In the neighbourhood: Belair
A popular but expensive residential area within walking distance of the city centre, Belair has a good choice of restaurants and specialist shops
Place de France on the edge of Belair, where property prices are €15,180 per sqm for a new apartment © Photo credit: Marc Wilwert
In the west of Luxembourg City, Belair lies between Merl, Hollerich, Rollingergrund and the city centre and is approximately 2km squared.
Mostly a residential area filled with grand villas from the 1920s and 1930s in addition to new-build, upmarket apartment blocks, it is home to approximately 12,139 people (31.5% Luxembourgish, 68.5% foreign residents).
It's also home to the former national stadium Stade Josy Barthel, named after Luxembourg's Olympic gold medal winner. The new national stadium is between Cloche d'Or and Kockelscheuer. Belair/Strassen is also where the Central Hospital of Luxembourg is located.
The quarter is bordered by two of Luxembourg's main roads, Route d'Arlon and Route de Longwy. Although these roads are often congested in peak traffic hours, the residential roads of Belair remain calm and surprisingly quiet.
A little background...
Belair, formerly part of the Hollerich municipality, became a district of Luxembourg City in 1920, but it began developing as a residential area after the dismantling of the fortress in 1867.
In 1887 the district, initially called "Neu-Merl" had just 87 inhabitants. In the 1920s the convent of Franciscans and social/workers housing was built in the area. The iconic landmark church was built in the 1950s. In 1956 the district got its official name, Belair.
Kroll, best known for inventing a process to extract metallic titanium from ore lived in Belair © Photo credit: LW Archives
In 1887 the district, initially called "Neu-Merl" had just 87 inhabitants. In the 1920s the convent of Franciscans and social/workers housing was built in the area. The iconic landmark church was built in the 1950s. In 1956 the district got its official name, Belair.
Guillaume Justin Kroll had his residence and laboratory in Belair at 54 avenue Gaston Diderich, between 1923 and 1940. It's now occupied by the state's veterinary medicine laboratory and the Administration for Land Registry and Topography.
Kroll is best known for inventing the Kroll process which is used commercially to extract metallic titanium from ore. He worked for many years in the United States where he received numerous awards and was posthumously entered into the American National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2000. Kroll has a street named after him in Gasperich.
Property prices
According to Wort Immo the current price per square metre of real estate in the area is:
Apartment (old) €13,346
Apartment (new) €15,180
House €13,772
Facilities
Shopping & Services
Bio-gourmet butchers and deli Niessen is located at 137 rue Gaston Diderich and there is a Fischer bakery up the road at rue Théodore Eberhard.
Supermarket Alima Belair is closer to town on avenue du Dix Septembre, and whilst not technically in Belair, there is a Lidl and a Delhaize on Route d'Arlon, just around the corner from the borders of the district. There are also several petrol stations along the route de Longwy with small grocery sections.
La Rioja sells Spanish wines, charcuterie, cheeses and oils. You can pick up some quality wine or join a tasting session at In Vino Gildas.
There are pharmacies at number 14 and number 145 avenue du Dix Septembre, and also a hearing aid store Laperre on the same road, while Ginkgo Pharmacy is on Val Sainte Croix.
Beauty treatments are available from the Audrey Thill Centre on rue des Aubépines, whilst you can get a new hair style at Tonio Coiffure or Shanti Hair & Colour.
Need a bouquet or just want a nice bunch of flowers, try Monceau Fleurs or Albus Fleurs.
You'll find hand-crafted instruments at Faber Violins and comic books, manga and anime at Fantasybox, plus a shoe repair and key cutting shop on Avenue du Dix Septembre.
Homeware store Ixina specialises in kitchen refurbishments, whilst second-hand clothes shop First and Second Hand Concept gets a thumbs up from its customers.
Subtile is a showroom-gallery offering vintage and contemporary furniture, unique and handcrafted objects and art. It also organises cultural events.
The National Theatre of Luxembourg hosts international dance and theatre performances (including English language and children's theatre).
The Israeli Consulate is on Avenue Gaston Diderich, the Ukrainian Consulate on Avenue des Archiducs, and the Irish Embassy is at 28 route d'Arlon just behind the Immigration Directorate.
The Central Hospital of Luxembourg (plus the children's clinic) is located on rue Ernest Barblé, while the Institute of Gynaecology and Obstetrics is on route d'Arlon. The Cancer Foundation is further up on the same road.
Schools
There are 14 créches in the area, including Creche Gan Raphaël on rue des Aubépines, Chez Gaston, Creche KidsCare by Babillou, Kannerwelt, Aux Enfants Gatés and Creche Am Schleekenhaus.
Preschool Merl is at 10 rue Yolande, whilst Ecole Aloyse Kayser and Ecole Avenue du Dix Septembre offer pre- and primary school. Ecole Av Gaston Diderich also offers primary schooling. You can find more information here.
The private international Over the Rainbow School has pupils from 47 countries and offers education from nursery through secondary school in French and English sections (IB programme).
Nearby, two schools offer classes in English, the Athénée de Luxembourg has an international secondary section (IB programme), and the private International School of Luxembourg (ISL) houses secondary, primary and early years' sections (IB and GCSE programmes). A sixth state international school, Gaston Thorn, is located in Merl (secondary) and take students for the European Baccalaureate in English/French/German from September. The French Academy for language courses is also located on rue Astrid.
Transport & parking
Bus line 13 links Belair to Gasperich, the CHL and town, bus line 8 to Bertrange and Limpertsberg, line 12 to Merl in one direction and Kirchberg in the other.
Bus line 15 links Merl to Hamm via Clausen and to Hollerich via Merl. Bus line 24 links Belair to Howald and Hollerich, and line 31 links Belair to Reckenthal and Strassen in one direction and the city centre in the other.
Nightbus CN7 links the district to Merl, Limpertsberg and the City.
There's are Vel’oh bike stations on Allée Léopold Goebel, Av. Gaston Diderich, and on Av. du Dix Septembre and Val Sainte-Croix, but you can also walk from the centre of Belair to Place d'Armes in 20-25 minutes. You can park at the Stade Monday to Saturday, for a fee.
Recreation
Sports & Parks
The Belair swimming pool on Rue d'Ostende is open on Saturday 10:00 to 18:00 and Sunday 08:00 to 12:00. It's a large L-shaped pool and the longer section is reserved for experienced swimmers, the shorter one for beginners.
You can brush up on your backstroke at the indoor and outdoor courts at Tennis Club Arquebusiers on Val Sainte Croix, or for something more relaxing Sahaja Yoga and meditation. Sonja Soyer runs art classes for adults and children from her studio on rue Jean Bertholet.
Castle play park, Belair © Photo credit: LT Archives
You can brush up on your backstroke at the indoor and outdoor courts at Tennis Club Arquebusiers on Val Sainte Croix, or for something more relaxing Sahaja Yoga and meditation. Sonja Soyer runs art classes for adults and children from her studio on rue Jean Bertholet.
You'll find the delightful little helicopter playground on Allée Léopold Goebel, and the fun wooden castle park with swings, sand and slides on rue Charlemagne. The beautiful, big Merl-Belair park is also on the district's borders. It houses a playground, lake and pavilion serving meals and ice creams. In summer, the park provides free trampolines and during D'Stad Lieft there are funfair rides.
Restaurants and cafes.
On the corner of Route d'Arlon and Rue des Aubépines you'll find the family run New Confucius Chinese restaurant with 80-seat terrace open every day for lunch and dinner, including Sunday, and offering traditional cuisine from Shanghai and Hong Kong including spicy chicken and ginger lobster. If you prefer pizza on the terrace, then Ambiente is located next door.
For steak and chips or a smoked salmon salad try Portuguese cafe Um Staminet on Route de Longwy which also has a ten pin alley. Along the same road you'll find sushi bar Wayoxi, Restaurant Chinese King, Indian restaurant the Royal Bengal, Antica Trattoria for pizzas, or the lovely wood-furnished bar bistro Pacha for light bites or a late drink.
Check out the parasol decked ceiling of Thai Belair, over the Sawadee tasting menu, or pick up a gourmet burger at the hugely popular Cafe Bel Air or a pizza at Bel Canto. There's more sushi to be found at Takajo and Hakii Belair.
Manzoku is a new Japanese Ramen restaurant (with terrace) and store, located at 153 avenue du Dix Septembre, just off the Place du France in Belair. In addition to its popular craft Ramen cooking kits (all vegetarian), it stocks a range of Japanese food and drink products including sweet treats, chocolate and macha cookies, Japanese beers and imported soft drinks.
Head to Place de Nancy for Bonds Urban Food bistro, inspired by the London fine dining scene, with dramatic interiors, urban art murals, sandstone walls, and cosy furniture, plus a private courtyard. This is the place for a special splurge with caviar and Angus beef, octupus and lamb shank on the menu.
Try ceviche, tapas and tacos at Pablito, or relax in the wonderful garden terrace at Restaurant Scheiss, with an Irish steak or some grilled fish. You'll find more steak and a lovely garden setting at Le Bistrot, which also has a nice range of mussel dishes.
For something on the go try Breaktime Kebab or Damla Resto Kebap, or for something upmarket take lunch on the terrace at the Hotel Parc Belair followed by afternoon tea or a drink in Mary's Bar. Closer to town try the Rotisserie-Ardennaise, which also has a lovely terrace or the classy Max et Moritz.
For a sweet treat, try Bonomeria artisan ice-creams on Rue Wurth-Paquet (not far from the Castle playground), or the new artisan ice cream parlour, NICE, which makes ice cream patisseries and lactose free, vegan varieties. Patisserie and bakery Jos Jean-Marie is at 4 avenue du Dix Septembre.
Hotels
If you crave some luxury, the Hotel Parc Belair offers suites and apartments furnished to very high standards. Key Inn Apar-Hotel on Rue Albert 1er can accommodate longer stays.
Find out more....
For more information on the neighbourhood visit the Ville de Luxembourg website here.
