fortresses poised above the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers.
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The atmospheric Grund quarter lies at the riverside below, while the contrastingly brash European Quarter – home to most of the city’s government institutions – sits on the Kirchberg Plateau, across the red Pont-Grande-Duchesse Charlotte.
While exploring the Old Town, be sure to visit attractions such as the Musée d’Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame and the biweekly Stater Maart market on Place Guillaume II. In between, stop at eateries such as Ville Haute’s Pizzeria Bacchus for a quick lunchtime pizza or Restaurant Clairefontaine for upscale French cuisine.
Planning tip: Since 2020, public transport in Luxembourg City has been free to use, including the useful tram linking the train station and the European Quarter, with an extension to the airport due for completion in 2025. The Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg funicular and two tall public elevators are handy for dealing with the steep cliff ascents when traveling between the upper and lower city.
2. Walk Luxembourg City’s Chemin de la Corniche
Near the Musée d’Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, it’s worth taking an elegant stroll along the glorious Chemin de la Corniche pedestrian promenade. Hailed as “Europe’s most beautiful balcony,” this pedestrian walkway traces the city’s 17th-century ramparts.
There are gorgeous views across the river canyon towards the hefty fortifications of the Wenzelsmauer (Wenceslas Wall), built to protect the valley in the 14th century. The rampart-top walk continues along Blvd Victor Thorn to the Dräi Tier (Triple Gate) tower, an iconic city landmark.
Planning tip: Along the route of the Chemin de la Corniche, you’ll find the impressive Dinselpuert gate, topped by the well-restored Tour Jacob which has a video presentation about the city walls and their historical significance (April to October only).
3. Explore the casemates of Luxembourg City
Luxembourg City’s fortifications are famous for their casemates – military emplacements set in a honeycomb of tunnels and artificial caves overlooking the valley. Pre-booked tickets to the Bock Casemates require you to enter within an allotted 15-minute time slot, but once inside, you can explore this atmospheric warren of passageways at your own pace.
On the south side of the Palais Grand-Ducal, the Pétrusse Casemates are accessible on 45-minute guided tours, with snazzy new lighting effects adding to the atmosphere; buy tickets from the tourist office on Place Guillaume II.
4. Explore the European Quarter
Luxembourg City’s European Quarter is a powerful engine for government and finance, and while most of the banking and EU buildings are closed to the public, it’s still an intriguing area to explore, with some interesting hidden attractions.
At weekends, much of the district is eerily deserted, but you’ll find plenty of life at the Philharmonie, an eye-catching modernist concert hall that looks like an optical illusion in three dimensions. You can also find some interesting exhibitions at the BnL (National Library), and more art on show at the Mudam, a ground-breaking gallery of contemporary art.
Planning tip: Using the free funicular is a fun way to get here, and there are good views from the Pfaffendal Elevator, a glass lift running up to the Old Town across the river. Return to the old town via footpaths amid a series of Vauban-era fortifications, including Fort Thüngen.
5. Visit the Palais Grand-Ducal
Luxembourg’s head of state, Grand Duke Henri, has his office in the Palais Grand-Ducal, a palatial building that’s photogenically a-flutter with pointy turrets. Built in 1572 as the town hall, the Palais was expanded in 1860 with an annex that today houses the national parliament.
The main building has served as Luxembourg’s royal palace since 1890 and the facade is a popular backdrop for selfies. The view of the facade can be appreciated at leisure over coffee at the Chocolate House terrace cafe. Inside the palace, the decor morphs from medieval Gothic in the extravagant dining room to sumptuous gilded Romanticism in the chambers upstairs.
Planning tip: To enter the palace, you’ll need to prebook a 75-minute guided tour (mid-July to early September only) via the Luxembourg City Tourist Office. The humorous tours provide lots of insights into the colorful story of Luxembourg’s royal family.
6. Learn about photography in the Am Tunnel
For an unusual art experience, venture into the Am Tunnel, a 350m (1148ft) subterranean gallery with photographic exhibits that change every year or so. At the far end, you can view a 14-minute film about the pioneering Luxembourgish photographer Edward Steichen. More of Steichen’s portfolio is exhibited at the National Museum of History and Art (MNHA), the superb national art gallery north of the Palais Grand-Ducal..
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Planning tip: The Am Tunnel is part of the impressive Spuerkees Complex, whose centerpiece is the tower-topped palace on Place de Metz, constructed in 1913. Reached via a separate entrance, it contains a great banking museum, open to groups with advance reservations.
7. Go wine tasting along the Moselle Valley
Just half an hour outside Luxembourg City, the River Moselle forms the Luxembourg–Germany border between Wasserbillig and Schengen, and its banks are pillowed with emerald-green vineyards. The vines produce the excellent crémants (sparkling wines) that give Luxembourg its fizz and pop, as well as a wide range of quality white wines – a special delight are softly balanced pinot blancs, almost unique to Luxembourg.
If you want to tour as well as taste, the vineyard to visit is Bernard-Massard by the bridge in Grevenmacher, with its art-filled reception area and humorous guides. Many travelers are also drawn to the wine-making commune of Remich, where you can enjoy river-boat trips and a good selection of eateries, but it can get very crowded here, particularly on Sundays in summer.
A better way to spend a Sunday afternoon is to join a charmingly time-warped wine dance in one of the cellar rooms at Domaines Vinsmoselle’s Poll Fabaire premises. For tastings and light snack boards in a modernist salon with unbeatable poolside views over Schengen, visit Caves Henri Ruppert.
8. Learn about WWII at the Luxembourg American Military Cemetery
About 4km (2.5 miles) from central Luxembourg City at Hamm, the Luxembourg American Military Cemetery is a deeply moving place. More than 5000 white grave markers and commemorative pillars pay tribute to the US servicemen and servicewomen who gave their lives for the liberation of the Grand Duchy.
In fact, the Grand Duchy was liberated twice, first in September 1944 and again during the Battle of the Bulge that Christmas. Among the dead is General George Patton, famed for his swagger, ivory-handled pistol and foul-mouthed pronouncements, who died after a car accident in 1945.
9. Wander the industrial Belval quarter
In the industrial Belval quarter, southwest of Luxembourg City near the French border, two gigantic blast furnaces from the city’s former steelworks have been imaginatively revamped as the centerpiece of an impressive regeneration project.
Restored from post-industrial decline, the furnaces are fused into a contemporary
facade and you can visit the old workings inside daily except Tuesdays.
While you’re here, stop inside the ’60s-retro-styled Café Saga, set inside Furnace B.
Music fans are lured to Belval by Rockhal,
Luxembourg’s biggest live-music venue, set on a
street named Avenue du Rock’n’Roll. The Belval quarter also has an
eye-catching train station that looks like a 1960s UFO.
10. Explore Luxembourg’s backcountry castles
To step off the mainstream tourist circuit, a scenic driving or cycling route links some of Luxembourg’s lesser-known castles. In Koerich, the hefty ruins of the Gréiweschlass castle have been turned into a performance space that hosts an interesting program of cultural events, including the Beautiful Decay festival in July.
The idyllically pretty route continues along the Eisch Valley with water meadows and small trees lining the roadside and verdant woodlands blanketing the surrounding hills. Keep an eye out for the austere castle (today a private home) rising above Septfontaines.
The next stop is at Ansembourg, where the elegant Grand Château
allows free daytime access to its beautifully manicured formal gardens.
Take the steep lane veering left between the château’s two spired
turrets to reach Hollenfels, descending towards the village’s fine
medieval castle tower.
Planning tip: If you’re happy to explore on foot, bus 823 runs from central Luxembourg City to Koerich; you can connect back to the capital from Hollenfels via Mersch.
11. Explore the Italian Quarter in Dudelange
Less than 25 minutes from Luxembourg City by train, Dudelange (aka Diddeling) is a lively events hub. The town hosts important music festivals such as Like a Jazz Machine (May), Usina (early June) and Fête de la Musique (mid-June). Dudelange’s cultural renaissance is doubly impressive when you consider that this former industrial town was once divided in half by mountainous piles of slag from the local ironworks.
Today, the Italian Quarter overlooks a graffiti-daubed factory area that
forms the centerpiece of the Neischmelz regeneration zone. Here you’ll
find VEWA, a creative space for artists and crafters, a cool contemporary cafe, and the Kantin microbrewery, plus the plush new National Audiovisual Center (CNA) cinema and exhibition space.
Planning tip: Don’t miss Dudelange’s twin-towered Église Saint-Martin; outwardly, this is a typical Luxembourg church, but inside, you can view a dazzling collection of murals and stained glass above a gilded altar.
12. Tour the National Mining Museum in Rumelange
For an immersive industrial experience, tour the National Mining Museum (MNM) in Rumelange. Entering this former iron ore mine is now a fun tourist experience, but tours give a hint of the tough conditions experienced by miners in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The sweat of local coal miners and steel workers fuelled massive infrastructure development in Luxembourg, including the construction of continental Europe’s first railway and a network of canals lined with remarkable boat lifts that are now UNESCO-listed.
Planning tip: Dress for the cold as temperatures dip once you enter the mine. Book ahead, as visiting slots are limited, with few available dates outside of the peak summer months.
13. Find architectural delights in Echternach
Set in a bend of the River Sûre, Echternach is Luxembourg’s oldest city, and it’s a worthwhile day trip from the capital. The expansive Abbaye d’Echternach site is partly used as a school but it also contains an interesting museum.
Stroll through the north arcade gateway to peek through wrought-iron gates at the splendid 18th-century Orangery, set in formal French-style gardens. Then, wander east between tennis courts to find a rococo pavilion from 1761 in the riverside gardens.
The most distinctive structure in Echternach’s bustling town center is the Dënzelt,
a stone-fronted former law court dating back to the 14th century. In
fact, the photogenic arcade, statues and corner turrets that give it its
current neo-Gothic appearance date from an 1895 rebuild. Buses run from
Luxembourg City to Echternach, taking about 1½ hours.
14. Explore the trail through the Müllerthal forest
There’s plenty of beautiful countryside in Luxembourg, but no area is more magical than the Müllerthal forest, with its pretty beech trees, mossy rocks and streams winding through micro-canyons. The E1 walking route winds for 6km (3.7 miles) from Echternach to Berdorf passing the Wolfsschlucht (Wolves’ Canyon), where a stone staircase leads to a lovely viewpoint.
Further on, the trail traverses the so-called Labyrinthe, a series of dramatic cliffs and tight ravines, and there’s a small cave system called Hohllayust just before you reach Berdorf.
Planning tip: To continue the walk, loop back to Echternach via the Geierslee viewpoint or take bus 191 or 211.
15. Step into a fairytale scene in Vianden
A revived fairytale castle dominates the loveable old town of Vianden in the north of Luxembourg, with chairlift access for those who don’t want to struggle up the scenic but steep cobbled Grand Rue. The towers and battlements have been restored to their medieval grandeur, and interiors feature photo galleries showing the painstaking reconstruction process.
Detour: Vianden town also has a little Victor Hugo Museum in the house where the writer once stayed, a fascinating hydroelectric plant you can visit, and family-friendly zip-line adventures.
16. Explore a trio of castles in Beaufort and Larochette
Don’t miss the twin valley-side castles – one an atmospheric medieval ruin, the other a 17th-century Renaissance-style château – in the town of Beaufort, northwest of Echternach. Nearby, the interactive Naturpark Expo highlights the natural features of this region, which forms part of the Mëllerdall UNESCO Global Geopark.
More impressive than either of Beaufort’s castles is Château de Larochette,
a hulking ruin that towers above the slightly worn town of Larochette.
Up close, the castle is less complete than it first seems, but it’s well
worth exploring its lawns, walls and stairways. The four-story keep,
raised in 1385, provides toe-curling vertiginous views.
17. Learn about WWII in Diekirch and Ettelbruck
To learn more about the WWII battles of the Ardennes, head to the National Museum of Military History (MNMH) in Diekirch and the mural-fronted General Patton Museum in Ettelbruck. From Ettelbruck, an appealing driving route takes in several other relics from the ferocious battles of 1944.
Start by heading northwest from Ettelbruck via the picturesque village of Esch-sur-Sûre, then take the backroad over the hill towards Wiltz. Stop to survey the scenery from beside a US tank – this was the only Allied tank to survive unsuccessful attempts to defend the town when German forces counter-attacked in late 1944.
At the bottom of Wiltz’s Grande Rue, the Château de Wiltz building contains a small WWII museum as well as a microbrewery and a marvelous old bar, now part of a museum of brewing – all worthy spots to end this historical tour.
This article was adapted from Lonely Planet’s Belgium & Luxembourg guidebook, published in July 2024.
