Dinant & Ardennes

The birthplace of the saxophone beneath the cliffs of the Meuse, where an onion-domed church and a citadel make a striking pair, surrounded by Ardennes castles, caves, kayaking stretches and a string of Belgium's most beautiful villages.

Dinant & Ardennes lies in the province of Namur in Wallonia, southern Belgium. Dinant is a small town in the Meuse valley, where the onion-domed Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame nestles against a 100-meter limestone cliff topped by a citadel. It is also the hometown of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, and the birthplace of Leffe beer. With Dinant as your base, head south into the Ardennes, where the Lesse winds between cliffs and forests past fairy-tale castles, caves and Wallonia's "Most Beautiful Villages".

The region breaks down into a few areas: Dinant itself (church, citadel, Maison de Monsieur Sax, Rocher Bayard), half a day to a full day; the Lesse valley (kayaking, Walzin Castle, Vêves Castle, the village of Celles, Furfooz), one day; the lower Meuse (Gardens of Annevoie, Maredsous Abbey, Montaigle, Namur Citadel), one day; and to the southeast, the Caves of Han and Rochefort, plus Durbuy, La Roche-en-Ardenne and Bouillon Castle a little farther afield, each needing half a day to a full day.

The best time to visit is May–September; kayaking and most castles are open roughly April–October, the forests turn beautifully red and gold in October, and in winter many sights open only on weekends. Getting there: the train from Brussels via Namur to Dinant takes about 1.5 hours; public transport in the Ardennes is sparse, so driving is recommended. Plan on 3–4 days. Local specialties include Dinant's hard couque biscuits, abbey beers and Ardennes ham.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries