MikePadgett.com

Luxembourg

— A too-quiet Sunday in the expensive city of banking.”

First, the small stuff: Luxembourg is the 175th biggest country in the world, measuring 82km by 57km. It’s home to less than half a million people.

Now for the big stuff: Luxembourg is the second largest centre for investment funds in the world after the US, with about €930bn in assets by the end of 2008. Per capita gross domestic product is the second highest in the world, after Qatar.

After a walk in the area around Echternach, we headed for the nation’s capital. The eponymous city is evidently pretty well-off. Boutiques abound, banks outnumber the boutiques and lunch will cost you more than Richard Branson’s island.

Nevertheless there’s something undeniably banal about the place, despite the UNESCO World Heritage label and the quiet old streets of the Grund. If you came here looking for a story, you’ll leave none the wiser. The real character of Luxembourg city is locked in a numbered bank vault.

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Luxembourg

A brief visit to one of Europe's smallest countries (82km x 57km), which is nonetheless packed full of character!