Transport and driving in Luxembourg

Although Luxembourg is a small country, the transport network is dense, making travelling and commuting simple and straightforward. As Luxembourg values mobility, all parts of the country are accessible via a multitude of networks, including railways, buses, and cars on the country’s excellent highways and secondary roads.

In 2020, Luxembourg became the first country in the world to offer free public transport across the entire country. Those wishing to travel first class or across the border into certain parts of neighbouring France, Germany or Belgium will still need to purchase a ticket, but otherwise travelling on trains, buses and the tram is free for everyone, including residents and tourists.

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Public transport in Luxembourg

All forms of public transport are efficient, clean and fast ways to get around Luxembourg. As they are also free, using public transport will save expats a lot of money each month. Buses, trains and trams are interconnected, making transfers from one form of transport to another easy. There are also international lines that are integrated with the transport systems of France, Germany and Belgium.

Information regarding all the country’s routes, connections and networks can be found on the Mobilitéits Zentral website.

Buses

Luxembourg’s bus service is provided by three different companies, AVL, RGTR and TICE. AVL and TICE provide bus services within Luxembourg only, while RGTR also travels across the country’s borders.

The largest network is run by RGTR, which operates 342 lines. AVL operates in Luxembourg city and its surrounding municipalities, while TICE only serves a small part of southwestern Luxembourg.

Buses travel every day between 5am and midnight. There are night bus services, but they are more limited. Timetables can be found on Mobilitéits Zentral’s app (mobiliteit.lu) or the bus companies’ websites.

Trains

Trains in Luxembourg are operated by Société nationale des chemins de fer luxembourgeois (CFL). Six lines travel across the country, and all passengers can travel on these lines within Luxembourg and to particular stations across the country’s borders without a ticket.

Announcements on all CFL trains are given in French only, but the CFL website and apps are in English, French and German. Although space can be limited during rush hours, it is free for passengers to bring bicycles, pets and luggage with them on all CFL trains.

Trains travel throughout the day but night services are extremely limited. CFL travels nationally, as well as to neighbouring countries, but there are also several other international train services in Luxembourg, such as NMBS and TGV.

Tram

Although trams were a big part of Luxembourg’s transport system in the past, they eventually stopped running and only came back into operation in 2017. Luxtram runs the country’s tram network, which currently consists of only one tram line, Line T1.

The tram operates in Luxembourg city only and runs from Luxexpo to Gare Centrale from around 4:30am to 12:30am daily, with slightly shorter hours on Sundays. Popular among tourists, the tram line has 15 stops and arrives every four to 15 minutes during running times.

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Taxis in Luxembourg

Taxis are widely available in all urban areas in Luxembourg. They can be hailed on the street, at a taxi rank, by phone or through a taxi company’s mobile app. All taxi companies are free to determine their own prices; this is not controlled by the government. For this reason, taking a taxi can be extremely expensive in Luxembourg.

Ride-hailing apps such as Uber are not allowed to operate in Luxembourg. That said, taxi companies do have apps that allow people to order and prebook rides.

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Driving in Luxembourg

Driving in Luxembourg is easy on the country’s excellent network of highways and secondary roads, which span the entire country and connect Luxembourg to its neighbours.  Despite the country’s excellent public transport system, the vast majority of the population own a car. While vehicle tax and insurance are compulsory and can be expensive, fuel in Luxembourg is cheaper than in its neighbouring countries.

EU and EEA driver’s licences are recognised in Luxembourg. That said, expats from these countries should register their licences after arriving in the country. If doing so, they will be issued with a Luxembourg licence if their EU/EEA country licence expires or is lost or stolen, without having to retake a driver’s test.

Expats from non-EU/EEA countries can drive using their foreign licence for one year before they will have to exchange it for a Luxembourg licence.

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Air travel in Luxembourg

Luxembourg only has one airport, the Findel airport, which is situated just outside of Luxembourg city. While there is currently no train line between the city and the airport, there are bus and taxi services that travel to and from the airport.

The number of flights in and out of Findel are increasing each year as Luxembourg is becoming a more popular travel hub in the EU. While the vast majority of destinations with direct flights from Luxembourg are in Europe, there are a few North African and West Asian counties that expats will also be able to reach directly from Findel airport.

Findel is a modern airport with three terminals, all of which are run efficiently. The national airline carrier Luxair travels to a range of destinations, along with several international and budget airlines.