Planning to spend a few hours or a full day in Luxembourg City during a trip or while passing through? It is worth thinking about where to leave your car before you arrive. You can park for free on the outskirts of the city and take public transport into the centre or choose paid parking right in the city centre. Which option works best mainly depends on how long you plan to stay in Luxembourg City.
Read this article in DutchI visit Luxembourg City twice in the same week, once on my way to Nancy in France and again a few days later on my journey home. On the way there, we have plenty of time and choose the free P+R Luxembourg Sud. On the return journey, we spend less time in the city and opt for paid parking in the centre instead. Both options work well for us, but for different reasons.
Free parking at P+R Luxembourg Sud
If you are planning to spend a full day in Luxembourg City and would rather not pay for parking, P+R Luxembourg Sud is a convenient option. Parking is free for the first 24 hours and from the P+R you can continue to the city centre by public transport.
We choose this option during our first visit to Luxembourg City. From the car park, it is just a few minutes on foot to Howald station. From here, we take the train to Gare Centrale, Luxembourg City’s main railway station. We then change to the tram and continue to the Hamilius stop in the heart of the city centre.
Free public transport in Luxembourg
One of the main advantages of parking outside the city centre is that public transport in Luxembourg is free. This applies not only in Luxembourg City but throughout the entire country. You can travel on buses, trams and second class trains without buying a ticket. If you do not use public transport very often, figuring out where and how to buy a ticket can sometimes take a little extra time, so not having to worry about this is particularly convenient.
We take the train from Howald station to Gare Centrale, where we change to the tram for Hamilius. This brings you to a lively part of the city with plenty of shops and restaurants and the historic centre is only a few minutes away on foot.
Since both parking at P+R Luxembourg Sud and public transport are free, this option does not cost you anything at all. The only downside is the extra travel time. For a full day in Luxembourg City, I do not mind this, but if you only have two or three hours to spend in the city, parking in the centre is much more practical.
Parking in the centre of Luxembourg City
On our way back from Nancy, we stop in Luxembourg City once again. This time, we have less time and plan to spend around three hours in the centre, doing a little shopping and having lunch. Instead of leaving the car at a P+R again, we drive straight to Parking Knuedler.
This large underground car park is located beneath Place Guillaume II, close to the city hall and right in the historic centre. As soon as you leave the car park, you are exactly where you want to be. It is ideal for a shorter visit. The car park is large and easy to navigate, helped by red and green lights that show you at a glance where spaces are still available.
For a short visit, I personally find this the most convenient option. Especially if you are used to parking rates in the Netherlands, the cost of leaving your car in central Luxembourg City for a few hours feels quite reasonable. When we are only staying for around three hours, the convenience and time saved matter more to me than the few euros we could save by parking for free outside the centre. In the end, I pay €4.80, which works out at €1.60 per hour.
Another welcome bonus is that there are free public toilets near the entrance to the car park. They are surprisingly well maintained too. I have honestly come across very few public toilets that are this clean!
Staying outside Luxembourg City with free parking
As we want to spend a night near Luxembourg City on our way to Nancy, I also start looking for a suitable place to stay. We book just two days before arrival and by that point, I cannot find any affordable accommodation in the city itself that also offers free parking. At many hotels, parking fees are added to the cost of your stay.
In the end, I choose Brasserie Beierhaascht in Bascharage, around a 20 minute drive from Luxembourg City. We can park the car here for free and easily continue towards Nancy the following morning. For us, this works out well. We can visit Luxembourg City without having to pay extra for parking at our hotel and the next morning, we can get straight back on the road for the next part of our journey.
My experience with parking in Luxembourg City
Before our visit, I spend some time figuring out the most convenient place to park in Luxembourg City. Looking back, both options we try work well. For a longer visit, I find P+R Luxembourg Sud ideal. You can park for free and travel to the city centre by public transport at no cost. If you only have a few hours, I would choose Parking Knuedler instead. You pay a few euros, but you are right in the heart of the city.
If I visit Luxembourg City again, I would make the same choice. Free parking and free public transport for a longer visit and paid parking right in the city centre for a shorter one!
Recommended places to stay in Luxembourg City
These three centrally located hotels in Luxembourg City are highly rated and offer good value for money.
Albergo Aida
Il Piccolo Mondo
