Fast Facts

American Express -- The nearest office is in Brussels.

Business Hours -- Banks are open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to noon and 1 to 4:30pm. Stores generally are open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm, and many open on Sunday for shorter hours.

Electricity -- Luxembourg runs on 220 volts electricity. You may need to take with you a small voltage transformer and a European-style adapter plug (available in drug and appliance stores and by mail order) that plugs into the round-holed European electrical outlet.

Embassies -- These are all in Luxembourg-Ville. U.S.: bd. Emmanuel-Servais 22 (tel. 46-01-23; www.luxembourg.usembassy.gov). U.K.: bd. Joseph II 5 (tel. 22-98-64; www.britishembassy.gov.uk). Ireland: route d'Arlon 28 (tel. 45-06-10). Australia, Canada, and New Zealand do not have embassies in Luxembourg; the nearest embassies for these three countries are in Brussels.

Emergencies -- For police assistance, call tel. 113. For an ambulance or the fire department, call tel. 112.

Mail -- Postage for a postcard or letter to the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa is 0.80€ ($1); to the U.K. and Ireland 0.75€ (95¢).

Pharmacies -- A pharmacy is called a pharmacie in French. Regular pharmacy hours are Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm (some close earlier on Sat). Each pharmacy has a list of after-hours pharmacies posted on its door.

Police -- For emergency police assistance, call tel. 113.

Post Office Most post offices are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Restrooms -- Restrooms often display an "H" or Hommes for men, and an "F" or Femmes for women (or a graphic that should leave no doubt either way). Be sure to pay the person who sits at the entrance to a toilette. He or she has a saucer where you put your money, usually around 0.40€ (50¢).

Safety -- You've got about as much chance of being a victim of crime here as you have of eating badly in a Luxembourg restaurant -- which is to say, about none at all. But it can't hurt any to wear a money belt and keep an eye on your possessions, just in case.

Telephones -- The country code for Luxembourg is 352. The entire country is in the same local dialing area, so no area codes are used. For example, if you're calling a Luxembourg City number from outside Luxembourg, you dial the international access code (which is 011 when calling from North America, and 00 from elsewhere in Europe) and then 352, and then the local number.

When you're calling a Luxembourg number from anywhere in Luxembourg, you need only dial the local number. These numbers can be confusing enough, since you might need to dial a five-, six-, seven-, eight-, or even nine-digit subscriber number.

Almost all pay phones accept phone cards; these cost 5€ ($6.25), 10€ ($13), and 25€ ($31), and are sold at post offices and newsstands. Some phones accept 0.20€, 0.50€, and 1€ coins.

To charge a call to your calling card, phone: AT&T (tel. 800/20-111); MCI (tel. 800/20-112); Sprint (tel. 800/20-115); Canada Direct (tel. 800/20-119); British Telecom (tel. 800/20-044); or Telecom New Zealand (tel. 800/20-064).

Time Zone -- Luxembourg is on Western European Time (WET), which is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) plus 1 hour. Clocks are advanced by 1 hour for Western European Summer Time (WEST) between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October.

Tipping -- Restaurants and hotels will almost always include a 16% service charge on the bill. If you've had exceptional service, you may want to add a little more; it isn't necessary but it is common to do so.

Water -- You need have no concerns about Luxembourg's water -- it's clear, pure, and safe.