What to do in Luxembourg City?
May 17th, 2006, 06:49 AM
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What to do in Luxembourg City?
I'm planning a trip to Maastrict Nederland, Bruxelles & Western Germany next year! Would like to go to Luxembourg City as well. Please suggest things to do in and near this city. I like history (medieval, castles, old areas of towns, etc.) art, music, nature (gardens, forests), boat tours, food, und BIER!!!, etc. Thanks Much! Vielen Dank! Dank U Wel....
May 27th, 2007, 11:02 AM
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Having studied in Luxembourg and visiting many times, I can recommend some very special places to visit. First of all, stay at the Hotel Francais on the Place d' Armes. This is the central square in the heart of the city and during the warm months provides a beautiful collection of outdoor cafe's, restaurants, fountains, and local orchestras. Request a room with a view onto the square. Seondly, you will want to find the elevator to the 'Grund' (only a short walk from the main square). The Grund is the valley that sits below Luxembourg city which sits like a fortress on top of cliffs. When you reach the bottom, find Scott's pub which has a beautiful patio on the Alzette River with stunning views up to the old city. Also visit the casemates which are the cave like battle poitions from medieval times that are dug into the cliffs high above the valley floor. These are at the edge of the old city and very near the main square (Place d' Armes). The old town is not large and mainly surrounds the area between the main square and the Palace of the Royal family. The small cobbled backstreets have some fantastic bistros and cafe's in a very old world setting. Also, my ONE recommendation for a visit into the Luxembourg countryside is to the town of Vianden. It is one of the most beautiful settings in Europe with cobbled streets leading down to a river valley and stunning castle guarding the town from a hilltop. There is also a popular chairlift in town which takes you on a ride up to a lookout point with views of the river valley, town, and castle. The view is absolutely beautiful, one of my favorite in all of Europe. If you can spend one night in Vianden, stay at the Hotel Heintz and absorb the medieval atmosphere, church bells will wake you in the morning. You can rent a car and drive to Vianden on well marked roads or do a train/bus combination from Luxembourg city. It takes about one hour and is well worth the visit. As for beer, the three local beers are great but Diekirch is my favorite choice. One other note, there is an American military cemetary just outside the city with a direct bus from the center of town (20 minutes). General Patton is actually buried here and it is well worth a visit if you like military history. The tourist information office is on the main square (Place d' Armes) and can provide you with information on all of these places. Have a great time. Lux is a special place.
May 28th, 2007, 05:10 AM
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My husband and I (and our friend travelling with us) really enjoyed touring Luxembourg City, as well as the country, on our visit there in 2003.
We travelled by train from Maastricht, and stopped in Clervaux for the <u>Family of Man</u> photographic exhibition in the Chateau. We were so "blown away" by the 500+ photos, interspersed with poetry and verse, that we never did make it to the Battle of the Bulge museum, also located in the Chateau. Just a word of caution if you are travelling by train, there are no luggage lockers at the station, although the station master is happy to look after your bags... if he's around. We arrived just before 15:00 and he was leaving for the day. Lucky for us, one of the hotels across the street from the station let us stash our luggage in their coat room. We often talk about going back to Clervaux to see the <u>Family of Man</u> exhibit again. We have the book, but it's not quite the same.
From Clervaux we travelled to Ettelbruck, where we had about an hour long layover before we caught the bus to Vianden, which we found to be both medieval and quaint (the town, not the bus). The town is set in the Our River Valley, with a wonderful fortress/castle looming over the region.
We had a lovely stay at the Hotel Victor Hugo, nice recently refurbished room, good breakfast in the morning, right in the middle of town, by the bridge which crosses the river.
http://www.hotelvictorhugo.lu/
We had a delicious dinner on the terrace over the river at the restaurant across the street from the hotel, the Auberge.
We toured the castle the next morning, which is a self guided tour, so you can take as long as you like to wander around, enjoying the views over the valley, or exploring the different corners of the castle. Our favorite room was the chapel, with it's interesting shapes and it's beautiful colors.
We then trained to Luxembourg City, and spent the rest of the day and evening exploring one of the most unique cities we've ever visited. We are usually attracted to a city by the buildings, museums, etc... But the charm of Luxembourg City lies in it's geographical setting. The main part of the city is built on top of a rock outcropping, and the neighborhood area, the Grund, is in the valley, down below, where the Alzette and the Petrusse Rivers meet. Also down there is a beautiful park that is certainly worth a stroll through. You will find steps at various places to take you back up to the top, but I would suggest using the elevator, which is near the Grund.
Back on the top, be sure to stroll along the Chemin de la Corniche where you will find some of the best views of the valley and the Bock Casemates, which should not be missed. These were so cool to explore... my husband really enjoyed them and wants to figure a way to get back to Luxembourg during our next trip to Germany, just to spend more time exploring all the nooks and crannies in the casemates.
We stayed at the Hotel Carlton, which is a business hotel located not far from the train station. Our room was recently renovated, complete with internet connection.
http://www.carlton.lu/
Hope this information helps with your planning. Enjoy Luxembourg. Peace, Robyn
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We travelled by train from Maastricht, and stopped in Clervaux for the <u>Family of Man</u> photographic exhibition in the Chateau. We were so "blown away" by the 500+ photos, interspersed with poetry and verse, that we never did make it to the Battle of the Bulge museum, also located in the Chateau. Just a word of caution if you are travelling by train, there are no luggage lockers at the station, although the station master is happy to look after your bags... if he's around. We arrived just before 15:00 and he was leaving for the day. Lucky for us, one of the hotels across the street from the station let us stash our luggage in their coat room. We often talk about going back to Clervaux to see the <u>Family of Man</u> exhibit again. We have the book, but it's not quite the same.
From Clervaux we travelled to Ettelbruck, where we had about an hour long layover before we caught the bus to Vianden, which we found to be both medieval and quaint (the town, not the bus). The town is set in the Our River Valley, with a wonderful fortress/castle looming over the region.
We had a lovely stay at the Hotel Victor Hugo, nice recently refurbished room, good breakfast in the morning, right in the middle of town, by the bridge which crosses the river.
http://www.hotelvictorhugo.lu/
We had a delicious dinner on the terrace over the river at the restaurant across the street from the hotel, the Auberge.
We toured the castle the next morning, which is a self guided tour, so you can take as long as you like to wander around, enjoying the views over the valley, or exploring the different corners of the castle. Our favorite room was the chapel, with it's interesting shapes and it's beautiful colors.
We then trained to Luxembourg City, and spent the rest of the day and evening exploring one of the most unique cities we've ever visited. We are usually attracted to a city by the buildings, museums, etc... But the charm of Luxembourg City lies in it's geographical setting. The main part of the city is built on top of a rock outcropping, and the neighborhood area, the Grund, is in the valley, down below, where the Alzette and the Petrusse Rivers meet. Also down there is a beautiful park that is certainly worth a stroll through. You will find steps at various places to take you back up to the top, but I would suggest using the elevator, which is near the Grund.
Back on the top, be sure to stroll along the Chemin de la Corniche where you will find some of the best views of the valley and the Bock Casemates, which should not be missed. These were so cool to explore... my husband really enjoyed them and wants to figure a way to get back to Luxembourg during our next trip to Germany, just to spend more time exploring all the nooks and crannies in the casemates.
We stayed at the Hotel Carlton, which is a business hotel located not far from the train station. Our room was recently renovated, complete with internet connection.
http://www.carlton.lu/
Hope this information helps with your planning. Enjoy Luxembourg. Peace, Robyn
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