Luxembourg City is the capitol of Luxembourg. It is perched on a rocky plateau and protected by a deep ravine. It is a compact city with a breathtaking setting. Upon stepping off the train, Luxembourg immediately reminded us of a “petite Paris”. The train station, which is in baroque revival-style, is a marvel in itself. This immaculate city, which was not ravaged by WWII, is filled with original, traditional, classic buildings. Not surprisingly, Luxembourg is one of the world’s richest counties. We have spent two delightful but rainy days walking around the historic old quarter of the city called Upper Town. The city is so tiny and compact that it is truly a walking city. There is a tremendous amount of construction underway, mostly rehabilitation versus new construction. The city center is divided into two components, old town which sits high and the Grund, a small neighborhood below old town on the Alzette River.
We were surprised to see the picturesque old town streets not overrun by tourists, especially since it is mid-June. We have since read that Luxembourg is not a big tourist city. Luxembourg is somewhat difficult to get to; as, we had to change trains 3 times and the Luxembourg hotels, in general, are limited. We did see a couple of Chinese tours but not nearly the number that we have seen in other cities. Most of the the tourists seemed to be French. It is EU’s powerhouse with significant operations here. Luxembourg is one of three “headquarter” cities.
On our first day, we took several self-guided walking tours of the city. Luxembourg is full of stunning buildings and vistas. We peaked inside the stark but grand Notre Dame Cathedral, strolled pass the Grand Ducal Palace, Cornishe Monument of Rememberance, Constitution Square and the main square called Place Guillaume I. We were overwhelmed by the magnificence of this place.
After a wonderful seafood lunch, we took the Wenzel Walking Tour of the “Grund” on our own. The Grund quarter is one of the oldest parts of Luxembourg City; and, it can only be accessed by foot or via a lift which descends through the cliff. Here you will find the old city walls, defense casements, and towers. In one area during our walking tour, the city incorporated these walls & towers into a significant senior living facility. The architecture worked quite well. This itty-bitty adorable hamlet is popular for its bars and nightlife; however, everything appeared very, very quiet during out stroll through the hamlet. One interesting fact we learned is that the population of the Grund is only 784 people, of which only 33% are Luxembourgers! And, of course, it has a UNESCO World Heritage designation. We are not sure that this designation means much anymore since it seems like every place and/or area on our World Tour is a UNESCO site.
You don’t visit Luxembourg for the sights, there are not many. We think the magic of Luxembourg is in the scenery and lush green landscape. We loved exploring all the enchanting side streets, pretty hidden parks and spectacular views from the old fortification walls. The city has an amazing diversity; as, we were told that there are people from over 150 nationalities living here. One other note we might add is that the Luxembourg women are very fashion conscious just like French women. We were taken back by their impeccable tailored style with a subtle, very tasteful flamboyance. We haven’t seen a lot of pink, green or purple hair here!
