48 hours on the road in Esch-sur-Alzette
Friday
12:30 pm
Arriving in Esch-sur-Alzette – the modern Seven Hotel literally stands out from the surrounding hotels – it's located on the Gaalgebierg, a hillside that combines an English landscape garden with a wooded area. The suite offers fantastic views over the city.
1 p.m.
For dinner, head down into town to the “Beef Tro” – the stylish brasserie promises “viande sans compromis”: The menu, featuring all kinds of street food dishes, also includes a high-quality selection of steaks and lunch specials such as Black Angus tartare.
2:30 p.m.
A stroll along the Rue de l'Alzette, the longest pedestrian zone in the country, stretches from the town hall to the Place de la Résistance. Around 400 shops line the street. Of particular interest is the city-run pop-up store, whose space is occupied by a rotating cast of young local businesses – most recently by Saladany, specializing in African handicrafts, who subsequently opened their own shop 200 meters away on the same street.
5:00 PM
With "BENU Village"—BENU being short for "Be New"—a sustainable village is being built in the heart of the city, not far from the end of the pedestrian zone (benu.lu). A number of shops are scheduled to open on the new site from 2022 onwards; an upcycling fashion label is already established there. The price of the creations is not calculated based on the value of the fabric, but entirely on the amount of labor invested.
6:00 PM
Drupi's wine bar is perfect for an aperitif. The wine shop is a popular meeting place for locals in the pedestrian zone.
8 p.m.
For dinner, we went down to the hotel restaurant "Bosque FeVi." Chef Fernando Andreu serves contemporary cuisine with a Spanish focus – including a dedicated tapas menu. On the menu, he combines dishes such as veal rolls with Ibérico ham and foie gras; the marinated salmon is accompanied by capers and lemon in various textures – as a cream, a meringue, and an ice cream. Wooden slats divide the bright restaurant with its white-clothed tables. A pleasant, understated ambiance.
10:30 p.m.
For a nightcap, the hotel bar is recommended, which offers a good selection of gin and tonics.
Saturday
10:00 a.m.
After breakfast, we continued exploring the city. In the Belval district, once home to one of the steelworks that made southern Luxembourg wealthy, one of the country's most modern neighborhoods has sprung up. The young university is located here, as are several start-ups. Many exhibitions will take place here in 2022. One of the decommissioned blast furnaces still stands and is open to visitors: its viewing platform offers a magnificent view of the region.
12:00
Back down on the ground in Belval, we take a short walk through the neighborhood. We take a look inside the unusual library of the new university. It was designed by the Luxembourgish star architect François Valentiny, who integrated part of the old blast furnace among the bookshelves.
1 p.m.
Lunch at the Brasserie "Schmëdd," which offers uncomplicated, trendy dishes such as salad with burrata, croque (also vegetarian), and burgers with sweet potato fries. The afternoon is then dedicated to Esch's past as an industrial center. The former Kazebierg mining area is now the Ellergronn nature reserve and a popular retreat for city dwellers. A number of paths wind through it; you can learn a great deal about the coexistence of humans and the forest on the five-kilometer-long "Natura 2000" educational trail, which starts at the visitor center.
5:00 PM
After the walk, a detour to the minimalist Golden Bean coffee roastery with excellent coffee and cake.
8 p.m.
The vegetarian restaurant "La Destillerie" in the Château de Bourglinster (a half-hour drive away) has caused quite a stir: Eight small courses offer a delightful journey through seasonal dishes, such as butternut squash with its fermented juice, roots, and baked chestnuts, or for dessert, chocolate, juniper, and ice cream with the aroma of smoked birch. In the historic building complex, parts of which date back to the 12th century, the listed rooms have been carefully renovated: exposed ceiling beams, simple walls, and richly decorated fireplaces define the ambiance.
Discover the European Capital of Culture 2022 Esch-sur-Alzette also at our partner Architecture & Living.
Sunday
10:00 a.m.
Finally, a city walk in Luxembourg – a tour leads past the Grand Ducal Palace and to the Corniche, also called “Europe’s most beautiful balcony”, with magnificent views of the old defensive walls along the Bock promontory to the Holy Spirit Citadel.
Seven Hotel
50 Gaalgebierg Tel. 54 02 28 50 www.the sevenhotel.lu 15 rooms and suites, double room from € 125
Drupi's, city center
26 Rue de l'Alzette Tel. 661 40 40 71 drupis.lu Mon 11:30-19:00, Tue-Thu 10:30-20:00, Fri 10:30-22:00, Sat 10:30-20:00