Guide to Europe’s Microstates: Luxembourg

Posted by Razvan on May 12, 2013 in Uncategorized

Quick facts (most recent available data)
Population: 537,853 (32nd smallest country by population)
Area: 2,586 sq km (28th smallest country by area)
GDP per capita (PPP): 80,700$ (3rd)

Visiting Luxembourg

Location and how to get there: Landlocked country located between Germany, Belgium and France. I took a flight from Zurich to reach Luxembourg City. Map

Why visit? Luxembourg City, the country’s capital, has a delightful old town which is absolutely charming; try to get nice sunny weather when you visit and keep your camera handy as you’ll be compelled to take way too many pictures. The Casemates Bock are the city’s most spectacular attraction – 17 km of defensive tunnels dug into rocks surrounding the old town. The pedestrianised Grand Rue will take care of your shopping and dining needs, while Kirchberg is the site of many EU institutions. There are some nice marked walking tours of the city and food is excellent.

Recommended visit duration: 1-2 days

Fun facts:

The country’s head of state is the Grand Duke, Luxembourg being the world’s only remaining Grand Duchy
The Belgian revolution of 1830-1839 reduced Luxembourg’s territory by more than half, as the country’s francophone western part was transferred to Belgium
Luxembourg was one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (which later became the European Union)
I’ve had the best cheese fondue and the best lemon tart in my life in the Grand Rue area of Luxembourg City.

Review of my trip to Luxembourg

After visiting the microstates of Southern Europe I expected something different from Luxembourg. Like Malta (but unlike the smaller microstates), the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is an official member of the EU. While the population is only 19% higher than Malta’s, Luxembourg is 8 times larger in area; some people don’t even consider it a microstate.

After a delayed flight from Zurich and being met by some cloudy weather, I am somewhat disappointed with Luxembourg City. It looks very much like your typical city in Belgium or the Netherlands; nothing really stands out. Could this be the first disappointing European microstate for me? It surely seems like it.

The pedestrianised Grand Rue is nice and clean, full of shops, restaurants, cafes and urban art. There’s a band preparing for an outdoor show and a generally relaxed atmosphere. It starts getting slightly better for me, but not by much. Everything looks too generic and I can’t seem to grasp the country’s distinct personality.

The first sign of good things to come is the pretty Adolphe Bridge, one of the city’s most well known landmarks.

There’s an interesting topography to be found in Luxembourg City. The city occupies a cliff dropping into the valleys of rivers Alzette and Petrusse which allows for more cool bridges. I also find some cool looking monuments, statues and official buildings in the central area of the city.

My next destination is Casemates Bock. A network of 17 kilometers dug into the cliffs surrounding the old town, the Casemates are a delight to visit. I found the place very interesting with its at times confusing structure, slightly claustrophobic stairways and a very nice lighting system that adds to the experience.

Night falls, there’s an office building which glows in kaleidoscopic colors and an art gallery that says All Art Has Been Contemporary in bright blue neon.

The next day things really start to look up. I discover the old town bathed in warm morning sunlight and it’s one of the most charming places that I’ve ever seen. Luxembourg goes back to cool microstate status.

I take way too many pictures of cool autumn colors, nice houses and a cute river passing through town. This place is an absolute delight to explore and more than makes up for the disappointing impression I got the previous day.

The old town is located in a small valley, with imposing cliffs, cool bridges and the Casemates Bock to be seen above. After a couple of hours wandering around I check out a local church and head back to the Grand Rue for some more excellent food.

The next destination is the Kirchberg district which is the location of major EU institutions including the EU Court of Justice, the EU Commission, the secretariat of the EU Parliament and the European Investment Bank. It’s a bit far to walk and the place is deserted over the weekend. I check out some of the buildings and the impressive Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge with a length of 74 meters passing over the Alzette valley.

I get back to the central area; some more funky sculptures and one interesting religious procession later, it’s time leave.

I’d have loved to see some of Luxembourg outside of the capital city; this is not a country that you explore by foot and I didn’t rent a car. I add Luxembourg to the list of cool European microstates and prepare to head for my next destination: tiny Liechtenstein.

See more pictures in my Luxembourg photo album:

More information available in the Luxembourg country profiles on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage.