A great location

Few other European capitals boast such a distinctive location as Luxembourg City. Berne and Ljubljana spring to mind as possible candidates, but Luxembourg City has the edge over both.

The gorges that divide the city are just spectacular, creating some wonderful vistas. It is not for nothing that the Chemin de la Corniche is often dubbed “le plus beau balcon d’Europe” – Europe’s most beautiful balcony. Two rivers, the Pétrusse and the Alzette, join in Luxembourg. Both have carved deeply incised gorges thus making Luxembourg a city defined by dramatic topography.

Exploring the ramparts

There is a great one-hour wander that takes in the key sights and the spectacular neck of high terrain that juts south with the two rivers far below on either side. The walk skirts the restrained late-Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral to reach Plateau du Saint-Esprit, from where there is a superb panorama. Then it’s an easy walk north along the Corniche to the rocky fortifications of the Bock.

If steep climbs are not your thing, don’t worry. The deep valleys that bisect the center of Luxembourg City are traversed by high-level bridges, and a free elevator from Plateau du Saint-Esprit will whisk you down into the bottom of the Alzette Valley in a matter of seconds.

So, despite the topography, Luxembourg is actually a good city for cycling. Vélo en Ville (at 8 Bisserweg) is good for bike rental. In addition there are Vel’oh stations around town where you can pick up a bike.

Connections

Luxembourg is blessed with some fine walking country, and it is easy to escape the compact capital. There are excellent bus and train services. The finest rail journey is the one-hour run north from Luxembourg City towards the Belgian border. Clervaux is a good place to stop off for an hour or two.

Travel tickets are extremely cheap throughout Luxembourg. A one-day Dagesbilljee Letzebuerg gives unlimited travel on the day of purchase (and until 8 a.m. next morning) on trains and buses throughout the Grand Duchy. It costs €4. On Saturdays and Sundays, the Billjee Weekend for €6 gives a group of up to five free run of the entire country for a day.

Luxembourg is easy to reach. There are frequent direct trains from Paris (2hrs 10mins), Brussels (3hrs) and Cologne (3hrs 20 mins).

The post Exploring Luxembourg City appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

After all, during his first-ever visit to Europe in June 2001, the presidential itinerary featured Spain, Sweden and Slovenia – or perhaps it was Slovakia. Even Dubya himself was a shade uncertain, but he did a grand job in covering up his doubts.

From Vaduz to Vilnius

In any case, given the fact that most visitors to Europe have only the haziest notion about their intended destinations, alphabetical tourism makes perfect sense. The Netherlands and Norway one year, Poland and Portugal the next.

For urban types, the principal of alphabetical tourism can be extended to capital cities. Tallinn and Tirana find themselves nicely allied as travel partners. And the letter V throws up an improbable handful of desirable spots: Vaduz, Valletta, Vatican City, Vienna, and Vilnius (which if visited in a single long trip, would reveal a peculiarly Catholic Europe).

Think L: Liechtenstein and Luxembourg

For “first timers” to Europe we really think “L” is the place to start. Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg make up the perfect foursome for Europe novices.

Latvia and Lithuania are an object lesson in just how different neighbouring states can be. And Liechtenstein and Luxembourg are among the most perfect countries on the entire continent, both heaving with interest, yet each small enough that the visitor can have a sense of coming to grips with the issues of culture, identity, and language that make up nationhood.

We happen to be great fans of both Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, and were in both countries only last month. If there were an award for the countries on the planet with the finest public transport, it would be shared by Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. Amazing bus services, and in both countries you can travel for a pittance across the entire national bus network (in each case it is just €4 for a one-day ticket).

Trains, too!

The Princesse Marie-Astrid approaches Wasserbillig in Luxembourg.

And both countries have trains, too. Who ever would have thought that Luxembourg could boast more than sixty train stations? Tiny Liechtenstein packs a punch with four train stations, including at Schaanwald, one of the most handsome little station buildings in the Alps. And, what’s more, it’s a border station–the first stop on the line from Austria after the train crosses the Liechtenstein border.

It is too easy to write off Europe’s small countries as undeserving of a visit. We beg to differ. Liechtenstein and Luxembourg are both perfectly formed, and each country deserves a thorough exploration. There are few better European days than listening to cowbells in the Liechtenstein Alps above Vaduz or cruising up the River Moselle in Luxembourg on the Princesse Marie-Astrid.

So if you don’t know Europe from A to Z, think L. It’s as good a place as any to embark on alphabetical tourism. And from there it is an easy hop to M for next year’s tour, with a neat fivesome: Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, and Montenegro.

The post Alphabetical Tourism: Europe from A to Z, and especially L appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

While the gardens lie directly on Paris’s beaten path they still, somehow, reveal an authentic view of Parisian life. Despite the number of tourists here, parents still bring their children to play about the jungle gyms, smoking businessmen continue to people watch on park chairs, and elderly men incessantly argue points while playing the French bowling game pétanque. Simply put, there are few parks in the world as integrated into the fabric of a city as the Luxembourg gardens are in Paris.

Recommending the Luxembourg gardens to travelers will never be breaking news but visitors shouldn’t miss a place where a young Hemingway found distraction from hunger pangs, lovers flock to propose marriage, and children ride ponies and captain sail boats in the shadows of a 17th century palace.

Yes, Cheapos, the park is free, but no, you can’t sleep there.

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