Itineraries

Luxembourg in 3 days on a budget

7 min read

Bock casemates entrance in Luxembourg City

Day 1: the free walking city

Start with the self-guided Wenzel Circular Walk, a signposted 5 km route from Bock Casemates through the Grund to Rham Plateau. Skip the paid casemate entry ($8) and instead peek from the free viewpoints on Chemin de la Corniche. Lunch: takeaway gromperekichelcher (potato fritters, $4) from a market stand at Place Guillaume II on Wednesday or Saturday mornings.

Afternoon: free entry to Villa Vauban's park (art museum $6 but the gardens are free), then the National Museum of Natural History which is free on Thursdays after 18:00. Dinner: $9 flammekueche at Bella Napoli on Rue de Strasbourg.

Day 2: Kirchberg free-culture day

Tram to Philharmonie-Mudam (free). The Dräi Eechelen fort museum is always free and delivers a solid two-hour history lesson. Mudam has free entry on Wednesday evenings 18:00-21:00 — plan around this if possible. Walk the European Quarter's outdoor sculpture park (Richard Serra, Su-Mei Tse), all free.

Lunch: the Chinese Buffet Kirchberg on Boulevard Konrad Adenauer runs $13 all-you-can-eat, or grab a $6 kebab at any of the stands near the tram stop. Evening: sunset from the Pfaffenthal lift viewing platform (free) then a $5 beer at Konrad Café on Rue du Marché-aux-Herbes.

Day 3: cheap day trip

Free train to Esch-sur-Alzette (30 min), Luxembourg's second city and European Capital of Culture 2022 leftover. Highlights: the Bâsse-Terre steelworks turned university district (Belval), free-entry Massenoire cultural centre, and the Escher Kulturlaf street-art trail through Alzette pedestrian zone.

Cheap lunch at Restaurant Postkutsch ($11 daily menu) or the university refectory ($8 guest meal). Back in Luxembourg by 18:00 for a free Grund riverside walk and a picnic dinner from Cactus supermarket ($10 total for bread, cheese, and a small bottle of crémant).