Discovering the Beautiful Villages of Wallonie, Belgium

Many times when I explore Luxembourg and the neighbouring countries with my family, it’s hard for me to believe there is so much beauty so close to home.

In a recent search for new places to explore, I came across a list of the most beautiful villages of Wallonie, and I got curious. I set out to discover if any of these villages would be good for families, even ones with small children.

As is the new reality, make sure before setting out for any of the mentioned locations that you check for travel restrictions.. Also I should note that although you can visit these locations now, they will be much better in the post-covid times were are all dreaming about. Most of the places have beautiful cafes and nice restaurants that remain closed at the moment.

Spontin

We started with Spontin; what we loved about Spontin was the location of its playground, just next to the Medieval Castle and the Bocq river.

Although we couldn’t enter the castle, the children were very interested in it as we strolled in the little park attached to the playground. We also took a moment to take some nice photos with the Castle in the background.

It’s a really nice relaxing spot, you can let kids play while you enjoy talking to your partner or reading a good book (maybe about medieval times?).

Next we continued to Crupet village. I must say that was a big success with the kids but also for us. Crupet features a castle that looks a bit like Arendel from Frozen which help you understand the enthusiasm. Its unique architecture and location amazed the kids, my 6 year old said, “look mommy the castle is built in the water!”

We couldn’t take our eyes away from the castle; it was just beautiful! Opposite the castle there is a little store with antique cars that children can see from the big windows.

Crupet village must be walked by foot, as there are beautiful narrow streets with houses of the local architecture, a religious cave and make sure to stop by the Tourist Office where you can get information about the whole area.

Don’t miss the view of the Castle from “above”; it’s spectacular. Parking is possible at the public parking lot opposite the tourist office.

You can find more information about Crupet and the castle here!

Domaine de Ronchinne

If you would like to make an overnight stay in order to enjoy the area better, we highly recommend Domaine de Ronchinne, which is actually a castle type of hotel and still family friendly.

What we loved:

The location of the property. The nature in the Domaine is simply breath-taking. There are the most beautiful trees that I have ever seen in the area. There are even a few trees that you and the kids will be more than happy to try to climb. You can also enjoy a lake which can be seen from above on the beautiful big terrace of the hotel.

Facilities and activities:

The hotel has rooms in the big castle main building, but there are also other types of accommodation on the property. You will find a beautiful outdoor heated pool, tennis courts, a football court, playground, outdoor gym, badminton court, trampoline, numerous walking paths and many sports and outdoors activities.  There is even a beautiful magical treehouse. You can also get many board games and other games from the hotel or you can simply walk in the forest or stay back and relax in the beautiful atmosphere.

Once departing from the hotel, you can drive to Yvoir and see the Ile d’Yvoir a small island in the middle of the river which is a touristic attraction during summertime with a big playground.

And of course, you can then visit Dinant, if you haven’t done it already. Dinant has many things to see and enjoy!

All the above is not more than a 1h 20 min drive from the Luxembourg border to Belgium.

Can you imagine? Happy Exploration!