Luxembourg
Table of Contents: Regions / Cities / Other destinations / Culture and History / Climate / Terrain / History / Travel to Luxembourg, visa requirements Flights to Luxembourg, airtickets By train By car Buses to Luxembourg By boat / Get around By car 2 By Bus By Train By Bike / Talk / Shopping, Luxembourg souvenirs / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Luxembourg nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Learn / Work / Stay safe / Stay healthy / Respect / Contact More from Benelux: Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands More from Western Europe: Benelux, Channel Islands (United Kingdom), France, Ireland, Ireland (disambiguation), Pyrenees, United Kingdom More from Europe: Alps, Central Europe, Danube, Eastern Europe, European Union, Mediterranean Europe, Rhine, Western Europe |
Luxembourg [1] is a landlocked country in Western Europe in between Belgium, France and Germany. It is the only Grand Duchy in the world and is the second-smallest of the European Union member states.
Regions
Cities
- Luxembourg - Capital
- Mertert
- Echternach
Other destinations
Culture and History
Climate
Modified continental with mild winters, although January and February do get very cold. The summer can be very hot in Luxembourg, with temperatures around July and August reaching around 35 degrees celsius.
It might rain a LOT in Luxembourg, so bring an umbrella.
Terrain
Mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the south.
History
Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger measure of autonomy.
Full independence was attained in 1867.
Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union) and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area.
Travel to Luxembourg, visa requirements
Flights to Luxembourg, airtickets
Luxembourg International Airport is located 6 kilometres outside Luxembourg-City. It is served by Luxair, the national airline, which flies to many EU countries (including London Heathrow and City), and Air France (Paris; actually a Luxair codeshare), KLM (Amsterdam), Swiss (Zurich), Lufthansa (Frankfurt; actually a Luxair codeshare) and British Airways (London Gatwick). Another airline to consider is VLM, often a cheaper option than Luxair. The airport is currently undergoing expansion and renovation; some short-haul intra-Schengen flights now operate out of Terminal B, and a new Terminal A is being built.
By train
Luxembourg train station can be reached directly from Paris, Metz, Brussels and Trier. Both international and national timetables can be found on the website of the national railways company CFL
By car
Motorways from Metz (A3), Brussels (A6) and Trier (A1) connect to the ring-road around Luxembourg City, from which most other parts of the country can be reached.
If you want to enjoy a nice view to the city, "Grund" and Kasematten, leave the motorway coming from the East (Germany) at exit "Cents". Enter Cents and drive down the hill. Don't let yourself being stopped by signs that the route is blocked via "Grund".
Buses to Luxembourg
There is a bus connection from Luxembourg City to the Hahn airport in Germany, operated by low cost airlines. Sometimes there are commuter buses to Trier and Bitburg. The train is a far preferable option for entering the country from nearby.
By boat
Luxembourg being a landlocked country, it's extremely hard to get in by boat. But if you really want to there are boat links form the German side of the Moselle river to the Luxembourg side, but it is easier walking over the bridges.
Get around
By car
Luxembourg's road infrastructure is well-developed (if not always very well thought-out). Anywhere that happens to lie along the major motorways is easily accessible via these (including Grevenmacher in the east, Mamer to the west and Bettembourg to the south). Esch-Alzette, the country's second city (more like a small town by international standards) has its own motorway link, the A4. In addition, a new motorway is being built towards the north of the country (Mersch, Ettelbrück), but this won't be completed until 2010 at the earliest. However, the current North Road provides easy access to these areas for the moment.
Current national speed limits are 50km/h in towns and villages, 90km/h on open country roads (110 in some places on N7 and N11), and 130km/h on the motorway (110 in the rain). 70km/h also exists in some places. Speed limits are enforced by random police checks. Be aware that if you have a right-hand-drive car then you are very likely to be singled out for a customs check on the way in. Police are also very keen on stopping drivers for having the 'wrong' lights on in town, i.e. side lights instead of dipped headlights.
By Bus
Within the city, the bus service is adequate for the average tourist. Buses numbered 1-25 serve the Ville de Luxembourg, with the most useful being the 16 (Town to the Airport via Kirchberg) and the 18 (Town to Kirchberg and Auchan). Almost all buses include the central bus station Hamilius (centre of town) and the Station (Luxembourg Gare) in their routes at some point. Any bus pointing stationwards from Hamilius will probably take you there (the 3 being a notable exception).
Bus tickets are available from the driver. These cost €1.50 for one hour or €5.00 for one day. A €40 month ticket can be purchased at the CFL office under Hamilus, or at the station.
The bus service out of town is very good. Every village has a convenient bus service which runs at least once every hour. Buses numbered 100 upwards will take you out of the city. Useful routes to the north of the country include the 100 (Diekirch via Junglinster, every hour), the 120 (Junglinster, every 30 minutes) and the 290 (Mersch, frequent). However, Mersch and the south are more easily reached by train (see below).
Town buses experienced a reduced service on Saturdays (including those used mainly by shoppers), and many routes are barely existent (if at all) on a Sunday. This doesn't matter, though, since most shops and attractions are closed on a Sunday.
Almost all national buses run the same on Saturdays (which count as working days in this instance) as during the week, but the Sunday service is usually reduced or non-existent.
www.mobiliteit.lu will help to plan your trip with bus and train.
By Train
The train network is either comprehensive or spartan, depending whether you want to go south or north. While the south is reasonably well covered, the north is limited to one main line which runs from Luxembourg City to Mersch, Ettelbrück, Wilwerwiltz and Clervaux. The line continues north to Belgium. Diekirch has a branch line from Ettelbück, and Wiltz has a branch line from Kautenbach. To the south you can reach Bettembourg and Esch-Alzette.
The same tickets are valid on trains as buses, and the same rates as above apply. Trains in Luxembourg generally run very much on time.
Approaching Luxembourg is recommended from the north; a scenic route leads in pass-by of famous Luxembourgeouse places, just by taking the train!
By Bike
The streets and landscape in Luxembourg make for good biking territory; highly recommended. Be wary, though, of small-ish bicycle repair shops in rural corners of the country -- they may quite well charge you quite some money for fixing your bike when they actually break it, more or less subtly. For bicycle repairs, neighboring Trier (with a considerable University student population) is usually a safer bet.
Talk
Luxembourgish ("Lëtzebuergesch") is the national language, while French is the administrative lanuguage. German is also widely used.
Over one third of Luxembourg's overall population is made up of foreigners, and this figure rises to 50% in the city. Hence, knowing French is your best bet if you want to converse with most people, especially as people working in shops and bars usually come from France or Belgium and don't bother to learn the local language. English is widely understood by such personnel as bus drivers, but many shop assistants will only respond if addressed in French. Educated Luxembourgers are fluent in all four of the above languages; it is the "frontaliers" (workers who live across one of the borders) who may not speak English. Virtually every Luxembourgish person understands and speaks fluent German and French.
Shopping, Luxembourg souvenirs
Sometimes, you won't be able to get things you desire in Luxembourg. In that case, neighboring Trier might be a good bet.
Since several products are much cheaper, many people on travel will stop here to buy cigarettes, alcohol or petrol. Yes, despite Luxembourg's GDP among the highest in the world, many products are pretty cheap. For example, a bottle of Stella Artois beer can cost only 0.5€! Petrol is also about 25% cheaper than in the neighbouring countries making the small state a popular destination for long-haul drivers.
Good restaurants and cheap meals
Luxembourg nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
- For the budget aware traveller the recommendation is Luxembourg Youth Hostels (www.youthhostels.lu).
- www.hotels.lu hotels in Luxembourg in rural setting.
- www.camping.lu for campsites in all regions and for all budget.
- National Tourist Board Office in London for any further info about the Grand Duchy, very complete site.
Learn
Work
If you are looking for work, you will be expected to know at least French, but well paid jobs will expect you to know German, French and English.
Stay safe
In many surveys, Luxembourg has been named "safest city in the world"
Stay healthy
The food in Luxembourg is good and healthy, so no worries. The climate is average, the summers can get hot but temperatures only rarely rise above 30 degrees celsius.
Respect
Try to show respect for the local language and make some effort to say a few words to people.
Contact
More from Benelux: Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands More from Western Europe: Benelux, Channel Islands (United Kingdom), France, Ireland, Ireland (disambiguation), Pyrenees, United Kingdom More from Europe: Alps, Central Europe, Danube, Eastern Europe, European Union, Mediterranean Europe, Rhine, Western Europe |
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