In short
Luxembourg City is the capital of one of Europe's smallest states, and it is built on gorges: the Alzette and Pétrusse valleys cut the city by several tens of metres, giving it an unexpected relief and spectacular bridges.
The Ville Haute is the historic centre, on the plateau, World Heritage listed along with its fortifications. The Grund, below in the valley, is the old quarter at the water's edge. The Kirchberg, to the north-east, is the plateau of the European institutions and the banks.
The country has three official languages: Luxembourgish, French and German, used simultaneously according to context.
Arriving and getting around
Findel airport is six kilometres from the centre.
Public transport has been free throughout the country since 1 March 2020 — buses, trains and tram — Luxembourg being the first country in the world to generalise it. Two caveats: first class on trains remains chargeable, and the free travel stops at the border; cross-border journeys from France, Belgium or Germany require a ticket. Sources: transports.public.lu and mobiliteit.lu, verified 23/09/2026.
A free public lift links the Pfaffenthal to the Kirchberg plateau, and a funicular completes the network: the differences in level are crossed without effort.
What it really costs
Luxembourg has one of the highest standards of living in Europe, and accommodation and eating out reflect it.
Free transport offsets part of the bill, and many cross-border workers live in France, Belgium or Germany, less than an hour away.
When to come
May–September. Winter is cold and grey; the Christmas market enlivens the centre in December.
Hotels target business travellers: rates fall at weekends.
What nobody tells you
The Bock casemates are a network of galleries cut into the rock beneath the city, remnants of a fortress dismantled in 1867. Several kilometres can be visited, and they sheltered thousands of people during the Second World War.
The Chemin de la Corniche, running along the top of the ramparts above the Grund, has been described as "the most beautiful balcony in Europe" and is walked free of charge.
The Mullerthal region, known as "little Luxembourg Switzerland", is a sandstone massif of paths and gorges half an hour away by train — free, therefore. Vianden Castle, to the north, is one of the most imposing in Europe.
The country is crossed by car in an hour and a half: everything here is a day trip.
