Tag: Monument du Souvenir

  • Luxembourg

    Luxembourg

    How To Get There

    The train to Luxembourg leaves from Brussels Central hourly and takes about three hours fifteen minutes.  Tickets are purchased on the day of travel from the ticket office and cost us 25 Euros each. The staff were friendly and told us what times the train was leaving and from which platform. Luxembourg Central Station is located away from the old part of town we wished to visit, but there is a taxi rank next to the entrance and for ten Euros we were taken to the central square (Place Guillaume II) near the Ducal Palace.

    Train Brussels to Luxembourg
    Train Brussels to Luxembourg

    What Did We Do in Luxembourg?

    Located around the square are many coffee shops. After a long train trip a coffee was in order along with cake for a morning snack. 

    Walk Around Luxembourg
    Walk Around Luxembourg

    After refuelling, we walked to the Ducal Palace. This is quite an impressive building.  After admiring the outside and taking some photos we moved on to the main attraction, the city walls (Casemates du Block). Large sections are still largely intact and their sheer size is impressive. We spent a lot of time walking around the battlements, as there are many lookouts where you get alternate views.

    Luxembourg Ducal Palace
    The Ducal Palace in Luxembourg 
    Luxembourg Casements du Block
    Luxembourg Casements du Block
    Luxembourg Casements du Block
    Luxembourg Casements du Block

    From the Casements, we walked along Chemin de la Corniche. This walkway gives fantastic views over the city, particularly St Jean du Grand monastery. The walk is nice and easy with some lovely spots to stop and take in the fantastic views.

    View From Chemin de la Corniche
    View From Chemin de la Corniche
    View From Chemin de la Corniche
    View From Chemin de la Corniche
    Luxembourg St Jean du Grand monastery
    Luxembourg St Jean du Grand monastery

    Our walk took us to the Monument du Souvenir, Luxembourg’s War Memorial. From here there are more views of the Casements and restaurants.  We stopped here for lunch.

    Walking back into the city we stopped at the Notre Dame Cathedral. Far smaller and intimate than many of the cathedrals we had already seen, it had a charming appeal.

    Luxembourg Notre Dame Cathedral
    Luxembourg Notre Dame Cathedral

    The last stop was the Monument National de la Solidarite, Luxembourg’s Monument to the victims of World War II.

    Monument National de la Solidarite
    Monument National de la Solidarite

    This wrapped up our day trip to Luxembourg. We caught a taxi back to the Central Station for the three-hour trip back to Brussels.

    What Did We Think

    Something a little different to the other cities we visited. With much of the walled fortifications still visible, the old city is confined in a small area. We enjoyed walking between everything with no real traffic to contend with. Total walking time around the city was under and hour, even though we spent most of the day there.

    Getting there was easy. The train journey was comfortable, even if it was long. Leaving early and spending the whole day there meant we did not really lose much of the day.

    Overall a great day to see something that little bit different.

    [ctct form=”41″]