The city centre itself is basically enclosed within a giant stone fortress. The walls of the fortress contain 23km of tunnels, accessible to the public except in winter when they are closed so the resident bats can hibernate in peace. The walls are interrupted by bridges, bastions that totter on plunging valleys, Spanish turrets, forts and the Holy Ghost monastery. From higher points, you can look down on Grund, basically the 'downtown' of Luxembourg. In Grund, and the equally low-lying Clausen area, you'll find a revitalised nightlife and more reasonably priced trendy cafes and pubs than the elevated Old Town. Also along and below the walls are beautiful public gardens, perfect for a rest during your stroll around the city.

Wandering around the Old Town is a pleasure. The streets are narrow . . . at times positively medieval . . . and a walking tourist is constantly accompanied by stunning architecture at either side. Most notable is the government district where you'll find the House of Burgundy . . . the prime minister's office. A curiosity of Luxembourg is that thanks to a virtually non-existent crime rate, police are pretty invisible. So much so that there is no security around government buildings. You can conceivably walk right up to the prime minister's office and simply knock on the door. I asked our guide what he thought the PM's reaction to such an intrusion would be. "He'd probably invite you in for coffee, " was the matter-offact answer. Later that afternoon, we spotted the president himself, buzzing a door on another office building. We called, he gestured diplomatically.

Around Place d'Armes is a generous pedestrian district, peppered with beautiful boutiques (amongst them Villeroy and Boch if you want to stock up on fine china) and coffee houses (try Oberweis for pickme-up hot chocolate and exquisite pastries). During the day, the city is remarkably quiet and laid back. We are informed that "everybody is in work", either in the bank district along Boulevard Royal, or in Kirchberg Plateau, the European centre which the general secretariat of the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice along with several other EU institutions call home.

You're almost guaranteed quality when eating out in Luxembourg. But it's not cheap, so for a less formal dining setting, try the more relaxed veues in Grund.

If its booze you're after, then Luxembourg's champagne, cremant, is for you. If you fancy a musical night out, the city has just completed construction of one of the finest concert halls in the world, the 1,200-seater Philharmonie Luxembourg.

So forget the dreary images that Luxembourg conjures up . . . what you'll find there is a beautiful and historic city that also knows how to party.

The facts

Getting there
Luxair fly from Dublin with a short stopover on the tarmac at Manchester airport for around 20 minutes; www. luxair. co. uk

Where to stay
The Sheraton Aerogolf Hotel (four star) has rooms from around 100, www. sheraton. com More info www. visitluxembourg. com