The Belgian Ardennes | Must See Spots
Learn more about this region of Belgium by exploring some of its highlights.
When international travellers think of visiting Belgium, they will most likely want to visit the larger towns that are well known. But there is so much more to see in Belgium than Bruges, Brussels and Antwerp. One of those places is the Belgian Ardennes, the 11.000+ km2 of nature in the Walloon region of Belgium. If you enjoy hiking, and want to catch some of the most breathtaking views in all of Belgium, I highly recommend visiting the Ardennes.
Where to visit
There are a lot of different places in the Ardennes that are worth visiting. I cannot say which town is the best, since they all offer unique experiences. However, I summarised some of the highlights in this blogpost to help you narrow down where to go.
Where are the Ardennes on the map?
The Belgian Ardennes stretches over the provinces of Liege, Luxembourg and Namur and is located in the South East of Belgium. Most of Belgium is fairly easily accessible with public transport, however that does not include this area. The Ardennes are best explored by (renting a) car.
Where to Go?
Where to spend the night?
There are countless of options of accommodation around the area to stay. Most of these are located near the bigger towns of the Ardennes. Depending on where you want to visit, and what specific area of the Ardennes you want to see I can recommend staying in one of the following towns...
Spa
Durbuy
Houffalize
La-roche-en-Ardenne
Bouillon
If you want to escape the busy areas and relax, I highly recommend looking for a cabin in the woods on Airbnb or Booking.com.
What are some of the best hikes in the area?
Given the countless amount of hikes and cute villages, it can become quite a maze to figure out which area to visit and where to go for a hike. Some of the most famous hikes are...
Tombeau du Géant
Distance: 3,5KM (short loop)
Time: 2-2.5hours
Intensity: 6/10
La Cascade et Chateau de Reinhardstein
Distance: 5-7KM (medium loop)
Time: 3-3.5hours
Intensity: 7/10
Le Hérou - Le Parc naturel des deux Ourthes
Distance: 14KM (big loop)
Time: 5-6hours
Intensity: 8.5/10
For all of these hikes, you can change the distance of the loops you want to explore. Each destination has multiple options of different distances to hike. These are just some of the options.
What are some of the best towns to visit in the area?
If you are not that big of a hiker, there is still a lot for you in the ardennes and it surrounding area. From wellness resorts to cave tours, castles and beautiful small towns to wander around. If you want to visit some of these highlights I recommend these places.
Experiences
Les termes de Spa
Luxury retreat: Manoir de Lébioles
Caves of Han-sur-Lesse
Discover Historic Castles
Towns
Old Town of Durbuy
Crupet
Torgny
Rochefort
As you can see there is no shortage of beautiful sites in this part of Belgium. Are you feeling inspired to visit? Make sure to pin this post for future reference.
