It would be easy to overlook tiny Luxembourg in a European itinerary, but you'd be missing out on a very charming experience. Squeezed into a pocket of land smaller than the U.S. state of Rhode Island, it's Europe in miniature, complete with its own wine country, abbey towns, a cosmopolitan city, hiking trails, restored castles, lovely river valleys and a multilingual populace.
Luxembourg's neighbors haven't overlooked it: The country's strict laws regarding bank secrecy have made it a popular tax haven and an important financial services center for the region. Luxembourg is also the headquarters for several European Union institutions, including the General Secretariat of the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice