I help you assess if Luxembourg is worth a visit as a tourist destination. We faced the same conundrum the first time we planned a trip together there, and I wished somebody else had laid it out.
Here you can see the pros and cons of visiting Luxembourg, which includes the small European country and the capital city of the same name.
Discover all the things that you can do on a visit to Luxembourg!
Table of Contents
Pros — Reasons to visit Luxembourg
Museums & Art — Seek out the National History and Art Museum, Luxembourg National Museum and Lëtzebuerg City Museum to just name a few. Some are free of charge to access, which is a gigantic perk! Street art is omnipresent.
Historical Importance — Must sees include the indestructible massive fortification and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Bock Casemates tunnels and other forts, to just name a handful of historical important places in Luxembourg.
Shopping — Upscale boutiques and specialty stores are situated in the city center, in the Grand Rue. Look out for Chanel and co!
Car-Free City Center — Just like a growing list of other European cities, Luxembourg has set up a car-free area within the inner-city area. You can walk around more peacefully, it's less noisy and, of course, the lack of pollution is refreshing.
Public Transport is Free — Luxembourg is the first country in the world that offers 2nd class train and general bus and tram transport free of charge. The new trains are another perk and make it all look super futuristic!
City of Contrasts — Luxembourg is a city of contrasts, where the old and new meet. My wife found this to be a major reason why she was keen to visit Luxembourg again. (She had visited as a kid).
Nightlife — If you have watched Capitani on Netflix, you will know that Luxembourg has a busy nightlife. Moreover, I can recommend a table in a sky bar, such as the “L’Observatoire” in the Sofitel Luxembourg Le Grand Ducal.
You have Luxembourg Ancestors — Perhaps someone from your family migrated from Luxembourg back in the day, and now you would like to visit a particular place or see the home country of your ancestors. This was another reason why my wife wanted to visit Luxembourg city.
People actually speak English — While this is never a guarantee in any of the neighboring countries, you can get around communicating without any issues in English in Luxembourg. The official language in this country is Luxembourgish, and people often also speak and understand German and French as well.
You will meet people from all over the World — Migrants and tourists converge, and it's a mixed pot of cultures.
Rural Luxembourg is a hiking hot-spot — Special hiking tours, such as the Mullerthal Trail or the Escapardenne Eislek Trail, take you across a diverse natural landscape. You can choose between advanced and beginner-friendly hiking trails in Luxembourg.
Ease of Access — You can fly into Luxembourg, with most European and International carriers landing and taking off from the international Luxembourg airport.
Makes for a great base for Day Trips — The quality of rooms and services is top-notch in Luxembourg, which makes it a good choice as a base. From Luxembourg, you can either take a train or hire a rental to visit neighboring countries on a day trip.
Cons — Why this city and country might not be your jam
It's expensive — Yes, Luxembourg is not for the beggars among us. Prepare to spend more on everything when in Luxembourg. We traveled from Switzerland over Paris to Luxembourg on a tour, and Luxembourg was almost en par with Switzerland in terms of expenditures.
It's small — Both the city and the country are pretty small, and the choice of attractions is rather limited. Most people stay for 1 to 2 days at most when they visit. Yet, hikers and nature walk lovers will enjoy the countryside in Luxembourg.
It's lacking a WOW effect to visit again — I wouldn't necessarily travel once more to Luxembourg because I wouldn't know for what. I have seen the most interesting places, and other countries and cities in Europe might be able to offer much more. This also leads to the conclusion that the capital seems a bit soulless, and generally speaking, this is what cities of quick money radiate. You can't buy everything with money, after all.
The people in Luxembourg — Most of the people in Luxembourg are migrants from other near and far away countries. In fact, many work in Luxembourg but travel back to their homes in Germany, France, or Belgium. The chance of meeting someone from Luxembourg is minimal and for someone who likes to converse with locals, this might be a turnoff. That said, Luxembourg people tend to be lovely.
Which visitors frequent Luxembourg?
Most visitors to Luxembourg find themselves in Luxembourg to tend to work or business relations.
The small country is known as a banking giant and Luxembourg city is one of the three European capitals, with Brussels in Belgium and Strasbourg in France. In fact, the major financial and judicial EU departments are situated on the Kirchberg plateau in Luxembourg city.
This resulted in a small country known for its riches, perhaps thanks to favorable corporate taxation laws and ease of doing business.
Therefore, most visitors come to Luxembourg on a workation, where they can combine work and leisure. Others, also, will visit the capital on a dedicated shopping trip because major luxury brand stores have boutiques lined up in the old town or a few will hit the nightlife.
Many more travel to Luxembourg just to see one of the smallest countries in Europe and the world and because they are traveling to other places nearby, such as Strasbourg in France.
For example, we were transiting Mons in Belgium when we decided to do a stop in Luxembourg. It was on the way, so we had a good reason to stop by.
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