With a Schengen visa and if visiting France, Belgium or Germany, then adding Luxembourg to one’s itinerary is very easy. Our visit was prompted after learning it was the Banking capital of Europe. A day trip was very doable as it is easily accessible through rail from these countries. The country, often known synonymously as Luxembourg city as well, is one of the smallest in Europe but also one of the richest.
By the TGV from Paris L’Est in just under 2 hours, we arrived at the only main Luxembourg railway station, and decided to do an impromptu walk around the city. Not really a tourist attraction, one can really enjoy the space. Most buildings have a colonial architecture interspersed with plenty of green spaces.
We were excited to see the Notre Dame Cathedral here besides the famous one in Paris. Later we realized that Notre Dame translates to ‘Our Lady’ and hence there are many Notre Dame churches around Europe, particularly in the French speaking areas. The roof of the Cathedral was most striking and resembled a witch hat to me atleast and it had exquisite stained-glass windows. Photos of it on the mobile just don’t do any justice to the actual aesthetics of the stained-glass work.
The public buses had really colourful graffiti on it and we decided to take one back to the station on our return back to the railway station, as we had walked enough for the full day (and had no idea where we were). A bus pass is usually used, but one can buy a ticket directly from the bus driver. A handy tip is to keep your money or card ready in hand. Fumbling for money, delays the driver and all the rest of the passengers. Also carry an umbrella as it rains at random in Europe, as we realised at the Luxembourg city square, a quaint place of all shops and restaurants.
If you decide to take a trip to Luxemburg (spelt the German way), try to book these tickets online in advance and during non-peak hours as that also reduces the cost. A family fare of two adults and two children is very economical. All in all, for a round trip of ₹4000 totally (less than 50 euros), a family of four, ticked off another country off their travel list.
P. S.: Jardin du Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Palace are not in Luxembourg but in France. There is a Luxembourg region in Belgium as well.
