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I’ve travelled the world and my favourite place is Europe’s ‘most misunderstood’ country
Luxembourgers like to travel.
The country has the second highest rate of outbound tourism in the European Union, with 83% of residents taking at least one international trip each year. But Luxembourg doesn’t attract visitors in the same way.
The Grand Duchy has long been afflicted with a boring reputation.
Described as a ‘ghost town at weekends’ and ‘all work, no play’, it is small, quiet, and a financial hub for the ultra-wealthy… not exactly key ingredients for a tourist destination.
Still, ‘Europe’s most misunderstood’ country has more to it than meets the eye, if only you know where to look.
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Pauline Weis wants to help with that.
The content creator, who has a masters in European studies and speaks nine languages, grew up in Luxembourg but left at 18 to see the world.
In recent years, however, she has fallen back in love with her homeland and is frustrated that it doesn’t get more attention on the international scene.
‘There’s a misconception about Luxembourg that everyone is rich and drives a Porsche. I don’t have a Porsche, I know my father certainly doesn’t have a Porsche!’ Pauline, who posts as @PaulinaOnTheRoad, tells Metro.
What they do have, she says, is a country full of luscious forests, medieval castles and some of the most beautiful (and quietest) hiking trails in Europe, not to talk of a thriving food scene.
But more on that later. First, let’s get clued up on the basics.
Luxembourg is Europe’s seventh-smallest nation, with a population of just 699,000. You can cross the whole country in about an hour.
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The capital, Luxembourg City, is built on a rocky plateau overlooking dramatic gorges and a sweeping canyon, which create a striking multi-level cityscape.
It is home to the imposing Bock Casemates, a natural fortress carved into a cliff face that was one of Europe’s most strategic strongholds in the 17th-Century (and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994).
Following the decline of the steel industry in the 70s, Luxembourg was forced to diversify, fast.
Astutely, it focused on services, and today, with the highest GDP per capita in Europe, it’s a great place to do business.
In March 2020, it became the first in the world to offer free public transport across the entire nation.
Sure, it was primarily to solve the traffic problem in the capital, but now visitors can zip from the airport to the city centre on a modern tram system without paying a penny.
The capital also boasts free city-wide WiFi and Europe’s second-lowest gender pay gap.
Pauline is proud of what her country has become: a progressive place full of nature, history, and excellent restaurants.
But what she loves most, she says, are the people.
‘Luxembourg is very, very international,’ she says. ‘You hear all kind of languages, and you’ve got all nationalities living peacefully and very happily together in a very limited space.’
While Luxembourg City only has a population of around 120,000, more than 70% of its residents are non-Luxembourgers.
Within that number are citizens from some 170 countries, an eclectic mix that has created an exciting culinary scene.
‘Luxembourgish food is hearty stuff, we like to say it’s the quantity of the Germans and the quality of the French,’ says Pauline.
Alongside places serving traditional fare (such as Kniddelen, dumplings served with fried bacon lardons), the capital boasts a long list of cafes and restaurants that illustrate its cultural diversity, from Italian and Greek to Bangladeshi and Japanese.
One of the biggest success stories is Chiche!, a thriving restaurant that brings Lebanese and other Levantine dishes to the heart of Europe.
The business employs 70 staff, most of them refugees and migrants from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and beyond, allowing chefs from abroad to integrate and find meaningful work in their new home.
‘The food is unbelievable, the service is great and the prices are okay, affordable for Luxembourg City,’ Pauline says.
Getting there is cheap, too. You can fly direct to Luxembourg from London for as little as £38 return, and remember: it’s free public transport on arrival.
So what should you do when you land?
Pauline’s first recommendation is to get out of the city and onto the Mullerthal Trail, a 112km trek through verdant forest and dazzling waterfalls in a region known as ‘Little Switzerland’. The journey takes just over 30 minutes.
Cool with its own micro-climate and prehistoric rock formations that date back to the dinosaurs, she says it’s where she hides when summer temperatures get too high.
Next, she recommends Vianden Castle, an architectural masterpiece voted one of the world’s most beautiful castles by CNN Travel.
Around it are beautiful cycling trails and a romantic landscape where Pauline goes when she ‘needs to breathe’.
After that, she says you shouldn’t miss Fond-de-Gras, a preserved industrial heritage site in the south of Luxembourg where a vintage steam train trundles through the old mining landscape.
Covered by dense forest, this area also has a microclimate, keeping it cool while other parts of the country (and the continent) feel the heat.
Back in the capital, Pauline says a good way to start the evening is a stroll through the Grund, the oldest part of the city that feels more like a village.
Try a local beer at Liquid, a lively bar overlooking the Alzette River next to a scenic viewing point.
Then, she says, move on to the Rives de Clausen neighbourhood, a 12th-Century brewing district that’s been revamped as an entertainment quarter.
For dinner, Pauline recommends Beim Siggy, Um Dierfgen and her favourite, Chiche!, then Hotel Cravat for cocktails and Rock Box bar for a proper night out.
The essentials
Getting there
Ryanair flies direct to Luxembourg from London Stansted. Return fares start from £38 in August.
Where to stay
In Luxembourg City:
Outside the capital:
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