1. Luxembourg City: Where It Is. 4. Orientation: City Districts. 5. City Squares & Parks. 2. Art, History & Culture. 5. Markets & Bargains

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1 Contents A Long Weekend in Luxembourg City Your Long Weekend The Plan All About Luxembourg City 1. Luxembourg City: Where It Is 2. Why Visit 3. When To Visit 4. Orientation: City Districts 5. City Squares & Parks So Much To See & Do 1. Walks & Tours 2. Art, History & Culture 3. Entertainment 4. Festivals & Fairs 5. Markets & Bargains 6. Shopping 7. For Children Practical Information 1. Food & Drink 2. Accommodation 3. Getting There & Getting Around 4. Good to Know City Orientation Maps 1. Map 1 Old Town 2. Map 2 Lower Town 3. Map 3 Station District 4. Map 4 Kirchberg 1

2 A Long Weekend in Luxembourg City Has your work taken you to Luxembourg City? Is your local low-cost airline flying there? Is it a stop on a tour of Europe? Do you simply feel like a change in routine and a short trip somewhere interesting? If you love history and culture, nature and views, fine foods and quality nightlife you'll enjoy your long weekend in Luxembourg City. A Long Weekend is here to make it easy for you to get the most out of a short break in Luxembourg City: we've done the research and planning leaving you free to pack in the memorable experiences. Using this ebook This ebook has been created specifically for use on an e-reader. Navigation is easy regardless of whether you're reading "cover to cover", flicking through the book, or looking for a specific reference. 1. Use the table of contents at the beginning to reach any chapter with just one touch. 2. Each section opens with its own contents table, making it easy to browse. 3. A single touch on underlined words or phrases in the text will take you to that section of the ebook. 4. Each chapter ends with a page of contacts and quick links to the places and services referred to in the chapter. These are external web links; reaching them requires an internet connection. A Long Weekend Online Optimised for the easiest digital reading, this book has been kept quick to download. Because of the limitations of images on e-readers photographs and maps don't display well and make downloading slow we've not included many. Instead, visit us online for news and reviews, videos, slideshows and interactive tours that will give you a preview of what your weekend has in store. Website and blog: ALongWeekend.net Follow us on Twitter and join in the 2

3 Find us on Facebook: A Long Weekend Page Have a lovely long weekend, and travel safely! 3

4 Your Long Weekend - The Plan This is your three-day plan. Everything suggested in the plan (and a lot more too!) is described in later chapters. Friday Orientation Shopping Aperitif Dinner Later Afternoon Drop your bags at the hotel and set off to your first destination: the Tourist Office on Place Guillaume II. Here you can pick up your free City Promenade walking map and the very useful Panorama map, which has an index of street names and the main sites. Also gather up any brochures, event guides, and programmes that grab your attention. If you've had time to prepare for your visit then you'll know the guided tours you'd like to book, or which tour maps you'll need for your chosen routes. This is also the time to buy your concert or show tickets, and a museum card if you feel you'll need it (it's useful if you expect to visit several of the museums). But don't worry if you forget something; the Tourist Office is open long hours through the weekend. Head into the streets of the Old Town, maps in hand. The City Promenade walk is the perfect way to begin: it gives you a snapshot view of all the highlights the weekend has in store. Follow the full route or just part of it. Or, at the very least, walk along Chemin de la Corniche the "balcony" that runs the length of the fortress walls, and gaze out over the city. You'll find your appetite whetted for what's to come. Take a break at a café or bar and look through your brochures. Read up about the restaurants in town till one tickles your taste buds; call to reserve a table. Look at what's happening over the weekend the shows and concerts, exhibitions and activities and bookmark the best of them. Check the dates and see if your visit coincides with any of the city's many festivals and fairs. Got the kids with you? Luxembourg is very child-friendly, with sporty, artistic and scientific activities. This is a good time to choose the ones that appeal to your family as you may need to book. Wander through the pedestrian area of the Old Town browsing the shops maybe do a bit of spending and spoiling too, for something special! You'll find several designer boutiques (Louis Vuitton, Sonia Rykiel, Cartier guaranteed to damage a wallet) as well as some more accessible brands. The Cityshopping Info Point on Place 4

5 d'armes has a shopping guide book if you think you'll need the extra help. Evening Early evening, and it's aperitif time. Head over to one of the Old Town wine shops for a tutored tasting of the wines of Luxembourg. Or make your way down to the lower town where the bars and pubs will be coming to life for the night's action. Luxembourg is a fairly dressy place so leave the tourist shoes at the hotel and opt for something a little smarter. In recent years the city has encouraged the best of international business to move in and settle down, and this brings with it the best of international cuisine. So when it comes to dinner you'll find Asian, South American and the eclectic, modern "world cuisine" mix. You could take this opportunity to dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant (you would need to book in advance). Or keep it local and try traditional Luxembourgish fare; or French or Italian, or Dinner over, and you can wind down the evening with a digestif (or a tisane) and live music at one of the many late-night venues. It is Friday night so, depending where you go, you may find things kicking in to gear for a full night of music and dance. Generally you'll find evening venues wrapping up service by 23:00, while the rowdier pubs close at 01:00. Saturday Market Museums & Exhibitions Lunch Tour Coffee Aperitif Dinner & Concert/Show Après-culture Morning Start your day at the produce market on Place Guillaume II. This lovely, bustling market even on the most blustery day has a wonderful variety of fresh fruits and vegetables (some quite exotic, others really rustic); smoked and dried meats from Germany, France, Italy and elsewhere; cheeses; breads and pastries; and explosions of flavour from specialist deli stalls. You'll be invited encouraged, even to taste just about everything. You'll find olives from Provence; pickled seafood from Greece; sweets from Turkey Make the most of it but don't feel obliged to buy something just because you've been given a generous sample. If you missed out on breakfast then head up through the small arcade beside Brasserie Guillaume (sells terrific pastries, sweet and savoury) and the Guillaume seafood restaurant, and left on to Place d'armes. Several of the cafés here serve coffee and pastries out on the terrace. However, if you're in the mood for something 5

6 more substantial, or to shelter somewhere cosy, try a full English breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast at one of the English pubs. Take the short stroll down Rue du Curé towards Fish Market. Inspired by the market, with taste buds satisfied, it's time to take in the sights and set off for your chosen museums. There's something for every interest (and degree of stamina) so either head off at a run in order to pack it all in or just stroll gently down the hill to the City History Museum or the Museum of History and Art. A little further on from there you find the fascinating, not-to-be-missed, tunnels and chambers of the Bock casemates the remaining city fortifications. These are well worth seeing, and will thrill children and fascinate even the most "independent" teenager. Take a break for a light lunch. There are great snack bars and kiosks selling delicious eat-in and take-away foods. Typical of the city are the baguette sandwich, and the rieslingspaschtèit, a meat and wine-jelly pie (but don't worry, if you're a cautious eater the city has the usual international fast-food chains too). The Natural History Museum in the lower town, the MUDAM modern art museum on the Kirchberg Plateau, and the City History Museum have cafés and restaurants which also make good stopping-off points for lunch. Afternoon Lunch break over and it's time to take a tour of the city, by foot or by bus, with or without a guide. Luxembourg has a number of well-mapped tours with a variety of themes. No tour takes you very far from creature comforts, so you don't need to burden yourself with anything more than a map, camera and possibly binoculars. If you're taking a walking tour, wear comfortable shoes; and it is Luxembourg, so you may need a waterproof or umbrella. The Wenzel Circular Walk ("1,000 Years in 100 Minutes") is a highly-praised walk. It's an engaging way to take in the highlights of the city, and the ideal generalinterest tour. Or you could tour the city fortifications, or the city's Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings, or even the places Goethe stayed on his visits to Luxembourg or tours on any one of a number of other themes. If the weather is just too awful for sightseeing, spend the afternoon at the movies instead. Information overload and fatigue setting in? Sports fans may want to head off to one of the sports bars for a beer and a chance to catch up on the "big game". Or you could simply settle down at a café on a square for tea and cakes, or the terrace of a pub to sample local beer, and watch the world go by. 6

7 If you'd like to do some shopping, this is your last chance very little is open Sundays! Head for the pedestrian streets of the Old Town, or over to the high street stores on the shopping boulevards in the Station district. Evening Saturday night is party night. Whether you want calmly classical or pulsating party you're certain to find suitable entertainment. It may not be Paris or New York but, for its size, Luxembourg packs a punch. It has a large number, and variety, of venues for music and dancing, cocktails and coffee. It's also a popular stop for many top international performers. At any time of the year you can expect to hear one of the greats of the classical world, a jazz icon or big-name DJ. When it comes to music (all types) and theatre, there's a lot to choose from. Plan in advance with online programmes (links later in the book). Or just pick something on the spur of the moment the best surprises can happen that way. Depending on your evening's plans and the time your concert or show starts, you may need to start with an early dinner (be aware that few restaurants serve before 19:30). Or opt instead for a late supper somewhere in the lower town. Be warned that few places serve food after about 23:00 getting drinks is easy, a full meal not. If you want to go dancing, warm up at one of the pubs in the lower town; the clubs don't get started till after 23:00. You can use a night bus to get around the city in the small hours. Sunday Morning Sleep in Nature & Tour Lunch Art & Museum Chill out Sunday: the day to take things easy. And the pace of Luxembourg on a Sunday is not going to challenge that; things move slowly and quietly (except on a festival day!). If the weather is being kind then there's no better way to start the day than with a stroll through the city gardens, a hike along the Pétrusse Valley or a bike ride beside the Alzette River. The gardens meander for many city blocks and extend down terraces to the valley. In fact you could make a real morning of it and follow all or part of the Parks and gardens walking tour for a full floral experience. Well-marked hiking and cycling paths snake along the valley beside the rivers. For the most part, these are easy going, even with a child's buggy. But you can up the ante and head out further on a decent trail of several kilometres: clear the head and 7

8 work up an appetite. Time for a lazy Sunday lunch. By this stage you will have passed many restaurants and had the chance to see their menus and poke a nose through the odd door, so treat yourself to the one that's most caught your fancy whether for its menu, its looks or its prices. Several restaurants have terraces with terrific views or courtyard gardens to relax in. Afternoon Something you'd like to see but missed on Friday or Saturday? Something you still want to do? The city's tourist sites are open on Sunday afternoons, so this is your chance to visit that museum, explore that place or do that thing you've not yet done. With its two modern art museums MUDAM and the Casino Contemporary Art Forum Luxembourg has become an important place for experimental artists to exhibit and an interesting place to follow the evolution of new trends in art. Being Sunday, and with art on the mind, you can visit the Am Tunnel for works by local contemporary artists, or go to an art or antique market (first and third Sunday of the month only). Last chance to chill out with tea and cakes! Look in the window of any pâtisserie and you'll see little jewel-like confections lined up in perfect sparkling rows. You have to try one of these miniature works of art. Some pastry shops have tables and chairs, either indoors or out, where you can settle down for your final treat. And then wind things up, ready for a new week, hopefully with a head full of pleasant memories and an imagination stimulated by some great new experiences. 8