Hello everyone!

A couple of months ago, I spent the better part of August traveling in Luxembourg (very safely, in line with COVID-19 restrictions). This was my third time visiting the Grand Duchy, and this time I was able to visit more of the country to see what it has to offer outside of the main city, Luxembourg-Ville. 

I want to tell you all a little about this country as it is not at the top of most people’s “destination list”, but it is definitely worth a visit. Plus, it’s super language friendly, meaning you can practice just about any European language there because it’s so multicultural.

First off, Luxembourg is a Grand Duchy, meaning it’s ruled by a Grand Duke or Duchess (currently Crown Prince Henry is the Grand Duke). It is the only Grand Duchy in the world, created by the Congress of Vienna after the fall of Napoleon in 1815. Luxembourg has an extremely varied history and the rule of the country passed through many hands, which explains why the country today has 3 official languages: Luxembourgish, German, and French. Most people also speak English, making it easy to get around no matter what language you speak. 

Luxembourg is a very small country, but also very wealthy-in fact, it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Its population is also quite small, at around half a million people, and nearly half of that population is foreign (which is why it’s so multicultural). There are also many people who work in Luxembourg and live in neighboring (and cheaper) countries like France and Germany. 

Now for my travels. This was the first time since the pandemic started that I left Dijon to go anywhere else and it was a bit weird. It was interesting to see the differences between France and Luxembourg in terms of mask-wearing. It seemed to me that more people in Luxembourg were wearing masks than in Dijon at the time that I left (this has since changed as it has become compulsory to wear a mask around all centre-ville Dijon). All in all however, I felt quite safe as I traveled. 

I stayed with family outside of Luxembourg City, which was the perfect place to explore more of the country from. Transportation is free in the Grand Duchy, so I was able to take any train or bus that I wanted to go anywhere I wanted. I took full advantage of this and explored bike paths, most notably along the Moselle River, which is the border between Luxembourg and Germany (and I barely made a dent, as there are many miles of bike trails in Luxembourg), hiking trails, and saw more of Luxembourg-Ville.

One of the highlights of the trip was hiking in the Mullerthal region, also known as Luxembourg’s Little Switzerland. The area was strikingly beautiful and super accessible, just an hour-long bus ride from the city. There is a lot of hiking and camping available in this region; while I only got to spend one day there I could have easily spent four or five days exploring the whole area more deeply. 

Within Luxembourg city, the best way to see it is to simply walk around. When I visited the city in 2018 I saw the Casemates du Bock, part of the 17 km of underground tunnels literally cut into the rock that the city sits on. The casemates were built in the 17th century and added onto over the years as part of the city’s defenses. I highly recommend visiting them if you visit Luxembourg. If you’re craving a chocolate fix, then the Chocolate Hause, conveniently located right across the street from the Grand Ducal Palace, is a wonderful place to eat some cake and watch the royal guards as they march in front of the palace. In my opinion, Luxembourg-Ville is beautiful and the best way to see it is by foot; but it’s also important to not neglect the rest of the country, as the forests and (small) mountains outside of the main city are stunning. 

I also took a couple of day trips into Germany, the first to nearby Trier, Germany, an ancient Roman city on the banks of the Moselle river. Trier is considered Germany’s oldest city and is home to the Porta Nigra, an ancient Roman gate to the city. It’s a beautiful, historic town to walk around, and since it’s quite small, it’s very easy to explore on foot. Afterward, I took a day trip to Saarburg, Germany, a cute town not far across the border between the two countries. The most picturesque part of Saarburg is the waterfall in the center of the city. This is also a small town, so seeing the sights takes no more than an afternoon. However, it is definitely worth a visit as its architecture is gorgeous and (to my untrained eye) classically germanic.

This was just a brief overview of my travels, but I hope that it’s given you the itch to explore Luxembourg when travel is freely allowed again. I love this little country, it’s beautiful and the people are so friendly. It’s also so easy to get around as a tourist and there are so many people to meet. It’s a great place to practice your language skills, but you also can easily get around mainly using English. Plus, it’s super easy to fit Luxembourg into a trip to see its neighboring countries: France, Germany, and Belgium. 

Where do you want to travel as soon as you can? Have you ever thought about visiting Luxembourg, or do you want to now? Let me know!

À bientôt!

Shannon