2 Best Sights in Esch-sur-Alzette and the Redlands, Luxembourg

You can pick up the map for this architectural walk (free) at the tourism office in town. The route is a breezy 5 km (3 miles) and is a great way to explore a city that, on the surface at least, doesn't appear all that attractive at first. Much of the center was built at the turn of the 20th century, as the iron-ore industry gathered steam. Architects were shipped in from France, Belgium, and Germany, with the era's dominating styles of neo-Gothic, Art Deco, and Art Nouveau seen across magnificent turreted corner houses, the stately town hall, and imperious mansions built for the moguls of the era. 

This cheerful government-run animal sanctuary perches high in the Gaalgebierg hills above the town. The walk up is a bracing plod through the forest park, and once there, you'll find an array of ancient domestic species, including deer, big-horned sheep, goats, and cattle. The tree-house café, in particular, is a congenial spot to while away a lunch hour. Note: there's no public transport here that doesn't require a 20-minute walk.