This European trip included visiting a few countries I’d never been to before, with Luxembourg on the list. I arrived from Paris around 1pm on Saturday morning, having taken the train to a town in Germany and then – to my surprise – a bus into Luxembourg. 

Early check-in would have cost an extra €20. Luxembourg living up to its expensive reputation (though have to say that staying near the central train station revealed an unexpected poorer side of the city).

Not wanting to pay the extra, I left my luggage at the hotel and went exploring. One of the great things about Luxembourg is that public transport is free across the whole (tiny) country – buses, trams, trains, funiculars. Brilliant!

I jumped on a bus up to the Bock Casemates, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a wander around the old tunnels and fortifications. I went inside, happy to get out of the sun for a while, although there wasn’t all that much to see once you’re in there: views from one side, views from the other.

Casemates done, I walked along what is apparently the most beautiful balcony in Europe, taking lots of photos along the way. Luxembourg really is a very picturesque city. Just being outside in the sunshine and walking was a treat, if a bit warm.

I made my way back into town, stopping at a raw café for lunch and to read Heated Rivalry. Afterwards, I returned to the hotel, checked in and then headed to the laundromat to do the boring stuff that still needs to be done when you’re travelling. Two sweaty days in Singapore and a few more in Paris had left me running low on some clean clothes.

That evening, I headed back towards the Casemates for the Blues’n’Jazz Rallye, which had multiple stages set up throughout this part of Luxembourg, all free.

It was packed. Such a great vibe and a really nice evening to be out exploring. I’m not the biggest jazz fan, but I enjoyed wandering around with absolutely no expectations about where I needed to be or when. Eventually, I found a DJ playing some great music, stayed for a while, had a drink and enjoyed the night before taking a very long time to walk back to the hotel.

From City to Castle

On Sunday, I woke up ready for my first full day exploring what this little city had to offer. After breakfast, I packed my bag and headed into the warm Luxembourg morning. I took public transport in from my hotel near the station into the old town which was just starting to wake up.

I really loved that the transport was free. You can just jump on and off without worrying about whether you’d paid for the right ticket, whether you were wasting a journey or whether you’d accidentally caught the wrong train, tram or bus. It made getting around incredibly easy. 

I wandered through the old town with church bells ringing around me, passing the Grand Ducal Palace and wondering whether, given how central it is and how close everyone can get to it, the Grand Duke or anyone from the royal household ever just wanders across the road to grab a coffee from the café opposite.

I stumbled across a fountain and a park and eventually reached the panoramic elevator. I rode it down and then straight back up again, mostly because it was fun. Staying at the bottom would also have taken me in the opposite direction from where I actually wanted to go, which was to Mudam, Luxembourg’s modern art museum.

From there, I headed across the big red bridge and through a pleasant park towards the museum.

Mudam wasn’t huge in terms of its collection, but what was there was really interesting. There was a multipart exhibition by British-Japanese artist Simon Fujiwara, one part exploring the nature of visitor attractions and what you need to do to get people in the door, another about syphilis that connected Fujiwara’s own experience of contracting the disease with its history of colonisation. There were other sections too, all fascinating.

There were also some beautiful and unusual works throughout the museum, including a huge wall piece made from a mélange of beads, wool and small objects, and abstract paintings that had been created through people dancing on them.

After exploring all the rooms, I set off for my next destination: Vianden Castle.

Getting there was a bit of a trek. I walked from the museum through some lovely forest to the station and, because I was early for my train, took the funicular up and down because I could. Then it was a train followed by a bus out to Vianden, taking about 90 minutes.

The castle sits dramatically above the town, with the river running below and houses clustered around it. It was so beautiful.

I climbed up through the town towards the castle, stopping along the way for coffee and water. The castle itself was impressive and the interpretation was pretty good, with the rooms arranged into a clear circuit so you always knew where you were heading next. 

Afterwards, I wandered back down to the river and caught the bus and train back to Luxembourg City, arriving at around 6pm in time to meet a friend for dinner and catch about 15 minutes of the very dull end of the World Cup Final.

Hiking in Luxembourg

On Monday, I went hiking in the Mullerthal region, choosing a route that would take me through Berdorf and some of the rocky forest scenery I’d been wanting to see.

It took about an hour and a half on public transport to reach the start, but once again: free transport. You don’t really mind quite so much when it isn’t costing you anything.

I chose to start in Echternach, which meant walking through the town then along a river and farmland for a good while. I also managed to get stung by nettles along the way. Fortunately I had antihistamines in my bag did the job despite Google helpfully suggesting I find dock leaves. No idea what dock looks like.

For a while, I wondered whether I’d chosen the wrong route. The farmland and towns weren’t particularly exciting, and the walk seemed to be going on much longer than I’d expected. But then I reached Berdorf.

From there, the trail plunged into the forest amidst towering rock formations. It was stunning – and incredibly popular. Being school holidays, it was packed with people, and so much busier than the first part of my walk. 

Despite the less interesting start to the hike, I was glad I’d done it the way I had. Starting with the quieter, less spectacular section meant the scenery kept getting better rather than the other way around.

By the end, I’d walked about 20 kilometres and was exhausted, but satisfied with how much I’d seen. My new hiking boots were definitely not a good choice though and blisters soon appeared. I emerged back into town, checked my phone and discovered the bus was due in two minutes. I had to run, which hurt, but I made it in time as the bus arrived five minutes late. 

It took me most of the way back into Luxembourg City, where I transferred onto a tram. This also meant I’d managed to use all four of Luxembourg’s main forms of public transport during my stay.

Back at the hotel, I collapsed for a while before heading out for sushi just down the road. It was really good (and I ignored the price). 

Then I packed my things and had an early night. I had to be up at 4am the next morning to head to Germany.