Stuff you need backpacking around Luxembourg

Luxembourgish ("Lëtzebuergesch") is the national language, while French is the administrative lanuguage. German is also widely used. That means outside of large cities where French is spoken, the national dialect of Luxembourgish is spoken at home. Luxembourgish is a standardized German dialect. Standard German (Hochdeutsch) enjoys official status but is not used for administrative purposes, i.e. road signs and stores will use signs that appear in French. French therefore is by far the most useful of the three languages to know. Over one third of Luxembourg's overall population is made up of foreigners, and this figure rises to 50% in the city. Hence, again knowing French is your best bet if you want to converse with most people, especially as people working in shops and bars usually come from France or Belgium and don't bother to learn the local native language. English is widely understood by such personnel as bus drivers, but many shop assistants will only respond if addressed in French. Educated Luxembourgers are fluent in all four of the above languages; it is the "frontaliers" (workers who live across one of the borders) who may not speak English. Virtually every Luxembourgish person understands and speaks fluent standard German and French.

Traditional dishes are largely based on pork and potatoes and the influence of German and central-European cooking is undeniable. In most restaurants however, the typical local food would be French cuisine coming in bigger portions. Italian food has been popular since the 1960s. Home cooking has been very influenced by the recipes of Ketty Thull, apparently the best-selling cooking and baking book in Luxembourg since WW II.

The Luxembourg white wines from the Moselle valley in the east of Luxembourg include Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Rivaner and Elbling to name just a few and are good. In autumn, many villages along the Moselle river organise wine-tasting village fiests. Young people tend to drink local or import beer. Luxembourg has a number of breweries.

Sometimes, you won't be able to get things you desire in Luxembourg. In that case, neighboring Trier might be a good bet. Since several products are much cheaper, many people on travel will stop here to buy cigarettes, alcohol or petrol. Yes, despite Luxembourg's GDP among the highest in the world, many products are pretty cheap. For example, a bottle of Stella Artois beer can cost only 0.5€! Petrol is also about 25% cheaper than in the neighbouring countries making the small state a popular destination for long-haul drivers.