18 Hours in Luxembourg

The beautiful valley and first sight of the fortress and the Old City as we crossed the bridge from Avenue de la Gare. It had been raining and for a brief moment, the sun came out and the whole city lit up.

Quick Tips:

Though it was possible to see most of the sights and get a sense of the city in the short time that we had, I recommend spending 2 days there. That will leave you more time to just sit and gaze and absorb the beauty of this fortress city.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking...yes, we did not take any public transportaion. That's the only way to let the city absorb you. It's a small place and even if you stay outside of the center, it's not that far a walk. Bring good shoes and you're all set.

Accomodations are expensive in this city. Considering we only alloted 18 hours for Luxembourg, this hotel worked out so well for us. It is literally one block from the train station, perfect for us to cart our bags to and from the station. It is modern and clean, though the rooms are small. The reception is friendly, and I got the feeling that the clientele is mostly businessmen. We walked the 20 minutes or so into town center. The surrounding area is not pretty, as to be expected for being near the train station. But there are expensive hotels on the main street and we did not feel unsafe, even coming back late at night.

This is really a gourmet food store with a bar and restaurant. It's in the center of town and even has it's own website and brochure! What lured us in were the chocolates and pastries. Hmmmm, yummy is all I can say. We stayed for lunch and had the daily special, rice with shrimp in a herbed cream sauce. The cakes were yummy. Though the coffees looked good, our waitress was too slow to bring ours so we canceled (remember, we had limited time and couldn't afford to wait an extra 15 minutes!)

This is a must-see. It is housed in a space that used to be four old houses. The architecture that binds the space is modern, but is so successful that the old buildings are part of the showcase. Everything is high-tech here with sophisticated interactive multi-media presentations. Unfortunately, they are in French and German, so the reception will give you an English booklet that will fill in some gaps. The glass elevator is spectacular, a huge glass room with an old chair and a mirror, operated by hydraulics. You feel you are gliding through the building. The exhibits tell a story of the beginnings of this great city, but I think the experience of the architecture fare exceeds the exhibits. On top of that, the price of entry is so low, you are amazed at what you get in return.

After admiring the view from the top of the fortress (particularly from the Monument of the Millennium), go to the crypt museum and casements underneath. It's 70 Flux to get in and you first go through a tunnel with cool lighting. Then you get to descend into the various underground tunnels of this vast fortress. Wear comfortable shoes with good traction-you have to go down narrow steep stone stairs that are sometimes poorly lit. The place is like a maze, you really get a sense of how things used to be.

Admire the views from Viaduct/Passerelle crossing the gorgeous Petrusse Valley. You are so high up, you get to see the old city, the fortress, the trees (all in beautiful golden colors of autumn), the valley underneath with a little river running through. It is simply breathtaking. The oher bridge is the Adolphe Bridge, which is also known as the New Bridge.