Luxembourg

Discover Luxembourg

Fun Foods

Gromperekichelcher, Judd mat Gaardebounen, Bouneschlupp, Kniddelen, Kachkéis, Quetschentaart

In Luxembourg, you never need a ticket. On March 1, 2020, it became the first country in the world to make every bus, tram, and train free for everyone, even visitors.

Luxembourg is also the only grand duchy left on Earth, a country ruled by a grand duke instead of a king. In October 2025, a new one, Grand Duke Guillaume, took over from his father.

The country’s story begins with a legend. In the year 963, a count named Siegfried built a castle on a rocky cliff called the Bock.

Legend says he married a beautiful woman named Melusina, who made him promise to leave her alone one day each week.

Siegfried grew curious and peeked. He saw that Melusina had a fish’s tail. She was a mermaid.

Melusina vanished into the rock, and some say you can still hear her singing in the tunnels below.

Those tunnels are real. Over the centuries, soldiers carved a maze of passages called casemates into the cliffs, and Luxembourg became one of the strongest fortresses in Europe. About 17 kilometers (11 miles) of tunnels survive today.

The country’s hardest time came in World War II. Nazi Germany invaded on May 10, 1940, and declared that Luxembourg no longer existed.

People were forced to change French names to German ones, and in 1942, young men were forced to fight in the German army.

Luxembourgers fought back. On August 31, 1942, workers across the country went on strike, one of the very few open strikes against the Nazis anywhere in Western Europe. The Nazis executed 21 strikers.

Of the roughly 1,300 Jewish people the Nazis deported from Luxembourg, only 69 survived.

American soldiers freed Luxembourg in September 1944, then fought the huge Battle of the Bulge in its snowy forests that winter. The famous American general George Patton is buried in Luxembourg alongside more than 5,000 of his soldiers.

Today, explore the dark, winding Bock casemates, where people once sheltered from bombs. Then ride the free glass elevator down to the old Pfaffenthal neighborhood, or take a free train to Vianden Castle, a fairy-tale fortress on a hilltop.

Hikers love the Mullerthal trails, which wind through mossy forests and narrow rock canyons.

For food, grab gromperekichelcher, crispy potato pancakes sold at every fair, often with applesauce. The national dish is Judd mat Gaardebounen, smoked pork with broad beans.

In autumn, finish with quetschentaart, a sweet plum tart.

Sources: Luxembourg Government: The Second World War, Paperjam: 10 Key Moments That Shaped Luxembourg, and Visit Luxembourg: Luxembourg American Cemetery.