Things to do in Luxembourg City
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Palais Grand-Ducal
Moorish-style Palais Grand-Ducal was built during Spanish rule in the 1570s and later expanded. The royals once resided here but today it's used as the Grand Duke's office and for formal receptions (the family lives at the chateau of Colmar-Berg). The palace opens for one-hour guided tours (just 40 tickets per tour) in summer. Book at the Luxembourg City Tourist Office.
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Luxembourg City History Museum
The Luxembourg City History Museum is another enjoyable multilevel complex, highlighted by a glass elevator that beautifully reveals the Old Town's rocky geology. Lower floors trace the city's history via a series of wooden maquettes, while the upper levels occupy splendid public rooms of a former mansion. Pick up the free English-language guide at reception.
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Bock Casemates
The Bock Casemates is a honeycomb of damp rock galleries and passages carved under the Bock by the Spaniards in 1744. Over the years the casemates have housed everything from bakeries to slaughterhouses and garrisons of soldiers; during WWI and WWII they sheltered 35,000 locals.
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Wenzel Walk
The Luxembourg City Tourist Office runs excellent guided walks. The Wenzel Walk winds through the upper and lower towns, through fortifications and along nature trails, and is highly recommended.
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The City Promenade Tour
The Luxembourg City Tourist Office runs excellent guided walks. The City Promenade Tour covers the Old Town.
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US Military Cemetery
Only planes taking off from nearby Luxembourg airport disturb the peace at the country's two main war cemeteries.
The easiest to reach and most visited is the US Military Cemetery at Hamm, 4km east of the capital. Here lie more than 5000 US war dead, including famous general George S Patton jr. Most of those buried or remembered here were killed during the US's WWII liberation of Luxembourg and the subsequent Battle of the Ardennes. Patton's headstone is easily identified among the rows of white crosses and stars, each marked with flags from the US and Luxembourg. White-stone pylons commemorate the soldiers whose bodies were never found, and enormous wall maps detail the …
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Cimetière Militaire Allemand
Only planes taking off from nearby Luxembourg airport disturb the peace at the country's two main war cemeteries.
One of these, the Cimetière Militaire Allemand at Sandweiler is 1.5km east of the US Military Cemetery (it's signposted from here). No buses stop nearby, so you'll either need to walk or have your own wheels. Some 11,000 German soldiers lie beneath sombre grey headstones behind an oppressive stone doorway. Established in the 1950s, this cemetery was the first of its kind outside Germany. The caretaker who lives in the nearby house will probably show you around.
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National Museum of History and Art
The National Museum of History and Art is a state-of-the-art affair housed in a startling white building with a glass atrium. Take the glass elevator below ground to the prehistory section before winding up to Gallo-Roman remains. Level 2 is a must, home to the Salles Kutter, two rooms devoted to Luxembourg's Expressionist artist Joseph Kutter (1894-1941).
Level 3 does art from the 13th to 20th centuries - look out for a small watercolour of Luxembourg City by William Turner and a drawing of Schengen castle by Victor Hugo.
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Modern Art Museum
Luxembourg's Modern Art Museum has had rave reviews. Created by Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei (responsible for the Louvre pyramid in Paris), the magnificent glass-roofed gallery harmoniously blends contemporary and old, with its turreted centrepiece and glass wings sitting back to back with a centuries-old Vauban fortress. The museum's collection includes everything from photography to fashion, design and multimedia.
Take bus 125 or 192 from Gare Centrale or Place Hamilius to the stop 'Fort Belaimont'.
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Vélo en Ville
The topography's not flat, but those with decent muscles will find Luxembourg City great for biking. The only rental outlet, and it's a good one, is Vélo en Ville. Children's bikes are available (same price as adult bikes), as are toddler seats. Under 26 year olds get a 20% discount (not available on half-day rentals).
An excellent route to start with is the 40km Piste Cyclable du Centre (signposted PC1),which circles the city's outskirts. The Vélo en Ville crew supply a basic B&W map of this route.
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Café Am Musee
Well-hidden local favourite, attached to the Musée d'Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, but easily overlooked. At its best for a casual lunch (modern international cuisine) on a fine summer day (reservations needed). Big umbrellas and a handful of open-air tables line an old stone wall - kick back and relax with views over the Grund and Alzette Valley. It's also good for young kids - highchairs and coloured pencils are dispensed and, when action's needed, there's a shady garden to explore.
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Breedewee
Wooed by a view? No restaurant in Luxembourg can match it - in fine weather. This modern but elegant little place has a separate terrace perched high on the Corniche in a setting that's quite unique. A dozen tables are serviced by penguin-style waiters who shuttle back and forth to the main building where the French cuisine is prepared. On a warm summer's evening, this is as romantic as they come. Reservations essential.
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d:qliq
Intimate new bar that's brought life to the Old Town's live music scene. The three floors offer different venues: a cellar bar for experimental acts; free jazz concerts at ground zero; and international bands on the 1st floor (this zone is affectionately known as 'the wardrobe' due to its size - 120 people max). Hip and lesser-known bands from abroad - either jazz, rock, electro or house - are the staples.
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Mosconi
Come well attired to dine at Luxembourg's first Italian restaurant to be double starred by Michelin. Pasta gastronomique, fish and meat dishes are served in old-world surroundings, though it's the home-made ravioli that rates special mention. In fine weather dine on a tiny riverside terrace with the Old Town's cliff-face soaring above. Reservations essential.
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Natural History Museum
If travelling with kids, make this one of your first stops. Recently given a fabulous facelift, this Natural History Museum in the Grund does dinosaurs, the big bang and other interactive exhibits, all especially designed to keep little hands and curious minds busy. The café has snacks and cheap meals, making it a great lunch spot for families.
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Cathedral of Our Lady
Peak into the Cathedral of Our Lady to see the nation's most revered idol, the Lady Comforter of the Afflicted, a small and elaborately dressed statue of the Virgin and child. The cathedral's black spires add character and balance to the city's distinctive skyline; however, inside it's an ugly hotchpotch of progressive renovations.
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Café des Artistes
Nostalgic little Grund café that's been around since 1968 and has candles to prove it. Brel and Piaf watch from old posters, and the ceiling's about as smoke stained as they come. The café's pride and joy is an old piano that bursts into life with folk tunes when the mood's right (usually Wednesday to Saturday).
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Philharmonie Luxembourg Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte
The Philharmonie is Luxembourg's new concert venue, a stunning oval job that offers jazz, classical and opera, and that has imbued life into boring Kirchberg. The glass building is immediately obvious on the right once across the Red Bridge. Take bus 125 or 192 from Gare Centrale or Place Hamilius to the stop 'Fort Belaimont'.
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Bank Museum
Where better than Luxembourg to spend an hour browsing through a Bank Museum? It's housed in the headquarters of the Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État, one of Luxembourg's 180 banks, and traces 140 years of tradition and innovation in banking, from piggy banks to ATMs and bank robbers.
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Cinémathèque Municipal
Closest thing in Luxembourg to an art-house cinema and cheap to boot. Golden oldies and cult classics line up two or three times daily - the cinema carries 10,000 titles. Also does open-air screenings in July and August in the courtyard of nearby Théâtre des Capucins - great atmosphere.
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Chiggeri
Hip street-level café topped by a popular 2nd-floor restaurant. The café does well-priced bistro fare; the casual but innovative restaurant features an extraordinary wine list (including many by the glass). Summer sees a breezy terrace set up across the road.
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Art Café
One in the new wave of lounge bars-cafés that's revitalising Luxembourg's eating and entertainment scene. Theatrical velvet décor sets the scene; sandwiches, salads and wok dishes are the mainstays. Head out the back to relax on the enclosed terrace.
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Wengé
Local lunch favourite. Top-notch, casual restaurant and food shop that serves (and sells) some of the best coffee, cheese, pâtisseries and French cuisine in town. All shiny and black inside, or dine at one of the few tables on the pedestrianised street.
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City Safari
For kids aged five to 13 years there's City Safari, a two-hour discovery tour of the city designed especially for children (unaccompanied or with parents), organised by the Luxembourg City Tourist Office. It's held from Tuesday to Sunday from July to mid-September.
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Mousel's Cantine
Rustic café attached to the former Mousel brewery. Known for its hearty Luxembourg cuisine and does an excellent plate of assorted specialities. Beer drinkers can sample a gezwickelte beier, an unfiltered beer drunk from an old-style crock.
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