festivites
Here are some of the major holidays and festivities celebrated in Luxembourg:
1. National Day (June 23rd): Celebrated to commemorate the official birthday of the Grand Duke. The day begins with a Te Deum mass in the morning, followed by a military parade in the heart of Luxembourg City. In the evening, there is a spectacular fireworks display over the Petrusse Valley.
2. Christmas Day (December 25th): Like many other countries, Luxembourg celebrates Christmas as a time for family gatherings and exchanging gifts. Many people attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day, families enjoy festive meals together.
3. Carnival (February/March): A period of revelry and celebration before the Christian season of Lent. The biggest carnival parade takes place in the town of Diekirch, where colorful floats and costumed performers fill the streets.
4. Easter (March/April): Another important Christian holiday in Luxembourg. On Easter Sunday, many families gather for a festive meal, often featuring traditional dishes such as ham, eggs, and a sweet bread called pâté de Pâques.
5. Wenzel Festival (October): An annual celebration in honor of Luxembourg's patron saint, St. Wenceslas. Festivities include a street fair with food and drink vendors, live music performances, and a parade through the city.
6. Schueberfouer (August/September): A large fair that takes place every year in Luxembourg City. The event features amusement rides, carnival games, and food stalls selling local specialties like gromperekichelcher (potato fritters) and grilled sausages.
These are just a few examples of the many holidays and festivities celebrated in Luxembourg, each with their own unique cultural traditions and customs.
seasons
Luxembourg has four distinct tourist seasons:
1. Spring (March to May): The weather is mild, and attractions are less crowded. It's a great time for hiking and exploring the countryside.
2. Summer (June to August): The weather is warm, and there are plenty of outdoor festivals and events. However, it can be crowded, and accommodation prices may be higher.
3. Autumn (September to November): The foliage is spectacular, and there are many cultural events. It's a good time for hiking and cycling, but the weather can be unpredictable.
4. Winter (December to February): The Christmas markets are charming, and there are winter sports opportunities. However, it can be cold and snowy, and some attractions may be closed.
Regardless of the season you choose to visit Luxembourg, make sure to bring comfortable walking shoes, dress in layers, and have an umbrella handy.
visa
As an AI language model, I cannot provide the most up-to-date information on visa rules and fees as they are subject to change at any time. However, I can provide general information on Luxembourg's visa requirements and fees as of my knowledge cutoff date of September 1, 2021:
Citizens of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland do not need a visa to enter Luxembourg. Citizens of some non-EU countries may also be exempt from a visa for short-term visits. However, citizens from many non-EU countries require a visa to enter Luxembourg.
The type of visa required depends on the purpose of the visit, such as tourism, business, or study. The cost of the visa fee varies depending on the type and length of the visa requested. As of September 1, 2021, the fees were:
- Short-stay visa (up to 90 days): €80
- Long-stay visa (more than 90 days): €50
Note that these fees are subject to change, and it is always best to check with the relevant authorities for the most up-to-date information.
souvenirs
Here are some popular souvenirs to buy from Luxembourg along with their average prices and where to buy them:
1. Chocolate - Average price: €5-€20. Where to buy: Chocolate House and Oberweis.
2. Wine or Crémant - Average price: €10-€30. Where to buy: Caves Bernard-Massard and Domaine Alice Hartmann.
3. Porcelain - Average price: €10-€100. Where to buy: Villeroy & Boch Outlet Store and Manufaktur Vianden.
4. Lace - Average price: €15-€50. Where to buy: Maison de la Dentelle and the souvenir shops in Clervaux.
5. Posters and Prints - Average price: €10-€50. Where to buy: The Luxembourg City Tourist Office, Arteliers Tutesall and the National Museum of History and Art.
6. Souvenir T-Shirts and Caps - Average price: €10-€25. Where to buy: Most tourist shops including the ones in Luxembourg City Centre.
Note that prices may vary depending on the location and quality of the product.
If you have 1 week
Hi there! You're in Luxembourg, one of the smallest countries in Europe but with a rich history and culture. Here's a one-week itinerary suggestion for you:
Day 1: Explore Luxembourg City
Take a walk through the Old Quarter of Luxembourg City, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Don't miss the Grand Ducal Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral and Place d'Armes. To learn more about the city's history, visit the Musée d'Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg.
Day 2: Vianden Castle
Visit the charming town of Vianden and explore its impressive medieval castle, which dates back to the 9th century.Built on a hilltop, the castle offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside.
Day 3: Mullerthal Trail
Head out into nature and hike the Mullerthal Trail, also known as the "Little Switzerland of Luxembourg". The trail takes you through picturesque forests, rocky cliffs and sparkling streams.
Day 4: Moselle Valley
Drive or take a train to the Moselle Valley, known for its scenic wine country landscapes. Take a tour of the vineyards and sample some of the region's delicious white wines.
Day 5: Esch-sur-Sûre
Visit the small town of Esch-sur-Sûre, which sits on the banks of a winding river in a deep valley. Explore the ruins of the town's castle, which was built in the 10th century.
Day 6: Clervaux Castle
Head north to the town of Clervaux and visit its impressive castle. The castle houses a museum of models of fortified castles from around the world, as well as exhibitions of photography and contemporary art.
Day 7: Bourscheid Castle
Finally, make your way to Bourscheid and see its beautiful castle, which dates back to the 10th century. Take a walk around its walls for some great views of the surrounding countryside.
I hope you enjoy your week in Luxembourg!
If you have 2 weeks
What a fabulous location! Luxembourg is filled with breathtaking landscapes, fascinating culture, and exceptional cuisine. Here's a two-week itinerary to help you explore the best of what this beautiful country has to offer:
Week 1:
Day 1-3: Start your tour by visiting Luxembourg City, the capital city of Luxembourg. Take a stroll around the city and don't miss out on exploring the casemates, underground tunnels built in the 17th century. Visit the National Museum of History and Art, which showcases Luxembourg's history and art collections.
Day 4-5: Head south of Luxembourg City to Vianden Castle, one of the most visited castles in Europe. Built between the 11th and 14th centuries, it is a remarkable example of Gothic architecture. You can also enjoy hiking trails around the castle.
Day 6-7: Continue your journey to Mullerthal region, famously known as "Little Switzerland." Explore the unique rock formations and forests, and don't miss out on the famous Schiessentümpel waterfall!
Week 2:
Day 8-10: Travel to Echternach, the oldest town in Luxembourg. The town is well-known for its medieval architecture and cultural heritage. Visit the Basilica of St. Willibrord, the market square, and the Abbey Museum. Also, take time to hike around the nearby caves and lakes.
Day 11-12: Make your way towards Clervaux, a small town in the north of Luxembourg. The highlight of the town is the Clervaux Castle, which houses three museums and a UNESCO-recognized photographic exhibition called "The Family of Man."
Day 13-14: Finally, head to the Moselle Valley, located on the eastern border of Luxembourg. This region is renowned for its wineries, picturesque villages, and vineyards. Take a wine tour and enjoy tastings of some of the best Rieslings in the world, visit the medieval town of Remich, and dine at local restaurants.
These are just a few of the many places to visit in Luxembourg. With stunning landscapes, unique culture, and delicious food, there is no shortage of experiences to make your two weeks unforgettable!
Culture
Luxembourg has been heavily influenced by the culture of its neighbors. It retains a number of folk traditions, having been for much of its history a profoundly rural country. There are several notable museums, located mostly in the capital. These include the National Museum of History and Art (NMHA), the Luxembourg City History Museum, and the new Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art (Mudam). The National Museum of Military History (MNHM) in Diekirch is especially known for its representations of the Battle of the Bulge. The city of Luxembourg itself is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, on account of the historical importance of its fortifications.
The country has produced some internationally known artists, including the painters Théo Kerg, Joseph Kutter and Michel Majerus, and photographer Edward Steichen, whose The Family of Man exhibition has been placed on UNESCO's Memory of the World register, and is now permanently housed in Clervaux. Editor and author Hugo Gernsback, whose publications crystallized the concept of science fiction, was born in Luxembourg City. Movie star Loretta Young was of Luxembourgish descent.
Luxembourg was a founding participant of the Eurovision Song Contest, and participated every year between 1956 and 1993, with the exception of 1959. It won the competition a total of five times, 1961, 1965, 1972, 1973 and 1983 and hosted the contest in 1962, 1966, 1973, and 1984, but only nine of its 38 entries were performed by Luxembourgish artists.
Luxembourg was the first city to be named European Capital of Culture twice. The first time was in 1995. In 2007, the European Capital of Culture was to be a cross-border area consisting of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland in Germany, the Walloon Region and the German-speaking part of Belgium, and the Lorraine area in France. The event was an attempt to promote mobility and the exchange of ideas, crossing borders physically, psychologically, artistically and emotionally.
Luxembourg was represented at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010 with its own pavilion. The pavilion was based on the transliteration of the word Luxembourg into Chinese, "Lu Sen Bao", which means "Forest and Fortress". It represented Luxembourg as the "Green Heart in Europe".
Unlike most countries in Europe, sports in Luxembourg are not concentrated upon a particular national sport, but instead encompass a number of sports, both team and individual. Despite the lack of a central sporting focus, over 100,000 people in Luxembourg, out of a total population of near 500,000–600,000, are licensed members of one sports federation or another. The Stade de Luxembourg, situated in Gasperich, southern Luxembourg City, is the country's national stadium and largest sports venue in the country with a capacity of 9,386 for sporting events, including football and rugby union, and 15,000 for concerts. The largest indoor venue in the country is d'Coque, Kirchberg, north-eastern Luxembourg City, which has a capacity of 8,300. The arena is used for basketball, handball, gymnastics, and volleyball, including the final of the 2007 Women's European Volleyball Championship.
Luxembourg cuisine reflects its position on the border between the Latin and Germanic worlds, being heavily influenced by the cuisines of neighboring France and Germany. More recently, it has been enriched by its many Italian and Portuguese immigrants.
Most native Luxembourg dishes, consumed as the traditional daily fare, share roots in the country's folk dishes, the same as in neighboring Germany.
Luxembourg sells the most alcohol in Europe per capita. However, the large proportion of alcohol purchased by customers from neighboring countries contributes to the statistically high level of alcohol sales per capita; this level of alcohol sales is thus not representative of the actual alcohol consumption of the Luxembourg population.
Luxembourg has the second highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants per capita with Japan ranked at number one and Switzerland following Luxembourg at number three.
The main languages of media in Luxembourg are French and German. The newspaper with the largest circulation is the German-language daily Luxemburger Wort. Because of the strong multilingualism in Luxembourg, newspapers often alternate articles in French and articles in German, without translation. In addition, there are both English and Portuguese radio and national print publications, but accurate audience figures are difficult to gauge since the national media survey by ILRES is conducted in French.
Luxembourg is known in Europe for its radio and television stations (Radio Luxembourg and RTL Group). It is also the uplink home of SES, carrier of major European satellite services for Germany and Britain.
Due to a 1988 law that established a special tax scheme for audiovisual investment, the film and co-production in Luxembourg has grown steadily. There are some 30 registered production companies in Luxembourg.
Luxembourg won an Oscar in 2014 in the Animated Short Films category with Mr Hublot.
Religion
Luxembourg is a secular state, but the state recognizes certain religions as officially mandated religions. This gives the state a hand in religious administration and appointment of clergy, in exchange for which the state pays certain running costs and wages. Religions covered by such arrangements are Catholicism, Judaism, Greek Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Russian Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Mennonitism, and Islam.
Since 1980, it has been illegal for the government to collect statistics on religious beliefs or practices. A 2000 estimate by the CIA Factbook is that 87% of Luxembourgers are Catholic, including the grand ducal family, with the remaining 13% being Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, and those of other or no religion. According to a 2010 Pew Research Center study, 70.4% are Christian, 2.3% Muslim, 26.8% unaffiliated, and 0.5% other religions.
According to a 2005 Eurobarometer poll, 44% of Luxembourg citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", whereas 28% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force", and 22% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force".
Demographics
The people of Luxembourg are called Luxembourgers. The immigrant population increased in the 20th century due to the arrival of immigrants from Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, and Portugal; the latter comprised the largest group. In 2013 about 88,000 Luxembourg inhabitants possessed Portuguese nationality. In 2013, there were 537,039 permanent residents, 44.5% of which were of foreign background or foreign nationals; the largest foreign ethnic groups were the Portuguese, comprising 16.4% of the total population, followed by the French (6.6%), Italians (3.4%), Belgians (3.3%) and Germans (2.3%). Another 6.4% were of other EU background, while the remaining 6.1% were of other non-EU, but largely other European, background.
Since the beginning of the Yugoslav wars, Luxembourg has seen many immigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. Annually, over 10,000 new immigrants arrive in Luxembourg, mostly from the EU states, as well as Eastern Europe. In 2000 there were 162,000 immigrants in Luxembourg, accounting for 37% of the total population. There were an estimated 5,000 illegal immigrants in Luxembourg in 1999.
As determined by law since 1984, Luxembourg has only one national language, Luxembourgish. It is considered the mother tongue or "language of the heart" for Luxembourgers and the language they generally use to speak or write to each other. Luxembourgish is considered a Franconian language specific to the local population, which is partially mutually intelligible with the neighboring High German, but which also includes more than 5,000 words of French origin. Knowledge of Luxembourgish is a criterion for naturalisation.
In addition to Luxembourgish, French and German are used in administrative and judicial matters, making all three administrative languages of Luxembourg. Per article 4 of the law promulgated in 1984, if a citizen asks a question in Luxembourgish, German or French, the administration must reply, as far as possible, in the language in which the question was asked.
Luxembourg is largely multilingual:, 52% of citizens claimed Luxembourgish as their native language, 16.4% Portuguese, 16% French, 2% German and 13.6% different languages (mostly English, Italian or Spanish). Even though French was the mother tongue of only 16% of residents in Luxembourg (placing 3rd), 98% of its citizens were able to speak it to a high level. The vast majority of Luxembourg residents are able to speak it as a second or third language. , much of the population was able to speak multiple other languages: 80% of citizens reported being able to hold a conversation in English, 78% in German and 77% in Luxembourgish, claiming these languages as their respective second, third or fourth language.
Each of the three official languages is used as a primary language in certain spheres of everyday life, without being exclusive. Luxembourgish is the language that Luxembourgers generally use to speak and write to each other, and there has been a recent increase in the production of novels and movies in the language; at the same time, the numerous expatriate workers (approximately 44% of the population) generally do not use it to speak to each other.
Most official business and written communication is carried out in French, which is also the language mostly used for public communication, with written official statements, advertising displays and road signs generally in French. Due to the historical influence of the Napoleonic Code on the legal system of the Grand Duchy, French is also the sole language of the legislation and generally the preferred language of the government, administration and justice. Parliamentary debates are mostly conducted in Luxembourgish, whereas written government communications and official documents (e.g. administrative or judicial decisions, passports, etc.) are drafted mostly in French and sometimes additionally in German.
Although professional life is largely multilingual, French is described by private sector business leaders as the main working language of their companies (56%), followed by Luxembourgish (20%), English (18%), and German (6%).
German is very often used in much of the media along with French and is considered by most Luxembourgers their second language. This is mostly due to the high similarity of German to Luxembourgish but also because it is the first language taught to children in primary school (language of literacy acquisition).
Due to the large community of Portuguese origin, the Portuguese language is fairly prevalent in Luxembourg, though it remains limited to the relationships inside this community. Portuguese has no official status, but the administration sometimes makes certain informative documents available in Portuguese.
Even though Luxembourg is largely multilingual today, some people claim that Luxembourg is subject of intense francization and that Luxembourgish and German are in danger of disappearing in the country, making Luxembourg either a unilingual Francophone country, or at best a bilingual French- and English-speaking country sometime in the far future.
Luxembourg is a secular state, but the state recognizes certain religions as officially mandated religions. This gives the state a hand in religious administration and appointment of clergy, in exchange for which the state pays certain running costs and wages. Religions covered by such arrangements are Catholicism, Judaism, Greek Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Russian Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Mennonitism, and Islam.
Since 1980, it has been illegal for the government to collect statistics on religious beliefs or practices. A 2000 estimate by the CIA Factbook is that 87% of Luxembourgers are Catholic, including the grand ducal family, with the remaining 13% being Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, and those of other or no religion. According to a 2010 Pew Research Center study, 70.4% are Christian, 2.3% Muslim, 26.8% unaffiliated, and 0.5% other religions.
According to a 2005 Eurobarometer poll, 44% of Luxembourg citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", whereas 28% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force", and 22% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force".
Luxembourg's education system is trilingual: the first years of primary school are in Luxembourgish, before changing to German; while in secondary school, the language of instruction changes to French. Proficiency in all three languages is required for graduation from secondary school, but half the students leave school without a certified qualification, with the children of immigrants being particularly disadvantaged. In addition to the three national languages, English is taught in compulsory schooling and much of the population of Luxembourg can speak English. The past two decades have highlighted the growing importance of English in several sectors, in particular the financial sector. Portuguese, the language of the largest immigrant community, is also spoken by large segments of the population, but by relatively few from outside the Portuguese-speaking community. The University of Luxembourg is the only university based in Luxembourg. In 2014, Luxembourg School of Business, a graduate business school, was created through private initiative and received the accreditation from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research of Luxembourg in 2017. Two American universities maintain satellite campuses in the country: Miami University (Dolibois European Center) and Sacred Heart University (Luxembourg Campus).
According to data from the World Health Organization, healthcare spending on behalf of the government of Luxembourg topped $4.1 Billion, amounting to about $8,182 for each citizen in the nation. The nation of Luxembourg collectively spent nearly 7% of its Gross Domestic Product on health, placing it among the highest spending countries on health services and related programs in 2010 among other well-off nations in Europe with high average income among its population.
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