Luxembourg-Based Travel Options

Luxembourg is centrally located - you should have lots of good options for trips to nearby places around the region. Don't overlook Luxembourg itself - I found the capitol charming (in a small city way) and parts of the country beyond the capital also delightful. Beyond Luxembourg, some obvious choices would be Netherlands and Belgium, and western parts of Germany (you've been to Paris, I assume you want to explore elsewhere). In the fall, it can be lovely in this region (lots of wine country, although that draws some crowds). Later in the fall, be prepared for shorter, darker days with rain and more gloom. You have lots of options.

Regarding the airport transfer: AMS is a large airport but generally seems quite efficient. I wouldn't worry too much about your son - if he's going off to live in Europe, he should be able to handle an airport transfer (he will be facing much greater challenges than that). You're right that 55 minutes seems a bit tight for a transfer there, but as long as his flight is on time there's a good chance he can make it as long as he's direct and doesn't get lost in the airport. One thing to be sure of: make certain he's on a single ticket (all booked as one itinerary to his destination, rather than two separate tickets). As long as he's on one ticket, even if he misses his connection, the airline will need to get him to his destination on the next flight. Check to see if there are later flights that same day that could accommodate him in that event.

What is the airline? Delta/KLM?
They have 2 flights a day to Luxembourg, 9 am and 9 pm. So if he misses one, could be a chance to get in trouble in Amsterdam. Schipol is a pretty easy airport to navigate, one big building with a lot of arms, divided into Schengen and non-Schengen areas. Tell him to be sure to bring to the attention of people managing the line at immigration that he has a tight connection and they will move him up in the line.

Nice options to visit in western Germany and eastern France from Luxembourg, as well as Belgium and Netherlands.

Does your son go to Miami by chance? I spent a semester in Lux in the spring of 1994. It was a fantastic experience! My parents and a family friend visited me over spring break and we went to Paris/Giverney. Regarding AMS, we just came back from a flight from Munich that had to change there. If he has a tight layover, there is a board at immigration which lists flights with less than an hour layover time -- if his flight is on it, he can get in separate shorter line. In our case, we had about 40 minute and the customs official moved all of us to the front of the shorter line.

If he misses his connection in Amsterdam, he could also take the train from Schiphol through Brussels to Luxembourg City - about a five hour trip. It would be at his expense and at last-minute prices, but it would get him into Luxembourg City much earlier vs. waiting 12 hours for a 9PM flight.

Luxembourg the country is a picturesque little country with a pretty, hilly landscape and some adorable towns like Vianden. Luxemboug City is interesting but wasn't my favorite - I didn't find it particularly charming, but it's certainly worth a visit. FYI, you can buy public transit day tickets in Luxembourg for 4 Euros for the whole day, for unlimited buses and trains all over the country (albeit a tiny country) - a great deal. I visited Vianden and Diekirch both in one day from Luxembourg City that way. Diekirch is a cute town (not as charming as Vianden but still nice) with an interesting military museum, a part of which is devoted to the Battle of the Bulge from World War II. Part of the battle took place in this area.

In view of your limited time, I'd concetrate on destinations that are in reach within one hour: in Louxembourg: Vianden and Echternach, in Germany: Trier, in France: Metz.

Sun-Sat, looks like they have 6 days.

@merbick7361 - Yes! He will be in Differdange for the semester at Miami's campus there.

Experience a new culture or two - choose north or south/east. Either the rest of the Benelux or Germany. You could squeeze in a quick visit to western Germany coming back to Luxembourg from Amsterdam.

If you have never been to Switzerland, it's worth considering, though the weather will not be the greatest in late fall. Bern is only 5-hour drive from Luxembourg.

Thanks for all of these tips. Other recommendations we have received include Strasbourg (which seems to be 2 hr train ride) and Zermatt, Switzerland. I cant figure out how to get there. I see an 8hr option on trains, but no flight options. Ideas?

Someone mentioned Metz - apparently that is only 5 miles or so from his host family in Bettembourg. Looks lovely!

Bettembourg, Luxembourg is about 50 km (about 31 miles) away from Metz. I've just driven it, three times.

Count on 40 to 50 minutes in a car if there is no traffic around Thionville (but there always is).

35 to 40 minutes in a frequent train.

The connection time in AMS, while legal, is difficult at best and impossible at worst. Unless he is sitting near the exit, deplaning will take at least 20 minutes, and then he will need to find immigration lines, go through a very crowded immigration area and then locate and reach his departure gate. Please emphasize to your son that immigration has a separate line for those with tight transfer times. He won’t be able to access this line by himself, but will need to be allowed to line up there by an official. If he can get through in the fast lane he has a chance to make his connection. It would be wise to check on later connecting flights ahead of time so that he has an idea of what to do if he misses his connection.

I would suggest Metz and also Thionville, if you want a smaller place...both places very doable from Luxembourg.

Vianden is a must see as well as Trier, Germany. There are WWII tours of the area that you might look at taking.

Less than an hour in Amsterdam is risky, especially if your first EU country.

We are rapidly approaching our travel dates and have yet to make many plans. We have learned that we will be in Luxembourg 2 days before our son can join us there. We will then travel by train to Strasbourg for 2 nights.

After that, we would like to make another stop for 2 nights -- looking at Bern or Munich. Bern is obviously closer, especially since we will need to return to Lux for return flight home (Bern accommodations seem very expensive and I'm not sure what area - I will post on Switzerland board about this).

From what I can learn on rome2rio.com, would take us 6+ hours to get to Lux from Munich. I don't even think that takes into account getting to the airport in advance of flight. Which city would you recommend? My son already visited Trier and Cologne.

How far in advance do we need to make trane or plan reservations within Europe?

Thanks again for all of your help and advice.

I think you should look for an interesting destination close to Strasbourg and/or Luxembourg. It is not efficient to head off to Munich or Bern for just two nights when there is so much travel time involved. Bern is 5-3/4 hours by train from Luxembourg.

Alsace, the area around Strasbourg is lovely. You could go to one or more of the wine villages and to Colmar. Or you could head to Germany. I am not familiar with the part of Germany closest to Luxembourg, but I see that Trier (ancient city) is nearby, and I'm sure there are other lovely places to go that do not involve 6 hours on a train (or paying Swiss hotel prices in the case of Bern).

I agree with acraven (as usual). Don't mess with going all the way to Bern or Munich, don't go through all the hassle of flying. There are plenty of great options closer to Luxembourg. Trier is worth a look, as are the Mosel River valley (wine and castles), plus Strasbourg and Alsace. It's a lovely corner of Europe.

But get cracking - you say your travel dates are rapidly approaching and you have no plans yet. You're late to the game if you want the best accommodations and other time-sensitive options.

You could easily go to the Champaign region of France for wine touring if that is part of your interest. Reims and other parts of NE France are less than 3 hours from Luxembourg. Driving is easy - you could rent a car and drive in this area.