The Philharmonie, 823 white columns on Place de l'Europe

Some buildings you spot from the tram and simply have to get off for. The Philharmonie is one of them. A white ellipse wrapped in slender columns in the middle of Kirchberg’s Place de l’Europe, a few steps from Mudam, it looks from outside as if it has landed from another planet, and Visit Luxembourg ranks it among the most prestigious concert halls in Europe. The hall itself acknowledges the effect with some humour on its website, telling you not to be intimidated and to push the door open anyway.

Portzamparc’s building

French architect Christian de Portzamparc, a Pritzker Prize winner, won the design competition in 1997. His idea was to wrap the elliptical foyer and three halls in a see-through skin of 823 thin white columns, according to Visit Luxembourg; the tourist office says more than 800. The hall opened in 2005, the same year the Luxembourg Philharmonic, founded in 1933, moved in as its resident orchestra.

Its official name is the Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte Concert Hall. And it isn’t finished yet, as the Philharmonie has announced an extension planned for 2027 to increase the building’s capacity.

Three very different halls

The Grand Auditorium, inspired by an agora surrounded by buildings, combines stage, stalls, organ and eight side towers of boxes, seats up to 1,472 and adjusts its acoustics to the type of concert. The Chamber Music Hall, with 313 seats and bold curves, is built for recitals. And the Espace Découverte, the smallest, is flexible and takes up to 180.

The programme is broad. The Philharmonie counts more than 500 events a year, from symphony concerts to techno, with jazz, world music and age-specific concerts for children. Visit Luxembourg also mentions the rainy days festival of contemporary music and the EME foundation, born in-house, which takes concerts into hospitals, care homes and prisons.

The audience figures explain how such a small country sustains a hall like this. Visit Luxembourg talks of over 150,000 listeners a year and presents it as proof of how much music matters to the country and to the wider Greater Region it shares with its French, Belgian and German neighbours. To my mind it’s among the strongest reasons to stay an extra night in the capital rather than doing it as a day trip.

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

Can you visit the Philharmonie without a concert?

Yes, and I’d say it’s the best way to understand the building. The Philharmonie runs guided tours all year round, in English, French and German, taking you from the stage to the backstage areas and covering both the construction and the programming. There are day tours and night tours on the same route. You can book online up to five minutes beforehand, and you meet at the artists’ entrance on the right-hand side of the building. For groups or private tours, ring +352 26 02 27 410.

The tour price isn’t shown on the pages I consulted, so you’ll see it when booking. There’s also a package combining a tour, a drink and a concert.

Getting there and parking

The Philharmonie / Mudam tram stop is right outside. Three bus stops lie within 200 metres, Rout Bréck-Pafendall, BEI and Philharmonie / Mudam. Like all public transport in Luxembourg, it’s free. On some concert nights there’s also a return shuttle from Trier. If you’d rather sleep a short walk from the hall, see the hotels in Kirchberg.

By car there are two paying car parks, Place de l’Europe and Trois Glands. As of September 2026, due to works on the square, Trois Glands is partly closed, and the Philharmonie recommends Place de l’Europe, especially for anyone with reduced mobility.

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

The Philharmonie and National Day

Every 23 June the official National Day ceremony is held here, before the military parade and the Te Deum in the cathedral. In 2027 it falls on a Wednesday. If your trip coincides, the whole city is celebrating, and the evening before there are torches and fireworks from the Adolphe Bridge.

My recommendation

Pair it with Mudam and the Dräi Eechelen Museum, a few steps away. On a Wednesday afternoon you can see both museums for free and finish with a concert. If you’ve booked a concert, arrive early enough to walk round the colonnade outside, which looks at its best once the square is lit. For the rest of the district, see my page on Kirchberg.

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