The circuit Wenzel will take you along the most impressive parts of Luxembourg City; that’s why I opted to describe it in a separate post. If you’re interested in a more generic two-day itinerary in Luxembourg City you can check out my previous post.

Stop 1: Bock

The start of this two-hour walk is the Bock. This is where Luxembourg City finds its origins. Luxembourg is located in a very strategic position in Europe. That’s the reason why it has changed hands so many times over the course of 1000 years. The original castle was built by Siegfried in the 900s. The castle was located on top of a cliff which now overlooks the old town of Luxembourg City (also known as the Grund). The only thing left of this castle is a small tower.

There might not be much left of Siegfried’s castle. However, the fortifications that were built into the cliff are pretty much as they were so many years ago. Due to the fact that Luxembourg changed hands so many times, the rulers saw a need to strengthen the natural fortifications of the cliff to avoid losing their hard won country again. Today Luxembourg is known as one of the greatest fortified sites of Europe. From the top of Bock you can enjoy the view over the old town.

Stop 2: Bock Casemates

Even though the fortifications were dismantled in the 19th century, we can still visit the site today. You can reach the Bock Casemates through a passage right below the Bock. Here you’ll find a labyrinth of underground tunnels which lead all the way to the Corniche. The tunnels are 23km long in total, but you can’t walk through all of them. Nowadays “only” 17km is accessible. These tunnels are considered a UNESCO Heritage Site. The tunnels are big enough for the population of the towns to store all their provisions, horses and even war gear. Even though the tunnels were dismantled, they still served as shelter for the bombings during the Second World War. Entrance to the casemates costs 4 euro.

If you tend to skip sights by the mere mention of tunnels, you shouldn’t be scared here. These tunnels are hewn (exploded) into a rock and there are plenty of lookout points where you can take in a breath of fresh air.

Stop 3: Corniche

The Casemates end on the Corniche, a road along the cliff from which you can enjoy the view over the Grund. This road leads you along the old town, away from the fortifications which means that the view is not only extended towards the town, but also towards the fortifications.

It seems that whenever there’s a bridge people feel the need to hang locks from it. The most famous bridges with locks are in Paris, but Luxembourg also likes to talk game.

Stop 4: Stierchen

Don’t continue following the Corniche the whole way around. When the Corniche turns into Rue Large, you have to turn left and down through a little gate to reach the actual old town.

Before you enter the Grund you once again walk around the town only this time at a lower level, right next to the river past the Neumünster Abbey. If you’re lucky like I was and it’s autumn, the walk next to the river has a proper medieval feel.

Walk until the old bridge called Stierchen, which you have to pass to finally reach the old town.

Stop 5: Grund

You can amble through the old town of Luxembourg until you reach the lift. Yes, there’s an elevator which takes you to the new town of Luxembourg City. The old town is apparently good for its nightlife and fancy dining. I didn’t check any of this out, but on the day I visited (Saturday morning) it was devoid of people. Not even tourists were roaming around which gave this quarter an even more well-preserved feel. I would like to stop by Luxembourg City one more day (with friends) to enjoy dinner and drinks in Grund because I think that there might be some fine hidden gems in the area.

Once you take the elevator to the top level, you’re back in the new part of town.

Conclusion

I wasn’t very positive about Luxembourg City in my previous post, but that’s because two days is almost too long for a visit. This post takes a completely different direction because it focuses on the 3km walk around Grund and the Casemates which is certainly worth a visit on any Europe trip. Spending one day in Luxembourg City would be more than enough, unless you’re looking to have fancy (and overtly expensive) dinners ,drinks and shopping sessions. Keeping in line with my advice in the previous post, I would say to rent a car and then to explore the city one day and venturing out into the rural part of the country the next day.