Reading the map of Luxembourg

People who search for a map of Luxembourg usually have one simple question, where exactly is this small country. But a map of Luxembourg tells you a lot more, because in a very small space the landscape changes, the way people live changes, and even the language you hear at the border changes. I’ll read it from the outside in, from Europe down to the capital.

Luxembourg on the map of Europe

Find the point where Belgium, Germany and France meet, and there it is. Its coordinates are around 49° 37’ north and 6° 08’ east. Belgium wraps round the west and north, with 148 km of border; Germany lies to the east, with 135 km, and France to the south, with 73. There’s no coastline. By road, Trier is 48 km from the capital and Metz 60. In the far south-east, at Schengen, all three countries meet on the Moselle, and the village lent its name to the free-movement agreement signed there in 1985. Everything about borders and neighbours is in where is Luxembourg.

A country split in two by its relief

On a physical map, the north is a different world. The Éislek, the Luxembourg Ardennes, covers 828 km², about a third of the country, with high plateaux and rivers cut into narrow valleys. That’s where you’ll find the Kneiff, the highest point at 560 m, and castles such as Vianden, Clervaux or Bourscheid. The south, the Guttland, is gentler and takes up the rest, 1,758 km², with the capital, the Minett mining country and the Moselle valley.

The rivers draw the map. The Sûre crosses the country from west to east over 136 km and forms the Upper Sûre lake, the largest in the country. The Our runs down the German border until it joins the Sûre, and the Moselle marks the frontier in the south-east as far as Wasserbillig, the lowest point, at 130 m. The Alzette crosses the capital from south to north, running below the old town through the Grund, Clausen and the Pfaffenthal. Area and altitude, with comparisons, are in how big is Luxembourg.

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The administrative map, cantons and communes

The country has 12 cantons and 100 communes. The most populous canton, Luxembourg, counted 213,766 residents at the start of 2026; the least populous, Vianden, had 5,808 in just three communes. General elections use different divisions again, four constituencies called South, Centre, East and North. The full list, with each canton’s communes, is in cantons of Luxembourg.

The visitor’s map, six destinations

The tourist board draws its own map, with six destinations. The capital; the Éislek to the north; the Mullerthal to the east, known as Little Switzerland; the Moselle in the south-east; the Guttland in the centre and west; and the Minett, the Red Lands of the south. Each has its own regional office, and the boundaries don’t follow the cantons. To choose between them, see regions of Luxembourg.

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The maps that help you get around

Day to day, the map you’ll use most is the transport one. Tram line T1 runs 16 km with 24 stops, from the Findel airport terminal to Stadion, crossing the Kirchberg, the centre and the central station. Bus and train timetables for the whole country are on mobiliteit.lu, the public transport authority’s journey planner. If you’re driving, the national road network is 2,918 km long, including 167 km of motorway.

The capital itself covers 51.73 km² and is divided into 24 official districts, from the Ville Haute to the Kirchberg. Its altitude ranges from 232 m at Beggen to 408 m on the Dommeldange plateau, with the Place d’Armes at 304 m. That’s why the street plan is deceptive. What looks close on paper can be a hundred metres lower down, which is where the Pfaffenthal lift and the funicular come in. Everything about the capital, district by district, starts at Luxembourg City.

How I use the map to plan

With the capital as a base, you can cover the country in day trips. The north needs a day or two, the Mullerthal one, and the Moselle and the Minett half a day each. All the communes and villages, arranged by canton, are in towns in Luxembourg.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Luxembourg and pick one that fits your day.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Luxembourg before you arrive rather than at the desk.

If you still need a way in, check the best ticket deals to Luxembourg from where you are.