City of Luxembourg Walking Tour

Once we completed the tour of the Bock Casemates, we meandered through the streets to find the restaurant where our lunch reservations were made.

The streets of Luxembourg are as quintessential as you would imagine a European city being.

After sat down for lunch, the men met our bus driver to take them off to a plant tour. Then our city tour guide took us ladies on a walking tour around the city of Luxembourg. It was a breezy, chilly day, but all the trees were on the verge of budding into spring.

As we walked out of the restaurant, one of the servers was kindly offering the construction workers right outside his front door some hot coffee on a serving tray.

We began the tour by walking along the Chemin de la Corniche (the walls of the corniche in Luxembourg.) A “corniche” is a road cut into the edge of a cliff. This walk ran along the old ramparts built by the Spanish and the French at the same time they built the casemates.

We got some amazing views of the city from this vantage point.

We crossed the street and came to these large towers. The square central tower dates from around 1200, whereas the two circular towers were added in the 14th century.

We walked through a gate in the towers to enter into the old part of the city.

We came across this ghoulish face sticking out of the side of a building. We were told it’s what remains of the oldest cinema that used to be in the city.

The Grand Ducal Palace is where the Grand Duke of Luxembourg has his “office”. This is where he performs most of his duties of state.

Two guards are stationed outside the main entrance. One stands guard while the other one marches back and forth. They both looked very young.

Along the road of the Grand Ducal Palace are many street lights with these faces inside. The eyes are made to look as if they are following you, especially at night when they are lit up.

On Constitution Square, this tower with the golden lady commemorates all the people of Luxembourg who died in WWI. She was taken down by the Nazis in 1940. It wasn’t until 1984 that she was fully restored back to her spot, symbolizing freedom for the people of Luxembourg.

White flags with red crosses represent the Luxembourg Red Cross.

The main entrance of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin, also called the Nôtre Dame Cathedral, is located on a small square. This is one of the most important places of worship in Luxembourg and the only cathedral. Its cornerstone was laid in 1613.

The inside the cathedral are beautiful views of stained glass windows and gothic pillars.

We ended our tour on Place Clairefontaine in front of the statue of the Grand Duchess Charlotte, who ruled Luxembourg from 1919 to 1964. She was very popular among the people. Our guide told us she had to go into exile in 1940 after the German invasion. She ended up in North America during her exile and returned to Luxembourg in 1945. She worked very hard to rebuild the country after WWII.

This concludes our tour of Luxembourg! Until next time…