Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Luxembourg is the small, landlocked country in western Europe you accidentally passed through while taking the train between Belgium, France, and Germany. But this tiny nation is actually of great significance to the European Union. Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union, NATO, OECD, the United Nations, Benelux, and the Western European Union.

All of this integration reflects the political consensus of the nation in favor of economic, political, and military union. The city of Luxembourg, the capital and largest city, is the seat of several institutions and agencies of the European Union.

Luxembourg lies on the cultural divide between Romance Europe and Germanic Europe, borrowing customs from each of the distinct traditions. In many ways, if you’re aiming to move to Europe, you’ll be at the beating heart of it all living in Luxembourg.

The nation also has more natural beauty than you might expect given its size, and as one of the top three richest countries in the world, Luxembourg enjoys a very high standard of living. Over one third of Luxembourg’s overall population is made up of foreigners, and this figure rises to around 50% in the cities, meaning this is a place that’s very expat friendly.

Although a literal melting pot for European culture and cuisine, Luxembourg takes most of its culinary tradition from the influence of Germany– which also means quality beer!– and central European cooking. The unofficial national dish is judd mat gaardebounen, or smoked pork neck served with boiled broad beans. Many restaurants, however, will feature familiar French food, and Italian food is also popular.

Most of the people drawn to Luxembourg are working in the financial service sector, and if you don’t want to stay too far away from work– but also don’t want to stay too far away from all that Europe has to offer– this is a good place for you. You might consider joining the many thousands of people who commute from neighboring Belgium, France and Germany on week days, considerably swelling the population of the capital city.

Another perk is that Luxembourg has been named “safest country in the world” by many surveys. Furthermore, the health care in the country is first-class.

If you do move here, try to show respect for the local language and make some effort to say a word or two of it even if it’s just the standard greeting “Moien”. Also: avoid calling “Luxembourgish” a dialect of German or think that the country itself is merely an extension of France or Germany. This is an independent place, with an independent vibe.

Whatever your reason for stopping by this tiny nation, you’re sure to be left with an impression far larger than you’d expect!