Luxembourg – Luxembourg city

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Luxembourg, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, one of the three official capitals of the EU and housing the EU Court of Justice. It wealds big power for such a small sized country! The city has a sprawling, modern, financial and admin area, but walk away from here to the other side of town and you find a subterranean, fortified, semi-citadel, dozens of mediaeval streets, a separate old town area and bridges over a hidden city gorge.

So, my visit to Luxembourg was a very brief one with a friend and I did not take many pics at all as I had not thought of starting up this blog at that point,

The city is a mix of architectural styles, history, and layouts. It reminded me much of northern France with a touch of German Alpine – which I guess does somewhat describe its location in Europe !

Where I stayed in Luxembourg.

We stayed at the Double Tree Hilton, (click for info), which although regarded as in an out of town location, was actually a 20 min walk or quick bus ride into the  city. Being a small city, unless you want to see the countryside or other cities nearby, means that it is a very walkable city indeed.

The hotel has a free shuttle bus service to and from the airport. A quick email to the hotel’s reception with my flight details and booking before arrival meant that we were were picked up punctually and on our way to the hotel.

The hotel is actually quite tall and of a 1970’s style but the inside was very creative and comfy.

The room really modern and comfy and despite it being in the minuses outside, was toasty warm.

Our room view was one that looked over the nearby snowy Winterland scene of the hills and  forests on the outskirts of the city.

I would recommend it as an “out of centre but walkable into city ” hotel.

Business/Govt area of Kirchberg.

One part of the city is completely modern and new, housing the Philharmonic Hall, EU Courts of Justice and EU Parliament building.

The MUDAM Art building is in a astoundingly stylish modern building and only opened in 2016 and worth a visit. Click here for Museum info.

Nearby is also a convention Centre, University, several upmarket large modern hotels etc and usually referred to as the Kirchberg Plateau. Why Plateau ? Well putting it bluntly the area sits on a flat plateau between two gorges that semi-overlooks the city.

This area is worth a stroll around if you want to get a feel for the thumping heart of EU administration in full glory. The buildings housing these institutions are architecturally impressive and on a grandiose scale, although many may say they can be somewhat bland.

Being a fan of modern buildings with a creative edge, I actually enjoyed them a lot.

You can mix in some pleasure here too, as we managed to get tickets to the Philharmonic for the next day. The tickets were not expensive and we were amazed that some were even available on the day for what was a great performance.  Luckily we were visiting the next door fabulous Modern Art Gallery. for a culture  overload day and spotted the availability.

If you want to see EU Govt in force you can even walk up to the front area of the EU Parliament in the road (inside by appointment only). Here you just stand and watch the cars come and go (and guess which dignitary is in the car) or just gaze at the iconic building from across the road.

Old Town area.

It is easy enough to walk from here to the old town centre and there are plentiful and easy buses to catch from comfortable seated bus stops. If you walk, you pass over the huge, famous bridge that gives photogenic views downward to the gorge it spans and the river Alzette below.

The old city centre houses the historic buildings and I found on my walk there, that the best way was to continue on the road from the bridge, pass and admire the Grand Theatre. Then walk down Avenue de la Port Neuve and enter the massive series of beautifully green (in Summer!) parks to your right.

There are statues, walkways, small civic buildings and views to the grandiose buildings lining the main road next to the park.

Keep going till the end and you arrive at two parallel bridges again now spanning the continuation of the gorge around the city that you crossed on the earlier bridge.

Gardens of Luxembourg area.

Suffice to say the the city sits on a near horseshoe shaped high plateau (there’s that word again!), overlooking the river gorge. Walk into town from here, passing through Constitution Square containing a memorial obelisk dedicated to World War II soldiers, freedom & resistance.

It has views over the Gardens of Luxembourg. Then go back up to the next-door square, with the Remembrance Monument again, overlooking the gorge.

Turn around and you will see the beginnings of Notre Dame Cathedral and the opening to the major historical centre containing the City Hall. Here also is the medieval Place Guillaume, tourist office and the nearby Place de Clairefontaine with the monument to the Grande Duchesse.

Go a few streets further and you come across the Ducal Palace (the Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the Monarch), with the Parliament building next door. Both surprisingly small but with traditionally dressed but armed sentries outside.

There are several major museums in this area too but having seen the Modern Art Gallery and being on a tight time scale we skipped them and headed for the road that overlooks the other side of the city.

Casements

It faces towards the Casement structure, an internal cavern built into the gorge wall as a defence mechanism that, in the past, held canons. The casement has an entry fee and a museum

This also give majestic views down to the lower-city area called Grund.

Grund area

This is a throw back to 15th Century Luxembourg, with some wonderfully preserved riverside houses, often converted into picturesque restaurants and bars. If you can deal with the long sloping walks down and then the somewhat energetic climb back up, take a walk down to stroll around the area.

The atmosphere in Grund is quite different to the more 17/18th century upper town. Here also, is the massive Neumunster Abbey cultural centre that holds exhibitions and events throughout the year.

So, my brief visit to this charming city ends here. As a small city, it holds such international and European importance, politically and financially. You will notice this in its affluence and atmosphere, but if you are wanting a quiet weekend trip away, in historical surroundings ,this could be the place for you.

If you are looking for a second city to enjoy in this area of Europe take a look at my Amsterdam, Netherlands post here. The city is only a 1 hour flight or 4 hour car drive away. Even closer by train is Brussels in just over 3 hours and Paris in just over 2 hours – both by fast express trains.

Feb 2016.