In exactly one week, Pope Francis will visit Luxembourg, a highly anticipated visit requiring extensive preparation. Here's a detailed look at the schedule for the day.

The Pope is expected to arrive at Findel Airport at 10 am, before heading to the Grand Ducal Palace and the Cercle Cité for his first engagements.

A public procession in the Popemobile will follow via Boulevard Roosevelt and Boulevard de la Pétrusse to the Arbed building before looping back to the upper town and ending at the Bishop's House to have lunch with Cardinal Hollerich.

To accommodate the procession, Plateau Bourbon will be closed from 8 pm on Wednesday until 8 pm on Thursday. Two large public viewing areas will also be set up at Kinnekswiss and Place de Paris to manage the expected large crowds.

After lunch, the Pope will visit Luxembourg's cathedral. Although no mass will take place, due to time constraints, there will be a gathering with the local Catholic community. The programme also anticipates a speech to the Christian community before his departure for Brussels, which is scheduled for 6.15 pm.

Full Programme Overview

10.00 – Arrival at Findel Airport
11.00 – Meeting with the Grand Ducal Couple at the Grand Ducal Palace
12.00 – Speech and meeting with the public at Cercle Cité
12.45 - 13.15 – Popemobile procession through Luxembourg City
16.30 - 17.30 – Gathering with the Catholic community at the Cathedral
18.15 – Farewell ceremony and departure to Brussels

Security measures and closures

For security reasons, the exact route from Findel to the city and back will not be publicly disclosed.

Director General of the capital police, Patrick Ewen, emphasised the thoroughness of the security plan in place, although he refrained from providing exact details such as the number of police officers and staff involved.

In addition to local authorities, Vatican security personnel will also be onsite to ensure the Pope's safety.

Planning for this visit has been underway since February, with significant efforts considered to ensure both safety and smooth logistics.

As a result, several public venues will be closed on the day of the visit, including the Luxembourg City Library, Cityshopping.lu's InfoPoint, the Casemates, the Infobus, and InfoChantier. In addition, the Luxembourg Tourist Office will not be conducting their usual guided tours.

Finally, the public toilets in Upper Luxembourg will be closed for security measures. In their place, a series of mobile toilets will be set up.

Mobility and traffic disruptions

Naturally, Luxembourg City is expected to experience significant mobility disruptions due to the visit.

From 9 am onward, on 26 September individual traffic in the upper town and much of the Plateau Bourbon will be restricted, including for deliveries. To accommodate businesses, deliveries will be exceptionally allowed from 5 am instead of the usual 6 am.

Car parks will also be affected. Access to the Knuedler (Place Guillame II) parking will be restricted from midnight on 25 September, with exits allowed until 8 am on the 26th. The car parks of Place du Théâtre and Monterey will remain accessible, however only via Avenue Monterey. Finally, a significant amount of parking spots on Glacis will be reserved starting 22 September for registering event participants at Cercle Cité.

RTL

© Ville de Luxembourg

Updates 

The tram will work normally for the most part, but there will be closures around noon. From around 12.15 to 13.45, the tram will drive on both segments "Luxexpo - Hamilius" and "Gare Centrale - Stadion". No trams will operate between "Hamilius" and "Gare Centrale", i.e. the stations "Place de Metz" and "Place de Paris" will be out of order

Buses, on the other hand, will continue to run as scheduled without any expected disruptions.