Luxembourg Statistics

Geography-Population

Capital:  Luxembourg

Area:  2,586.4 km ²

Climate:  continental with relatively mild winters, although Jan-Feb can get very cold, and hot summers

Population:  502,202 (est. 2010)

Languages:  Luxembourgish, French German (official)

Government-Economy

Government Type: Unitary parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchyNational Holiday:June 23 GDP: $40.101 billion (est. 2010)
GDP – per capita (PPP): $ 80,304 (est. 2010)

Information for Foreign Students in Luxembourg
Getting There Luxembourg-Findel International Airport is located 6km outside Luxembourg-City. It is served by Luxair, the national airline, which flies to many EU countries (including Milan and London Gatwick and City), and Air France (Paris; actually a Luxair codeshare), KLM (Amsterdam), Swiss (Zurich), Lufthansa (Frankfurt; actually a Luxair codeshare) and British Airways (London Gatwick). Another airline to consider is CityJet, often a cheaper option than Luxair. A completely new terminal opened in May 2008, the airport site has information about all flights. By train, Luxembourg train station can be reached directly from Paris (2 hours), Metz (1 hour), Brussels (3 hours) and Trier (43 min). Both international and national timetables can be found on the website of the national railways company CFL.

Obtaining a Visa Luxembourg is a member of the Schengen Agreement. For EU and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) citizens, an officially approved ID card (or a passport) is sufficient for entry. In no case will they need a visa for a stay of any length. Others will need a passport for entry.

Accommodation Thanks to the heavy banking and EU presence in the city, hotels in central Luxembourg are quite expensive, although there is one quite good youth hostel. It may be more cost-effective to stay across the border in eg. Trier and 'commute' into Luxembourg, as a day-ticket valid for a return trip and free run of the entire country is only €8.40.

Cost of Living The general price level in Luxembourg is noticeably higher than in France and Germany, especially in central Luxembourg. Even cheap hotels tend to cost over €100 a night and you won't get much change from €20 after a modest dinner and a drink. Basing yourself in Trier (or other cities across the border) and daytripping to Luxembourg might be a good idea if you are a tourist. On the upside, cigarettes, alcohol or petrol are comparatively cheap, making the small state a popular destination for long-haul drivers.

Money
Currency used in Luxembourg is the Euro.

Health
The food and tap water supply in Luxembourg is perfectly fine and the country's healthcare system is first-class. The climate is average even though the summers can get hot. However these temperatures only rarely rise much above 30°C.

Safety
In many surveys, Luxembourg has been named 'safest country in the world'; if you follow usual precautions, you should be fine.

Transportation
Luxembourg is a compact country and it's possible to reach most any place in the country from the capital in under an hour. The central railway station has a handy Mobiliteit office that will help to plan your trip with bus and train. Within the city, the comprehensive bus service is more than adequate for the average tourist. Buses numbered 1-25 serve the Ville de Luxembourg, with the most useful being the 16 (Town to the Airport via Kirchberg) and the 18 (Town to Kirchberg and Auchan). Almost all buses include the central bus station Hamilius (centre of town) and the Station (Luxembourg Gare) in their routes at some point. Any bus pointing stationwards from Hamilius will probably take you there (the 3 being a notable exception). Bus tickets (which are also valid on trains) are available from the driver. A standard ticket costs €1.50 and will be valid on any bus up to 2 hours after its purchase.