5 Reasons to make Luxembourg our 50th ‘City Visit with Kids’ across Europe
Do you like heading out on a city break with your family? Visiting Luxembourg soon? Discovering which UK and European destinations are best for visiting with children is tougher than you’d think… You might already have thought of the obvious choices from the Italian splendour of Venice to the exciting city of Porto, but how would a smaller country such as Luxembourg fare?
Well there’s only way to find out the answer so we headed into see Luxembourg by train from our excellent base at EuropaCamping Nommerlayen. And there’s the first thing we found…. that train travel is definitely the best value way to visit Luxembourg…. Saying that we mean the whole of the country not just its stylish capital, Luxembourg City!
Any city confident enough to just simply advertise itself with the slogan ‘See, Touch, Experience‘ must be pretty sure they have enough to interest visitors, but what reasons could we find to visit with a family?… Well firstly the train ride in from Nommerlayen left the girl in awe! It’s an amazing view of the city perched on it’s rocky outcrop (a little like Edinburgh or Ronda in Spain)…. but it’s the colours that attack your senses first!! A little like some of the bright Alsatian villages like Kaysersberg or Colmar… it just looks a happy place!!
Most of the sights are within an easy 20mins walk from the centre. So we reckon the best way to take in the winding alleyways with their strains of ‘cafe culture’ in full flow is by foot. But if you arrived by train with younger children it’s perhaps easiest to consider using the excellent buses that leave directly from the main station (and are included in your rail fare)
Where to start a visit in Luxembourg?
Whatever you do, if you’ve got children who love to explore…. head straight by foot or on those spotless ‘city buses’ to Casemates and its extraordinary network of underground galleries. Carved from the city’s rock, it’s the main city attraction and a recognised UNESCO site with World Heritage site. But in truth, it’s also the best way to see how the city was created or achieve the best view of the city. Plus your kids will love each tunnel complete with viewpoint or spiral staircase! Safe yet fun! It’s a great place to see before you head into the old town of Luxembourg City.
Just like Bordeaux, it’s a city that’s invested in its transport system… Imagine travelling across the whole country for 4 euros per adult (children under 12 travel for free)! Luxembourg with its 520,672 people is the 171st largest country in the world by population (although there’s only 194 countries world wide!). So it’s also the 174th largest country in the world by area with 2,586 square kilometers and was founded in 963. In terms of it’s history, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839 but gained a larger measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867 and was one of the 6 founding member of the EEC (or European Union as it’s now known)
One Green City
So with the city transport links covered too and only a day to explore, we considered the city bikes but instead opted for the buses… There’s plenty to places to fit in including the panoramic city lift, Grand Ducal Palace or Museum of Modern Art Grand-Duc Jean (MUDAM).
But you’ll get picturesque views of this bustling, lively city via the bus and within 30mins you can be out of the capital into the fresh air that surrounds the city. Although you might not notice too much, as Luxembourg City has over 1/3 of it’s city covered by beautiful green spaces. A green belt to rival Valencia…..full of abundant parks and gardens!
such a vibrant City
Hosting over 170 nationalities in the capital, it also plays host to numerous museums, such as the impressive National Museum of History & Art. This anthropological museum houses an astounding collection of artefacts and offers interactive exhibits and immersive experiences with brilliant audio guides. Our girl’s personal favourites included the extensive roman mosiac, as well as the dozens of smaller exhibits on prehistoric life….Imagine combining this with fantastic artwork too from historical renaissance to contemporary art and the excellent ‘Portugal Exhibition‘ that reminded both girls of happy days in Porto and the ‘Age of Discovery‘ museum
A City For Kids
For a country of only 563,000 people, there’s plenty of activities across the city (and outside) for kids (click here)… But it’s also the type of capital city that you can easily walk around, grab a coffee and enjoy the view… Centuries of history are easily recognisable in the buildings that surround the old town.
But as with any good city, there’s plenty on offer at different times of the year so it’s worth visiting some of these links to find out exactly what might be on offer (click here). Having spent over 700 days in Europe with our kids, you never know what you might miss out on… it was only a few days ago that the kids were enjoying ‘mosaic cobble painting in Strasbourg‘
As Europe’s safest capital, it’s well located admist an amazing variety of landscapes with plenty for families to discover nearby… think The Ardennes, the Land of the Red Rocks or the Mullerthal Region… So plenty to keep intrepid explorers or mini adventurers busy after a day discovering Luxembourg City’s rich history.
Another busy day tomorrow perhaps….
Need a map to help you?
Luxembourg
so where did we park the bus for the night?
our top tips to help you?
Top tip number 1 – If you’re looking to visit a city on a budget, we’ve found great value in lunch time meals from local bakeries.. and theres plenty to chose from off/in the main squares
Top tip number 2 – Its also the perfect chance to try out some basic language skills… always guaranteed to bring a smile and an appreciating nod
Top Tip Number 3– Always try to plan the top attraction in for later in the afternoon or first thing in the morning. We’ve found more deals can be haggled in the late afternoon slots too
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