Luxembourg City is the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Surrounded by Belgium, France, and Germany, the city is characterized by great cultural diversity and architectural contrasts. Running in Luxembourg is a gem, with fantastic views from its many hills, and a great blend of historic and military monuments, and modern contemporary buildings. The Old City of Luxembourg was founded on top of a rock (the “Bock”) in the year 963, and between the 16th and the 19th century it was considered one of the largest fortresses of Europe—hence the moniker “The Gibraltar of the North”. The remains of the legendary fortress are still visible throughout Luxembourg City and together with the Old City quarter they are a UNESCO World Heritage site. In contrast to the impressive military architecture in the Old City, the Kirchberg plateau features a number of avant-garde buildings. The Kirchberg district also houses most of the European institutions based in Luxembourg.
Luxembourg is great for running. We’ve put together a ‘runseeing tour’ of the city historic highlights, the Wenzel Circuit highlighting the ramparts of the Chemin de la Corniche, and several routes incorporating the many parks and gardens. The trails of the Bambësch Forest are only 5 km from the city center, and just to the north, there are some longer cycle paths and nature parks taking advantage of the Ardennes Forest.
One advantage related to the small size of Luxembourg’s capital city is that most places within the city are very easily accessible on foot or by bicycle. Luxembourg also benefits from a great quality public transport network.