What's the deal with Luxembourg?
 

I will be taking the train from Germany to Paris, and will be passing through Luxembourg. I have tried to look through books (granted, only the ones that I have at home right now), but have not found much helpful information. Is this city worth a stop or an overnight? I was thinking that I might want to see it since I have to pay extra on my Europass to pass through it! Or would it be best to just go through it? I would be giving up one night out of 3 in either Colmar or the Mosel Valley in order to see Lux. Thanks in advance for any advice. <BR>Keri

What city is that in Luxembourg?

Lux. City is definitely worth a stop; very classy & lots of historical interests. Both the Colmar & Mosel regions are great, so I wouldn't know which to tell you to cut a day. <BR>

x- Luxembourg City <BR> <BR>johnny- thanks for the advice. I am leaning toward going, but I also don't know where to cut out a night...tough decision because they both sound great to me!

What language is spoken there?

Hi Keri. Since you're going to be in the Mosel Valley, were you thinking of spending any time in Trier, Germany? I went there in 1980 to visit a German woman I'd met in Ireland, not knowing anything about the city itself, and found it to be a very interesting, and picturesque, town with interesting Roman ruins and baths. "Oldest City in Germany" is what their website says (http://www.trier.de/d/indexdhtml.htm)

Drove through Luxembourg a few years ago in June. Country was great; food was very good,cheaper than France or Germany; can rent a bike and go about; many WW2 sites; Patton is big hero.

Luxembourg City is very interesting; have not explored the rest of the country, but remember reading a travelogue a while ago about how beautiful the country is. Here's a website that might help (agreed that guidebooks are pretty light on info): <BR>http://www.luxembourg.co.uk/

I have taken the train trip you are talking about 2x. It is a long one, but the first time we thought maybe we would stop off and explore the city for an hour or two. Did not do so, b/c we got in later than we thought. You may be able to see some of the fortifications, on a brief stopover. I would second the stop in Trier. We spent the night there last time to break up the trip from the Rhine to Paris. <BR>

Jeff- <BR>I was also considering staying in Trier one night to break up the trip to Paris. I still haven't decided.

Keri - a couple thoughts: I vaguely remember a Rick Steves video that spent a second or two on Lux. and Trier and the Rhine (I think it was the same video). Probably avail. at your library. Lux. looked very neat. Trier's city center is walkable, though it can be a long walk. Neat square, Porta Nigra, roman baths, and churches. I wouldn't say it was the highlight of our trip, but it was a nice visit, and a good transition from the Rhine/mosel (small towns) to Paris (big!). Because it is near the border, some residents speak French, or at least our hostess did. If you haven't considered it already, consider a stop along the Mosel, perhaps a tour of Burg Eltz. We also toured the castle at Cochem (Reichsburg). If you want to visit Burg Eltz and are arriving by train, let me know. It is not as easy as Rick STeves would have you think.

Keri, Lux City is a big city, international banking area, but the fortifications are interesting and it has some pretty areas. Given the choice between it and Trier, however, I think you'd make a mistake not to stay in Trier (which is only a short drive away). By car, you can reach Trier by driving across the Mosel on a bridge built by the Romans and still in use today. Beginning at the Porta Nigra, one of the original Roman gates into the city, you can walk down the pedestrian mall past Karl Marx's birthplace to the Dom, where what is reputed to be Christ's robe is kept. Then you can walk past antique shops which still carry Roman artifacts such as small oil lamps for sale, past the Prince Electors Palace, to the Basilika, which was the Roman Emperor Constantine's throne room and is now a Protestant church. The city is spread out along the banks of the Mosel and so, of course, has weinstubes where you may "probe" the varietals of the region, and further afield, the ruins of a Roman bath, and the church where the apostle St. Mattias is buried. In either city, you will have a wonderful time, but I recommend Trier to you if you're at all interested in history.

I agree that Trier is a very worthwhile city to visit, expecially if you're interested in Roman and early Christian history. The Roman Museum was a good walk-through, and mostly in German, but it contains an amazing number of pieces. The theatre and the baths (pretty close to rubble, now) can be visited too. There are a couple of exquisite churches in the middle of town, the Dom, containing the robe of Christ in a sealed glass vault and a very good display of church items of art in the "Schatzkammer", and the Liebfrauenkirche, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with origins in the early part of the first century, and the Basilica a bit further from the center, all walkable from the town's main square, which is a nice, well-preserved area of shops and restaurants. There are <BR>bus and walking tours that begin from the center, some in English. <BR> <BR>Trier can be done by daytrip from Cochem or other Mosel towns if you get an early start. <BR> <BR>Here's a link to some photos of stuff there: <BR> <BR>www.trier.de/tourismus/english/news1_e.htm

Thanks everyone for the info. I found out (from Russ) that I actually don't even have to pass through Luxembourg to get to Paris if I go through some other towns. I think I will do that so that we don't have to pay the $100 to add Lux. to our train passes. It also sounds like Trier is a good place to go. I was planning on staying on the Mosel (maybe Cochem) for 3 nights before heading to Paris...would it make sense to stay in Trier for the 3rd night instead?

Hi, Keri. <BR> <BR>You can, but it might not be worth packing, unpacking, and getting to a new hotel. Trier is only about 45 min. from Cochem on the RE train; you might prefer to just stay in Cochem and relax on the train after what probably will have been quite a bit of walking around in Trier.

polly- luxembourgian is the language of<BR>luxembourg. never been there but a good friend of mine is. if everyone in <BR>lux. is as sweet as she is, it's gotta<BR>be a great place to visit.