Culture & sights

A Rainy Day in Luxembourg: The Indoor-Only Plan That Works

5 min read

Interior courtyard of the National Museum of Art and History

Morning: Two museums in Ville Haute

Start at the National Museum of Art and History on the Marche-aux-Poissons (opens 10am, $7, closed Mondays). The archaeology floors in the basement are the best in the country — Roman mosaics from Vichten and Bronze Age finds. Give it two hours. Walk 3 minutes indoors through the covered arcade to the Luxembourg City History Museum (opens 10am, $5). The panoramic lift inside is a museum object in itself, and the collections tell the fortress city's story clearly. Another 90 minutes here.

Lunch at Chiggeri on Rue du Nord, 5 minutes covered walking through galleries and awnings — book a table upstairs by the window. Main courses 20 to $30. Their wine list runs to over 2,000 entries and is a proper piece of theatre to browse.

Afternoon: MUDAM or shopping

After lunch, take the tram from Hamilius (waits under cover) 12 minutes to Philharmonie/MUDAM. The Museum of Modern Art is I.M. Pei's last building and worth an hour even if contemporary art isn’t your thing — the architecture is the point. Ticket $8, closed Tuesdays. The cafe inside does good coffee and cake.

Alternative if museums have exhausted you: take the tram to Hamilius and go shopping. Grand-Rue and Rue Philippe II are largely covered by awnings, and City Concorde or Cloche d’Or malls are fully indoor. La Provencale in Cloche d’Or is a food hall worth an hour of browsing if you cook. Neither mall is walkable from the old town — use the tram plus bus.

Evening indoor plan

Dinner at Am Tiirmschen on Rue de l’Eau — stone-vaulted cellar room, no windows, perfect for a rainy night. Order Bouneschlupp, Judd mat Gaardebounen and a bottle of Auxerrois. Around $50 a head. Afterwards, if a concert is on at the Philharmonie or a film at Utopia in Limpertsberg, the trams and buses run late and stay dry. Skip the Corniche in the rain — it's slippery and the view is fogged.

Sleep at Hotel Le Place d’Armes if you can — it's the most comfortable indoor evening in the city, with its own bar and covered breakfast room. Hotel Simoncini is the budget version at a third the price, still fully central.

Frequently asked questions

Are the Bock Casemates a good rainy-day option?

Not really. The tunnels are underground so you’re dry once inside, but the entrances and the walk between openings are exposed. Save the casemates for a dry day when the views pay off.

What months does it rain most?

November through January is the wettest and greyest stretch. May and June are surprisingly rainy too. July and August have the fewest wet days but also the most tourists, so trade-offs.