Luxembourg in two days, the fortress and the European city

Give Luxembourg City two days and it changes size. It’s no longer just the rock and the old town, but also the city built opposite in the 20th century, with its European institutions and museums. My split is simple. Day one for the fortress, which is what brings you here, and day two to cross the valley and see how the city stopped being one.

Day one, the city everyone comes for

Day one is, almost hour by hour, my plan for Luxembourg in one day, so I won’t repeat it in full. In the morning, the old town, from the Gëlle Fra to the cathedral and the palace, plus the Lëtzebuerg City Museum. In the afternoon, the Corniche, the Bock and the Grund. The difference is that with two days you can fit in the guided tour of the Bock Casemates without watching the clock, and have dinner down by the river knowing there’s no train to catch in the morning.

Day two, across the valley

I’d start by taking the panoramic lift down to the Pfaffenthal, the district at the bottom of the valley, and riding up the other side on the Kirchberg funicular, which climbs 40 m in 63 seconds for free. At the top is Kirchberg, home to the European institutions, and at its tip, facing the old town, two museums side by side.

The first is the Dräi Eechelen Museum, housed in Fort Thüngen and its three round towers. It tells the fortress’s story from 1443 to 1903 with around 600 objects, and doing it after day one makes perfect sense, because you’ve already seen from outside what it explains from within. It costs €7, and nothing if you’re under 26.

The second is Mudam, the modern art museum I. M. Pei designed on the remains of the fort. The €10 ticket includes its regular guided tours. Outside, a few steps away, stands the Philharmonie with its front of slender white columns.

In the afternoon I’d take the tram back to the centre and drop into the Pétrusse Valley, beneath the Adolphe Bridge. Be aware that the stretch towards rue d’Anvers is under restoration works, with the riverside paths closed, so I’d walk the half that heads towards the Grund. I’d finish at Villa Vauban, the city’s art museum, with its Dutch Golden Age paintings, and in the municipal park around it.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Luxemburgo before prices climb.

If it’s a weekend

Most two-day trips are really weekends, and the calendar matters. On Saturday mornings there’s a market on Place Guillaume II with about 40 stalls, and in autumn and winter the Bock Casemates run most of their tours from Friday to Sunday. The City Night Bus operates on Friday and Saturday nights until 3:30, so you’re not reliant on a taxi after dinner.

My pick is Friday and Saturday. On Friday evening Villa Vauban lets everyone in free between 18:00 and 21:00, and you avoid Monday, when the City Museum, both national museums, Mudam and the Natur Musée all close. If Saturday and Sunday are your only option, it works just as well, with Sunday for Kirchberg.

If the weather lets you down

In the rain the plan holds up better than you’d think, because day two is almost all indoors. Dräi Eechelen and Mudam fill the morning, the tram gets you between stops without a soaking and Villa Vauban rounds off the afternoon. The only thing I’d swap is the Pétrusse Valley, which gets slippery when wet; in its place I’d add the Lëtzebuerg City Museum if you skipped it on day one.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Luxemburgo before prices climb.

What it costs, and whether the pass pays

On this plan, paid tickets come to about €42 per adult as of September 2026, counting the City Museum, the casemates, Dräi Eechelen and Mudam; transport, the lift, the funicular and the cathedral cost nothing. The two-day LuxembourgPass is €33, so it can pay off if you’re 26 or over and your chosen sights are among its 81 attractions; check the list before you buy. Under 26, the national museums are free anyway. And if you have a day to spare, carry on with my Luxembourg 3 day itinerary, which adds a trip out of the capital.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Luxemburgo and choose by the reviews.

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So you do not pay over the odds, look at trains, coaches and flights to Luxembourg on Omio and pick the one that suits you.