Efficient, royal, regal, picturesque – these are the words that came to my mind when probed to describe Luxembourg in one word. Why efficient, you might ask. The tax laws in Luxembourg work in such a way that a lot of Private Equity firms and other asset managers have their Europe offices in Luxembourg. And that also is the reason why I got a chance to visit Luxembourg City in the spring of 2017.

While I was mostly at work during the short trip to this economic powerhouse of a country is Europe, I did manage to walk around the historic old city center which is a UNESCO world heritage site, on four of the five night that I was there.

I also had a chance to meet an old colleague who had been living in Luxembourg for the past five years, and he gave me a good primer on the country. I came to know that Luxembourg is a monarchy, has one of the highest GDP per capita in Europe, and also has a very efficient government that actually keeps the promises made during the elections. There is a huge expat community, which is not surprising considering that Luxembourg is surrounded by Germany, Belgium and France, and has German, French and Luxembourgish as its official languages.  

If like me, you enjoy looking at and photographing Gothic, neo-renaissance architecture with its steeples, ornate facades and every nook and cranny containing some interesting detail, you would love walking around the old quarters in Luxembourg city. And the streets take a fairy-tale quality at dusk with the lampposts turned on and the throngs of tourists and shoppers thinned out.   

Hope these pictures have piqued your interest in this lovely country. If you make your way to Luxembourg during your Europe travels, I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Luxembourg City