Budget & prices

Is Luxembourg Expensive? An Honest Answer

5 min read

Restaurant menu with prices displayed outside a Luxembourg City bistro

Where Luxembourg is genuinely pricey

Accommodation is the biggest hit. A three-star city hotel runs 140-$200 a night on a normal weekday, more during EU summits or the November-December Christmas markets. Boutique properties in Ville Haute or Grund push 250-350. Airbnb is limited and heavily regulated — do not expect Lisbon prices. Restaurant dinners with a starter, main and a glass of wine land at 45-$65 per person in an ordinary neighbourhood spot. Beer is 5-$7 a pint, wine 6-9 a glass, cocktails 12-16.

Groceries are pricier than France or Germany but not extreme — a supermarket lunch of bread, cheese, ham and fruit comes to 10-$12. Coffee is 3-$4. Taxis are punishing. Anything involving Kirchberg office lunches is above market.

Where you actually save

Public transport is free. That single fact saves the average tourist 15-$25 a day compared with Paris or Amsterdam. Museums are cheap — the Mudam is $8, the National Museum 7, the Casemates 8. A Luxembourg Card is $21 for a day and covers most sights plus discounts, but if you already have free transport it is only worth it if you plan four or more paid attractions.

Bakeries are excellent value — a filled baguette and a coffee for 8-$10 is a normal lunch. Wednesday and Saturday markets on Place Guillaume II sell great cheese, charcuterie and produce. Tap water is safe and free; ask for une carafe d’eau. Lunch menus (menu du jour) at proper restaurants run 18-$25 for two courses, half the evening price.

The realistic daily budget

Budget traveller staying in a hostel or the cheapest Gare hotel, eating bakery lunches and one modest dinner: 90-$110 a day. Mid-range in a three-star with proper restaurants: 200-$260. Comfortable stay in a nicer hotel with one splurge dinner: 350-450. Compared with Zurich or Copenhagen, Luxembourg is similar. Compared with Berlin or Lisbon, it is roughly double. The country is not a bargain, but the free transport and dense walkable core mean you get more per euro than the headline hotel rate suggests.

Frequently asked questions

What's the cheapest sit-down meal I can get?

A plat du jour at a workers' cafe in Bonnevoie or Hollerich around 14-$16 at lunch, or a Portuguese cafe (there is a large community) doing grilled chicken and rice for similar money.

Is the Luxembourg Card worth it?

Only if you plan four or more paid attractions in a day. With free transport already covered, the card mainly pays for museum entry, so do the maths against your itinerary.