Social ConventionsHandshaking is the normal greeting. The code of practice for visiting someone’s home is similar to other Western European countries: it is acceptable to give gifts or flowers if invited for a meal. Smart-casual dress is widely acceptable, but some dining rooms, clubs and social functions will demand formal attire. Evening wear, black tie (for men) is usually specified on invitation if required. Smoking is prohibited where notified and is becoming increasingly unacceptable.
International Travel:Getting There by AirThe national airline
is
Luxair (LG) (website:
www.luxair.lu).
Departure TaxNone.
Main AirportsLuxembourg (LUX) (Findel) is 5km (3.5 miles) northeast of the city (journey time – 20 minutes).
To/from the airport: Coaches and buses run regular services to the city. Taxis are also available (journey time - 10 minutes).
Facilities: Outgoing duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change and a tourist information office.
Journey TimesThe following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from
Luxembourg-Ville to other major cities/towns in Europe.
| | Air | Road | Rail |
| Amsterdam | 0.45 | 5.30 | 6.30 |
| Brussels | 0.45 | 2.00 | 2.30 |
| Paris | 1.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| London | 1.00 | *8.00 | **6.30 |
*Includes ferry crossing from Dover (via Calais or Ostend);
**Eurostar via Bruxelles-Midi (Brussels).
Getting There by RailEurostar: The quickest route by train from the UK is through the Channel Tunnel with connections from Paris
Gare de l’Est (journey time: 3 - 4 hours) or Brussels to Luxembourg.
There is an inter-city train from Brussels to Luxembourg (travel time: three hours) and a night train to Luxembourg-Ville leaving at 1910 (travel time:14 hours).
Eurostar is a service provided by the railways of Belgium, the UK and France, operating direct high-speed trains from London (
Waterloo International) to Paris (
Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (
Midi/Zuid). It takes two hours 40 minutes from London to Paris (via Lille) and two hours 20 minutes to Brussels. For further information and reservations, contact
Eurostar (tel: (0870) 600 0792 (travel agents) or (08705) 186 186 (public; within the UK) or +44 (1233) 617 575 (public; outside the UK); a £5 booking fee applies to all telephone bookings; website: www.eurostar.com); or
Rail Europe (tel: (08705) 848 848; website:
www.raileurope.co.uk).
Rail PassesInterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The
Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The
One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on
Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from
Rail Europe (website:
www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The
Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people traveling together. The
Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those aged under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The
Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two month period. The
Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The
Eurail Regional Pass allows four to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). Children recieve a 50 per cent reduction. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, or the Russian Federation. Available from
The Eurail Group (website:
www.eurail.com).
Getting There by RoadLuxembourg is easily reached within one day from the UK, via Belgium or France. The quickest way to cross the channel is by driving the car onto
Eurotunnel trains.
The Channel Tunnel: Eurotunnel runs shuttle trains for cars, bicycles, motorcycles, coaches, minibuses, caravans, campervans and other vehicles over 1.85m (6.07ft) between Folkestone in Kent, with direct road access from the M20, and Calais, with links to the A16/A26 motorway (Exit 13). All road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in shuttle trains running between the two terminals. Terminals and shuttles are well-equipped for disabled passengers. Passenger Terminal buildings contain a variety of shops, restaurants, bureaux de change and other amenities. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform and around one hour from motorway to motorway. There are up to four passenger shuttles per hour at peak times, 24 hours per day and services run every day of the year. Motorists pass through customs and immigration before they board, with no further checks on arrival. Fares are charged according to length of stay and time of year and whether or not you have a reservation. The price applies to the car, regardless of the number of passengers or size of the car. Promotional deals are frequently available, especially outside the peak holiday seasons. Tickets may be purchased in advance from the travel agents, or from Eurotunnel Customer Services in France or the UK with a credit card. For further information contact
Eurotunnel Customer Services UK (tel: 0870 535 3535; website:
www.eurotunnel.com).
Car ferries: For drivers not using the shuttle through the channel tunnel, car ferries operate frequently between Dover and Calais (regular ferries and Hovercraft services) and Dover and Ostend (regular ferries as well as Catamaran and Hoverspeed services). See United Kingdom -
Getting There.
Luxembourg-Ville is approximately 320km (200 miles) from Ostend, and 420km (260 miles) from Calais. From Calais, the quickest route is to take the motorway to Brussels via Lille (A25, then head south through Namur along the E411 to Luxembourg; from Ostend, take the E40 motorway to Brussels, then the E411 to Luxembourg. In total, the journey from London (including the ferry crossing) takes approximately 8 hours.
Coach: Eurolines runs a limited service to Luxembourg from London. For further information contact Eurolines in the UK (tel: 0870 514 3219; website:
www.eurolines.com or www.nationalexpress.com).
OverviewThe following goods may be imported into Luxembourg without incurring customs duty by travelers arriving from countries outside the EU:
200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco;
1l of spirits or 2l of sparkling wine or 2l of liqueur wine and 2l of non-sparkling wine;
50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette;
500g of coffee and 200g of coffee extract;
100g of tea and 40g of tea extract;
other goods to the value of €175 for passengers over 15 years and €90 for passengers under 15.
Alcohol and tobacco products are only available to passengers of 17 years of age or over.
Abolition of duty-free goods within the EU
On 30 June 1999, the sale of duty-free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all of the original 15 EU member states. Of the 10 new member states that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and the two states that joined on 1 January 2007, these rules already apply to Cyprus and Malta. There are transitional rules in place for visitors returning to one of the original 15 EU countries from one of the other new EU countries. But for the original 15, plus Cyprus and Malta, there are no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another. Travelers should note that they may be required to prove at customs that the goods purchased are for personal use
only. Member states may follow the EU’s guide levels of: 10l of spirits; 20l of fortified wine; 90l of wine; 110l of beer; 800 cigarettes; 400 cigarillos; 200 cigars and 1kg of tobacco.
Internal Travel:Getting Around by RailThe national railway company,
Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL), runs an efficient rail service which is fully integrated with the bus network. CFL has recently introduced a so-called
horaire cadencé schedule, meaning there is now at least one train every hour to every station at the same time in every hour. Reductions are offered for weekend and holiday return tickets.
Rail PassesCFL rail services and
CFL/CRL buses in Luxembourg are covered by the
Benelux Tourrail rail pass covering Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. This gives unlimited travel on any five days within a one-month period throughout the year.
Rail/Coach Rover Tickets are valid for both networks.
The
Luxembourg Card gives unlimited travel on public transport for a period of one to three days, with free entrance to up to 40 attractions.
There is also an
Öko Pass, which is a single-day ticket for unlimited travel on all forms of public transport (not valid on sightseeing buses), with concessions for senior citizens. For further information, contact
CFL (tel: 49901 or 4990 5572 website:
www.cfl.lu).
InterRail’s One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within Luxembourg. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on
Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from
Rail Europe (website:
www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).
Getting Around by RoadAs in the rest of Western Europe, there is an excellent network of roads and motorways in Luxembourg. Traffic drives on the right.
Bus: Cross-country buses are punctual and operate between all major towns. For information on passes, see the
Rail section.
Taxi: These are metered. There is a minimum charge and a 10 per cent surcharge is applied from 2200-0600. There is also an extra 25 per cent surcharge all-day on Sundays. Taxis are plentiful but cannot be hailed in the street. A 10 per cent tip is usual for taxi drivers.
Car hire: All the main agencies operate in Luxembourg.
Traffic regulations: The minimum age for driving is 18. It is obligatory to carry €15 at all times for the payment of on-the-spot fines; there are stiff drinking/driving spot fines. The wearing of seat belts is compulsory in the front seat and in the back, where seat belts are fitted. Children under 12 years of age must travel in the back seats, unless they are 1.5m (5ft) or taller, or if the front seat is fitted with an appropriate ECE-approved child seat. Motorcyclists must use a dipped beam even by day. The speed limit is 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas, and 120kph (74mph) on motorways. For more details, contact Automobile Club du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, 54 route de Longwy, L-8007 Bertrange, Luxembourg-Helfenterbruck (tel: 450 045 -400; website:
www.acl.lu).
NoteDocumentationThird Party insurance is necessary. A Green Card is not obligatory but is strongly recommended. Without it, visitors have only the minimum legal cover in Luxembourg (if they have motor insurance at home). The Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the visitor’s domestic policy. A valid national driving license is sufficient.
Getting Around Towns and CitiesLuxembourg-Ville has municipal bus services, for which single-journey flat-fare tickets may be purchased. This ‘short distance’ ticket is valid for one hour (or for a maximum of 10km/6 miles) from purchase on the whole of Luxembourg’s public transport network, and also allows transits between city and country buses and trains. Ten-journey tickets are also available, but must be purchased in advance. There is no underground or tramway service.
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