Why You Shouldn't Skip Luxembourg

Most seasoned travelers can absorb a city's vibe within an hour or two of arrival, and Luxembourg's international flags, variety of cafés and restaurants, and dramatic landscape distinguishes its vibe from any other European capital. While guidebooks will direct visitors to the historic casements surrounding the city (and they certainly aren't to be missed), some of the best moments and views can be found by simply walking around for a day. My best giggle came from witnessing a woman exclaimed, "Ooooh la la!" upon viewing a cake made for her by a fancy bakery – so fabulously European, although I always consider stereotypes inaccurate until proven true. In addition to hours of wandering routes, the city offers every size and kind of shop, restaurant, and hotel. Nighttime brings live music and fabulous outdoor dining options, from French cuisine to Mexican cantinas and Italian gelaterias to Pizza Hut, so don't worry about satisfying any cravings you might acquire.

Quick Tips:

Go ahead, be a tourist and duck into the tourist information office on Pl. d'Armes and get the scoop on current performances and events going on around the city. The free map from the tourist office (also available in the train station) is one of the best I've ever used. It clearly labels all roads and districts, highlights major attractions, includes a street index, and is conveniently the size of a sheet of standard computer paper. Pl. d'Armes is the best place I found for afternoon drinks or a long dinner. Despite its touristy-ness, it has a great feel and I was quite comfortable sitting alone and scribbling in my notebook. If you visit during tourist season (May to September), try to check out attractions, such as the casements, first thing in the morning to avoid some of the crowds and save your walking and window-shopping for the afternoon.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you haven't gotten the impression yet, I am a strong supporter of exploring new cities by foot, and Luxembourg City is plenty small to do just that. The train station is slightly to the south of the city but surrounded by plenty of shops and restaurants on the way to the old city if the 20-minute walk seems daunting. Buses do run through the city but shouldn't really be necessary. Be sure to make the venture to the bottom of the valley (see separate entry). Enjoy your visit!!

If you're looking for a clean, simple place to spend a night or two while exploring Luxembourg, then this hostel won't disappoint you. It's possibly the best hostel I've stayed at, mostly because of the extensive renovations that have been done (and are still being completed) recently. The afternoon/evening front desk guy, Jean-Marc, is super-friendly and speaks perfect English. It's especially nice to meet someone with a personality when you arrive in a new city on your own. The rooms are seriously brand-new and spotless--I had a 4-bed female room, with separate toilet and shower rooms within our suite for 19.30 euros per night (with breakfast) as a non-HI member. Linens and duvets are provided, and the bunk beds are really comfortable. Best of all, they don't squeak or shake when the person above you or below you changes positions during the night! It's an important quality for any frequent hostel-visitor.

Downstairs, the hostel offers a bar that serves lunch and dinner and drinks/snacks. Check the hostel website (www.youthhostels.lu) for weekly menus and opening hours. A great place for a coffee or to pick up some fruit to take with you during the day. There is also a really nice terrace outside that I found to be a perfect place to read and meet people.

The hostel has obviously made an effort to conserve energy in their timed lighting systems and water faucets that shut off automatically after about 10 seconds (this is actually perfect-- better than the faucets you have to hold down the whole time). Commendable and convenient.

Once you achieve a good shower temperature, it's great, so you shouldn't have to worry about cold shower water. Breakfast is basic but filling, with typical bread, cereal, cheese, meats, jams, applesauce, coffee, etc. The breakfast room is big, and I enjoyed picking up bits and pieces of lots of different languages.

The only drawback to the hostel is the steep path you have to take to get to it. Although their website suggests taking the #9 bus from the train station, I just picked up a map from the tourist office (which shows the hostel location), walked to the centre city, crossed the big Montee de Clausen bridge and followed the "Auberge de Jeunesse" sign turning left down a path that leads to rue Fort Olisy and the hostel. It's not really that hard, but the path would be a little challenging with huge bags or if the weather was especially wet. The hostel does offer a shuttle service to the train station for 2 euros per person, so you can always contact them and arrange transportation before your arrival.

Overall, this hostel is excellent and would be perfect for budget travellers of every age and motivation. See the website for further details in English.

This was my first experience with Movenpick ice cream, although I've since learned that it's a European chain. Ordinarily, I wouldn't take the time to write a review about an ice-cream shop, but this ranked as some of the best ice cream I've ever had.

The shop is located towards the end of Av. Monterey (one of the main pedestrian shopping streets), right next to an Italian ice shop that I was also tempted by.

The Movenpick was a fabulous choice, though - I got a waffle cone (so much better than normal American cones and at no extra charge) with Caramelita and macadamia ice cream for 2€. Soooooo yummy! I had to suppress little mmmmmmms of enjoyment - it was that good.

I spent the rest of the day convincing myself that I really didn't need to go back and get more! It was definitely a tasty stop during an afternoon of wandering around the city. I hope your experience is as good as mine was.

If you're in Luxembourg on a Saturday, check out the weekend markets. In Place Guillaume, you'll find all sorts of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and breads. There are about 20 to 30 different stalls set up, and the merchants are open for business from about 9am to 2or 3pm. A few sellers offer homemade jams and various specialty foods, like salsas and sauces.

In Place d'Armes, expect all sorts of antiques, books, and a few homemade crafts. Different sellers display china, silverware, stamps, coins, and various collectibles. I admired some great bamboo purses and Asian jewelry, and I couldn't resist buying a bag of fresh, hot sweet peanuts. These merchants are also open around 9am, but stayed longer than those at Place de Guillaume.

St. Michael's is a small cathedral located at the edge of the old city just before a large bridge and the Bock Casements. It is the oldest holy building in the city, dating from about 987. Throughout the past centuries, it was destroyed and rebuilt several times, and the current design was created in 1688. The stained-glass windows are impressive, and the architecture contains elements of Romanesque, baroque, and Gothic style. Stepping inside is like a cool hush away from the bustling city. Although not a key highlight of the city, it's worth stopping in on the way to visit the casements.

The most unique aspect of Luxembourg is the dramatic valley that runs through the centre of it, and the Pont Adolphe is one of three main bridges that connect one side of the city to the other. I walked over it on my way to the old city from the train station, admiring the incredible views across the city and down into the valley. Later, I took some steep, old stone steps from the edge of the Pl. de la Constitution into the Petrusse Valley and walked through the park next to the little stream. This walk ended up being the highlight of my trip, especially walking under the huge Pont Adolphe.

It was built between 1900 and 1903 and is the largest stone arch in the world. Definitely walk across it to view the valley from above, but also don't miss the experience of walking at the base of the valley, despite the steep hike back up!

First, I'll warn that the sign at the pay desk shouldn't be ignored--if you're claustrophobic, stick to the upper chambers of the casements and avoid the narrow, winding stone staircases to the lower passages. It can certainly feel a bit cramped and creepy, especially if you're on your own. Second, bring a jacket, since it can get chilly even when it's warm outside.

That said, I really enjoyed exploring the ancient tunnels and windowless "rooms" of the casemates. I admit that at first I wasn't really familiar with exactly what casements are--basically, a series of fortified ring-walls that housed thousands of soldiers, horses and various shops throughout the ages. Construction of these casemates began in 963, and the reinforcements which were added in the following centuries by rulers such as the Burgundians, Spaniards, French, Austrians, Germans, etc. earned the strong city the nickname "Gibraltar of the North." In 1867, the military withdrew from the casemates, and although 90% of it was destroyed in the following two decades, enough of the original 23k of tunnels remained to serve as shelters during the two world wars. Today the fortifications have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After paying your entry fee (1.50 euros for students, 1.75 adults), you receive a helpful guide/map in English and head to the dark museum-ish upper part of the casements. This "archaeological crypt" includes various displays about the origins of Luxembourg City. The best part is venturing down the various stone stairways and looking out the small windows and bigger openings used for cannons. It's easy to get the feel of how it might have been like to live or work in these passageways since they're so similar to when their construction began a thousand years ago. My best advice to getting the most out of the casements is to go early (the Bock Casemates open at 10am), since at least when I was there it was far busier in the afternoon than in the morning.