Luxembourg is small — 2,586 square kilometres, about 670,000 residents — and everything in it is within an hour and a half of everything else. Two things make travelling here unlike anywhere else.
Free public transport
On 29 February 2020 Luxembourg became the first country in the world to make all public transport free. Trains, trams, buses and the funicular cost nothing, for residents and visitors alike, with no ticket, no registration and no zones. First class on trains still requires a ticket; everything else does not.
The policy was introduced primarily to address road congestion caused by cross-border commuting, and its effect on traffic is debated. For a visitor, the effect is straightforward and unusually pleasant: you simply get on.
The tram runs from the airport through Kirchberg and the city centre to the station and beyond. Trains reach Vianden's nearest station, Clervaux, Diekirch, Wiltz and the Moselle towns.
Three official languages
Luxembourg has three: Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch), a Moselle Franconian language and the national tongue; French, used for legislation and most administration; and German, used in the press and in schools.
In practice, French is the most useful for visitors — it is the default in shops and restaurants, partly because much of the service workforce commutes from France and Belgium. English is very widely spoken in the capital and in the institutional and financial sectors. Moien is hello in Luxembourgish and is used constantly.
Nearly half the resident population holds a foreign passport, and the Portuguese community is the largest single group — Portuguese is heard everywhere.
Money and costs
The currency is the euro. Luxembourg is expensive: among the highest GDP per capita in the world, and restaurant and hotel prices reflect it. Fuel, alcohol and tobacco, however, are cheaper than in the neighbouring countries because of lower duties — which is why filling stations cluster at the borders.
Getting there and around the region
Luxembourg Airport has good European connections. By rail, Paris is a little over two hours by TGV, Brussels three, and Trier in Germany about fifty minutes. The country sits within easy day-trip distance of Trier, Metz, Bastogne and the German Moselle.
Practicalities
Tap water is drinkable, healthcare is excellent, the EHIC is valid for EU citizens, and the country is very safe. Shops close on Sundays with limited exceptions, which catches out weekend visitors.