Spend the first day on the rock: the Chemin de la Corniche, the Bock casemates and a lift down to the Grund for lunch by the Alzette. Give the second to the Ville Haute's museums, the cathedral and Place Guillaume II, then cross the Red Bridge to Mudam and the Kirchberg forts. A third day goes to Vianden or the Mullerthal, both under an hour away on free transport.
Updated · Wimup Editorial
A capital of about 136,000 people built on a sandstone spur, with the Alzette and Pétrusse cutting deep valleys round it. Its old quarters and fortifications have been on the UNESCO list since 1994, and the EU institutions on the Kirchberg plateau give it a second, glass-and-steel skyline.
A rampart walk along the old city wall, looking straight down on the Grund's roofs, the Alzette and the Neumünster Abbey. Come at dusk, then carry on to the Bock and the Wenzel Wall.
Kilometres of galleries cut into the Bock promontory, the core of the fortress the Spanish, French and Austrians each rebuilt. Entry is ticketed and timed, so book a slot online.
The old river quarter below the walls, its abbey now the Neimënster cultural centre with a cloister, concerts and a riverside terrace. Take the free Plateau du Saint-Esprit lift down and walk back up the Montée du Grund.
The national collection on the old fish market, from Gallo-Roman mosaics to fortress models and modern painting. The permanent galleries are free; temporary shows are ticketed.
A Jesuit church of the 1610s, late Gothic in shape with Renaissance detail, raised to cathedral in 1870. Go down to the crypt for the tombs of the grand ducal family and John the Blind.
The Renaissance town hall of 1572 that became the sovereign's city residence, with a sentry at the door. Its rooms open only for guided tours from mid-July to late August, and they sell out.
I. M. Pei's glass museum of contemporary art, built on the walls of Fort Thüngen at the edge of the Kirchberg. Pair it with the fort's own museum next door and the Philharmonie across the square.
A free glass lift from Pescatore Park down a 71-metre drop to the Pfaffenthal, with the Red Bridge and Kirchberg framed in front. Walk the valley, then take the funicular up to the Kirchberg.
A thousand years of the city told through maps, models and objects across four restored town houses. The glass lift looks out over the Grund, and under-21s and students go free.
A green gorge between the old town and the Gare quarter, spanned by the stone arch of the Adolphe Bridge, finished in 1903. Paths run along the stream from the Grund; the bridge's lower deck carries bikes and walkers.
An old-town address for the national dishes, Judd mat Gaardebounen and Kniddelen among them.
Luxembourgish cooking on the Kirchberg with a lighter hand, and a Judd that local critics single out.
Opposite the palace: pick a chocolate spoon, stir it into hot milk, and take the window seat.
A tiny vintage piano bar on the Montée du Grund where the room sings along late in the week.
A riverside pub on the Alzette at the foot of the Grund bridge, with the best terrace in the valley.
A row of bars and restaurants in the old Mousel brewery buildings, busiest on Friday and Saturday nights.
A signed loop from the Bock down through the Grund's medieval gates and back up, about a thousand years in an hour.
The gilded figure on the Monument of Remembrance at Place de la Constitution, over the best view of the Pétrusse.
The citadel bastion with the free public lift down to the Grund and the start of the Corniche.
A signed loop through Pfaffenthal and Grund past the forts and towers Vauban designed in the 1680s.
The old upper town: the palace, the cathedral, Place d'Armes and the Grand-Rue's shops.
The brewery quarter below the Bock, quiet by day and the city's main night out after dark.
A narrow valley village under the Red Bridge, reached by the panoramic lift or the funicular.
The EU plateau across the Red Bridge: Mudam, the Philharmonie and the European Court of Justice towers.
The station quarter south of the Pétrusse, with cheaper hotels and the widest choice of restaurants.
The old town's pedestrian high street, lined with Luxembourg-born and international fashion labels.
Farmers and flower stalls on Place Guillaume II on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
The family pâtisserie on the Grand-Rue, for cakes, pralines and a box of macarons to take home.
The porcelain maker's factory shop in Rollingergrund, where the firm has worked since the 18th century.
The wine road along the German border, with crémant cellars and the village that named the treaty.
Blast furnaces you can climb, kept as the centrepiece of a new university quarter in Esch-sur-Alzette.
A craft market round the Marché-aux-Poissons, famous for Péckvillercher, clay bird whistles.
Two weeks of pilgrimage to the cathedral's Virgin, closing with a procession through the old town.
A marathon run after dark through the city's streets, with crowds out along the route.
Free stages and street music across the old town on the longest day.
The Grand Duke's official birthday: fireworks over the Pétrusse on the eve, a parade on the day.
The tourist office's season of open-air concerts and events, and the palace's summer tours.
A funfair on the Glacis dating to 1340, with rides, stalls and fried Moselle fish.
Christmas markets on Place d'Armes and Constitution, an ice rink and a big wheel.
At Findel, about 6 km east of the centre. Tram line T1 has run to the terminal since March 2025, free like all public transport.
Luxembourg station is in the Gare quarter. CFL runs to every town in the country, and on to Trier, Metz, Brussels and Paris. Second class inside the country is free.
One tram line links the station, the old town, Kirchberg and the airport, with buses filling the gaps. No ticket is needed in second class.
Smoked pork collar with broad beans and potatoes, the national dish.
Green bean soup with potatoes, bacon and sometimes sausage.
Crisp fried potato cakes with onion, a market and funfair staple.
Flour dumplings served with bacon and cream, a cheap and filling lunch.
A soft cooked cheese spread on bread, often with mustard.
A pork pie set with Riesling jelly, sold cold by the slice.
A plum tart made with the late-summer damsons, best in September.
The Moselle's sparkling wine, poured at every celebration.
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