Bock casemates
Tunnels of the old fortress in the rock
Walk the galleries and gun ports cut into the cliff, with views over the Alzette valley.
Montée de ClausenFortressUnderground
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Ideal: 2 daysBest: Apr–OctPrice: Expensive
In 60 seconds
Luxembourg City in 60 seconds
Luxembourg City is built on cliffs. The old town sits on a sandstone plateau ringed by the gorges of the Alzette and Pétrusse, and the fortress that made it the 'Gibraltar of the North' was carved into the rock beneath — the Bock casemates, tunnels you can still walk through. From the ramparts of the Chemin de la Corniche you look straight down on the Grund, a village of slate roofs and river bridges at the bottom of the valley, reached by a public lift. Up top are the Grand Ducal Palace and the cathedral; across the Red Bridge, the Kirchberg plateau holds the European institutions, I. M. Pei's Mudam and the Philharmonie. All public transport in the country is free, which makes the city and its lifts a pleasure to explore. Two days.
UNESCOMuseums
Best for
- History
- Architecture
- Weekend
Known for
- Bock casemates
- Chemin de la Corniche
- Grund
- Grand Ducal Palace
Skip if
You are after nightlife — the capital is small, polished and quiet after dinner.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Luxembourg City fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Chemin de la Corniche
Promenade along the ramparts
The finest walk in the city: ramparts on one side, the Grund far below on the other.
Old townViewWalk
Grand Ducal Palace
The Grand Duke's town residence
A Renaissance front on a narrow street, open for guided visits in summer.
Old townPalace
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Late-Gothic cathedral with the dynasty's crypt
Look for the crypt of the Grand Ducal family below the choir.
Old townCathedral
Mudam
Contemporary art in I. M. Pei's museum
Built into the walls of an old fort, with glass halls flooded with light.
KirchbergArtMuseum
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Grund
The river quarter in the valley
Bridges, the Neumünster Abbey cultural centre and riverside walks below the cliffs.
Kirchberg
The European plateau across the Red Bridge
Glass institutions, Mudam and the Philharmonie, linked to the valley by a funicular.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Ville Haute
ExpensiveThe old town on the plateau
Everything on foot, with the ramparts at the door.
Walkable
Gare
ModerateAround the station
Better prices and a tram to the centre.
TrainsValue
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting around
- Buses, trams and trains are free throughout Luxembourg; lifts link the old town and the Grund.
- Getting in
- Trains from Brussels, Metz and Trier; Luxembourg airport is a short tram or bus ride away.
- Languages
- Luxembourgish, French and German are all official; English is widely spoken.
- Taste locally
- Judd mat Gaardebounen, Gromperekichelcher, Rieslingspaschtéit and Moselle crémant.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 963
Count Siegfried acquires the rock of the Bock, where the city begins.
- 1867
The Treaty of London neutralises Luxembourg and the fortress is dismantled.
- 1994
The old quarters and fortifications are inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Vianden & the Luxembourg Ardennes
Castles and forested valleys in the north
Vianden & the Luxembourg Ardennes has its own guide.
1 hr by carCastle
The Luxembourg Moselle
Vineyards and crémant cellars
The Luxembourg Moselle has its own guide.
30 min by carWine