Culture & sights
What language do they speak in Luxembourg?
5 min read
Trilingual street sign in Luxembourg City
How the three languages actually get used
Luxembourgish is the spoken national language, used at home, on the street, in parliament and increasingly on signs. French is the language of laws, restaurant menus, most administrative paperwork and the majority of shop signage. German dominates newspapers, church, and primary school reading instruction. Locals switch between all three in a single conversation without noticing. Menus in the capital are usually in French, occasionally with German or English underneath.
About 47 percent of residents are foreign nationals, and the working population commutes in daily from France, Belgium and Germany, so you will hear Portuguese, Italian and Arabic on the tram too. There is no single dominant language in public space.
What you actually need as a visitor
English is fine everywhere in Luxembourg City, at hotels, in restaurants, at the airport, on buses if you need to ask a driver, and in shops in Ville Haute and Kirchberg. Outside the capital, in villages in the Mullerthal or on Moselle wine estates, French works better than English, and older residents may prefer German. A polite moien (hello) and merci go a long way. Nobody expects you to speak Luxembourgish, but recognising it as a real language rather than a dialect is appreciated.
Frequently asked questions
Will I be fine with only English?
In the city and at any tourist site, yes. In rural restaurants a few French words help enormously.
Should I say bonjour or moien?
Both work. Moien is Luxembourgish and locals smile when tourists use it. Bonjour is universally understood.
Where to stay
Rooms worth pairing with this guide.
Ready to plan this trip?
Real prices for the places this piece names.
