Luxembourg is a tiny country sandwiched between Belgium, France, and Germany. More than 120 different languages are spoken there and it is a country where immigrants make up the majority of the population. It is also home to many of the institutions of the European Union (the Court of Justice, for example). I chose Luxembourg because of its fall weather (think turning leaves, clouds, and lower temperatures) as well as the ability to see a large part of the country in only a 6-day trip.
Luxembourg City: I arrived early on Tuesday morning and dedicated Tuesday and Wednesday to seeing the capital. My impression from researching Luxembourg is that most people scurry through in 1 day and then leave, which is a shame because it leaves a lot of things unseen! I grabbed a quick breakfast and headed toward the center, where I immediately saw the statue of Duchess Charlotte (who reigned from 1919-1964 after a referendum by the people) and the Palais Grand-Ducal (city hall), and then went to the National Museum of History and Art, which is free and also where I learned a lot about Luxembourg from its independence in 1815 until the present day. I walked around the Ville Haute (old town), visited a couple English language bookstores, and then visited the Bock casemates, which were originally part of Luxembourg Castle’s dungeons (the castle was demolished) and then served as bomb shelters during the World Wars.
On my second day I visited the European Court of Justice, the Philharmonic, and the Luxembourg City Museum before heading to the Petrusse casemates, much like the ones at Bock but much more extensive and with a guided tour. I saw the Notre Dame Cathedral and then continued on to Fort Thüngen and the Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art.
Sprinkled throughout the other afternoons were the Ville Vauban art museum (my favorite), the Neimenster Abbey, and the Pfaffenthal funicular and the Pfaffenthal elevator. I was torn on which one to do, but both were free so I ended up doing both and can say that the elevator had significantly better views.
I should also mention that Luxembourg has a museum pass that you can purchase for 1, 2, or 3 days that gives free access to a bunch of museums and castles all over the country. It was well worth it for me because as you all probably know by now, I am a museum lover.
An excellent thing about Luxembourg is that all public transportation is free in the whole country, so I took advantage and went to three villages:
First was Clervaux, known for its castle, which in addition to showcasing miniatures of all the castles in Luxembourg, also houses The Family of Man photo exhibit (see some pictures below). The Abbey of St. Maurice and St. Maurus is also a 20-minute walk up in the hills around the town, which meant I got a lovely dose of fall leaves. 🙂
Next was Vianden, which is probably the most well-known tourist destination in Luxembourg because of it is home to the biggest castle in the country, situated on the top of a hill, so of course it is super photogenic. There is also a small museum dedicated to Victor Hugo, who lived in the town for a few months, and a chairlift that takes you high up one of the mountains around the town to a café. Although the café was already closed for the season, the vantage point offered stunning views of the surrounding area and even of the castle. It was pouring rain the whole day, so of course I got soaked, but what does that matter now? It was an amazing day.
My final stop was Echternach, a charming town of 5,000 people that also boasts to being the oldest village in the country. The Willbrordus Abbey is quite impressive, and there were lovely walking paths along the river that separates Luxembourg from Germany. I also went to Beaufort Castle upon leaving Echternach; the free public transport made tacking on other places and stops a really easy thing to do!
Since the last year has been filled with absolutely massive destinations (South Africa, India, Antarctica), which were also, ahem, expensive, I will be focusing on some smaller European countries for the time being. Looking at you, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Andorra…
