5 Things to Do in Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a small country with a big heart. It is geographically positioned between Belgium, France, and Germany. To nature lovers, there is plenty to do in Luxembourg! During our time in Luxembourg, we partnered with Visit Luxembourg, the Luxembourg tourism board, for a brief camping trip and some outdoor adventures. We had a chance to visit Luxembourg City, hike, ride mountain bikes, and eat some local cuisine. Whether you spend a long period of time in Luxembourg or are only there for 24 hours, here are 5 things to do in Luxembourg!

I’m currently reading A House in the Sky (thanks @chelseakauaibookclub) and am having a hard time putting it down. An idea stuck out to me that put a more scientific label on something I have felt for a long time, “Here is the rule of proximity: you get to one place, and it becomes impossible, basically, not to start looking at whatever else is nearby. Climb to the top of one mountain, and you see the whole range. If you make it as far as Cambodia, what’s keeping you from Malaysia? From Malaysia, it’s just a little hop to Indonesia, and onward from there. For a while, the world for me was like a set of monkey bars. I swing from one place to the next. Sometimes backward, sometimes forward. Capitalizing on my own momentum, knowing that at some point my seems – or, more accurately, my quivering bank balance, accessed through foreign ATMs- would give out, and I’d fall to the ground.” – Amanda Lindhout, A House in the Sky 🇱🇺 I never had plans to visit Luxembourg until this year. In the United States, a good majority of the population doesn’t even know that Luxembourg is a country. Luxembourg is about the same size as our state of Rhode Island – with half the population. But traveling has a way of making far off places seem closer. Travel has a way of making foreign cultures and ideas seem less foreign. Every time I plan a trip, I look at Google Maps to plan and investigate the surrounding geography. If I’m going to London and Italy, why not just train all the way and stop at almost every country in between? Well, that’s exactly what @alexandras.atlas and I did on this trip. Our start and finish points made it almost impossible to skip places we had never seen like Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. As I continue to travel and visit more countries, a paradox continues to develop. My list of places I want to visit becomes longer and longer while the world simultaneously becomes smaller and less foreign. #luxembourg #visitluxembourg #couplescoordinates @amandalindhout

A post shared by MICHAEL GALLAGHER (@gallaghers.travels) on Jun 11, 2018 at 11:58am PDT

5 Things to do in Luxembourg

1. Camping in Luxembourg

There are a number of campsites throughout the country of Luxembourg. We stayed at Camping Kengert, which is only about 30 minutes outside of Luxembourg City. The campground has a unique feel to it. The campground has tents and mini-cabins and also welcomes travelers with RVs.

2. Larochette Castle

There is a small town called Larochette just about 3 KM from the Kengert campsite. The walk is quite enjoyable and the castle is fun to explore. There is a lookout on the front side of the castle that has a great view of the town below. We also made friends with one of the locals – a little kitten – who Alex almost brought back to camp with us.

Lost in Luxembourg 🌿 The smallest country you’ve probably never heard of, but don’t worry I just discovered it’s existence myself a few months ago! We spent the day hiking around this beautiful country and slept in a giant tent in the middle of nowhere. It was awesome..minus the fact that I discovered I’m apparently extremely susceptible to hay fever (aka horrible allergies 🤦🏼‍♀️). Either way, it was so refreshing to connect with nature and escape city life for a couple days. 🙏🏻 #visitluxembourg

A post shared by Alexandra (@alexandras.atlas) on May 22, 2018 at 9:32am PDT

3. Hike the Mullerthal Trail

One of the benefits of camping at Camping Kengert is that you’re in walking distance both to Larochette Castle and also the Mullerthal Trail. This trail traverses the beautiful landscape near Larochette and offers hikers the opportunity to see caves and awesome rock formations. The hike is super unique and was probably our favorite part of the trip.

4. Ride mountain bikes in Luxembourg

The mountain bike trails in Luxembourg aren’t easy by any stretch. We were initially told that the trails qualified as “easy” but later (read during the actual ride) learned that the trails were intermediate and expert trails. If you’re an experienced mountain bike rider, Luxembourg is an incredible place for you to ride. However, if you’re inexperienced like us, ride with caution and be sure to pick your trails carefully.

5. Learn to speak Luxembourgish

Yes, you heard us right. Luxembourgish. The local language in Luxembourg is Luxembourgish. No, it isn’t useful outside of Luxembourg, and no you don’t actually need it inside of Luxembourg (most locals speak an average of 4 to 5 languages including a mix of English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, etc.), but it is a unique language that you’ll only hear in Luxembourg.

Disconnect to reconnect ✨ I’ve spent the last few days completely disconnected from social media and focused only on living in the present, and it was just what I needed 🙏🏻 Don’t get me wrong, I love this space and am forever grateful for the amazing humans and opportunities it’s connected me with, but every now and then it’s nice to really step away and reflect. I scroll through my feed and see ads and highlight moments from people’s lives and it’s so beautiful. Real life is a balance of those moments, between the mundane, routine and painfully real experiences we all have every day. Never forget that we are all human here, that we all feel the same ups and downs, the same ebb and flow. Now with a ton of work done, another book finished, and lovely time spent with family and friends, I’m feeling so inspired to create and share more of my favorite highlights with you all 😊

A post shared by Alexandra (@alexandras.atlas) on Jul 5, 2018 at 9:20am PDT