The Luxembourg Marathon, a night race through the capital

Running a marathon at night through the streets of a European capital isn’t something many cities offer, and Luxembourg does it every spring. The ING Night Marathon Luxembourg reaches its twentieth edition in 2027, and for a runner nothing else shows you the city quite like it, even if it’s hardly the gentle option.

What the ING Night Marathon is

It’s Luxembourg’s marathon, and it starts as the light fades. The 2027 race is on Saturday 8 May, setting off at 19:00 from Luxexpo The Box, the exhibition centre in Kirchberg at 10 circuit de la Foire Internationale. The 2026 race was held on 16 May. It’s organised by the events company step by step, whose website sells it as a bridge between neighbourhoods and between people of more than a hundred nationalities who live in the city.

The national tourist board talks of endless rows of spectators on both sides, a wild atmosphere on Place Guillaume II and small street parties in the residential districts. The city tourist office adds music, giveaways and children’s activities along the route.

Is the course hard?

Yes, and it’s worth knowing before you enter. The route leaves the business district of Kirchberg and passes through Limpertsberg, the municipal park, Place Guillaume II, the Grand-Rue, the Gare district and the Pétrusse valley before crossing the Red Bridge. The city tourist office says runners count it among the most demanding in Europe because of its gradients and many bends, and the finish is the worst of it, a long climb from the Red Bridge back up to Luxexpo.

If you’re chasing a personal best, I wouldn’t come here. If you want a different kind of race, with the city lit up and people cheering late into the evening, on paper it’s one of the most appealing I know.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Luxemburgo for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Seven races and what they cost

There are seven events. The marathon and half start at 19:00, alongside the Team Run, a four-person relay over the full distance with legs of 12.9, 7.2, 13.3 and 8.7 km that may still shift slightly. The 4.2 km mini-marathon for over-12s goes at 19:30 and the 1 km mini mini-marathon for younger children at 19:40. The 5K Run for Success is for teams of three and starts at 20:10 from the Mudam, and the Roll & Run is for skaters, 7.3 km around Limpertsberg.

Published prices start at €92 for the marathon and €73 for the half, timing chip included, with €152 per relay team and from €39 per runner for the 5K. You get six hours to finish the marathon and three for the half. Entries close on 24 March 2027 if they haven’t sold out, and until then you can transfer your bib to someone else. Refunds are only given against a medical certificate sent before that date, minus a €13 admin fee.

Bibs, pasta and getting there

Bibs are collected at Luxexpo The Box, with photo ID, on Friday 7 May from 11:00 to 20:00 and on Saturday 8 May from 10:00 to 16:00. The same venue hosts the Expo42 runners’ fair and the Pasta Party, which on the Friday serves a plate of pasta and a drink from 16:00 to 20:00 against the voucher in your race pack.

The simplest way there is the tram, free of charge like every bus and train in the country. Luxexpo is 5 km from the airport and 7 km from the central station, and the tram stops at Alphonse Weicker and Luxexpo. You can’t park at Luxexpo on race day. The organisers lay on shuttles from the Bouillon and Luxembourg Sud park and rides to the Glacis, and ask runners to be on site by 17:00 at the latest. Between 19:20 and 21:15 the tram is suspended between Faïencerie and Theater, because the course crosses the tracks.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Luxemburgo for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

The DKV Urban Trail, the city’s other race

If you’d rather something shorter or with more dirt underfoot, the DKV Urban Trail is on 17 and 18 April 2027. Its walks and runs lead from the cobbled streets of the old town onto little-known paths, from the Saint-Esprit Plateau out to Hesperange town hall, along the Alzette and through thick woodland. Along the way it passes the Grand Ducal Palace, Neumünster Abbey, Place d’Armes, the Bock casemates, the Three Acorns and the Philharmonie, goes through the Aqua Tunnel in the Pétrusse valley to the Pfaffenthal and finishes up flights of steps to Place de la Constitution and the Cité judiciaire. The 2027 distances and prices were still unannounced in late September 2026.

Other sporting dates, and fitting it in

If you’d rather walk without a stopwatch, the Diekirch International March is the country’s big event. For the marathon, May 2027 is busy, with Ascension Day on Thursday 6 May and Europe Day on Sunday 9 May both public holidays, so I’d book a hotel as soon as I had my bib.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Luxemburgo on GetYourGuide.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Luxembourg: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

Before you fix your dates, compare tickets to Luxembourg: the same journey can cost very different amounts from one day to the next.