Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Five ways to get the most out of your Luxembourg trip
Luxembourg is a tiny, interesting place. It probably isn't a destination in itself for most people, but it can be a great side trip from Paris, parts of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. If you can tack a few days onto your next vacation to that part of Europe, Luxembourg is a fun spot that you'd probably never visit otherwise.
Since your time in Luxembourg is likely to be short – and dependent upon other factors in your vacation – it can help to have a few ideas in mind before you hit the ground. You want to make the most of your experience, of course, while minimizing the aggravation that can come with going from Point A to Point B. Below, you'll find five tips for making your Luxembourg visit easier and more enjoyable.
Gallery: Views of Luxembourg
1. Dip into the valley: up on the hill, Luxembourg is a city. It's reasonably large and more interesting (as a city) than the likes of Amsterdam and Brussels, but it's still a run-of-the-mill city. Step onto one of the walking paths, though, and you'll descend into the Old Europe you'd expect from this microstate. Wander the winding streets, and enjoy the architecture that reminds you what the meaning of "classic" is. Interestingly, you'll get a shock to the system when you see old and new side by side. There's an interesting mix of contemporary and traditional architecture in Luxembourg, which gives the towns below a more organic vibe.
2. Drink the local wine: it's old hat for most travelers to sample the local stuff when visiting a new place. Trying new food and drinks is part of the fun! The food in Luxembourg won't strike you as particularly exotic (though you can find a good meal there), but the wine is a different story. Crisp, flavorful and a pure pleasure to drink, you'll find the perfect afternoon kicking back bottle after bottle while sitting outside and watching the people pass by.
3. Don't bother paying for the bus: in the mood for some international crime? The buses in Luxembourg provide the perfect opportunity. You have to pay to take them, but the bus drivers don't check to see if you have a ticket. They don't care. So, you can step onto the bus and go where you want without paying a dime. You are running a risk, however. The fines are steep if you get caught by the authorities tasked with spot-checking for tickets.
Of course, I'm not advocating such illicit behavior. Buy a damned ticket – they're cheap.
4. Stay for the right amount of time: you don't want to breeze through Luxembourg in an afternoon ... but staying for a week probably doesn't make sense. Give yourself two or three days, depending on how much time you want to invest in #2, above.
5. Spring for a hotel downtown: to save a few bucks, I stayed out in the business district. It was a lot cheaper, and bus access to the city was fast, easy and reliable. But, it's still a lot more enjoyable to roll out of bed and head right into the action.
2. Drink the local wine: it's old hat for most travelers to sample the local stuff when visiting a new place. Trying new food and drinks is part of the fun! The food in Luxembourg won't strike you as particularly exotic (though you can find a good meal there), but the wine is a different story. Crisp, flavorful and a pure pleasure to drink, you'll find the perfect afternoon kicking back bottle after bottle while sitting outside and watching the people pass by.
3. Don't bother paying for the bus: in the mood for some international crime? The buses in Luxembourg provide the perfect opportunity. You have to pay to take them, but the bus drivers don't check to see if you have a ticket. They don't care. So, you can step onto the bus and go where you want without paying a dime. You are running a risk, however. The fines are steep if you get caught by the authorities tasked with spot-checking for tickets.
Of course, I'm not advocating such illicit behavior. Buy a damned ticket – they're cheap.
4. Stay for the right amount of time: you don't want to breeze through Luxembourg in an afternoon ... but staying for a week probably doesn't make sense. Give yourself two or three days, depending on how much time you want to invest in #2, above.
5. Spring for a hotel downtown: to save a few bucks, I stayed out in the business district. It was a lot cheaper, and bus access to the city was fast, easy and reliable. But, it's still a lot more enjoyable to roll out of bed and head right into the action.
Filed under: Europe, Luxembourg
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brian Power Jul 28th 2011 11:19AM
Hi Tom,
I'm editor of an English-language weekly magazine in Luxembourg. I very much enjoyed your five tips, but I'll have to add a caveat to number 3: they've recently increased the number of ticket checks. That said, they do it in one area of the country at a time, so you may not get checked at all for six months and then you'll be checked three times in a week... What's that old maxim about London buses? And don't try the same trick on the trains. Those guys always check, although you can buy your ticket from them, so actual fines are VERY rare.
Brian