Trip Planning
The TakeYourBackpack guidebooks are your all-in-one travel companion, featuring the best cities, national parks, hikes, beaches, and unique sites, along with essential tips on when to go, how to get around, exchanging money, and even local phrases to get you started — everything you need for a smooth, unforgettable backpacking adventure.
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Planning a backpacking route through Luxembourg can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Luxembourg itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.
Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.
Travel Essentials
No vaccinations are required to enter Luxembourg. Make sure your routine vaccinations are current, including measles-mumps-rubella, tetanus-diphtheria and your seasonal flu and COVID-19 shots if recommended for you. If you plan to hike in the Mullerthal or the Ardennes woods, check yourself for ticks afterward, since Lyme disease occurs in the region.
vaccination requirementsWhen I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.
These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Luxembourg, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.
There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with
Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.
HolaFly eSimCulture & Customs
Luxembourgers value punctuality, privacy and calm, so arrive on time, keep your voice down on public transport and avoid asking people about their salary, which is a sensitive topic in a wealthy banking country. Do sort your trash into the recycling bins provided and respect Sunday as a quiet day, when most shops close and loud noise is frowned upon. Don’t refer to locals as French, German or Belgian; national identity matters here, and showing interest in Luxembourgish culture goes down well. In restaurants, wait to be seated in nicer places and don’t expect the bill until you ask for it. Women and LGBTQ+ travelers face no particular dress or behavior restrictions, and public displays of affection draw little attention.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Luxembourg.
- Judd mat Gaardebounen: smoked pork collar served with broad beans in a creamy sauce and boiled potatoes, widely considered the national dish and a summer staple around the time of local fairs.
- Bouneschlupp: a hearty green bean soup with potatoes, onions and bacon or sausage, a home-cooking classic found on lunch menus across the country.
- Kniddelen: soft flour dumplings topped with bacon bits and cream, cheap, filling and a favorite in traditional brasseries.
- Gromperekichelcher: crispy fried potato fritters with onion and parsley, sold at markets, Christmas fairs and festivals, often with apple sauce.
- Rieslingspaschtéit: a pastry pie filled with meat set in Riesling jelly, closely tied to the Moselle wine region and sold in bakeries.
- Kachkéis: a runny cooked cheese spread eaten on bread with mustard, a very local taste that divides opinion.
- Quetschentaart: a plum tart made in late summer and early autumn when the local damson plums ripen.
- Friture de la Moselle: small fried river fish served with a glass of local white wine in restaurants along the Moselle.
Tap water in Luxembourg is safe to drink and strictly monitored, supplied largely from the Esch-sur-Sûre reservoir and groundwater sources. Locals drink it routinely, and it is recommended for tourists too, so there is no need to buy bottled or filtered water. It can taste slightly hard in some areas because of its mineral content, but that is harmless, and refilling a reusable bottle saves money.
The main language in Luxembourg is
Luxembourgish. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Luxembourgish skills have become a bit rusty.
Want to understand locals better?The complete Travel Guide for Luxembourg includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.
Get your local basic phrases 👉
Get the Travel Guide - is widely spoken in Luxembourg City and tourist hubs such as Vianden and Echternach, partly because nearly half the residents are foreign nationals and the banking sector runs in English. Younger people and hostel staff almost always switch to English easily. In rural villages and among older residents you will hear more French, German and Luxembourgish, and French is the language that helps most, especially in shops, restaurants and on signage. Learning a few words like “Merci” and keeping a translation app with French downloaded offline covers almost every situation.
Money & Payments
The local currency of Luxembourg is EUR (€).
Luxembourg uses the euro, and ATMs are easy to find across Luxembourg City, at train stations and in every sizable town, though small villages may have none. Local bank machines generally don’t charge a fee, but your home bank may add foreign transaction costs, and you should always choose to be charged in euros when the screen offers a conversion. Visa and Mastercard work almost everywhere, including supermarkets, cafés and museums, and contactless payment is standard, while American Express is less widely taken and some small bakeries, market stalls and village bars still prefer cash. Bring euros or simply withdraw them on arrival rather than carrying US dollars, which you will not be able to spend. If you need to exchange cash, use a bank in the city center, since airport exchange counters give poor rates.
Tipping in Luxembourg is appreciated but not expected, because service is included in restaurant and bar prices by law. Most locals round up the bill or leave around 5 to 10 percent for good table service, and rounding up a taxi fare is common. In hostels, cafés where you order at the counter and bakeries, no tip is needed.
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Over the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.