Queer travel expert Jack Kenworthy turns 250+ city adventures into your guide for safe, vibrant, and inclusively fabulous global journeys.
Luxembourg, the tiny sliver of a country squashed between France, Belgium and Germany – is not only one of the world’s most wealthy countries but also one of few to have an openly gay prime minister.
A country where “people do not consider the fact of whether some is gay or not”, the capital – Luxembourg City – offers a romantic fairytale-esque setting for a gay-friendly getaway with plenty of art, culture, cafes and French charm.
Much like the country, the Gay Luxembourg scene is small, easy-going, and well-organized but very fun (if you know where to look).
While not as loud and proud as nearby Brussels, a trip to Gay Luxembourg is sure to include plenty of wine, days wandering art galleries or rolling forest hills and getting lost in the UNESCO-listed old town – but come night, you will have the option of quiet cocktails with stunning views, lively piano bars, or surprisingly good gay clubbing (if one of the frequently held events are on).
While on the long, beautiful summer days, it is easy to meet gay locals in the parks and restaurants, in the cloudy, cold winters, you might want to turn to apps to meet a friendly local to show you around. No matter where your interests lie, Gay Luxembourg offers much more than EU bureaucrats and investment banks (though there are plenty of those here too…)
In this article we will cover...
Attractions in Luxembourg City
Obviously, being gay does not define which attraction we will want to see in each city, and most queer travelers will simply want to check out the top things to see in Luxembourg City during the day!
While there are plenty of things to do in Luxembourg City, our favorite memories were wandering the valleys and cobblestone streets of the Old Town, sipping coffee on quiet town squares, checking out the boys and exploring the museums and art galleries dotting around.
Gay travelers in Luxembourg City need not take any extra precautions in terms of public displays of affection here, and gay travelers will have no issues exploring this beautiful and diverse city.
Wander Historic Luxembourg
A UNESCO World Heritage-listed City and one of Europe’s greatest fortified sites, be sure just to wander the quiet streets to truly get a feel for this city. Grab a map from your hotel or tourist information and design your own walking tour.
Luxembourg is the last remaining Grand Duchy in the world, and this stately palace still serves as the residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Guided tours in summer, but it can be admired for outside year round!
It might not compare to Paris, but this mixed Gothic, Baroque & Renaissance-style cathedral has stood here since 1621 and is worth a look around.
National Museum of History and Art
Housing a huge collection of fine & decorative art + archaeology & coins relics covering all epochs of Luxembourg’s history
If history is not your thing, maybe this contemporary art museum is more your style with an exotic and varied modern art collection housed in the beautiful new building and surrounded by a park with statues.
Take a stroll along this pedestrian promenade and enjoy beautiful views back over the entire city. Casemates du Bock – Head underground and explore this bizarre complex of galleries and underground tunnels built-in 1644 and later used as WWII bomb shelters.
A renovated church now plays host to many of the biggest cultural events, concerts and exhibitions in Luxembourg. Check out their website for the latest on-goings.
Gay-Friendly and Gay Hotels in Luxembourg City
As you would expect in a progressive and tolerant country, pretty much every hotel and hostel in Luxembourg City can be considered gay-friendly – after all, being a gay friendly is not all about upscale luxury, but about providing friendly and open service and welcoming everyone with open arms!
Having said that, everyone likes to be surrounded by people with common interests, and as such, there are a few hotels in Luxembourg that have become known hot spots for gay travelers to stay! We would argue the best location to stay in Luxembourg City is in the Old Town – close to all the attractions by day and night, but prices are significantly lower if you don’t mind a 15-minute bus trip into town.
The following gay-friendly hotels in Luxembourg City are the most popular with gay travelers, but there are plenty of other hotels in Luxembourg City if you don’t find quite what you are looking for.
Whether you want a fun and social hostel, a cheap place to crash after a night of partying or a chic designer option to sip cocktails and surround yourself with fabulous people – Gay Luxembourg City is something for everyone!
Sofitel Luxembourg Le Grand Ducal ☆☆☆☆☆
A designer hotel in Luxembourg’s historic center. A grand modern glass structure of dramatic lines and curves, chic rooms with colorful decor and valley views and a trendy cocktail bar with a resident DJ. With superb views from previous guests, this gay-popular offers fun, contemporary luxury with a French twist and is our favorite gay stay in Luxembourg.
A boutique hotel in the heart of Old Luxembourg city serving elegant Art Deco meets French farmhouse. Fusing 7 original houses into one luxurious urban retreat, you can still find plenty of original features such as fireplaces and beamed ceilings yet perfectly matched with a modern marble-floored bathroom + a trendy bar and restaurant.
French country-style décor mixed with medieval architectural details. We love the wooden panels, Murano lighting, beamed ceilings and fireplaces – and all in the center of Luxembourg. This is a boutique hotel featuring warm service, luxurious suites and plenty of original art throughout.
An upmarket hotel in a quiet residential area just 15 minutes from the city center. Quiet and surrounded by plenty of greenery and a public park, this hotel feels like an urban retreat. Traditional French / Italian design details complete the package.
Affordable luxury, but only if you’re hiring a car in Luxembourg or don’t mind a commute with the bus stop 200m away. Featuring a gym and sauna, spacious rooms and glass-walled bathrooms, plus complimentary shuttle service to Kirchberg and Luxembourg-Findel Airport. You won’t find this quality at this price anywhere else in Luxembourg.
ibis Styles Luxembourg Centre Gare ☆☆☆
The cheapest private room in Luxembourg doesn’t have terrible rooms. The ibis is always our go-to budget hotel thanks to its good service, clean rooms and familiarity. We found this location to have the added bonus of fun, vibrant design, a 15-minute walk to the old town, and it had a nice winter terrace.
Youth Hostel Luxembourg City ☆☆
Luxembourg is an expensive destination – but that doesn’t mean a budget traveler can’t do it! If you don’t mind sharing a dorm, you can stay here with a central location, rave reviews and meet other travelers to head out for a night of partying if you are traveling solo.
Gay Bars in Luxembourg City
Luxembourg is rapidly developing its nightlife scene after years where nothing opened past 9pm – though gay nightlife here has lagged behind, with only one dedicated gay bar but plenty of roaming gay club events (similar to Tel Aviv).
Being such a tolerant society, you are unlikely to experience any issues with displays of affection in public and, as such, will be welcomed in most clubs and bars in Luxembourg – but of course, many of us prefer to surround ourselves with our LGBT family on a night out, so we have collected together the most popular lesbian and gay hang-out bars for you to check out.
Bar Rouge
(Temporarily or permanently closed. If you know something, please suggest an edit.)
The only real gay bar left in Luxembourg. House music, fun vies and plenty of parties and events. Thankfully it gets very busy here, so once you arrive, you won’t feel like leaving; there is really nowhere else to go! Fun and full of plenty of sexy guys and girls – perhaps start your night at one of these gay-friendly bars and work your way up!
An open-minded space and a home-away-from-home in a city with so many foreigners. Queer-popular, during the day, people go for the lunch specials, but on the weekend, some hardcore partying takes place here.
A gay-popular Zulu-themed bar with plenty of late-night parties and house music. Don’t ask us about the bizarre theming, but it works – Things can get pretty wild here!
If you’re looking for a bit of classier fun, this Luxembourg piano bar is known for having the best mix of friendly people in town. Come of the quirky decor and live piano performances of everything from folkloric Luxembourg nostalgia to international hits.
Under fashionable, with a concept bar downstairs and a restaurant upstairs. Hosting everything from DJ nights and club parties to fashion shows and stand-up comedy, this trendy bar offers a mixed crowd and nice views of Luxembourg.
L’Observatoire @ Sofitel Grand Ducal Hotel
One of Luxembourg’s best cocktail bars with a breathtaking view. Their designer and interstellar cocktails will complete any night, and though cocktails here are pricey – quality is high, and you will never forget the view. Best for a romantic evening or meeting up with someone special.
Gay Events in Luxembourg City
Gay Luxembourg is a city that has hundreds of events across the year, and queer travelers to Luxembourg should not restrict themselves to exclusively gay events. While July is the main month of LGBT celebrations and events for Luxembourg’s gay community revolving around the popular Luxembourg Pride event, there are plenty of other gay events to look out for during the rest of the year.
Luxembourg attracts people from all over the world – so in general, people here are looking to connect and meet up with new people all the time. Head to a bar or start a conversation on any of the popular hook-up apps, and you are almost guaranteed to hear about something somewhere and get invited.
However, some events should really be planned around, so here are the biggest events currently in Gay Luxembourg.
The best gay clubbing in Luxembourg hosts regular events which are anything but subtle. Fully embracing gay culture and hedonism, expect the best DJs, an epic atmosphere and go-go boys and shows that go until 6am.
Calling all bears, otters, fetish fans and admires, you don’t want to miss WOOF Luxembourg – A popular men-only party in Luxembourg, with international DJs and sexy muscle bear performers. Extremely popular taking place every two months in different venues.
Halleloo! Finally, a dance event for all you ladies out there! Luxembourg’s lesbian scene is taking off, and Ladylike is at the forefront, holding semi-annual girls-only dance parties – and we couldn’t be happier. This is totally worth planning your trip to Gay Luxembourg around with pleasure, parting and privacy!
Taking place annually in October, this is a great way to see the Bear Scene in full force with a Mr. Bear Luxembourg Election party, a special edition of the WOOF men-only bears & fetish party event and a Bear Sauna day. The bear scene in Luxembourg is extremely active, so check out the Bear Dukes Facebook page for events and to connect.
A popular pride taking on the second Saturday of July every year, there are plenty of exhibitions, movie nights, discussion panels and several parties leading up to the event in the week prior. Luxembourg Pride has a small march through town, but the after-party events seem to be the most popular.
Pink Ladies @ Chocolate House Nathalie Bonn
While you can never, ever go wrong with chocolate, we most recommend this for lesbians visiting Luxembourg. The active Rosa Lëtzebuerg / Pink Ladies group hosts meetings here on the 2nd Friday of each month starting at 8pm. An easy way to get in touch with other women and make new lesbian and ‘questioning’ friends.
A drag / transformist group with different performances across Luxembourg almost weekly. They keep their Facebook events up to date so take a look to see if they are performing nearby.
Luxembourg’s first gay men’s chorus meets everything Thursday for rehearsals. Very welcoming and looking to grow their group, these guys all have different levels of singing experience, and all they ask is you have an interest in singing. Maybe get in touch in advance via the Facebook page.
With so many one-off events taking place, we recommend checking the Gay Life in Luxembourg’s Facebook events to see if anything new has pop’d up!
Gay Sauna in Luxembourg City
Sadly as of 2018, there is no gay sauna in Luxembourg City. The days when gay men could only meet up in steamy saunas at night are long gone – and most guys in Luxembourg now choose to use popular gay hook-up apps or head to the bars! For the past 15 years, there had been Sauna No1 Club Gay Sàrl, but this is now permanently closed. Where all the closeted investment banks who looked forward to their working week in Luxembourg City will go now is anyone’s guess!
If you’re thinking about hiring a car, the nearest gay sauna to Luxembourg is now around a 45-60 minute drive away – but you could consider visiting XL Sauna & Lounge in Saarbrücken (Germany), Red Sauna in Uckange (France) or Zenhit Gay Sauna in Neufchâteau (Belgium). Brussels is also only around a 3-hour train trip away and has plenty of gay sauna options!
Gay Map Of Luxembourg City
Finding it hard to envisage where everything is in Luxembourg City? Hopefully, this queer-centric map helps where we have marked all the bars, clubs, parties, hotels, saunas, massages and more will help you stay in the spot best suited to you!