Luxembourg

Understand

Tourism information, 6, rue Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, ☏ +352 428 2821. (updated Jan 2024)

History The city of Luxembourg proper was founded in 963, and its strategic position soon promised it a great future. Luxembourg was at the crossroads of Western Europe and became heavily fortified. You can still see the extensive city walls and towers which form its distinctive cityscape. Due to its key position, Luxembourg became a duchy that once included a much larger territory stretching into present-day Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and France. The powerful Habsburg family kept its hand on it until the late Renaissance times. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Duchy of Luxembourg was granted to the Netherlands. It had a special status as a member of the German confederacy and the citadel was armed with a Prussian garrison. Luxembourg was still a strategic location that everybody sought to control. It was granted the title "Grand Duchy" in 1815 but lost some territories to France and Germany. During the course of the 19th century, developments in warfare and the appearance of artillery made Luxembourg obsolete as a stronghold, and it became little more than a rural territory of no strategic interest. The Germans relinquished their rights over it and moved out their garrison, its western half was granted to Belgium in 1839, and the Netherlands granted it complete independence in 1867. Since then, Luxembourg has developed from a poor country of fields and farms into a modern economy relying on financial services and high-tech industries.

Overrun by Germany in both world wars, Luxembourg was one of the major battlefields of the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944-1945, a story well documented in the museum at Diekirch. The state ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entere

See

You may not expect it from one of the smallest countries in Europe, but The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a diverse land, full of beautiful nature and gorgeous historic monuments. Its turbulent history is filled with stories of emperors and counts with the surviving Luxembourg monarchy as well as many battles and disputes. Today, the almost fairy-tale like castles and fortresses are a faint but impressive reminder of those days, and amidst their lovely natural setting, they make some superb and picturesque sights.

Most of the country's population lives in rural areas and apart from the delightful historic City of Luxembourg, the country's capital, settlements are mostly small. That said, the capital is a place not to be missed. It has a splendid location high on a cliff, overlooking the deep and narrow valleys of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers. Several parts of the old town are listed

Getting there

Border formalities

Luxembourg is a member of the Schengen Agreement. See Travelling around the Schengen Area for more information on how the scheme works, what countries are members and what the requirements are for your nationality. In summary:

There are normally no immigration controls between countries that have signed and implemented the treaty; there may be such controls temporarily, such as in connection with important events and various crises. The operators may carry out identity checks before passengers board international flights, ferries or trains, even between Schengen countries. Citizens of the EEA countries and Switzerland do not need visas to travel in the Schengen area, and may stay up to 90 days with no requirements other than having a valid ID card or passport. See European Union#EEA citizens. Normal visas granted by any Schengen member are valid in all countries that have signed and implemented the treaty (with exceptions for some overseas territories). The granting country may offer additional rights (such as longer stays or right to work) that apply only locally. If you're from a country or territory that does not require a visa for the Schengen Area - except for Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Mauritius, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Seychelles - you are permitted to work in Luxembourg without having to obtain any authorisation during the period of the 90 day visa-free stay. However, this visa exemption does not necessarily extend to other Schengen countries.

By plane 1 Luxembourg Findel Airport (LUX IATA) (6 km (3.7 mi) outside Luxembourg-City). This airport is connected by Luxair, the national airline, and other carriers from many European destinations. A full timetable is available on the website of the airport. Visitors from airp

Getting around

Luxembourg is a compact country, making it easy to reach nearly any town in the country in an hour or less by public transport. The Mobilitéit agency coordinates the country's trains and buses; their website and mobile app are both very useful for planning journeys throughout Luxembourg. Since 29 February 2020, most public transport in Luxembourg has been free. You only need a ticket for cross-border journeys, or if you wish to travel first class on the train.

By train The Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) train network is generally a good way to move across the country. Luxembourg city is the main railway hub, from where lines radiate out in all directions. While the south is reasonably well covered, the north is limited to one main line which runs from Luxembourg City to Liège in Belgium via Mersch, Ettelbruck, Clervaux and Troisvierges. Diekirch has a branch line from Ettelbruck, and Wiltz from Kautenbach. To the south, you can reach Bettembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette. To the east, there is a line to Trier in Germany, which crosses over the Moselle River at Wasserbillig. Trains in Luxembourg are comfortable and modern, and generally run perfectly on-time.

By tram Luxembourg city re-introduced trams in 2017. The single tram line no. T1 runs from the airport diagonally through the city core and Gare Centrale to Station in the southwest. A new rapid tram line is also under development, to directly connect Luxembourg City to the second-largest city, Esch-sur-Alzette, and to the university in Belval, by 2032.

By bus The country is served by countless bus services, reaching every little village in the country. Most services run at least every hour throughout the week, with higher frequencies during weekdays and reduced operation on Saturdays and Sundays. Buses nu