Luxembourg travel guide

In the capital, international flair mixes with the legacy of history and the charm of the provinces.

The small capital of the country obviously cannot compete with the nobility of European cities - and yet it has received a little from so many of them: Boulevards as in Paris, parks as in London, old town allure as in Brussels, sophisticated banking and office vibe as in Frankfurt. However, the town's location is singular: on the towering sandstone cliffs with their imposing fortress ruins, in between the deep Alzette and Pétrusse Valleys, over which spans over a network of bridges and viaducts.

For excitement, notice the abrupt transition from sleepy Old Town charm to the cool technocracy of bankers and EU bureaucrats, where international flair combines with the charm of the province -- the constant mix of large and small, old and new, up and down keeps visitors on their toes. Behind the Bock Promontory, where Count Siegfried once built Lucilinburhuc Castle, the old town cowers with its churches and museums, the Grand Ducal Palace and the small, winding streets at the fish market -- this is something like the nucleus of the city. The Old Quarters and Fortifications were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.