Luxembourg

The city of Luxembourg proper was founded in 963, and its strategic position soon promised it a great future. Luxembourg was at the crossroads of Western Europe and became heavily fortified. You can still see the extensive city walls and towers which form its distinctive cityscape. Due to its key position, Luxembourg became a duchy that once included a much larger territory stretching into present-day Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and France. The powerful Habsburg family kept its hand on it until the late Renaissance times.

After the Napoleonic Wars, the Duchy of Luxembourg was granted to the Netherlands. It had a special status as a member of the German confederacy and the citadel was armed with a Prussian garrison. Luxembourg was still a strategic location that everybody sought to control. It was granted the title "Grand Duchy" in 1815 but lost some territories to France and Germany.

During the course of the 19th century, developments in warfare and the appearance of artillery made Luxembourg obsolete as a stronghold, and it became little more than a rural territory of no strategic interest. The Germans relinquished their rights over it and moved out their garrison, its western half was granted to Belgium in 1839, and the Netherlands granted it complete independence in 1867. Since then, Luxembourg has developed from a poor country of fields and farms into a modern economy relying on financial services and high-tech industries.

Overrun by Germany in both world wars, Luxembourg was one of the major battlefields of the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944-1945, a story well documented in the museum at Diekirch. The state ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and it joined NATO the following year. Cooperation among the Benelux countries had already existed after the First World War, but this time it proved to be a lot more important on a European scale. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union) and, in 1999, it joined the euro currency area. As most Luxembourgers are fluent in (at least) two languages (French and Luxembourgish/German), and the small country seems non-threatening to most of the EU, Luxembourgers have risen to high ranks in the EU administration. The most notable is Jean Claude Juncker, the president of the EU commission from 2014 to 2019.

Luxembourg's official national motto is called Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn, meaning "We want to remain what we are". It refers to the nation's ownership by foreign powers and its wish to remain as an independent state today and in the future.

In Jan 2020, it had an estimated population of 626,000.

Luxembourg enjoys a temperate oceanic climate, with the hills of the Ardennes providing some extra protection against the influences of the Atlantic. The best, or at least the sunniest time to go is May to August, although with a bit of luck you'll enjoy mild weather in April and September too. The warm months of July-August are high-season in the country, with outdoor festivals all around, but Spring comes with many flowers and Autumn comes with wine-making opportunities in the Moselle valley area.

Despite the small size of the country, there are measurable differences in overall temperature, with the north being generally a few degrees colder and receiving serious packs of snow in winter. Although comparatively mild for this part of Europe, winters are on the cold side for travels, with average temperatures around +2 °C in January and occasional low points of -15 °C at night. July and August are the warmest months, with average temperatures between 15 °C and 25 °C, and usually a few days over 30 °C. Annual precipitation is around 780 mm, with highs in August and December.

Mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the south.

• National holiday: National Day falls on 23 June (the birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte moved by 6 months to coincide with the warmer weather).

Luxembourg is a member of the Schengen Agreement. See Travelling around the Schengen Area for more information on how the scheme works, which countries are members and what the requirements are for your nationality. In summary:

• There are normally no immigration controls between countries that have signed and implemented the treaty.
• There are usually identity checks before boarding international flights or boats entering the Schengen Area. Sometimes there are temporary border controls at land borders.
• A visa granted for any Schengen member is valid in all other countries that have signed and implemented the treaty.

If you're from a country or territory that does not require a visa for the Schengen Area - except for Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Mauritius, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Seychelles - you are permitted to work in Luxembourg without having to obtain any authorisation during the period of the 90 day visa-free stay. However, this visa exemption does not necessarily extend to other Schengen countries.

• 🌍 Luxembourg Findel Airport (LUX ^IATA) (6 km (3.7 mi) outside Luxembourg-City). This airport is connected by Luxair, the national airline, and other carriers from many European destinations. A full timetable is available on the website of the airport. Visitors from airports not directly served can connect to Luxembourg at the hubs in Amsterdam Schiphol (served by KLM), Paris Charles de Gaulle (served by Air France and Luxair), Frankfurt Airport (served by Lufthansa), and London Heathrow (served by British Airways). International flights to Luxembourg with a change in a hub airport are often not much more expensive or even cheaper than flights to the hub itself. 
• Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN ^IATA), in the German countryside about halfway between Frankfurt and Luxembourg, is about two hours away by direct Flibco bus. This airport is mainly served by low-cost carriers such as Ryanair.
• Brussels-South Charleroi (CRL ^IATA), in Charleroi (about 50 km south of Brussels) is about three hours away by direct Flibco bus. This airport is also mainly served by low-cost carriers.
• Frankfurt Airport (FRA ^IATA) is a bit further afield. The DeLux-Express and Flibco bus services connect the airport with Luxembourg city.

• 🌍 Luxembourg train station. This station opened in 1859 can be reached directly from Paris (2 hours), Metz (1 hour), Brussels (3 hours) and Trier (43 min). Both international and national timetables can be found on the website of the national railways company CFL. Trains from Paris need to be booked in advance at SNCF's website, and have discounts for advanced bookings. Trains from Metz, Brussels, Trier, and other local destinations have neither advance discounts nor the possibility of reserving seats, so there is no advantage of booking these trains in advance. When travelling from Trier it is advisable to buy a TagesTicket DeLux, a day-ticket which costs €8.40 and is valid for a return trip to Luxembourg and free use of buses and trains within both Luxembourg and the Trier area.
  CFL operate a minibus shuttle between Luxembourg train station and TGV Lorraine where passengers can catch TGV connections to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Disneyland Paris, Rennes, Bordeaux and other destinations, and a bus shuttle to Saarbrücken, where passengers can connect to the German ICE network. 

Motorways from Metz (A3), Brussels (A6) and Trier (A1) connect to the ring-road around Luxembourg City, from which most other parts of the country can be reached.

If you want to enjoy a nice view on your way to the city, "Grund" and Kasematten, leave the motorway coming from the East (Germany) at exit "Cents". Enter Cents and drive down the hill. Don't let yourself be stopped by signs that the route is blocked via "Grund".

Luxembourg is served by a number of long-distance intercity buses. These include Flixbus, Regiojet and Flibco. In general, these buses are less convenient than trains as they do not run frequent (often only once per day). However, sometimes they turn out cheaper than trains.

In addition, there are commuter buses to nearby places such as Trier and Bitburg in Germany and Bastogne in Belgium.

The Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) train network is generally a good way to move across the country. Luxembourg city is the main railway hub, from where lines radiate out in all directions. While the south is reasonably well covered, the north is limited to one main line which runs from Luxembourg City to Liège in Belgium via Mersch, Ettelbruck, Clervaux and Troisvierges. Diekirch has a branch line from Ettelbruck, and Wiltz from Kautenbach. To the south, you can reach Bettembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette. To the east, there is a line to Trier in Germany, which crosses over the Moselle River at Wasserbillig.

Trains in Luxembourg are comfortable and modern, and generally run perfectly on-time.

Luxembourg city re-introduced trams in 2017. The single tram line runs from the eastern end of Kirchberg to the district of Bonnevoie, and is expected to connect the airport to the national stadium by 2024. A new rapid tram line is also under development to directly connect Luxembourg City to the second-largest city, Esch-sur-Alzette, and to the university in Belval by 2032.

The country is served by countless bus services, reaching every little village in the country. Most services run at least every hour throughout the week, with higher frequencies during weekdays and reduced operation on Saturdays and Sundays.

Buses numbered 1-31 serve the City of Luxembourg, with the most useful when arriving in the country being line 16 (Airport - Kirchberg - City Centre - Train Station - Howald) and 29 (Airport - City Centre - Train Station - Howald). Almost all city buses stop at the central bus station, Hamilius, and the train station (Luxembourg Gare) in their routes at some point, resulting in very high-frequent connections between these places (once every 1 or 2 minutes).

The bus service out of town is also extensive and reliable. Buses numbered 100 upwards will take you out of the city. For destinations in the north of the country, one usually first needs to take a train to Mersch, Ettelbruck, Wiltz, or Clervaux, and change there to a bus to the final destination. Other destinations usually have a direct bus from the capital.

Buses are modern and clean. Screens and announcements on-board advise of the next stop on most bus services. It is advisable to hail the bus you wish to catch by raising your hand towards the road as it arrives.

Luxembourg's road infrastructure is well-developed. Anywhere that happens to lie along the major motorways is easily accessible via these (including Grevenmacher in the east, Mamer to the west, Bettembourg to the south and Mersch and Ettelbruck in the north). Esch-sur-Alzette, the country's second city (more like a small town by international standards) also has its own motorway link.

Unless otherwise indicated, speed limits are 50 km/h in towns and villages, 90 km/h outside built-up areas, and 130 km/h on the motorway (110 km/h in the rain). Mind the yellow town/villagge shields which indicate when you enter or leave a town or village. Speed limits are raised by signs to 110 km/h in some places on the N7 and N11, and lowered to 70 km/h on some open country roads. Within towns and villages, speed limits can be raised to 70 km/h on main roads, or lowered to 30 km/h in residential areas. Speed limits are enforced by random police checks as well as fixed speed cams. Be aware that if you have a right-hand-drive car then you are very likely to be singled out for a customs check on the way in. Police are also very keen on stopping drivers for having the 'wrong' lights on in town, i.e. side lights instead of dipped headlights.

Driving in Luxembourg is nowhere as testing as in some other European countries. The locals are generally polite. When entering the highways from side roads into the slower traffic lane, the other drivers will allow you to join the traffic line, but traffic indicators are essential. As with other highways in Europe always keep in the slow traffic lane, keeping the fast lane for overtaking. Some drivers travel at high speeds and will flash their headlights to indicate that they are in a hurry, even if you are sitting on the speed limit. Most of the time trucks keep in the slow lane at their regulated speed for large vehicles. They can be a little annoying when overtaking other trucks. The truck drivers seem to keep a watch out for other vehicles. Cars towing caravans can be a bit of a menace at times but staying alert will ensure there are no problems. The closing speeds of vehicles need to be watched if overtaking, as some drivers travel well in excess of the speed limits. Speed cameras were introduced in Luxembourg in 2017, and now include both instantaneous speed and average speed cameras, which trigger if the speed limit is exceeded by more than 3 km/h.

Normal day-to-day driving in Luxembourg is a delight but traffic does slow down in peak times.

Finding parking in Luxembourg city centre on weekends can be difficult. Most spaces are quickly taken and some parking garages close early. The best option is to find somewhere near the station and then walk around the city centre.

Parking is paid within the entire city (including all residential districts). Traffic wardens are numerous and vigilant.

The streets and landscape in Luxembourg make for good cycling territory; highly recommended.

Luxembourg uses the euro, like several other European countries. One euro is divided into 100 cents. The official symbol for the euro is €, and its ISO code is EUR. There is no official symbol for the cent.

All banknotes and coins of this common currency are legal tender within all the countries, except that low-denomination coins (one and two cent) are phased out in some of them. The banknotes look the same across countries, while coins have a standard common design on the reverse, expressing the value, and a national country-specific design on the obverse. The obverse is also used for different designs of commemorative coins. The design of the obverse does not affect the coin's acceptability.

If you know any coin collectors, take a few local coins as keepsakes, since Luxembourg coins are among the rarest of the euros — even in Luxembourg, most of your change will be in other countries' coins!

The general price level in Luxembourg is noticeably higher than in France and Germany, especially in central Luxembourg. Even cheap hotels tend to cost over €100 a night and you won't get much change from €20 after a modest dinner and a drink. To save some money, basing yourself in Trier (or other cities across the border) and daytripping to Luxembourg might be an option.

On the upside, cigarettes, alcohol and petrol are comparatively cheap, making the small state a popular destination for long-haul drivers.

While most of the hereafter mentioned areas are perfectly safe in broad daylight, there are some areas that are sketchier under certain circumstances, for example late at night or if travelling alone.

In the bigger towns and settlements, crime tends to concentrate at and in the streets around railway stations, particularly harassment, pickpocketing or drug offences. In the south, this is especially the case in Luxembourg city, and in the urban areas in the canton Esch/Alzette. In the northern parts of the country, railway stations are mostly located in smaller villages and towns, and are therefore mostly safe at any time of the day, with the exception perhaps of Ettelbruck.

In Luxembourg City, crime tends to concentrate at nighttime around the central railway station (Quartier Gare), and in Bonnevoie. The most common offences are harassment, pickpocketing or drug offences, with sporadic muggings happening.

Note that since 2020 there has been a series of cases of necklace- and watch-snatching. Avoid therefore to wear flashy or expensive looking jewellery in the mentioned areas.

The urban areas of the Minette region have a reputation for being sketchier at night. Follow usual precautions around railway stations.

Outside of the bigger towns and railway hubs, the rural areas and villages, such as in the north, west and east of the country, are very safe at any time of the day. Violent crime is virtually nonexistent.

Enjoying the nature of Luxembourg is a pleasant way to relax, if you keep basic precautions in mind.

While hiking, it is advised to stay on marked paths if you are unfamiliar with the terrain. In the Ardennes, and especially in the Müllerthal region, it is not uncommon to encounter steep cliffs with drops of up to 30 m in the middle of the forest, sometimes only steps away from the hiking paths without being imminently visible. Another problem in these regions might be slippery rocks, especially after rainfall.

To reduce these risks when hiking in the Ardennes and Müllerthal, leave the flipflops at home and make sure to have appropriate footwear. Several tourists are injured each year because of unprepared expeditions in these regions, with some cases even having resulted in death.

The greatest danger you will encounter while out in nature are ticks and the diseases they transmit, most notably the lyme disease, with infection rates being as high as 20% in some areas of Luxembourg.

Before setting off into nature, make sure to inform yourself on how to protect yourself, how to remove ticks from your skin and how to recognize a lyme disease infection in the period after you have been bitten.