We spent two days in Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg. It is a modern city built around a Ville Haute (Old Town) filled with medieval ruins.

We walked past streets of modern buildings to reach La Passerelle, a 19th-century viaduct. Walking over La Passerelle, we had amazing views over a pretty valley, far below us. The park-like area had walking paths through the lush landscape and a huge skateboard park.

After crossing the valley, we came upon yet another Notre Dame cathedral, though it seemed conservative in size compared to those we had seen in Amiens and Reims. Across the street was the Place de la Constitution with its statue of the goddess Nike, built to honor soldiers of Luxembourg. The statue had been torn down by Nazis in 1940, but was restored in 1985 as a national symbol of freedom and resilience.

We continued on to Place Guillame square with its statue of William II (a former king of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg). The square is surrounded by beautiful buildings, including Luxembourg City Hall.

Our second day we walked through Grund, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, dating back to the 14th century. The cobblestone streets had us going downhill and uphill, then downhill again. It was a challenging walk, but worth it as we were able to see Neumunster Abbey, built in 1606, and its Church of St John.

At one point we reached a small bridge. When we looked up, we realized that we had a great view of the Grand Ducal Palace sitting high atop the town.

Later on our path we found the Wenceslas Wall, part of the ancient city fortifications and the Trier Gate, built in the 15th century as the main access to the city.

The geography, history and spirit of Luxembourg City were amazing. We’re glad we made the trip!