Luxembourg City

The second train of (Not Quite) All the Small Things had brought me across Belgium into my second Benelux country of the trip and my 29^th ever, Luxembourg. As with many smaller nations, the country and its capital city share the same common name, although the country is officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, whilst the city is technically Luxembourg City.

Having arrived into Gare de Luxembourg onboard a SNCB Intercity service (read about that here), I was a little way from the old town and so headed across to the current terminus of the city’s tram network to head a couple of stops north. Trams have only recently been re-introduced into the city’s public transport infrastructure, with the first stage of line T1 opening in late 2017. Work is in process to extend the line further to provide connections to the new national stadium in the south-west and Luxembourg airport in the north-east.

The great thing about public transport in Luxembourg is that it is completely free to both residents and visitors, meaning you can easily jump on any tram, train or bus without having to figure out buying a ticket. The only exceptions to this is services that cross International borders, with a ticket being required from the last station or stop in Luxembourg. The ticket across the border from Arlon in Belgium had cost me just €2.50.

Crossing the Pont Adolphe, a bridge that dates from 1903 however required strengthening and widening to accommodate the tram line, I was soon on the outskirts of the old town and hopped off the tram at Hamilius. From here it was a short walk onto Grand-Rue, what appeared to be the main, high-end, shopping street in the city, the equivalent of Regent’s Street in London.

From here it was a short walk down to the Place d’Armes, the central square of the old town and former parade ground for garrisoned troops. The square is the centre of the city’s cultural scene, with concerts throughout the summer along with a twice-monthly flea market whilst during December it is the site of the city’s Christmas market. Unfortunately, visiting in early January, the square wasn’t the usual hive of activity, however it does play host to some beautiful buildings including the Palais Municipal, the former administration building of the city.

A short walk away from the Place d’Armes is the Palais Grand-Ducal, the official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Constructed in the mid 1500s, the building first served as the city hall of Luxembourg and subsequently as a regional government building until 1817 when it became residence of the governor and headquarters of the Luxembourg Government. From 1890 the building became purely for the use of the Grand Duke or Duchess, with the exception of the years of German occupation.

In the modern Luxembourg, whilst the Palais Grand-Ducal is the official residence of the Grand Duke, in reality it is used as his offices with Berg Castle his residence. During the year there are various times when the Palais is open to the public with guided tours being conducted in Luxemburgish, French, English and German and entry costing €15. Unfortunately it wasn’t open during my visit but looking at some of the pictures of the interior, I’d definitely like to make the effort to visit in future.

The other prominent building in Luxembourg is the Cathedrale Notre-Dame, the city’s Roman Catholic cathedral and the only cathedral in the country. A noteworthy example of late gothic architecture, the cathedral was originally constructed as a Jesuit church, however became a Roman Catholic church in the late 1700s and then a cathedral in 1870 when it was elevated by Pope Pius IX. Unfortunately, I have no idea whether you can explore inside the cathedral as I couldn’t find the main entrance and the website didn’t seem to be working.

Outside the southern end of the cathedral, across one of the city’s main roads, there is an viewpoint which gives excellent views across the Vallé de la Pétrusse to the Plateau Bourbon and the tower of the grand BCEE bank. With a large bag and some miserable weather, I decided not to head down into the valley and instead paused to admire the view in the drizzly twilight.

With only a short time allotted to Luxembourg it was soon time to head back to the station to catch my final train of the day to my overnight stop in country 4.5 of the trip, Germany. Whether it was tiredness, the weather or just how the city is, I unfortunately didn’t feel any connection with Luxembourg and if I’m honest the city felt a bit soulless. I will make the effort to re-visit in future and spend a full day, unencumbered with luggage to explore in more depth, but it isn’t particularly high on the list.