The Complete Guide To: Luxembourg

THE SMALLEST COUNTRY IN EUROPE?

The world's only Grand Duchy is not even close: there are six tinier nations (Malta, Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco and Vatican City). And on closer inspection it's easy to see why this land the size of Oxfordshire likes to consider itself "Europe's smallest big country". Much of Luxembourg is covered by the green, rolling scenery of the Ardennes, and anyone expecting a wholly built-up city-state is in for a pleasant surprise.

Luxembourg City is a friendly capital on a manageable scale, and sits on an unbeatable site around a beautiful gorge. You'll find many top hotels, restaurants and museums in its Unesco-listed old town, but venture beyond the city limits and you'll discover some real gems. And the beauty of Luxembourg's stature is that once you're here, everything is nearby. Few places are more than an hour by car (or, often, train) from anywhere else. That makes it ideal for a weekend break or a longer visit, in which you'll be able to pack in far more than you might imagine. You can walk or cycle through grand landscapes; eat extremely well; visit excellent art galleries; climb over castle ruins; head down old mines; ride a steam train; pamper yourself in a spa; or go wine tasting. And all without the exertion of long-distance travel.

YOU MENTIONED CASTLES?

Luxembourg's prime location at a strategic European crossroads made it highly sought after by everyone from the Romans to Napoleon. Each wave of invaders staked their claim by building castles and defensive fortresses on every available rocky outcrop. A good case in point is Luxembourg City itself, whose old town used to be one of the most heavily fortified places in Europe – at least on the two sides that are not naturally protected by the ground falling steeply away into a gorge. The fortifications did not stop the city changing hands regularly before they were finally dismantled in 1867, to be replaced by parkland.

Thanks to the Grand Duchy's turbulent history, there are at least 60 extant castles in the country, including fine examples of medieval architecture. The best very oftenoccupy spectacular sites with commanding views of the surrounding area.

Grandest of all is Vianden, which survived an attempt by a previous owner in the 19th century to dismantle it and sell it off wholesale to local builders. Fortunately, the castle (00 352 8341081; castle-vianden.lu) has been lovingly restored, and now sits proudly alongside any of Europe's great fortresses. It opens 10am-6pm daily (closing at 4pm November to February, and 5pm in April and October), admission €5.50 (£4.60).

Elsewhere, the castles at Bourscheid, Larochette, Beaufort, Wiltz and Clervaux are among many worthy of your time. The first three of these are graceful ruins, while the latter two have been restored and contain interesting museums, most notably the wonderful Family of Man exhibition in Clervaux, 50km north of Luxembourg City.

This exhibition celebrates the work of the Luxembourg-born American photographer Edward Steichen. He made his name photographing Hollywood celebrities in the 1930s, snapping the likes of Greta Garbo and Clark Gable.

In the early Fifties, he set out to capture a snapshot of humanity for New York's Museum of Modern Art. Steichen commissioned 273 photographers in dozens of countries to document daily life during the same period in 1955. The result is arguably the world's most important photographic exhibit, a remarkable collection of 503 pictures of a post-war world.

Today, the photos are on permanent display inside Clervaux Castle (00 352 92 96 57; family-of-man.public. lu). The exhibition is open March-December 10am-6pm, daily except Monday, admission €4.50 (£3.75).

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

If you're up for a hike, Luxembourg is crossed by a bewildering web of walking trails, which take you through some of the prettiest Ardennes scenery in the region. Local tourist offices carry walking maps of the routes passing through their areas. The paths are clearly signposted and well maintained, meaning that your only real problem will be deciding which one to follow. And you're never far from welcome refreshment when the legs begin to tire.

The most popular walking region is the Müllerthal, known euphemistically as "Little Switzerland": an area of forest and breathtaking limestone crags in the northeast between Echternach and Beaufort. The landscape here is exceptionally pretty, but don't be misled by the nickname: it was coined by early Dutch tourists, for whom the hills may indeed have appeared Alpine – at least, compared to their own.

Elsewhere, two natural parks – the Upper Sûre and Our valleys – offer protected countryside for outdoor pursuits such as long-distance walks or simply picnicking and enjoying the fresh air.

The first of these parks surrounds a large reservoir, whose waters provide half the country's drinking water. Sailing, windsurfing and kayaking are encouraged.

Nearby Esch-sur-Sûre, a tiny, picturesque village, makes a great base for visiting the lake – the Hotel de la Sûre (00 352 839110; hotel-de-la-sure.lu) has good double rooms from €60 (£50), including breakfast.

Luxembourg's national sport is cycling (three of its riders vied for honours in this year's Tour de France), and the country has hundreds of kilometres of long-distance cycle paths. Some follow the routes of former railway lines, meaning that they are relatively flat and can be enjoyed by anyone mildly energetic. The 80km Three Rivers route leads east and south from Vianden to Schengen, alongside the Our, Sûre and Moselle rivers. If you follow it in that direction you'll be pedalling downstream (ie, downhill) practically all the way.

Schengen is the pretty village that has given its name to the pan-European treaty that abolished frontier controls between most EU members. It was chosen because of its symbolic location at the point where France, Germany and Luxembourg meet.

SOME LIVING HISTORY?

Head for pretty Echternach, in the northeast of the country. You can get here by bus in under an hour from Luxembourg City. It's the oldest settlement in the country, having been founded by the Northumbrian monk Willibrord in 698. He is now the country's national saint, and each Whit Tuesday his memory is honoured by the Dancing Procession, in which thousands of people hop, skip and dance their way through the streets to visit his tomb, all the while waving white handkerchiefs; at first glance you might think you've encountered a strange cult of Morris men. Next year it will take place on 2 June.

Echternach also has an impressive monastery, and some lovely architecture around the old town square. You can stay right on the square, at the Hotel Le Petit Poète (00 352 720 0721; lepetitpoete.lu), which offers simple but good-value doubles at just €60 (£50) including breakfast.

Also worth a look is the Fond-de-Gras open-air museum (00 352 2650 4124; fond-de-gras.lu), where old buildings and shops from around the country have been painstakingly reconstructed on site.

The most atmospheric way to arrive is to ride Train 1900 (train1900.lu) from the nearby town of Pétange, itself accessible from Luxembourg City by frequent trains in 20 minutes. The locomotive runs only from May to September, and only on Sundays and public holidays; return fares are €10/7 (£8.30/5.80) in first/second class.

Fond-de-Gras museum is open from the arrival of the first train until the departure of the last. Admission is free.

WHY IS LUXEMBOURG SO RICH?

Per-capita incomes in the Grand Duchy average €1,050 (£875) per month, making u o it the most prosperous nation in the European Union. Luxembourg's wealth first originated not from banking, as some believe, but from an iron and steel industry that boomed during the 19th century thanks to its easily accessible iron-ore reserves.

One former mine is now the National Mining Museum (00 352 565688; mnm.lu) in Rumelange. A tour includes a trip underground aboard a train that once carried miners to work. Open Thursday to Sunday from April to June, as well as in September, and daily except Monday in July and August; 2-6pm. Admission is €8.50 (£7.00).

Stolzembourg copper mine (00 352 8493 2527; stolzembourg.lu), 6km north of Vianden, is on a much smaller scale. Three-hour tours depart at 2pm daily from mid-July to the end of August, or Sundays only Easter to October outside peak season; admission is €5 (£4.15). Meet in the small museum at 5a Rue Principal, Stolzembourg.

WHERE SHALL I STAY?

In Luxembourg City, the brand-new Hotel Simoncini at 6 Rue Notre Dame (00 352 222844) is part-boutique hotel, part-art gallery. Doubles start at €120 (£100), including breakfast. The capital also offers several luxury options: the Hotel Parc Beaux-Arts (00 352 268 6761; parcbeauxarts.lu) is a grand old mansion containing 10 individually decorated suites.

At the other end of spectrum, Luxembourg has an excellent chain of 10 youth hostels (youthhostels.lu), from €15.70 (£13.10) per person, including breakfast and bedding. The one in the capital (00 352 2268 8920) is beautifully located in a river valley, and costs €19.70 (£16.40) per person. Outside the city, many hostels are geared to outdoors activities, and offer adventure programmes and rent out equipment.

Around the country, plenty of inns and small hotels offer double rooms for around €80 (£64) including breakfast. A particular favourite of mine is Hotel Victor Hugo in Vianden (00 352 834 1601; hotelvictorhugo.lu), with comfortable doubles, some with a great view of the castle, from €72.50 (£60) including breakfast. For a little more pampering, book into the Parc Hotel (00 352 236660; mondorf.lu) at the thermal spa complex in Mondorf-les-Bains. Doubles from €115 (£96) provide free access to the saunas and thermal pools of the wellness centre.

WHAT SHOULD I EAT AND DRINK?

Taking the best influences from their neighbours, the dishes are served with French flair in giant, Germanic portions. The national dish, judd mat gaardebounen, is a hearty combination of smoked neck of pork, broad beans and sautéed potatoes, usually served in huge quantities.

For something more sophisticated, Luxembourg's culinary boast is that it has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than any other nation. These include the first Italian restaurant outside Italy to be awarded two stars: Mosconi (00 352 546994; mosconi.lu), at 13 Rue Münster, occupies a prime riverside location in Luxembourg City's Grund (lower town) area, which is as beautiful as the food is sumptuous.

To maximise value for money, follow the local lead and eat your main meal between noon and 2pm. Most restaurants offer lunchtime menu deals that sometimes contain several courses for around €10 (£8). Dinner could easily cost twice as much.

Many visitors to Luxembourg are surprised to find some fine local wines – and at very reasonable prices.

Europe's smallest wine-growing region stretches along the west bank of the Moselle, as the river briefly encounters Luxembourg on its way between France and Germany. The region produces tasty creations, notably still and sparkling whites.

To become immersed in wine culture, base yourself in Remich, a pleasant riverside town with several hotel options, and two caves open for tours: Caves St Martin (00 352 2369 9774; luxembourg.co.uk/stmartin.html), and Caves St Remy-Desom (00 352 236040).

HOW DO I GET THERE?

Air links are excellent. British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) flies from Gatwick; the Flemish carrier VLM (0871 666 5050; flyvlm.com) from London City and Manchester; and the national airline Luxair (00800 2456 4242; luxair.lu) from Heathrow. Findel airport is linked to the city by bus number 9.

Luxembourg is a no-frills-free zone at present, but Frankfurt Hahn is under two hours away by direct bus from €5 (£4.20) one way, operated by flibco.com; you get the lowest fares by booking online in advance. The main airline is Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com), which has flights from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, Prestwick and Stansted.

By rail, you have two choices from London St Pancras: via Paris or Brussels on Eurostar (08705 186 186; eurostar.com). Both routes take around six hours to reach Luxembourg City and require one change. The advantage of travelling via Brussels is that your connecting train leaves from the same station (Brussels Midi). In Paris you'll need to transfer from Gare du Nord to Gare de l'Est – around 500m apart.

Driving to Luxembourg takes four hours from Calais or Dunkerque; the fastest route is via Lille and Namur.

...AND GET AROUND?

Luxembourg has a network of trains spidering out from the capital, supplemented by cross-country buses. A 24-hour pass costs just €4 (£3.30). Travel on trains and buses is free if you have a Luxembourg Card, which also gets you free into virtually every museum, and discounted entry into most other attractions.

The Luxembourg Card is available from tourist offices, museums and some hotels. Individual cards cost €10 (£8.40) for one day, €17 (£14) for two or €24 (£20) for three days, Family cards cost twice as much but allow two adults and up to three children.

WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?

The helpful Luxembourg Tourist Office in London (020-7434 2800; luxembourg.co.uk) is also a good source of up-to-date information. My book, Luxembourg: The Bradt Guide (£13.99), is the only mainstream travel guidebook focusing exclusively on the Grand Duchy.

The local lingo – speak it with a smile

Among themselves, most locals speak Luxembourgish, a distant cousin of German. If you only learn one word, make it moiën (pronounced moy'un – moy as in "boy", and 'un as in "he's a good'un"), the standard greeting throughout the country – best delivered with a warm smile.

The media is mainly in French and German. In practice, almost everyone can switch languages in mid-sentence without blinking. In the capital, home to many foreign workers, French is most common. But in this very international city, English is widely understood.

When pop pickers tuned in...

There can't be many who grew up in Britain in the 1960s or before whose first childhood knowledge of Luxembourg didn't stem from the "station of the stars", coming through loud and sometimes clear at 208 metres on medium wave.

Using the most powerful radio transmitters in Western Europe, Radio Luxembourg began to fill a gap in the UK entertainment market as early as 1933. Britain's airwaves were monopolised by the BBC, which believed it knew better than its listeners what they wanted to hear.

The new station's entrepreneur owner, CLR (Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Radiodiffusion), allowed its audience to request songs. The station became massively popular, to the extent that the British government sought to have it closed down.

Official opposition merely served to create a "pirate" mystique about Radio Luxembourg, making it even more popular. Former "Fab 208" DJs include David Jacobs, Tony Blackburn, Pete Murray, Jimmy Young and Noel Edmonds.

In 1967, the BBC launched Radio 1. With added competition from commercial stations, Radio Luxembourg audiences dwindled through the 1970s and 1980s. When it closed in 1992, almost no one noticed. But it has resurfaced as a Classic Rock internet station. Tune in at radioluxembourg.co.uk.