Luxembourg, capital city of Luxembourg

Luxembourg is the capital city of Luxembourg

Exploring Luxembourg City is like walking through a storybook. The capital is a dramatically beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site packed with over a thousand years of history and culture. The city rewards visitors over and over again with stunning vistas overlooking sheer-sided gorges and deep valleys, Michelin-starred restaurants, state-of-the-art museums, chic boutiques and atmospheric old neighborhoods. If you are pressed for time, the small city can be explored in a day, but it really should be savored. You will want to stay longer to explore the old cobbled streets, romantic parks, inviting public squares and terrace cafes.

The city's most magnificent architectural wonder is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Although smaller than its famous Parisian counterpart, Luxembourg's cathedral is no less impressive or stunning. The cornerstone was laid in 1613, and the late Gothic style also contains many beautiful adornments and elements of the Renaissance era. The underground crypt is also worth a visit to pay respects to the remains of the Count of Luxembourg, killed by the French during the Hundred Years' War.

The cathedral may be the most magnificent structure in the capital, but the Palais Grand-Ducal is the most elegant. Dating from the 16th century, the palace reveals a distinctly Spanish-Moorish influence in its elaborate facade. Once the residence of the Grand Ducal family, the palace now plays host to official receptions for foreign envoys in the Hall of Kings. The extensive art collection was threatened by World War II but has since returned to the palace and is available for viewing by visitors.

The palace is located in Luxembourg's Old Town near the Bock, a honeycomb of underground fortifications carved out of the rock by the Spanish in 1744. Since then, the casemates have housed everything from war prisoners and bakeries to slaughterhouses. The old neighborhood is also home to the Luxembourg City History Museum, a multilevel complex that tells the city's story through detailed exhibits and an extensive collection of artifacts.

American visitors can pay tribute to their fallen countrymen at the US Military Cemetery, where more than 5,000 soldiers are buried. Most were killed during the liberation of Luxembourg and the resulting Battle of Ardennes, and the most famous headstone belongs to General George S. Patton, Jr. An enormous wall map outlines the most significant events in the battles, and white-stone pylons stand in tribute to soldiers whose bodies were never recovered.

Not everything in Luxembourg looks toward the past. The city's Modern Art Museum is one of the finest in Europe. The building itself is a work of art designed by celebrated architect IM Pei. There are no permanent displays, but the every-changing collection is always worth a visit.

The small capital has a huge variety of nightlife options, including world-class theaters, sophisticated musical venues and rollicking bars and nightclubs. If you are indecisive, head to the Rives de Clausen district, where many bars and clubs sit snugly next to another. Do as the locals do, sampling the drinks and dancing at each bar until the early hours.