Luxembourg is off the beaten track for both the tourist in search of Europe’s hot spots and the average holiday-maker. Nonetheless, Luxembourg is the perfect long weekend destination in Europe. 4 days are not much, but you can still escape the hectic of your 9 to 5 job and enjoy the laid back atmosphere in this small country, hidden between Germany, Belgium and France. Here you will find my 4-day itinerary in Luxembourg with the best places to visit in Luxembourg.
Read more: 6 cool day trips from Luxembourg City
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Where is Luxembourg and how to get there?
Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe, located between Germany, Belgium and France.
Read more: Luxembourg, the country, or the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg shall not be mixed with the Province of Luxembourg in Belgium or with Luxembourg City, which is actually the capital city of the Grand Duchy.
Getting to Luxembourg by plane
You can fly to Luxembourg’s own airport, or to one of the nearest airports with a budget airline:
- Eindhoven (the Netherlands) – WizzAir, Ryanair, Arkefly, Vueling a.o. fly to Eindhoven. Distance to Luxembourg by car – 250 km.
- Maastricht (the Netherlands) – Corendon and Ryanair fly to Maastricht-Aachen International Airport. Distance to Luxembourg by car – 160 km.
- Weeze (Germany) – WizzAir and Eurowings fly to this airport. Distance to Luxembourg by car – 300 km.
- Brussel Charleroi (Belgium) – you can fly with WizzAir or Ryanair. Distance to Luxembourg by car – 170 km.
Subsequently you can rent a car and explore the Grand Duchy.
Other ways to travel to and around in Luxembourg
As I live in the Netherlands, Luxembourg was the perfect destination to travel to by car. I am sure you can easily discover Luxembourg by public transport (train or bus), but we don’t have this experience, so I can’t recommend this from first hand. However, on the website of Visit Luxembourg there is detailed information about how to get to and around Luxembourg using public transport.
A 4-day Luxembourg itinerary
Luxembourg, being a petite country, offers perfect possibilities to stay at one place and discover the whole country in one-day trips. I always prefer to use as a base a little place, full of character. That’s why this time I chose Vianden. So, we travelled each day back and forth to Vianden discovering different parts of Luxembourg. On the map below you can see the places we visited during our 4-day long weekend in Luxembourg.
Of course, you can completely customize this Luxembourg itinerary and fit it into 3 days or even in a weekend.
Day 1: Vianden
Vianden is a small town on the River Our with an impressive medieval castle perched on one of the hills. We used this first day to walk literally all streets up and down in the old town and to soak into the atmosphere of cobbled stones, hanging geraniums and charming cafés and restaurants along the way.
The town was established in the 13 c. and got its town rights in 1308. It used to be one of those fortified medieval towns. Nowadays, there are the remains of the ramparts which encircled the city, guarding it with its 24 towers and allowing visitors in only through one of the five city gates. Take the time to walk along the town walls.
We used Vianden as a base for our trip, travelling each day to a different location and coming back in the evening to enjoy a glass of pastis in one of the numerous cafés watching the passers-by or just holding the moment.
Day 2: Luxembourg City
On this second day of our trip, being also my birthday, we headed to Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy. I knew Luxembourg City as one of the seats of the EU institutions, forming together with Brussels & Strasbourg the Eurocrats’ Walhalla.
Well, Luxembourg is much more than this. The Upper Town with its fortifications is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There are place d’Armes with its numerous restaurants and cafés, place Guillaume II with the equestrian statue of the Dutch king William II and the town hall, and the Grand Ducal Palace with the adjacent Chamber of Deputies.
Read more: Why Luxembourg Old Town is included on the List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Walk down the Chemin de la Corniche and admire the fabulous views along its whole length.
Grund is the lower town, caught between the steep cliffs in the loop of the river Alzette. It has the charm of a small village in the countryside with the Neumünster Abbey and the St Jean du Grund church.
Luxembourg City is also famous for its underground casemates: the Pétrusse casemates and the Bock casements. The casemates are an intricate maze of rock tunnels, used for the defense of the city against invaders.
Luxembourg turned out to be a city with strict eating habits. If you want to just have a drink in the time between noon and 2 o’clock, you will be shown the door. This is the time when you HAVE to order lunch. Otherwise, you will miss your chance to have anything decent to eat all the way until the evening hours when dinner is served. If you want to have a snack after 3 pm, no café or bar will serve you anything. So, plan well in advance your lunch time.
Day 3: The Castle of Vianden and Echternach
Early in the morning on the 3rd day we headed to the castle of Vianden. I suggest that you take the chairlift which will take you up the hill and then walk to the castle. From the top of the hill you can enjoy one of those 360° breathtaking views down to the town, the river and the castle.
It took 300 years to build the castle between the 11th and 15th century. In 1820 the Dutch king William I sold it to a local merchant who dismantled it and sold it off in pieces. The locals got mad with Willem I and he had to buy again the castle. The castle was finally restored to its glory in the 1970-s, when it became property of the Government of Luxembourg.
I love chasing castles and each time I visit a place there is at least one castle on my list. This one was very well restored and had this amazing views and visiting it was definitely one of my favorite things to do in Luxembourg.
In the afternoon we went to Echternach – the oldest town in Luxembourg, just at the border with Germany. It’s a lovely small town in the Müllerthal, where you can walk around in a couple of hours and simply enjoy the old buildings and the atmosphere.
Day 4: Clervaux
On our last day in Luxembourg, on the way home, we stopped for a short visit in Clervaux – another small charming city in the north of the country, dominated by its Abbey, the Church of Saint Cosma and Damian and the white castle.
If you are in Clervaux, do not miss The Family of Man – a permanent photographic exhibition in the castle. It was curated by Edward Steichen for MoMA (Museum of Modern Arts) in New York in 1955 and consists of 503 pictures by 273 photographers from 68 countries. It is an absolutely stunning collection! I was totally taken away. Visiting the exhibition should be on your list of things to do in Luxembourg.
Where to stay in Luxembourg
During our 4-day trip to Luxembourg we stayed in Hotel Petry in Vianden and travelled around. We loved this charming family hotel! The restaurant had a large terrace, which was perfect in the summer. We could also use the swimming pool and the spa of Hotel Belle-Vue (only 100 m from Hotel Petry) at no extra charge.
Booking.com
I was considering for a long time to visit Luxembourg and ended up with giving myself a nice birthday present in July – a long weekend in Luxembourg. Planning everything in advance is certainly something that I love doing, keeping a must-see list and a nice-to-see list of all the places in Luxembourg, where we gonna stay, what we gonna do. In Luxembourg I think, I’ve managed to do both the lists! However, I would love to return and explore Luxembourg in detail, as this country is so beautiful and deserves more time spent there.
Have you been to Luxembourg? Have you visited other places in Luxembourg that you would like to recommend? Share your experience in the comments below! Let us know what your favorite things to do in Luxembourg. Or perhaps you have questions about this 4-day itinerary in Luxembourg and the attractions to visit in the Grand Duchy? Ask them below and I’ll be happy to reply!
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ILove the pictures that you have taking in the voyage and the clarity of the article
Luxembourg looks so nice and I love your pictures. I’m very keen to visit in the near future so will definitely check out some of your suggestions when I make it there! Thanks for sharing!
We are currently planing a road trip to Benelux and northern France for later this summer. Thank you for the inspiration about places to visit in Luxembourg, I’m really looking forward to exploring the tiny country. 🙂
I haven’t been to this beautiful place yet but will definitely use your tips when I’m heading there. Loved your pictures too. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Looks like a wonderful way of spending time around in Luxembourg. The city is indeed so beautiful. Particularly those colorful umbrellas!! A perfect itinerary for 4 days
Luxembourg has some nice quiet towns. They are all postcard-worthy sites. The view from the Vianden Castle is absolutely stunning, it would be nice to ride that chairlift too someday.
I have been to Luxembourg a couple of times. I love the fact that the locals can so easily travel to France, Belgium or Germany and some of them just with half an hour. The castle of Viaden looks awesome and you have made very good photos of it. Now it makes me want to go back. I did not know about the strict eating rules. Bizarre!
Hey, great way to spend your birthday! 😉 Such a charming place. Haven’t been yet, but to tell you the truth – didn’t even know that it was so beautiful! Thanks for sharing, I’m so going there soon! 😀
What a beautiful location! I’ve heard of Luxembourg, but never did much research about it. I had no idea it had so much beauty in its castles…you’re going to inspire me to do some serious reading on Wikipedia in a while!
It’s absolutely a lovely place!
First of all, your pictures are amazing! So pretty. You can me convinced to visit in pictures alone. Then I got to reading and this place sounds so charming. Just like a fairytale. I have backpacked Europe three times and never stopped in Luxembourg. I’m regretting it now. 4th times a charm I guess!
Luxembourg is so tiny, that you would never include it any trip, but it so much worth the visit!
Lovely pictures. Luxembourg is one of the Western European countries I haven’t been to yet and it seems like I am missing out a lot.
Luxembourg is so pretty! What a great way to spend a few days. I love castles and the history that goes with them, they just seem so romantic. (we don’t have anything like them her in Australia 🙂)
Luxemburg sounds like such a relaxing retreat, sans going out into the wilderness! I’m stunned by the strict eating habits for a seemingly laid back place! But when in Luxemburg…
II would love to go there someday! The city looks amazing. especially the street with Umbrella’s on Top, I loved that view. such fascinating! Do you think spending more days there are worth or as you have said that 4 days are perfect?
Well in these 4 days we had choose what to visit and we couldn’t do everything, especially in Luxembourg city. So definitely, there’s enough too see even in a 2 weeks stay. The country is so small that you can travel it all around.
I’ve just added this to my next Euro trip. The pictures are amazing. Can’t wait to see it in real life!
Happy to have you inspired!
What a great 4 day trip! Your pictures are super clear and crisp. The Castle of Vianden looks unreal!
Thanks!
II went to Luxembourg a few years ago, and completely fell in love! Only went to Luxembourg city and Vianden though, but I absolutely have to go back some day, so I will explore more then!
I have destination envy now. Very inspiring post 😀
Absolutely in love with this place now – it seems to have everything I adore in any destination I want to go to – beautiful walking paths, architecture suited for a fairy tale and romantic touches.
I hope you can make it there one day!
Wow, amazing! Looks like a well spend 4 day trip! I love Rue Philippe with the umbrellas. So special.