Luxembourg City is the heart of the country in cultural, political and social respect. It is not only the country's capital but also one of the three capitals of the European Community (the other two being Strassbourg and Brussels).

Moreover, Luxembourg city is a banking centre and cosmopolitan town surrounded by magnificent historical fortifications, classified as world patrimony by UNESCO. The city is very pleasantly situated overlooking the Pétrusse and Alzette Valleys. Luxembourg was founded in 963 AD on a rocky outcrop known as "the Bock", by Sigefroid, Count of Ardennes, who expanded on a roman castillium, thus laying the cornerstone of a fortress that later was to become Luxembourg City.

While in no way comparable in size to most other European capitals, Luxembourg has a lot of charm and its people are justifiably proud of their country. The nation's motto 'Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sin' (We want to remain what we are) underlines the uniqueness of Luxembourg.

Apart from the numerous beautiful sights, the city of Luxembourg offers quite a good nightlife with a large number of pubs, cafes and discos despite of its small population of less than 100.000 people. By the way, more than 33% of the capital's population is of foreign origin. The biggest ethnic community is actually from Portugal, rendering a special Latin touch to the city . So it is no suprise that Luxembourg is a fantastic place for eating out, especially as it boasts of more Michelin stars per square mile (or per head of population) than any other country. 

Luxembourg city is an ideal starting point for excursions all over, e.g. for visiting remarkable destinations like Vianden Castle, Wiltz Festival Town or the Abbey Town of Echternach. Getting there is easy on the well-developed road network or by train and coach.

By Sarah Rose-McGuire