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Luxembourg

Sights in Luxembourg

  1. A

    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.

    reviewed

  2. B

    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.

    reviewed

  3. C

    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.

    reviewed

  4. D

    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…

    reviewed

  5. St Martin's Winery

    Remich is the centre of Luxembourg's wine industry and the main cave or winery is St Martin. Producing white and sparkling wines, the latter known as crémant, St Martin's offers interesting tours which delve into the méthode traditionelle used to process their sparkling wines.

    This process, like champagne production, traditionally involved turning each bottle by hand. Guides at St Martin are adamant that this age-old process is still carried out, though some in the industry claim all the large caves now use machines to turn the bottles. The tour winds through cool, damp tunnels hewn in the rockface and ends with a free glass of bubbly.

    reviewed

  6. 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.

    reviewed

  7. E

    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.

    reviewed

  8. F

    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'.

    reviewed

  9. G

    Musée d'Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg

    The Luxembourg City History Museum is a multi-level, state-of-the-art complex. The 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 and are decked out with paintings and decorative arts. The view from the glass elevator reveals the town's rocky geology.

    Pick up the free English language guide at reception.

    reviewed

  10. Château de Bourscheid

    The magnificent Château de Bourscheid is a 1000-year-old castle superbly situated on a rocky bluff overlooking farmland and the Sûre River. It's one of the most beautiful castles in the Grand Duchy and, indeed, affords the best views. The central portion is the castle's oldest sector; surrounding it is a 14th-century wall dotted with circular towers.

    reviewed

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  12. H

    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.

    reviewed

  13. I

    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.

    reviewed

  14. J

    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.

    reviewed

  15. K

    Neumünster Abbey

    Still in the Grund and well worth a wander is the newly renovated Neumünster Abbey. This glass-covered complex houses a temporary exhibition gallery, outdoor performing arts venue, art shop and brasserie.

    reviewed

  16. L

    Deportation Memorial-Museum

    Thousands of Luxembourgers were deported during Germany's WWII occupation of Luxembourg. The train station where their harrowing journey began is now a Deportation Memorial-Museum. Bus 5 stops out the front.

    reviewed

  17. M

    Am Tunnel

    Am Tunnel is an appropriate name for an underground art gallery. Carved 350m through the Bourbon plateau, it's devoted to temporary exhibitions, but also has a permanent display on Edward Steichen.

    reviewed

  18. N

    Pétrusse Casemates

    The Pétrusse Casemates are much the same as the Bock Casemates, but opening hours are more limited.

    reviewed

  19. O

    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…

    reviewed

  20. P

    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.

    reviewed

  21. Q

    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.

    reviewed

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  23. R

    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'.

    reviewed

  24. S

    Deportation Memorial-Museum

    Thousands of Luxembourgers were deported during Germany's WWII occupation of Luxembourg. The train station where their harrowing journey began is now a Deportation Memorial-Museum. Bus 5 stops out the front.

    reviewed