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Doing business
Luxembourgers can be a fairly formal lot when it comes to business dealings. They like meetings to be well focused and to know what will be covered, so make sure you send an agenda beforehand. Punctuality and an unruffled manner are essential, and don’t appear over friendly – Luxembourgers generally keep their business and personal lives separate.

Cool hotel
The Carlton Hotel (www.carlton.lu) in Luxembourg City offers doubles from £67. Built in 1920 the hotel is an atmospheric old place tucked away on a back street near to the train station with stained glass windows. An elderly Italian gent runs it with love and gusto.

Hip restaurant
Breedewee (9 Rue Large, Luxembourg City). No restaurant in Luxembourg can match this place for amazing views. This modern but elegant establishment has a terrace perched high on the Corniche in a fabulous setting which makes it a great place for a lunch meeting or after work dinner. The restaurant is fairly small and specialises in delicious French cuisine so reservations in advance are essential.

Happening bar
Urban Bar (Rue de la Boucherie, Luxembourg City) is situated at an unashamedly hip address in the Old Town and draws in a cosmopolitan crowd.  You will hear a lot of English spoken in here so it’s a good venue if you are in the city on your own and fancy finding a few people to chat to.

Must-see sights
Pint-sized Luxembourg is wonderfully diverse with lush highlands and valleys in the north, ancient forests in the east and vineyards and riverside hamlets in the south. If, however, you are in the capital on business and don’t have the time to venture that far afield, focus your energies on exploring the Old Town with its unmissable Chemin de la Corniche, the pedestrian promenade hailed as ‘Europe’s most beautiful balcony’.

Getting downtown
A taxi from the airport will cost around £14 or you can catch a bus which will take around 20 minutes and drop you off at the train station.

The details
Luxembourg’s proximity to Britain makes it easily accessible and similar in climate to the UK. Costs are, on average, slightly more expensive than neighbouring Belgium.

Getting there
Luxembourg Airport lies 6km east of the capital and is the country’s only international airport. The national carrier, Luxair, plus British Airways, VLM and KLM all fly to the city. Consider catching a train – there are regular Eurostar services from London to Brussels (2hrs 20mins), with trains running on to Luxembourg every hour, taking three hours. Return fares start at £59 from London to any station in Belgium and from there it’s a minimum of £12 return to Luxembourg.

The carbon cost
A return flight from London Heathrow to Luxembourg will cover 1,026km and emit 0.1 tonnes of CO2. Offset this with The CarbonNeutral Company starting from £1.50.

INSIDER’S TIP
“The main hotels at Luxembourg's airport are the Ibis and NH Luxembourg Airport. In the city, good choices include Le Royal Hotel, the Sofitel Grand Ducal and the Grand Hotel Cravat. The airport is six kilometres east of Luxembourg City – a bus service operates between them and taxis are readily available. Banks at the airport are open from 0700 to 1930 and there's also a business centre at the terminal. Direct flights operate from London City, Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester.”
Neil Mewes, Travel Counsellor

Compiled by Tom Hall on behalf of Lonely Planet. www.lonelyplanet.com

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