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This post will share the details of my Brussels to Luxembourg day trip.
For my 21st country, I decided to head down to Luxembourg.
At this point, I’ve visited most of the European countries of interest to me.
Right now, I’m just doing side quests, ticking countries off my bucket list so that I can be done with the continent once and for all.
So the plan is to visit the rest of the pending countries one way or another.
One of my favourite methods of travel between multiple countries is via rail.
Unfortunately, living in Manchester, England, which is an island, means I have to fly into mainland Europe first before continuing my rail journeys.
But in the last couple of years, they have by far my favourite type of trip.
So far, I’ve done;
- Milan, Italy to Lugano, Switzerland
- Amsterdam, Netherlands to Berlin, Germany
- Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo, Sweden
- Nice, France to Monte Carlo, Monaco
- and now Brussels. Belgium to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
There’s honestly nothing as exciting as entering into a new country via rail.
It tops flying every single time.
With that out of the way, let’s get into the details of this trip
Getting to Luxembourg from Brussels
Cost – £48.11/€56.14 return
I booked my tickets as far back as February because I wanted the cheapest price.
As a rule of thumb, I book my trips between January and February for the first half of the year, and during the Summer, when I skip travelling completely, I book the trips for the rest of the year.
Trainline gave the timeframe for a direct train from Brussels to Luxembourg as 3hr 17mins.
For a day trip, this is quite a lot as I try to limit travel time to two hours.
But thankfully, it’s the Spring, and we have longer days, so it’s not bad, especially if it is a direct train.
So I set out on a Saturday morning to depart from Brussels Midi at 9.32 am, which was about 20 minutes from my hostel.
What Actually Happened
After a while, I got on the train and realized that Luxembourg, the city I had chosen, was not the final destination.
Instead, it was showing Ciney.
So I asked one of the staff members, and she said there’s some disruption because some work is being done between Ciney and Marloie for the next two weeks.
I honestly couldn’t believe it.
At this point, I wanted to return back to Brussels.
But I’m glad I didn’t because the views In Luxembourg was spectacular.
Instead, I preserved, and the total journey ended up taking about 4+ hours.
The first half of the journey was from Brussels Midi station to Ciney which was about 90 minutes.
The second half was from Ciney – Marloie via a rail replacement bus, which took about 35 minutes; yes, we had to leave the train and take the bus.
Thankfully, there was no traffic.
The final part of the journey was from Marloie to Luxembourg, which took another 90 minutes.
The only good part about the entire ordeal was that I didn’t need to buy any extra tickets.
That return ticket I bought covered all the journeys.
It goes without saying that the return journey was also the same.
While I don’t particularly mind long rail journeys, it felt like I spent most of the day on the train.
Moving Around Luxembourg
As a small city, it was super easy to move.
When I arrived at the Luxembourg train station, I was tempted to jump on the bus because I had limited time and public transportation was free within the country.
But thankfully, I decided against it and decided to take a self-guided walking tour.
In order to save time and maximise the limited time you have, I recommend you either;
- Take a guided tour from Brussels to Luxembourg and Dinat with a small group.
- Find your way to Luxembourg and take a guided city walking tour.
Either way, you’re able to see all the sites in one day.
Attractions
For those who are not aware, Luxembourg is a small country that borders Belgium, Germany and France.
Luxembourg, the capital, is one of the four institutional seats of the European Union and several other EU institutions.
Despite its size, it is a very significant country.
The Old City of Luxembourg, the most important attraction dating back to the 10th century, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.
Other attractions worth visiting include;
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame: the 16th-century sole cathedral in Luxembourg.
- Bock Casemates: 16th-century underground tunnels and galleries used as a World War II Bomb Shelter.
- Palais Grand-Ducal: The official residence of the grand duke of Luxembourg.
- Pont Adolphe: A 19th-century double-decker stone-arch bridge.
- National Art and History Museum: Here, you can find a display of Luxembourg’s historical artworks and artefacts.
- Vianden Castle: An 11th—14th-century Romanesque-Gothic castle built on the foundations of a Roman castle Carolingian refuge. Get entry tickets!
- Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator: A public glass elevator with panoramic views of the Alzette River valley.
Aside from the Vianden Castle, most of the attractions are within walking distance from each other.
So, you can spend some time frolicking along the streets of stunning streets of Luxembourg.
Finally,
As long as you set out early enough, the Brussels to Luxembourg day trip is definitely worth it.
Three hours fly by very quickly, and you’re there in no time.
I’d suggest taking an earlier train so you can get there before noon.
If you have visited Colmar before, expect to get similar vibes from Luxembourg.