One of my favorite things about living in Luxembourg is just how much is within easy reach. Cross a border and, in what feels like no time at all, you can be having lunch in France, wandering through a German old town, shopping in Maastricht or spending the afternoon along the Moselle.
I’ve visited all of the places on this list, some more than once, and they’re the kind of destinations that work particularly well when you want to get away without actually planning a getaway.
I normally travel by car, but many are also easily accessible by train, making them great options if you live in Luxembourg without a car or are visiting for a few days.
Here are seven easy day trips from Luxembourg worth putting on your list!
01
Trier, Germay
Go for: Roman history, shopping and an easy spontaneous day out
Trier is probably one of the easiest escapes from Luxembourg. It’s close enough that you don’t need much of a plan, but there’s enough to do that it still feels like you’ve gone somewhere.
Germany’s oldest city has an extraordinary amount of Roman history, including the Porta Nigra, Imperial Baths and amphitheatre. But you don’t need to turn the day into a history lesson.
I like Trier just as much for wandering. Start around the Hauptmarkt, explore the pedestrian streets, do a little shopping and stop somewhere for lunch or a glass of Moselle wine. It’s particularly lovely when the weather is good and the cafés spill out onto the squares.
Don’t miss: The Porta Nigra and Hauptmarkt
Getting there: Around 45–50 minutes by car from Luxembourg City. Trier is also easily accessible by train.
If you’re craving somewhere that feels completely different from Luxembourg without travelling particularly far, Cochem is a beautiful choice.
The town sits along the Moselle surrounded by steep vineyards, with Reichsburg Castle rising above it. It’s exactly the sort of setting you imagine when you picture this part of Germany.
Visit the castle, wander through the old town and, if it’s running, take the Cochemer Sesselbahn chairlift up towards Pinnerkreuz for incredible views across the valley.
Cochem is especially lovely when you want a slower day. There’s no need to rush between attractions. Walk, stop for lunch, have a glass of local wine and enjoy the scenery.
Don’t miss: Reichsburg Cochem and the views over the Moselle
Getting there: Around 1½ hours by car from Luxembourg City. It’s also possible by train, although the journey takes longer.
03
Cologne, Germany
Go for: Shopping, museums, restaurants and a proper city day
Cologne stretches the definition of a quick day trip slightly, but it’s completely doable if you leave early and a good choice when you want more than a small-town wander.
The Cologne Cathedral dominates the city skyline and is absolutely worth seeing, but Cologne also gives you excellent museums, serious shopping, restaurants and the Rhine all in one place.
Museum Ludwig is particularly worth adding if you love modern art. Otherwise, I’d keep the itinerary fairly loose: see the cathedral, explore the city, shop, have a long lunch and walk along the river before heading home.
It’s also somewhere I’d happily turn into an overnight trip if I didn’t feel like travelling back after dinner.
Don’t miss: Cologne Cathedral and a walk along the Rhine
Getting there: Allow around 2½ hours by car from Luxembourg City. You can also travel by train, although connections and journey times vary.
I sometimes forget just how unusual Luxembourg’s location is. Within a couple of hours, you can cross several borders and find completely different architecture, food, landscapes and atmosphere.
Metz is one of those places that I think can be overlooked precisely because it’s so close.
The historic centre is beautiful, Saint-Étienne Cathedral is spectacular and the city is extremely easy to wander without an agenda. Add the Centre Pompidou-Metz if you’re in the mood for art, or skip the museums altogether and spend the afternoon walking, shopping and stopping at cafés.
This is an especially good option when you wake up on a Saturday morning wanting to go somewhere but don’t want the outing to become an entire production.
Don’t miss: Saint-Étienne Cathedral
Getting there: Around 50 minutes by car from Luxembourg City. The train is particularly convenient too, with direct services taking around 45 minutes to an hour.
Nancy feels a little more elegant than you might expect from such an easy day trip.
Place Stanislas is the obvious starting point and genuinely deserves its reputation. From there, I’d simply wander. Nancy has beautiful architecture, Art Nouveau details, independent shops and plenty of places to stop for coffee, pastries or lunch.
It’s the kind of city where I wouldn’t create an overly ambitious itinerary. Part of the pleasure is having enough time to notice the details.
Don’t miss: Place Stanislas
Getting there: Around 1½ hours by car from Luxembourg City. Direct trains are also available, with the quickest journeys taking around 1½ hours.
06
Maastricht, Netherlands
Go for: Shopping, restaurants and making a whole day of it
Maastricht is easily one of my favorites on this list. So much so that I wrote a whole guide about it!
It has everything I want from a day trip: beautiful streets, excellent shopping, very good restaurants, cafés, architecture and enough going on that you can visit repeatedly without having exactly the same day.
Wander around Vrijthof and the surrounding streets, cross the Sint Servaasbrug and leave plenty of time for shopping. Maastricht has a particularly good mix of independent boutiques and bigger names, which makes it somewhere I genuinely enjoy browsing rather than simply sightseeing.
If you want to add something more structured, you can explore the underground caves and tunnels beneath the city. But Maastricht is also perfectly suited to doing very little beyond walking, eating and shopping.
I’ve stayed overnight here as well, and it’s absolutely worth considering if you’d rather turn your day trip into a leisurely weekend.
Don’t miss: The shopping, a long lunch and simply wandering the city
Getting there: Around 2 hours by car from Luxembourg City. Travelling by train is also possible, although you’ll generally need to allow longer than you would by car.
More info Maastricht Tourism
07
Saarburg, Germany
Go for: A pretty old town, riverside atmosphere and an easy, relaxed escape
Saarburg is a lovely choice when you want somewhere smaller and quieter than Trier. The town’s most distinctive feature is its waterfall, which runs right through the centre between historic buildings, cafés and restaurants. Wander through the old town, walk along the Saar and head up towards the castle ruins for views over the surrounding countryside.
This isn’t somewhere I’d arrive with a packed sightseeing itinerary. It’s much better suited to a relaxed wander, lunch somewhere lovely and an afternoon spent exploring at your own pace.
And because it’s so close to Luxembourg, it works particularly well for those days when you want to go somewhere without spending half of the day getting there.
Don’t miss: The waterfall in the centre of town and the views from the castle area
Getting there: Around an hour by car from Luxembourg City. Saarburg is also accessible by train from Luxembourg.
