25 Best Things to Do in Luxembourg City (Luxembourg)

In a romantic landscape of towering plateaus, sheer cliffs and deep gorges, Luxembourg City always posed a unique challenge to invading armies.

Even more so after the 17th century, when the military mastermind Vauban redesigned the walls for artillery, earning the city the epithet, Gibraltar of the North.

The old city and fortifications have been given UNESCO status, and you can gaze awe-struck at the scenery from the parapets or venture into labyrinthine underground tunnels.

Appropriate for a place that has passed between the Burgundians, Spanish, French, Austrians and Dutch, Luxembourg City is a de facto capital of the EU, home to the Court of Justice.

The modern city is renowned as a banking hub, and has some breathtaking modern architecture to go with its historical wealth.

1. Bock Casemates

Bock CasematesSource: CK Travels / shutterstock
Bock Casemates

This staggering remnant of the Fortress of Luxembourg is hewn from the Bock Promontory on the south-east side of the historical centre.

The River Alzette has a meandering course along the old centre’s east flank, and the sheer sides of the Bock are wrapped in a long, narrow loop. So no wonder it became a pivotal defensive point, fortified as early as the 10th century by Count Siegfried who built his Castle of Lucilinburhuc here.

With the advent of artillery defences it needed to be totally reworked, and this involved extending the underground cellars of the Medieval castle into a network of passages and galleries.

These casemates were begun by the Spanish in the middle of the 17th century, and then adapted by the French under Vauban and dramatically enlarged by the Austrians in the 1740s.

The resulting 17-kilometre, multilevel network is mind-boggling and survived the Treaty of London (1867) when most of the fortifications were pulled down.

On a tour you’ll discover the action-packed story behind this maze and can cross the very foundations of the Medieval castle in the moody Archaeological Crypt.

2. Chemin de la Corniche

Chemin de la CornicheSource: CK Travels / shutterstock
Chemin de la Corniche

Leading from the Bock Promontory south to the Holy Ghost Citadel is a continuous walkway with dreamy views across the Alzette Valley.

Strolling the Chemin de la Corniche, and stopping every now and again to gaze over the river and the old houses of the Grund neighbourhood, you’ll have a perfect perspective on Luxembourg City’s epic layout.

Like all of the city’s artillery defences, this vantage point goes back to the 17th century, but looked very different until most of the walls were dismantled in the 1870s.

Originally there were precarious stairways tumbling down to the riverside, while the romantic vista that you can enjoy now would have been blocked by walls with gun loops. Come early in the day to see the first rays peeking over the valley.

3. The Grund

The GrundSource: Tefik rustemov / shutterstock
The Grund

Luxembourg City at its prettiest, the Grund is a historic, low-lying neighbourhood below the Chemin de la Corniche on the banks of the Alzette.

You can get down there from the Ville-Haute via one of the city’s public elevators. Trendy and beloved by tourists, the Grund is a village-like escape from modern Luxembourg’s banks and modern architecture.

This was a quarter moistly inhabited by the city’s craftsmen, and its oldest buildings at a former hospice are now occupied by the National Museum of Natural History. There’s almost no traffic on these charming narrow streets, made all the more picturesque by the looming mass of the Haute-Ville to the west and north.

A lot of the restaurants, bars and cafes are clustered around the stone bridge on Rue Münster, one of the best photo opportunities.

4. Palais Grand-Ducal

Palais Grand-DucalSource: Jesus Barroso / shutterstock
Palais Grand-Ducal

A gunpowder explosion and fire wiped out much of the Ville-Haute in 1554, and this exquisite Renaissance palace dates from the rebuild in the 1570s.

This building has been the town residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg since 1890, and before that it served as the town hall and then the seat of the Governor, appointed by the King of the Netherlands.

The old City Scales were tacked on in the 18th century, while the Luxembourg Parliament was a later extension in 1859. The palace was last restored in the 1990s and only in summer can you sign up for a guided tour through the Luxembourg City Tourist Office.

You’ll be led through a series of exquisitely decorated spaces, including the fine Entrance Hall, the Hall of Arms, the Hall of Honour, the Dining Room, the Grand Duke’s Office, Map Room, Parlor of Kings and the Ballroom.

5. Pont Adolphe

Pont AdolpheSource: BAHDANOVICH ALENA / shutterstock
Pont Adolphe

More than just a bridge, this imposing structure spanning the deep Pétrusse Valley for 154 metres is a symbol for the city and country.

Pont Adolphe, first completed in 1903 and named for Grand Duke Adolphe (1817-1905), has also just come through a long-term reconstruction to bolster the transport infrastructure in and out of the Ville-Haute.

Between 2014 and 2017 it was converted to a double-decker bridge in an elegant project by local studio CBA Architects. There’s now a four-metre-wide path reserved for pedestrians and cyclists and suspended below the main roadway by a lightweight steel system.

As part of the same project, the bridge was also widened to make way for bidirectional traffic on the new Tram Line I. Take time to see the bridge from all angles, including the tranquil corridor of wooded parkland hugging this loop in the Pétrusse River.

6. National Museum of History and Art

National Museum of History and ArtSource: frantic00 / shutterstock
National Museum of History and Art

On the historic Fish Market between the Ducal Palace and the Bock Casemates you’ll find one of the seven Cultural Institutions of the State of Luxembourg. T

The museum goes back deep into the 19th century but moved into the Hôtel Colart-De Scherff in 1939. It later expanded to a row of 17th and 18th-century patrician houses on rue Wiltheim, and the total exhibition space was doubled in 2002 with an innovative project that involved digging deep into the ground beneath the Fish Market.

The atmospheric lowermost galleries, five storeys underground, are the starting point for a chronological journey through the history of Luxembourg, as you work your way up to the present.

Among the many things to see are Roman coins, a preserved mosaic from the 3rd century, Medieval weapons, masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the 20th-century and sublime arts and crafts revealing changing lifestyles from the 16th to the 19th century.

The latter can be admired in the preserved interiors of the houses on rue Wiltheim.

Website: https://www.mnha.lu/en/

7. Mudam Luxembourg Modern Art Museum

Mudam Luxembourg Modern Art MuseumSource: Andrii Lutsyk / shutterstock
Mudam Luxembourg Modern Art Museum

There are three floors of captivating Contemporary Artists at this museum in a scenic spot on the edge of the Kirchberg Plateau.

The building for Mudam, unveiled in 1997, was designed by the Pritzker Prize-winner I. M. Pei (1917-2019) and harmonises with the 18th-century Fort Thüngen on the south-west side.

Mudam is a multidisciplinary museum, with more than 700 works of painting, sculpture, video art, installation art and more in its permanent collection, by an astonishing and growing line-up of artists.

This includes Andy Warhol, Marina Abramović, Daniel Buren, Julian Schnaber, Cy Twombly, Steve McQueen, Sophie Calle, Gilbert & George, and that’s just a summary.

There are up to six concurrent temporary exhibitions at any time, along with selections from the collection, both inside and outside in the surrounding Park Dräi Eechelen.

Website: https://www.mudam.com/

8. Place d’Armes

Place d'ArmesSource: Roberto La Rosa / shutterstock
Place d’Armes

The Ville-Haute’s pedestrian zone, brimming with shops, cafes and restaurants, centres on this leafy square, which has been here in some form since the middle of the 16th century.

After much of the Ville-Haute was destroyed by a citywide fire in 1554, the Place d’Armes was plotted by the Dutch and then gained its current dimensions under the Spanish and then the French in the century that followed. In those times this was a military parade ground, which explains the name.

With a bandstand near the middle and two flanks of restaurant and cafe terraces, the Place d’Armes is animated all year round.

This is the main location for the city’s Christmas Market and there’s a programme of concerts at the bandstand during the season. The City Palace on the east side is now a cultural centre, which we’ll cover later in this list.

9. Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)

Court of Justice of the European UnionSource: nitpicker / shutterstock
Court of Justice of the European Union

Luxembourg City’s Kirchberg quarter is home to the Court of Justice and the General Court, making up the Court of Justice of the European Union.

This is the chief judicial authority of the EU, overseeing the application and interpretation of EU law, while cooperating with the member states’ own judiciary. Amongst other things, the court also resolves legal disputes between member governments and EU institutions.

If you’re interested in the inner-workings of this supranational institution you’re free to attend a hearing at the Court of Justice or General Court. Be sure to bring ID, and give yourself at least 15 minutes before the hearings start (this is generally 09:30).

Register at least two working days in advance and you can go on a guided tour, which, according to your time constraints, will include a hearing, a general presentation of the court, an insight into the work of a lawyer-linguist, a presentation about the court’s multilingualism, a visit to the library and a guided tour of the buildings and their fine collection of art.

Website: https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo2_7019/en/#visiteurs

10. Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator

Pfaffenthal Panoramic ElevatorSource: CK Travels / shutterstock
Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator

Luxembourg City’s historical centre is so well protected by the natural topography that it needs two lifts and a funicular to link it to the Pétrusse and Alzette valleys below.

The most impressive of these has to be the Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator on the north side, unveiled in 2016 after six years of work.

This free service delivers you from Pescatore Park in the Ville-Haute, down to the Pfaffenthal area, deep in the Alzette Valley. Running daily from 06:00 to 01:00, the elevator has a glass cabin for stunning views over the valley, starting at a height of 71 metres.

11. Luxembourg City History Museum

Luxembourg City History MuseumSource: Kit Leong / shutterstock
Luxembourg City History Museum

Four townhouses from 1600-1800 were restored and partly reconstructed to give a home for this museum recounting Luxembourg City’s 1,000-year history.

The venue is an arresting blend of old and new architecture, with a floating glass facade three storeys high. “The Luxembourg Story” throws you into the city’s eventful past, touching on four periods and 17 topics.

This exhibition will help you make sense of Luxembourg City’s complicated fortifications, aided by more than 500 artefacts and a host of interactive and multimedia features.

One of these features a set of animated scale models, bringing the city’s pivotal moments to life.

Website: https://citymuseum.lu/en/

12. Philharmonie Luxembourg

Philharmonie LuxembourgSource: T.W. van Urk / shutterstock
Philharmonie Luxembourg

Even if you’re just passing by you have to keep this spellbinding concert hall in your plans. On Place de l’Europe and designed by Pritzker Prize winner Christian de Portzamparc, the Philharmonie Luxembourg was unveiled in 2005.

It has an otherworldly appearance thanks to the 823 slender steel columns on the facade, intended to make the building resemble an air filter, as you pass from the outside world to the world of music within.

This “filter” gives way to a massive peristyle, housing the foyer and wrapping around the Grand Auditorium, which seats 1,500. This hall is noteworthy for the curious muddle of eight seating boxes along the walls, which are carefully positioned to enhance the acoustics.

The resident Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra gives around 90 performances a season, and the venue also welcomes international artists in a wide-ranging programme that includes chamber music, jazz, world music, popular recording artists, new music and fun for children.

Website: https://www.philharmonie.lu/en/

13. Notre-Dame Cathedral

Notre-Dame CathedralSource: Sergey Novikov / shutterstock
Notre-Dame Cathedral

The Jesuits built what is now the Notre-Dame Cathedral during the 1610s as a church for the college, now housing the National Library.

The core building is a very late example of Late Gothic architecture, and actually contains a lot of Renaissance decoration.

This can be seen in the mouldings on the nave’s columns and capitals, and in the intricate alabaster carvings of the organ tribune in the gallery.

The church was elevated to a cathedral by Pius IX, Pope from 1846-1878 and was enlarged in the 1930s.

The crypt is the resting place for Luxembourg’s Grand Dukes and Duchesses, from Marie-Adélaïde (1894-1924) to Jean I, who passed away in 2019.

In 1945 the remains of John the Blind, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia (1296-1346) were also moved to the crypt. He was killed at the Battle of Crécy having been partially sighted for ten years.

14. Fort Thüngen (Musée Draï Eechelen)

Fort ThüngenSource: degetzica / shutterstock

This fortress, north-east of the main fortifications, was first built by the Austrians in 1732 to reinforce the Fortress of Luxembourg.

As part of the outer defences it was enlarged by the Prussians in the late-1850s but then mostly dismantled, except for the keep, after the Treaty of London (1867).

After many years of planning, a museum opened here in 2012, giving you a chronology of Luxembourg from the Burgundian conquest in 1443 to the completion of the Adolphe Bridge in 1903. The Luxembourgish name, Draï Eechelen, describes the fort’s three rounded towers.

Approximately 600 objects from the archives of the National Museum of History and Art have gone into the permanent exhibition, all presented in the fort’s restored casemates, which are an exhibit in their own right and preserved as they were in 1836/37.

Website: https://www.mnha.lu/en/the-mnha/the-museum/our-other-sites

15. National Museum of Natural History

National Museum of Natural HistorySource: Sergey Izotov / shutterstock
National Museum of Natural History

In the 1990s this well-respected institution moved into the restored Hospice Saint-Jean in the Grund Quarter.

The museum was first established in 1854, and is housed in three buildings, two of which are devoted to research laboratories and classrooms.

In ten rooms on the main hospice building’s two lower floors, the permanent exhibition draws on a huge cache of specimens and was revamped from 2015 to 2017 to reflect the current state of scientific research.

It’s essentially a fascinating trip through the history of evolution, using zoological specimens to present the full diversity of life in Luxembourg, while fossils paint a picture of biotopes that flourished here and then disappeared millions of years ago.

The final rooms go into detail on the Solar System and Universe, showing off the museum’s important collection of meteorites.

The top floor is reserved for a line-up of temporary exhibitions on specific topics, letting you explore the museum’s rich collections in more depth.

16. Place de la Constitution

Place de la ConstitutionSource: Botond Horvath / shutterstock
Place de la Constitution

A magnificent balcony over the Pétrusse Valley, Place de la Constitution is laid out on the Beck bastion, first built by the Spanish in the 1640s.

The square is dotted with pollarded plane trees and is a regular gathering place for events like the Christmas market.

The focal point is the Monument of Remembrance, a memorial for the Luxembourgers who volunteered for the Allied Forces during both World Wars and the Korean war.

Originally erected in 1923 after the Great War, this is capped by an image of Nike holding out a wreath. She is popularly known in Luxembourg as the “Gëlle Fra” (Golden Lady).

You can soak up the views across the Pétrusse Valley, encompassing the Pont Adolphe and the dominating Spuerkees Bank building and its castle-like BCEE clock tower.

Down the steps to the right and topped by a formal garden are the Pétrusse Casemates, which we’ll cover next.

17. Pétrusse Casemates

Pétrusse CasematesSource: Five-Birds Photography / shutterstock
Pétrusse Casemates

Another portion of Luxembourg City’s UNESCO -listed fortifications open to the public is this network of tunnels and gun emplacements over the Pétrusse River below Constitution Square.

The casemates hark back to the middle of the 17th century when the Spanish set about modernising the Medieval fortifications, constructing artillery bastions like the Beck.

That bastion was reinforced in front by the Ravelin du Pâté in 1673, and today this triangular structure is one of the best preserved parts of the entire system.

From the late 17th century to the middle of the 18th century, Vauban and then the Austrians bored into the rock, creating the Small Staircase (1680s), the Grand Staircase (1729) and the gun emplacements of the Pétrusse Battery (1746).

Long obsolete, the casemates were walled up in accordance with the 1867 London Treaty, but were reopened to the public in 1933.

18. Place Guillaume II

Place Guillaume IISource: T.W. van Urk / shutterstock
Place Guillaume II

This spacious square in the Ville-Haute is commanded by the Neoclassical Town Hall (1838).

On the west side is the Luxembourg City Tourist Information office, while the eastern half is presided over by a horseback statue of William II of the Netherlands (Guillaume II), Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

This monument, by French sculptors Antonin Mercié and Victor Peter, was erected in 1884. The local name for the square is “Knuedler”, which in Luxembourgish means “knot”. This refers to the belt worn by Franciscan monks who had a monastery at this spot from the 13th century until it was dissolved after the French Revolution.

The square is edged by plane trees, offering shade to the restaurant and cafe terraces on the north-west corner.

Since 1991 the Rock um Knuedler music festival has taken place on Place Guillaume II in July and in winter the “Knuedler on Ice” skating rink sets up from November to the start of January.

19. Passerelle

PasserelleSource: Grisha Bruev / shutterstock
Passerelle

Before Pont Adolphe came this giant viaduct, bestriding the Pétrusse Valley and connecting Avenue de la Gare on the south side with Boulevard Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the Ville-Haute.

The Passerelle was constructed between 1859 and 1861 as a means of getting to the newly completed railway station without compromising the city’s fortifications.

This viaduct is 290 metres long and rises 45 metres from the valley floor. From the walkway you’ll have a pleasing view along the valley and over to landmarks like the Cathedral spires, the BCEE clock tower and the towering city walls.

20. Neumünster Abbey

Neumünster AbbeySource: RPBaiao / shutterstock
Neumünster Abbey

Now home to the European Institute of Cultural Routes, this monument in the Grund Quarter has a long and complicated past.

A Benedictine Abbey was built here across the Alzette from the Bock in 1606, after the previous building on the Altmünster Plateau was destroyed several decades before.

This new abbey was lost to fire in 1684, rebuilt later that decade and enlarged in 1720 before being disbanded after the French Revolution.

From that time Neumünster Abbey alternated between a prison and barracks until the early-2000s when the complex became a cultural centre and the HQ for the European Institute of Cultural Routes.

Modern history was made at this very place in 2005 when the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU was signed here. The cultural centre puts on a lively programme of concerts, exhibitions, seminars in a series of halls, as well as open-air in summer.

21. Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

Luxembourg American Cemetery and MemorialSource: emmanuellegrimaud / shutterstock
Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

During the Ardennes Offensive in the winter of 1944-45 General George S. Patton’s U.S. Third Army used Luxembourg City as headquarters.

This cemetery was founded as a temporary burial ground in December 1944 and eventually became the resting place for 5,073 personnel, 101 of which are unknown.

Patton himself was buried here in December 1945 after dying in a car accident in Germany. The cemetery is in 17 acres bordered by another 33.5 acres of woodland.

There’s an information centre by the entrance, and as you enter your eye will be drawn to the monolithic chapel crowning a stone terrace.

This has monumental bronze doors with bronze cartouches evoking the military Virtues, as well as colourful stained glass depicting the Army insignia.

Website: https://www.abmc.gov/Luxembourg

22. Holy Ghost Citadel

Holy Ghost CitadelSource: Fabio Boccuzzi / shutterstock
Holy Ghost Citadel

The Holy Ghost Plateau is in the Ville-Haute, just opposite the Grund quarter, and gets its name from a convent dedicated to the Order of St Clare and founded on this perch between the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in the 13th century.

The plateau was first enclosed by the city’s defences with the completion of the Third Ring in the 14th century.

Then patch of space to build a citadel and a pair of barracks that were still in use until as recently as 1967. These were fortified by bastions, replacing the Medieval bulwarks and walls.

The Holy Ghost Citadel can be reached via a short pedestrian subway and lift, and has yet more staggering views over both the Pétrusse and the Alzette.

It’s a peaceful, non touristy place to roam for a while, and since the 2000s has been home to the Cité Judiciaire (Judiciary City), consolidating all of Luxembourg City’s judiciary offices and courtrooms.

23. Wenzel Circular Walk

Wenzel Circular WalkSource: ROBERTA BLONKOWSKI / shutterstock
Wenzel Circular Walk

To fully get to grips with the Fortress of Luxembourg you can embark on this signposted walk with 17 stops on the itinerary and lots of information boards.

The Wenzel Circular Walk leads you through the oldest quarters of the city and around the ramparts for wonderful views.

It has been devised to show off as much historic military architecture as possible and give a sense of the city’s urbanisation and old-time trades like market gardening. The route is named for Wenceslas II, Duke of Luxembourg (1361-1419), who ordered the third defensive ring, known as the Wenzel Wall.

As well as history, the trail also shines a light on Luxembourg’s geology and nature, and how they tie into the fortified city’s unique topography. The Wenzel Circular Walk departs from Bock Promontory and winds back round to the Holy Ghost Plateau, taking around 2.5 hours.

24. Cercle Cité

Cercle CitéSource: CK Travels / shutterstock
Cercle Cité

This stately neo-Baroque administrative building went up on the west side of Place d’Armes in the first few years of the 20th century and was officially inaugurated in 1910.

From the square you can make out a frieze above the first floor showing Countess Ermesinde granting the city charter in 1244.

From 1952 to 1969 this building housed the European Court of Justice and the European Coal and Steel Community, and following a renovation in the 2000s is now a venue for functions, short-term exhibitions, concerts, lectures and more.

The City Palace is joined to the neighbouring meeting and conference centre, Le Cité, by a bridge, and the entire complex is known as Cercle Cité.

Website: https://cerclecite.lu/en

25. Chapelle Quirin

Chapelle QuirinSource: Alxcrs / shutterstock
Chapelle Quirin

In the shadow of the Passerelle just up from the south bank of the Pétrusse River you’ll come across a cute little Gothic chapel cut from the rock.

As the site of a spring with supposed healing properties, this place has existed since long before the arrival of Christianity.

There has been a chapel here since the late-Roman period, and in the 11th century this was dedicated to the 2nd-century martyr Quirinus of Neuss (d. 116 CE).

The facade you see now was built by the Teutonic Order in 1355, while the roof and bell tower are 19th-century.



25 Best Things to Do in Luxembourg City (Luxembourg):

  • Bock Casemates
  • Chemin de la Corniche
  • The Grund
  • Palais Grand-Ducal
  • Pont Adolphe
  • National Museum of History and Art
  • Mudam Luxembourg Modern Art Museum
  • Place d'Armes
  • Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)
  • Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator
  • Luxembourg City History Museum
  • Philharmonie Luxembourg
  • Notre-Dame Cathedral
  • Fort Thüngen (Musée Draï Eechelen)
  • National Museum of Natural History
  • Place de la Constitution
  • Pétrusse Casemates
  • Place Guillaume II
  • Passerelle
  • Neumünster Abbey
  • Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial
  • Holy Ghost Citadel
  • Wenzel Circular Walk
  • Cercle Cité
  • Chapelle Quirin