Luxembourg, the capital, is likely to be the first point of entry and what a good starting point it makes.
A small city of just 86,000 citizens (138,000 including surrounds), what Luxembourg lacks in architectural grandeur - when compared to Paris, Rome or London - it makes up for in charm and relaxed accessibility.
The city is perched atop cliffs that drop into the valleys of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers and is a place to stroll at leisure with frequent stops to gaze up it, across to and down upon dramatic city vistas from any number of majestic viewing points.
In doing so the eye is invariably drawn to the historic old town, which richly deserves its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
And although Luxembourg is by no means a crowded city, it is still possible to escape what bustle there is by dipping into the municipal gardens that semi-circle the city.
In this respect think spacious tree lined gardens and grand lawns rather than town park.
To complete this stress busting break there are the city's fine restaurants offering a wide range of international cuisine.
The European influence pervades the culinary scene and results in a wonderful choice of cuisine in any number of enticing restaurants and patisseries.
Images : www.visitluxembourg.lu
A multi-cultural approach to life
The country's multi-cultural approach is evident in the languages spoken in Luxembourg. Luxembourgish, French and German are the official languages and English is also widely used.
As for the short nation break, a number of delightful small towns, with linked attractions, are easily reached from Luxembourg city - thanks to the country's fine road network.
The country measures 56 by 32 and you can indeed get to every corner within a one hour drive from the city.
I took in Echternach, a medieval walled town with a baroque Benedictine Abbey, which also lies at the heart of a region known as Petite Suisse (Little Switzerland) and the delightfully picturesque town of Vianden with its spectacular medieval castle
Another delightful place is Clervaux with its own castle and which is the now permanent home of The Family of Man, a poignant and truly memorable glimpse of everyday life worldwide in the first half of the 20th Century.
The 503 photographs were first selected by Edward Steichen, from almost two million submitted, and unveiled in a hugely successful 1955 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The facts
Enter your text here ...
Luxembourg is a member of the Schengen Agreement.
There are no border controls between countries that have signed and implemented this treaty - the European Union (except Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Likewise, a visa granted for any Schengen member is valid in all other countries that have signed and implemented the treaty.
But be careful: not all EU members have signed the Schengen treaty, and not all Schengen members are part of the European Union.
This means that there may be spot customs checks but no immigration checks (travelling within Schengen but to/from a non-EU country) or you may have to clear immigration but not customs (travelling within the EU but to/from a non-Schengen country).
Enter your text here ...
By plane
Luxembourg-Findel International Airport (IATA: LUX) is 6km outside Luxembourg-City.
Easily accessible from the city centre via the cheap (€2 single or €4 for a day ticket valid on almost all buses and trains in the country - buy either from the driver or from the multilingual automat by the bus stop) and frequent bus services.
Alternative airports, especially for low-cost carriers, include Ryanair hub Hahn (aka "Frankfurt-Hahn"), about two hours away by direct Flibco bus, Saarbrucken Airport and Brussels-South Charleroi.
By train
Luxembourg train station can be reached directly from Paris (2 hours), Metz (1 hour), Brussels (3 hours) and Trier (43min). Both international and national timetables can be found on the website of the national railways company CFL .
By car
Motorways from Metz (A3), Brussels (A6) and Trier (A1) connect to the ring-road around Luxembourg City, from which most other parts of the country can be reached.
If you want to enjoy a nice view to the city, "Grund" and Kasematten, leave the motorway coming from the East (Germany) at exit "Cents". Enter Cents and drive down the hill. Don't let yourself be stopped by signs that the route is blocked via "Grund".
Luxembourgish is the national language, while French is the administrative language.
German is also widely used and almost universally understood.
Luxembourgish is a separate and unique language, having previously evolved from a German dialect ("Moselfränkisch"). German (Hochdeutsch) enjoys official status and appears in some media and is used in the court system and is taught in schools. However, everything from road signs, to menus to information in stores will appear in French (sometimes with a Luxembourgish translation).
French therefore is clearly one of the most useful of the three official languages to know. particularly in the capital.
Over one third of Luxembourg's overall population is made up of foreigners, and this figure rises to around 50% in the cities.
Hence, again knowing French is your best bet if you want to converse with most people, especially as people working in shops and bars usually come from France or Belgium and don't bother to learn the local native languages. French and German are required and English is widely understood by personnel such as bus drivers, but many shop assistants will only respond if addressed in French or German.
Educated Luxembourgers are fluent in all four of the above languages; it is the "frontaliers" (workers who live across one of the borders) who may not speak English well or at all. Apart from the more elderly inhabitants, virtually every Luxembourger understands and speaks fluent standard German and French. Luxembourgers are the polyglots of Europe, perhaps making even the Swiss jealous!
Luxembourg has the euro (€) as its sole currency along with 24 other countries that use this common European money. These 24 countries are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain (official euro members which are all European Union member states) as well as Andorra, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino and the Vatican which use it without having a say in eurozone affairs and without being European Union members.
Enter your text here ...