What's Overrated in Luxembourg (And What to Do Instead)

The overrated shortlist

The Grand Ducal Palace guided tour runs mid-July to early September only, costs 15 euros and lasts 60 minutes of interior rooms that are handsome but not memorable. Skip it and photograph the exterior guard change instead. Place d’Armes cafés charge 6 euros for a coffee that costs 3 euros two streets away; sit at Konrad Café or Chocolate House on Rue du Marché-aux-Herbes instead.

The Bock Casemates are famous but crowded and repetitive after the first two chambers. If you have already done Vianden's castle tunnels, skip Bock and walk the free Chemin de la Corniche above them, which locals genuinely call "the most beautiful balcony of Europe" without irony.

More swaps worth making

The Adolphe Bridge is a fine photo but does not deserve a special trip; you cross it on any tram to Gare. The Wenzel Circular Walk, by contrast, is a free 100-minute loop through 1,000 years of fortifications from Bock down to Grund and Pfaffenthal, and almost nobody does it. It is the single best free thing in the city.

Finally, do not eat in the immediate Place d’Armes zone. Menus are translated into six languages, portions are small, prices are 25 to 40% above equivalent food in Clausen, Hollerich or Bonnevoie. Two tram stops away sits Mesa Verde or Um Piquet, and the difference in quality is not subtle.