A day trip to Luxembourg City

Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, one of Europe’s smallest countries, with a population of about 450,000. Before I left for Belgium, I was studying a map where I saw how close it was to Luxembourg. And so I thought to myself, why not spend a day and explore what this small nation has to offer, so I did!

I travelled by myself, boarded the train in Brussels bound for Luxembourg City (from the train station called Luxembourg, go figure), a trip of about 2½ hours. I spent the trip reading a book and soon enough I arrived in a sunny and warm Luxembourg (having left grey and cloudy conditions in Brussels). First impressions at the central station is basically the same as most other stations around the world, they attract all sorts of people. 

As I made my way into the city centre, crossing a bridge, I was offered better views and soon came across the Palais Grand-Ducal, or Palace of the Grand Dukes, the former residence of the royal family. Although it was closed for a holiday and I wasn’t able to enter, it’s still an impressive sight with beautiful architecture. I continued walking along the Chemin de la Corniche, a pedestrian walkway known as ‘Europe’s most beautiful balcony,’ which offers beautiful views over the town and valley below. 

I soon came across “The Bock”, the site of the former castle whose last remains were pulled down in 1875. This is where the “Bock Casemates” are located, a 23-kilometer network of tunnels that earned Luxembourg the nickname “The Gibraltar of the north”. As a small section is open for tourist I wandered around for a bit, making the tour a bit longer than expected as I reached a dead-end, forcing me to go back where I came from and spending more time here than originally planned. These tunnels however offered great views over the city and were given UNESCO World Heritage designation in 1994.

After all that time in the tunnels I was really hungry and thirsty and found a less crowded spot where I enjoyed some food and of course, a nice cold local beer! After my meal, I explored the city further before it was time to head down to the train station for the train back to Brussels.

While Luxembourg is indeed a small country and the capital is never going to rival major metropolises, it’s a beautiful city with its own charm and does have a few hidden treasures. I would not tell anyone not to visit, but a trip here and be covered off in a very short amount of time.