Luxembourg

Begun in 1613 as a Jesuit church, Notre-Dame became the city's cathedral in 1870 and was enlarged with a neo-Gothic western end and towers in the early 20th century. Inside, the Baroque rood screen and organ loft survive from the original church, and the crypt holds the tombs of members of the Grand Ducal family alongside those of the blind King John of Bohemia. Each spring the cathedral is the focus of the Octave, a two-week Marian pilgrimage drawing tens of thousands of visitors.

Free admission (donations welcome)

Count Siegfried built the first fortified castle on this rocky spur in 963, the seed from which the city of Luxembourg grew. The tunnels visitors walk through today were mostly expanded under Spanish, French and Austrian rule from the 1600s onward, turning the Bock into part of one of Europe's most formidable fortresses — nicknamed the 'Gibraltar of the North'. Most of the fortifications above ground were demolished after the 1867 Treaty of London neutralized Luxembourg, but the casemates themselves proved too extensive to fill in and were preserved.

Adult €11, students and seniors €9, children €5.50. A guided tour costs €20 per person.

Built from 1572 on the site of the medieval town hall, the palace was expanded over the centuries and has served as the monarch's official residence since Luxembourg became a Grand Duchy in 1815. It sits directly beside the Chamber of Deputies (the national parliament). The lavishly decorated interior — the Grand Duke's office, dining room and the ceremonial Salon des Rois among the rooms shown — is only opened to the public for a few weeks each summer, while the Grand Duke is away on his official leave.

Exterior free to view anytime. Interior guided tours (75 minutes): adults €18, children 4–12 €9, under-4s free but need a ticket.

Laid out in the early 19th century on the grounds of a cleared Franciscan monastery, the square (nicknamed 'Knuedler' by locals, after the monks' knotted rope belts) is anchored by the neoclassical Hôtel de Ville, built 1830–1838. The bronze equestrian statue at its centre honours Grand Duke William II, and the square still hosts one of the city's liveliest markets.

Free

Once a military parade and drill ground (hence the name), Place d'Armes is now ringed with cafe terraces and sits a minute from the tourist office — the natural gathering point in the old town. The central bandstand hosts a long-running programme of free open-air concerts on summer evenings.

Free (cafe and restaurant tables charge standard menu prices)

Once a working-class quarter of mills, tanneries and small industry along the Alzette, the Grund is now one of the prettiest corners of the city — narrow lanes, restored townhouses turned into restaurants and bars, and the looming stone ramparts of the old town rising almost vertically above. Along with the rest of the fortifications, it's part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing granted to Luxembourg's old quarters and fortifications in 1994.

Free (individual venues charge their own prices)

Carved into the sandstone as part of the same fortress system as the Bock, the Pétrusse Casemates first opened to visitors in 1933. Unlike the Bock, they can only be seen on guided tours of about an hour for up to 12 people, which walk through four centuries of the fortress's history with light and sound installations. Tours meet at Place de la Constitution, a short walk from the Adolphe Bridge, and run on selected days at set times, so book a slot ahead.

Adult €24, senior €19.50, child (4–12) €12. Guided tour only.

Long before Christianity reached Luxembourg, the rock face above the Petrusse valley held a pagan shrine that the Romans later adopted for their own worship — by the 11th century the site had been rededicated to Saint Quirin, and by the 13th century services were being held inside two natural cave chambers carved into the cliff. The Gothic chapel proper, part built and part simply hollowed from the living rock, was erected in 1355, with its roof and small bell towers added much later, at the end of the 19th century. A natural spring still emerges at the site, and local tradition long held its water could cure eye ailments, drawing pilgrims for healing as much as worship. Tucked into the cliffside a short walk from the Grund and the Petrusse Casemates, it's an easy, atmospheric detour for anyone exploring Luxembourg City's lower town.

Free

The Gëlle Fra ("Golden Lady") was unveiled in 1923 to honour Luxembourgers who fell in the First World War; the 3-metre bronze figure by Claus Cito crowns a 20-metre obelisk. The Nazi occupiers pulled it down in 1940, it was rediscovered in 1980 under the stands of a football stadium, and it was restored and put back in 1985. A later plaque also remembers Luxembourgers who died in the Korean War. The square sits a short walk from Place d'Armes and is the start of the Pétrusse Casemates tours, with a viewpoint over the Pétrusse valley and the Adolphe Bridge; in winter it is the site of the Wantermaart Christmas market.

Free

The Wenzel Circular Walk starts at the Bock Casemates, at the archaeological crypt of the former count's castle, and traces the medieval and later fortifications of the old town. It passes the towers and casemates of the Rham plateau and the barracks built under Vauban, and finishes with panoramas towards the Corniche and the Pont Rouge. The route is about 2.5 km with a total climb of roughly 125 m, so expect stairs, uneven ground and elevation changes; allow up to three hours if you stop at each point. It can also be booked as a guided tour through the tourist office, and it combines well with the Grund below.

Free (self-guided); guided version bookable via the tourist office

The cemetery holds 5,070 American service members, and a memorial lists a further 371 whose remains were never recovered. General George S. Patton, whose Third Army had its headquarters in Luxembourg City, is buried here, and his grave is the one most visitors come to see. A staff member in the visitor building answers questions, and free guided tours can be arranged by contacting the cemetery at least 72 hours ahead. It lies on the eastern edge of the city at 50 Val du Scheid; by public transport the nearest bus stops are about a mile away, so a taxi or car is easier.

Free

Clausen is one of the smallest districts of the capital, in the Alzette valley a short walk from the Grund, with a history reaching back to the 12th century. The former Mousel brewery buildings have been turned into the Rives de Clausen entertainment area of bars, restaurants and clubs, which is liveliest in the evening. Nearby are remains of a 16th-century Renaissance palace built for Count Peter Ernst von Mansfeld, and quiet riverside paths. You can walk down from the upper city in a few minutes, and city buses connect Clausen with the old town and Kirchberg.

Free (venues charge their own prices)

The Fish Market is regarded as the historical centre of the old town: it grew up at the junction of two Roman roads, and the first markets were held on the forecourt of the counts' castle. Fish, cheese and farm produce were traded here, and the narrow lanes around it were the place for daily business. Today the surrounding buildings house the Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart, and the Bock promontory with its casemates is a few minutes away on foot. It is a pleasant, quick stop between the Grand Ducal Palace and the Bock.

Free

Rebuilt in the early 18th century after a fire destroyed an earlier abbey on the site, the complex was later used as a prison before being restored and reopened in 2004 as a cultural meeting centre. Today it hosts a rotating programme of free exhibitions, concerts and artist residencies inside a genuinely atmospheric former monastery, right along the river in the Grund.

Free entry to the abbey and the exhibitions; concerts and special events are ticketed separately.

The collection ranges from prehistoric and Gallo-Roman finds from around Luxembourg, through medieval and Renaissance religious art, to a strong holding of 19th- and 20th-century Luxembourgish painting. Several of the lower gallery levels are cut directly into the rock of the old fortress, so the building itself becomes part of the exhibit as you descend.

Admission €7 (€12 combined with the Dräi Eechelen Museum). Free for under-26s, and free for everyone on Thursday evenings 17:30–20:00 and in the last hour before closing.

The permanent exhibition, 'The Luxembourg Story', unfolds across three lower levels connected by lift, using models, multimedia and artefacts to walk visitors through the city's evolution from Count Siegfried's fortress to the modern EU capital, with a final section on current town planning.

Adult €5; reduced €3 (ages 21–26 and over 60). Free for under-21s and students with a student card, and free for everyone on Thursdays 18:00–20:00.

Built in 1873 on the foundations of the old fortress bastions that gave the villa its name (a nod to the French military engineer Vauban), the house was completely refurbished and reopened as an art museum in 2010. Its collection draws heavily on Dutch and Flemish Golden Age painting alongside 19th-century French and Luxembourgish art, set in a quiet garden a short walk from Place Guillaume II.

Adult €5; reduced €3 (ages 21–26 and over 60). Free for under-21s, and free for everyone on Fridays 18:00–21:00.

Opened in 2006 and designed by I. M. Pei — also known for the Louvre pyramid — Mudam deliberately incorporates surviving fragments of Fort Thüngen's 18th-century fortifications into its structure. The collection holds more than 750 contemporary works, shown in rotating exhibitions across light-filled galleries with views out over Kirchberg.

Adult €10; €7 for ages 21–25 and seniors 65+. Free for under-21s and students, and free for everyone on Wednesdays 18:00–21:00.

Fort Thüngen was first built in 1732–33 under Austrian rule and, like most of the city's fortifications, largely demolished after the 1867 Treaty of London. Part of it was excavated and reconstructed in the 1990s–2000s alongside the neighbouring Mudam museum. The 'Dräi Eechelen' (three acorns) nickname comes from the three distinctive domed towers, and the permanent exhibition 'Fortress, History, Identities' uses over 600 objects to trace how the fortress shaped the country.

Admission €7 (€12 combined with the MNHA). Free for under-26s, and free for everyone on Wednesdays 17:30–20:00 and in the last hour before closing.

The natur musée is the national museum of natural history, housed at 25 rue Münster in the Grund, a few steps from the Neumünster Abbey. It is a good rainy-day stop after walking down into the valley, and pairs with the abbey's free exhibitions. Guided group visits can be booked in advance, and entry is free on Tuesday evenings from 17:30. From the old town take the Pfaffenthal lift or the stairs down into the Grund.

Adult €7, reduced €5. Free for under-21s, students under 26 and on Tuesdays from 17:30.

Casino Luxembourg is an arts centre dedicated to contemporary art, giving artists from Luxembourg and the surrounding region room to show work outside a traditional gallery setting. It also has an art library, a small bookshop and a café-restaurant, and an artist-in-residence programme. The address is 41 rue Notre-Dame, a few minutes on foot from Place Guillaume II. Entry is free, and on Thursdays it stays open until 21:00.

Free

Open since 1954 and one of Luxembourg's longest-running family attractions, Parc Merveilleux combines a small zoo and farm section with nursery-rhyme-themed scenes and playgrounds set in mature parkland — a genuine full-morning or afternoon outing rather than a quick stop. It's reached by train from Luxembourg Gare Centrale to Bettembourg (around 15 minutes) plus a 10–15 minute walk, or by a direct RGTR bus — all free under the national transport policy.

Adult (15+) €15, child (3–14) €11, under-3s free.

Laid out around the historic Pescatore retirement home, this roughly 15,000 sq m park is the biggest open lawn in the city centre — a favourite for picnics, with a landscaped children's play area, ponds, and views toward Kirchberg. Its location right beside the Pfaffenthal lift makes it an easy pairing with a ride down into the Grund.

Free

The Luxembourg Science Center in Differdange is a hands-on science museum aimed at families, with interactive exhibits, a Kitchen Lab and science shows including the planetarium, which are for children aged 6 and over. It is a half-day outing from the capital: take the CFL line 60 train towards Rodange and get off at Differdange station, or use the bus to the Arbed stop. Public transport is free in Luxembourg. Buy tickets online in advance, especially for weekends and school holidays.

Adult €17; children 6–17, students and seniors 65+ €10; under-6s free. Kitchen Lab €6.50.

Threaded along the remains of the 17th-century ramparts between the cathedral quarter and the Bock, this walkway earned its nickname in the early 20th century for the postcard views it opens up over the Grund's rooftops, the Alzette river, and the old city walls climbing the far slope. It's one of the best free things to do in the city and pairs naturally with a walk down into the Grund itself.

Free

Named after Grand Duke Adolphe and opened in 1903, this bridge was, at the time, one of the largest stone arch bridges in the world, built to link the historic centre with the newly developing station district. Fully renovated between 2014 and 2017 to also carry the city tram, it remains the definitive image of Luxembourg City on postcards and currency alike.

Free

Opened in 2016 alongside the new Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg train station, this glass lift was built specifically to reconnect the plateau city centre with the low-lying Pfaffenthal and Grund districts, which the old fortress walls had long kept physically separate. The short ride is free and offers one of the best quick views in the city over the Alzette gorge.

Free

Developed from the 1960s onward as Luxembourg's role hosting EU institutions grew, Kirchberg is now home to the European Court of Justice, parts of the European Commission and Parliament secretariat, and the European Investment Bank, alongside a large shopping centre and concert hall. It's a deliberate architectural contrast to the historic old town, linked to it by the free tram and the dramatic Grande-Duchesse Charlotte ('Pont Rouge') bridge.

Free (open public district; architecture viewable from outside)

The park grew from the fortress belt that was torn down after the 1867 Treaty of London, and the Paris landscape architect Edouard André began planning it in 1878. Its large central lawn, the Kinnekswiss, is a favourite for picnics and sport, and there is an adventure playground shaped like a pirate ship for children. Within the park you also find the Villa Vauban art museum, Villa Louvigny and the remains of the Lambert redoubt. It is a short walk from Place d'Armes, and in winter the Winterlights festival puts an ice rink here.

Free

The Philharmonie is Luxembourg's main concert hall, on Place de l'Europe in Kirchberg, and hosts orchestral, chamber, jazz and world-music programmes. Outside concerts the building is seen on a guided tour, offered by day or by night in four languages; the 2026/27 season includes English tours on 1 November and 13 December at 11:00 and English night tours on 6 November and 1 January at 20:00. Tours meet at the artists' entrance on the right of the building and can be booked online up to five minutes before the start. The ticket office can be phoned Monday to Friday 10:00–18:00.

Concert prices vary by event; guided tours are booked online per date.