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Travel - International
AIR: Luxembourg’s national airline is Luxair (LG) (website: www.luxair.lu) which offers regular services to a number of European destinations (including Austria, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK) as well as flights to Africa (Morocco and Tunisia) and Turkey. Luxair recently introduced a direct connection between Luxembourg and the USA (New York) and there are four weekly flights to Newark Airport. Luxair flies daily from Luxembourg to London Heathrow (two flights), to London Stansted (two flights) and Manchester (one flight). British Airways flies daily from London Heathrow (one flight) and London Gatwick (three flights). There are also flights to London City Airport.
Approximate flight times: From London to Luxembourg is 1 hour. From New York to Luxembourg is approximately 8 hours.
International airports: Luxembourg (LUX) (Findel) is 8km (5 miles) northeast of the city (travel time – 20 minutes). Coaches and buses run regular services to the city. Taxis are also available. Airport facilities include an outgoing duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change (Mon-Sat 0700-1930, Sun 1000-1800) and a tourist information office (1000-1900).
Departure tax: None.
RAIL: The direct Eurostar train link through the Channel Tunnel between London and Lille, Brussels or Paris started operating on 14 November 1994. Eurostar is a service provided by the railways of Belgium, the United Kingdom and France, operating direct high-speed trains from London (Waterloo International) to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). It takes 2 hours 40 minutes from London to Brussels with onward connections to Luxembourg. Total travelling time from London to Luxembourg is approximately 6 hours 30 minutes. Trains depart up to eight times a day from Waterloo to Brussels. Work has now started on the UK section of the high-speed line, which is being built in two stages. When it is completed, the transit times between London St Pancras and Brussels will be just two hours, and two hours 15 minutes between London St Pancras and Paris. The Eurostar trains are equipped with standard-class and first-class seating, buffet, bar and are staffed by multi-lingual, highly trained personnel. Pricing is competitive with the airlines, and there is a large range of different tickets and prices. Children aged between four-11 years benefit from a special fare in first class as well as in standard class. Children under four years old travel free but cannot be guaranteed a seat. Wheelchair users and blind passengers together with one companion get a special fare. For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar (tel: (0870) 6000 792 (travel agents) or (08705) 186 186 (public; within the UK) or (+44 (1233) 617 575 (public; outside the UK only); website: www.eurostar.com); or Rail Europe (tel: (08705) 848 848). Travel agents can obtain refunds for unused tickets from Eurostar Trade Refunds, Second Floor, Kent House, 81 Station Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PD. Complaints and comments may be sent to Eurostar Customer Relations, Eurostar House, Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SE (tel: (020) 7928 5163). General enquiries and information requests must be made by telephone. Enquiries in France should be made to Eurostar in Paris (tel: (8) 3635 3539; only available from within France). Information about package deals, inclusive of accommodation and travel on Eurostar can be obtained from Eurostar Holidays Direct (tel: (0870) 167 6767; fax: (0870) 010 0284). Another daily rail connection is London (Charing Cross)–Ostend–Brussels–Luxembourg, taking approximately 11 hours, including the channel crossing by Catamaran from Dover Hoverport. There are direct train links with principal cities in neighbouring countries. Inter-Rail and Eurailpass are valid.
ROAD: Luxembourg is easily reached within a day from the UK, via Belgium or France. The quickest way to cross the channel is by driving the car onto Eurotunnel trains. All road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in Eurotunnel shuttles running between the two terminals, one near Folkestone in Kent, with direct road access from the M20, and one just outside Calais, with links to the A16/A26 motorway (Exit 13). Each shuttle is made up of 12 single- and 12 double-deck carriages, and vehicles are directed to single-deck or double-deck carriages depending on their height. There are facilities for cars and motorcycles, coaches, minibuses, caravans, campervans and other vehicles over 1.85m (6.07ft). Bicycles are provided for. Passengers generally travel with their vehicles. Heavy goods vehicles are carried on special shuttles and drivers travel in a separate carriage. Terminals and shuttles are well equipped for disabled passengers, and Passenger Terminal buildings contain a variety of shops, restaurants, bureaux de change and other amenities. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform and about one hour from motorway to motorway. Services run every day of the year, and there are between two and five an hour, depending on the time of day. There is a reservation system and a turn-up-and-go service. Motorists pass through customs and immigration before they board the shuttle without further checks on arrival. Fares vary according to length of stay, time of day and time of year and whether you have a reservation or not. The price applies to the car, regardless of the number of passengers or size of the car. The fare may be paid in cash, by cheque or by credit card. There is a reduction of £2 when booking online. For further information, contact Eurotunnel Customer Services UK (tel: (08705) 353 535; fax: (01303) 288 786; e-mail: callcentre@eurotunnel.com; website: www.eurotunnel.com).
For drivers not using the shuttle through the channel tunnel, car ferries operate frequently between Dover and Calais (regular ferries and Hovercraft services) and Dover and Ostend (regular ferries as well as Catamaran and Hoverspeed services).
Luxembourg-Ville is approximately 320km (200 miles) from Ostend, and 420km (260 miles) from Calais. From Calais, the quickest route is to take the motorway to Brussels via Lille, then head south through Namur along the E411 to Luxembourg; from Ostend, take the E40 motorway to Brussels, then the E411 to Luxembourg. In total, the journey from London (including the ferry crossing) takes approximately 8 hours.
Coach: Eurolines runs a twice weekly (Wednesday and Saturday) coach service from London to Luxembourg. Further information can also be obtained by calling Eurolines in the UK (4 Cardiff Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, L41 1PP; tel: (08705) 143 219; fax: (01582) 400 694; website: www.eurolines.com or www.gobycoach.com).
TRAVEL TIMES: The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Luxembourg-Ville to other major cities/towns in Europe.
| Air | Road | Rail | | Amsterdam | 0.45 | 5.30 | 6.30 | | Brussels | 0.45 | 2.00 | 2.30 | | Frankfurt/M | 0.50 | 2.30 | 3.30 | | Paris | 1.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | | London | 1.00 | *8.00 | **6.30 | | Zürich | 1.20 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
Note: *Includes ferry crossing from Dover (via Calais or Ostend); **Eurostar via Bruxelles-Midi (Brussels).
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