Explore Luxembourg

Luxembourg City

The Grand Duchy's capital punches far above its size — a UNESCO-listed old town perched on sandstone cliffs above the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse gorges, with fortress casemates tunnelled deep into the rock beneath. The Grund quarter, accessible by elevator from the upper city, strings a village of restaurants and wine bars along the river below the ramparts.

Echternach

Luxembourg's oldest town sits on the Sure river at the gateway to the Müllerthal, the country's rugged "Little Switzerland" of sandstone gorges and pine forests. The 7th-century Benedictine abbey founded by the Anglo-Saxon missionary St Willibrord still dominates the town, and the famous Echternach dancing procession — a unique Whit Tuesday folk tradition — draws pilgrims from across the region every year.

Vianden

One of Europe's most romantic small towns, Vianden clusters below a magnificent medieval castle that rides a rocky promontory above the Our river valley and is considered one of the finest feudal residences in the Rhine-Meuse region. Victor Hugo lived here in exile for a period, and his former house is now a museum on the medieval main street below the château.

Diekirch

The self-proclaimed capital of the northern Ardennes is home to the National Museum of Military History, one of the most powerful collections of Battle of the Bulge artefacts in the world, with tanks, weapons, and personal effects chronicling the brutal winter fighting of 1944–45. The town sits on the Sure river surrounded by forested hills perfect for hiking and cycling.

Ettelbruck

A northern transport hub and gateway to the Ardennes, Ettelbruck honours General George S. Patton — who liberated the town in January 1945 — with an annual Patton Remembrance Day and a statue at the heart of the town square. The surrounding hills are lined with reminders of the Battle of the Bulge that raged across this landscape in the winter of 1944.

Esch-sur-Alzette

Luxembourg's second-largest city and former industrial heartland of the "red lands" steel industry is reinventing itself as a European Capital of Culture 2022 and beyond, with ambitious arts venues and architectural renovation transforming former foundries and slag heaps. The Émile Mayrisch Park and the revitalised city centre reveal a town shedding its industrial past with considerable style.

Remich

The pearl of the Moselle, Remich is a trim riverside wine town surrounded by terraced Riesling and Pinot Gris vineyards that produce some of Luxembourg's finest sparkling Crémant. The covered wine promenade along the Moselle embankment and the town's several cave cooperatives make it the ideal base for exploring Luxembourg's most internationally recognized wine appellation.

Grevenmacher

The administrative capital of the Moselle region sits at the confluence of the Moselle and Syre rivers, surrounded by vineyards producing crisp whites that have earned Luxembourg its growing reputation as a Crémant producer. The butterfly garden on the Moselle embankment and the regional wine cooperative make it a pleasant stop on the Route du Vin.

Clervaux

A small Ardennes town dominated by its restored Benedictine abbey and a beautifully restored 12th-century castle that houses one of the world's most celebrated photographic exhibitions: Edward Steichen's "The Family of Man," a UNESCO Memory of the World collection of 503 photographs assembled in 1955. The surrounding forested valleys of the northern Ardennes are among the quietest and most beautiful landscapes in the country.

Mondorf-les-Bains

Luxembourg's only spa town, Mondorf built its reputation on thermal mineral springs discovered in the 19th century and today centres on a modern thermal complex with indoor and outdoor pools fed by warm sulfurous water. The Casino Luxembourg also draws cross-border visitors from France and Germany to this compact but elegant resort in the country's southeastern corner.

Larochette

A charming village in the Müllerthal valley, Larochette is built around twin ruined castle towers that rise from a narrow sandstone ridge above the Wark river in a scene that belongs more to fairy tale than to reality. The village serves as a starting point for the famous Müllerthal Trail, Luxembourg's most celebrated long-distance hiking route through sandstone gorges and forests.

Wiltz

The cultural capital of northern Luxembourg, Wiltz hosts an internationally regarded open-air theatre festival each summer in the courtyard of its castle, drawing theatre and circus companies from across Europe. The hillside town commands views over the forested Ardennes valleys and was a significant site in the Battle of the Bulge, with its war museum and monument commemorating the January 1945 liberation.

Dudelange

The industrial south's most culturally ambitious town, Dudelange is home to the Centre national de l'audiovisuel and the Fond Steichen — a remarkable archive of photographs by Edward Steichen, the Luxembourg-born photographer who became the world's highest-paid portraitist and transformed modern photography. The ironworks heritage and the hilltop chapel above the town round out a community proud of its working-class roots.

Inscribed in 1994, Luxembourg City's UNESCO site encompasses the old town perched on dramatic sandstone cliffs above the Alzette and Pétrusse valleys, along with the famous Bock Casemates — 23 kilometres of underground tunnels carved into the rock over three centuries of strategic fortification by Burgundian, Spanish, French, Austrian, and Prussian rulers. The site is a remarkable testament to the military history of a city that was once called the 'Gibraltar of the North' and whose ramparts were dismantled under the terms of the 1867 Treaty of London that guaranteed Luxembourg's neutrality.