Castles & Gardens of the Belgian Ardennes – NEW TOUR

Depart the UK

Drive to Dover and take the ferry crossing to Calais or Dunkerque.  Make your way through France and into Belgium and on to your hotel in Namur. After check-in there will be time to relax before enjoying dinner in the hotel.

Magical Water Gardens and Namur

Regarded as the finest water gardens in Wallonia, Château Annevoie’s magnificent water gardens are full of ornamental lakes, fountains, water jets and cascades which are gravity-fed by a canal running above them without the use of any artificial power. The gardens date from 1770 are a combination of French and English styles all set in the grounds of the Château. Enjoy some time to explore at your own pace and maybe have a drink or take lunch in the Garden Brasserie before leaving.

Continue to the Wallonian capital city of Namur, built on the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre Rivers with one of strongest Citadel forts in Europe. Embark on a leisurely guided river cruise where you can admire the town from a different perspective followed by a walking tour of the historical old town.

Return to the hotel for dinner and an evening at leisure.

Optional extra: Take the coach or alternative Cable-car (payable locally) up to the Citadel Castle for great views over the city, river and valleys plus an optional visit and tour of the underground perfumery and workshop of Guy Delforge (details on request).

Dinant Cruise and the Orange Tree Garden

Dinant is a pretty picture-postcard riverside town dominated by the onion-shaped dome of the Collegiate church and also the imposing Citadel overlooking the town and river which can be seen from a leisurely cruise along the River Meuse.  Admire also the giant Charlemague road viaduct and hear the tales of the Bayard Rock. After the cruise enjoy some free time in Dinant.  Perhaps visit the small museum dedicated to Adolph Sax who was born in Dinant and was the inventor of the saxophone (free entry) or the gothic church.  Also worth visiting is the Patisserie Jacobs to try a “couque”, a traditional local hard biscuit, baked by the same family for many generations or take lunch at one of the many riverside cafés and restaurants.

Continue to Château Freÿr, for a guided tour of the interior of the castle which was built in 1571 with Renaissance-style architecture and once hosted Louis XIV of France.  However, the most striking features are the multi-level terraced formal gardens with bubbling fountains, hedge mazes and it’s famous 300 year-old orange trees.  There will be time to explore the gardens before returning to the hotel for dinner.

Optional extra: Visit, tour and tasting at the Caracole Brewery near Dinant where the beer is still brewed in copper tanks heated on a wood fire (details on request).

A Grand Château, Smallest Town and  Topiary Park

The 17th Century Château Modave, first mentioned in 1233, is located on a rocky outcrop near to the town of Huy offering amazing views of the Hoyoux Valley.  On a guided tour of the castle, there are 25 richly decorated and furnished rooms to discover adorned with stucco and 17^th century tapestries together with views over the valley.

After the visit continue to the picturesque and popular ‘smallest town in the world’, Durbuy, where the shops and cafes are set in narrow, flower bedecked and cobbled streets lined by old stone houses.  Enjoy some free time to explore and have some lunch.  Before leaving, make a visit to the largest topiary garden in Europe with over 250 animated cut box trees, which is located in the town centre and is free to enter.

Return to the hotel for our final dinner and evening in Belgium.

Optional extra:   Journey on the De L’Aisne Tramway at Erezee for a romantic one hour leisurely ride through the Ardennes landscapes on a restored heritage tram and carriages (details on request).

Return to the UK

Travel to Calais or Dunkerque for the ferry crossing back to the UK.