Luxembourg: A Day Trip To A Beautiful And Historic Country

At a Glance

• Duration: One-day trip
• Home Base: Metz, France
• Top Day Trip: Luxembourg
• Memorable Moment: Standing over the bridge looking over the gorge with the upper town in the background, and the casements tour.
• Overall Vibe: Quiet and walkable on a Sunday, a beautiful and historic city with a mix of old-world charm and modern conveniences.

This City is Special Because...

When we were adding to our France itinerary, one of the reasons we picked Metz was its close proximity to Luxembourg. Our day trip turned out to be the perfect escape from our home base. We decided to go on a Sunday, which was a brilliant move—it felt like we had the city to ourselves! This gave us the freedom to wander at our own pace, take in all the amazing details, and snap some fantastic photos without fighting through crowds. While a lot of the shops were closed, there were still plenty of restaurants and beautiful sights to explore, making the day incredibly peaceful and immersive.

Luxembourg City's unique landscape is truly its most defining feature.Imagine a city built on a giant, rocky plateau carved by deep river gorges.This natural drama splits the city into distinct levels. You have the "Ville Haute" (Upper Town), which is the historic city center, and then, down in the river gorge, the absolutely picturesque Grund (Lower Town). It's a charming "village within a city" connected to the upper town by winding streets, bridges, and even a public elevator. And just across the gorgeis the Kirchberg Plateau, a modern district that’s a hub for European Union institutions. This dramatic layout means you get this stunning mix of medieval fortresses and contemporary architecture all in one place.

Our Luxembourg Experience:The Day-to-Day

Getting There

The adventure started with our trip from Metz. We took a bus which was alittle over an hour's ride, and it dropped us off outside the city center,which was a bit of a surprise. Luckily, Tom had been doing his research before our trip and learned that all public transportation in Luxembourg is free! We were so excited to find this out—all buses and trolleys are free to ride, which was an invaluable detail for getting around. We easily hopped on bus number 15,and it took us directly into the city center. On the way back, we decided to take a train, and a friendly conductor helped us catch one an hour early,getting us back to Metz ahead of schedule. We were curious and checked the timings, and it turned out the bus and the train took about the same amount of time. It's nice to have both options if you want to hit a certain time of day.

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Sightseeing & Exploring

Everywhere you look, you can see the city's amazing history. Luxembourg wasonce known as "Gibraltar of the North" because of its formidablefortifications, built and strengthened over centuries by different empires. Thecity's historic core, a testament to this incredible past, was even recognizedas a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

• The Casemates: This was easily one of the highlights of our day. The casemates are a series of underground tunnels that were part of the city's fortifications for hundreds of years. We took a self-guided tour which felt more "authentic" andraw. The sensory elements in some sections, like the sounds of air raids and the flickering lights, made it so real. We loved exploring the depths of the city and seeing what it took to defend it.
• The Cathedral & Palace: We tried to visit the Notre Dame Cathedral but weren't able to go inside because amass was taking place. It was a beautiful building, though! We also weren't able to see the changing of the guards at the Grand-Ducal Palace because wevisited on a Sunday. Despite not getting to go in, the palace's architecture was magnificent, and we took a ton of pictures.
• The Golden Lady: We kept finding our way back to the "Golden Lady" monument, which has such a fascinating story. We learned that the statue was hidden by locals during the Nazi occupation to prevent its destruction and was later restored and reinstalled. It's a great symbol of resilience.
• The Bridges & The Gorge: We took so many pictures and video of the beautiful bridges and the gorge below.Walking across the Pont Adolphe was a great way to see the city from above.

Luxembourg’s Place in the World Today

While its history is defined by fortifications, Luxembourg's modern identity is all about breaking down borders. The country is a founding member of the European Union, and its capital is even one of the EU’s official capitals. It's home to the European Court of Justice and other key institutions. It's so interesting to see this small country play such a big role on the world stage—it truly is a unique blend of history and forward-thinking progress.

Culinary Highlights

We purposefully walked outside the main tourist area to Grund, the lower town, to find a place where locals eat. We had a delicious lunch at a highly-recommended Polish restaurant called Brasserie Osada. The portions were huge, and we were so pleased by the quality of the food, which included chicken cordon bleu and a chef's special foie gras that was unbelievably good. When I laughingly said I would pay for the recipe the waiter told me even he doesn't get to know it.

We had some options to go from the lower town to the upper, which was good because it is a very steep climb back if you plan to walk. There is the elevator, that has a glass box at the top you can step out on to view the city from many angles, there is also a small train that will drive you from the upper and lower towns. We elected to take the elevator and I took this picture of Tom out on the glass platform.

What We Loved (and Didn’t)

We loved the easy walkability of the city and the free public transportation. We were also glad that our expectations matched the beautiful scenery we expected to see from our brief research. While it would have been nice to see the inside of the cathedral, and the changing of the guard at the Palace, however, the quiet streets and lack of crowds made for a truly enjoyable day trip.

Next Up...

This day trip was a highlight of our time in Metz! We highly recommend using Metz as a home base for your next trip, as it provides an easy gateway to nearby destinations like Luxembourg. For a deeper dive into our time in Metz, be sure to check out our Trip Report for Metz, France.