How big Luxembourg really is

Luxembourg is small, but it isn’t a microstate. At 2,586 km² it’s more than five times Andorra and about eight times Malta, and on my list of Europe’s 47 countries ranked by area it comes seventh, right behind the six microstates. Here are the official measurements and what they mean on the ground.

2,586 km², end to end

STATEC, the national statistics office, gives a total area of 2,586 km², just under 1,000 square miles. North to south it’s 82 km, from Huldange in the north to Rumelange in the south, and east to west 57 km, from Rosport to Perlé. The border adds up to 356 km, 148 with Belgium, 135 with Germany and 73 with France. To see it all placed in Europe, there’s the map of Luxembourg.

The extreme points are well spread. The northernmost lies in the commune of Troisvierges, the southernmost in Rumelange, the easternmost in Rosport and the westernmost in Boulaide.

Two very unequal halves

The country splits into two natural zones that look nothing alike. The Éislek in the north covers 828 km², 32% of the total, and is the continuation of the Ardennes, with high plateaux and deeply cut rivers. The Guttland in the south takes 1,758 km², or 68%, and is softer country of fields and hills that includes the capital and the Moselle valley. The difference between the two is explained in regions of Luxembourg.

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Does Luxembourg have mountains?

Not as a Scot or a Welshman would understand the word. The highest point in Luxembourg is the Kneiff, at 560 m, at Wilwerdange in the commune of Troisvierges. Next to it the Buurgplaatz at Huldange reaches 559 m, and out west the Napoleonsgaard in Rambrouch makes 547. These are plateau heights, not summits. Put another way, Place d’Armes in the capital, at 304 m, sits only about 256 m below the country’s highest point. A curious detail for scale, the River Our rises in Belgium near Manderfeld at 653 m, almost a hundred metres above the highest point anywhere in Luxembourg, before running down the border to join the Sûre.

The lowest point is 130 m, at the Spatz in Wasserbillig, where the Sûre meets the Moselle. The capital sits at about 300 m, although within the city there’s nearly 180 m of difference between Beggen, at 232, and the Dommeldange plateau, at 408. That’s why Luxembourg City has public lifts and a funicular.

A well-wooded country

STATEC breaks down land use like this, with 2021 figures. 51.7% is farmland and vineyards, 36.1% woodland and natural areas, 11.8% built-up land and just 0.4% water. Much of the natural land is protected. The Our Nature Park covers 420 km² and the Upper Sûre Nature Park 200, both created in 2005, and the Mëllerdall geopark another 256 in the Mullerthal. The water is concentrated in one place. The Upper Sûre lake, held back by a 1961 dam, covers about 380 hectares, and no other body of water in Luxembourg is bigger. The Sûre runs 136 km inside Luxembourg, the Moselle forms the border in the south-east and the Alzette crosses the capital. The lake and its beaches are in the Upper Sûre lake.

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A country that used to be much bigger

Today’s Luxembourg is what’s left of a far larger territory. After buying the county of Chiny in 1364, the old duchy reached around 10,000 km², nearly four times today’s size. It lost land in three blows. In 1659, under the Treaty of the Pyrenees, Thionville went to France. In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, lands in the Eifel went to Prussia. And in 1839, under the Treaty of London, the western part became the Belgian province of Luxembourg. The borders haven’t moved since, so an outline of the country drawn in 1840 would still match today’s.

What it means for your trip

With these dimensions, Luxembourg can be covered without rushing and without leaving the country. North to south is under 100 km, and public transport is free. I’d base myself in the capital and add one or two nights in the north, and in four days you’d see the best of both halves. To place it against its neighbours, carry on to where is Luxembourg.

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