Even though I JUST got back from an amazing 3 weeks in Europe for my 30th birthday, Eric and I decided to head back again for our honeymoon and try to hit up some new spots. We started by flying from SF to Luxembourg via a layover in Frankfurt. Lately I’m LOVING flying Condor Business class from the US to Europe. It’s so cheap compared to any other lay down first class type flight and just as good if not better than other airlines.
We landed in Luxembourg and grabbed a quick 15 minute taxi from the airport to the Sofitel Luxembourg Le Grand Ducal. I typically always stay at SPG hotels, but unfortunately Luxembourg has zero of them, so I opted for the Sofitel, which was absolutely incredible. Our luggage had gotten stuck in Frankfurt and the hotel sent up every amenity they had on hand along with a map of where we could buy clothes in the morning if our luggage still hadn’t arrived.
After settling in, we decided to hit up L’Observatoire, the rooftop bar at the hotel, for a few drinks, and then the Mu Restaurant that was also upstairs with beautiful views overlooking the entire city. The food was INCREDIBLE. We kicked off our about 6 days straight of eating foie gras along with some incredible steak tartar and cheese croquettes (plus LOTS of wine).
The next morning we got up and went over to the locals shopping street, Avenue de Gare, to try to find some new clothes at H&M. Naturally once we got back to the hotel everything had arrived, but we donned our new clothes anyways and headed out for our first day of exploring.
We started by walking across the Viaduc de la Petrusse bridge to get into the old town area. We wandered around a bit before heading to what the internet told me was the best restaurant for locals.
We arrived at Cafe/Bistrot de la Presse to find that they did not have an English menu at all, which to me signified that the food was about to be fantastic. Most people were there on their lunch break from work, and we were told that the plat du jour was always the best choice on the menu. That day it was a steak-wrapped meatball type entree with pasta and a soup to start. We also grabbed a quick sandwich and our entire bill was about 15 euro including the coffee and beer. Definitely a must do for lunch.
We were pretty full after lunch so we walked over to the Casemates du Bock which is an entire fortress built into the rock along the city. It’s definitely worth paying to get in and explore – there are a ton of passages and amazing viewpoints of the city and beyond. From the ground level it looks like a quick in and out, but it’s actually massive!
After Casemates we headed back into the city and stopped at Kaale Kaffi for a quick pick me up. It was SO hot and we were still a little jet lagged. We ended up staying for a while because it was just so cute – there were a few people in the back studying and working and the barista was spending most of his time sketching some incredible pieces at the table next to us. If it’s later in the day and you’re not in the mood for coffee, they also have an extensive wine and spirits list as well.
Afterwards we hit up all of the amazing shopping that Luxembourg has to offer on Grand Rue and Rue Philippe II – they have everything from Louis Vuitton and Gucci to Zara and H&M.
We took a roundabout walk home to stop by the Place de la Constitution and the Golden Lady for a few photo ops before visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral.
The Cathedral was absolutely beautiful, and they have a few cases with old artifacts from the church’s history, including some vestments from the 14th century which were incredible to see.
We stopped for a few glasses of wine at a bar called Indie’s that was across from the Cathedral. They have an adorable outdoor patio and our carafe of wine was about 11 euro total. They also have a pretty robust food menu if you’re hungry again 🙂
Afterwards we headed to Saint Esprit and down the elevator to the Grund area. It’s a whole mini-city that is about 4 stories below the rest of the city with incredible views and a beautiful river that runs through it. We wandered around the entire area as we killed time before our dinner reservations. There are a bunch of pubs and wine bars to relax for a drink at and almost all of them have outdoor seating so you can continue to enjoy the views.
That night we had dinner reservations at Kamakura. We made them through the hotel right before we arrived and lucked out getting the last table. The restaurant itself isn’t super fancy looking inside, but the food is INCREDIBLE. We went with the specialty platter which was exactly what we needed. Every single bite was delectable and the sake pairings we got were perfect. The salmon was 100% in the top 5 pieces of salmon I’ve eaten in my entire life.
After dinner we walked back to the main center of old town and sat outside at Restaurant Rabelais to watch an elvis impersonator before walking back to the hotel to drink the champagne my parents had sent us after hearing about our luggage debacle. The hotel also gave us these amazing chocolates and fruits every night along with fresh flowers each day.
The next day we got up fairly early and walked over to the train station to head to Trier, Germany for a quick day trip (itinerary coming soon!!).
After a full day in Trier, we freshened up at the hotel and then went back into old town to grab some dinner at Brasserie Guillaume. Luxembourg is pretty small and this is a local hotspot for dinner. We created our own seafood platter and spent probably 2.5 hours just drinking wine and eating fresh seafood. It was absolutely incredible.
That night we did drinks at L’Observatoire again before heading to bed. The views were too great to pass up.
The next morning we walked down to the train station and stopped at Oberweis for INCREDIBLE pastries and breakfast before hopping on the train to Paris. Overall Luxembourg was a huge success. The views and scenery look like they are straight out of a fairytale and the food was incredible. I can’t wait to go back. Any suggestions for my next trip or questions about yours? Let me know in the comments!
