Lifestyle | Travel It’s often said that good things come in small packages, and upon touching down for a long weekend in Luxembourg , population just 650,000, that cliched old adage rang true. And that’s just its zen-like, glassy airport, never mind the fortress-fringed, chocolate-box capital city (of the world’s only Grand Duchy , would you know) ringed by winding river gorges that we were here to explore. Pocket-sized Luxembourg is that kind of place everybody’s heard about, but few people seem to have visited.
It puts the Lux in Benelux, both literally and as the actual richest country in the world, and one of the four ‘seats’ of the European Union . Not the sexiest claim to fame, sure, but the city itself banishes any bureaucratic fustiness with its mix of gleaming new institutions, forested valleys and evocative old-world charm. After only 55 minutes in the air, I was a world away from London’s grimy grind in a place that has the feel of a European capital but is not even as big as Bedford .
The bus to the city centre took 20 minutes and — Transport for London, take note — didn’t cost a thing. Yep, zilch. In fact all trips on Luxembourg’s efficient, mostly electric public bus and brand new tram system are totally free, and there’s nothing like a freebie to set a warm and welcoming tone for a weekend away.
A whistle-stop check-in at our enchanting digs for three nights, the higgledy-piggledy, fairy tale-esque Hotel de Place d’Armes and my partner.
