Top 10 Things To Do In Dinant, Belgium (only 90 minutes from the Spa-Francorchamps Racetrack)

If you have some more spare time before or after visiting the Spa-Francorchamps Racetrack, we highly recommend a trip down the road to the town of Dinant – birthplace of the saxophone! We’ve spend several days in the area and can assure you – it’s well worth taking more time to stay in the region because there is lots to see and do – even if the Belgian tourism people don’t want you to know about it, but we’ll help you out!

Only 90 minutes from Spa-Francorchamps, you’ll easily wish you had more time to spend there – even if you visit all our recommendations in this article! Our advice: for at least one night stay in a hotel or rent an Airbnb!

Here’s our list of things to see and do (details below)….

Leffe Museum
Grotte La Merveilleuse
The Citadel / Citadelle
Collegiale Notre-Dame
Charles-de-Gaulle Bridge
Adolphe Sax Statue & Museum
Sax & The City – Walking Tour of The City
Meuse River
Parc de Furfooz
The Town/City

Entering The City/Town of Dinant

We recommend you visit the Leffe Museum and Grotte La Merveilleuse – they are very close to each other, then go to The Citadel of Dinant / Citadelle after that – more explanation below….

Leffe Museum (pronounced: Leff-ah) in Dinant – The museum offers an interactive experience that explores the history of Leffe beer, which dates back to 1240 when it was first brewed by the monks of the Notre-Dame de Leffe abbey. Enjoy a Leffe beverage on the patio and receive a Leffe glass as part of the ticket price. Open daily from 11am to 7pm, with the last entrance at 6pm. The ticket price is 15€

Grotte La Merveilleuse – Less than 3 minutes by car (10ish if you walk) from the city centre. The 50-minute tour starts every hour at top of the hour. Parking is plentiful and free (toilet facilities are very basic) and there is a snack bar. The friendly guide speaks French, Dutch, very good English and waits for everyone to get close before starting his information so you never miss out.

Address: Rue de Philippeville 142, 5500 Dinant, Belgium / Price: Adults €10.00 / Children €6.00 Website

*** NOTE: There is a discount for the river boat cruise in conjunction with the ticket to Grotte la Merveilleuse. Others on TripAdvisor have stated that if you visit the Citadel you get a €2 discount here – and vice-versa. Apparently, you can also get a €2 discount at the Leffe Beer Museum just down the street a MUST visit!

*** T-B Tip: Drive to the Citadel and park for free. Pay admission to the Citadel and then take the cable car down into the city centre. Wander around, visit the bridge, museum and saxophones, then take the cable car back up and enter the Citadel. Not only do you get to use the cable car, but it negates trying to find a very tough-to-find parking spot (€1/hr) in town. Also, thanks to extensive comment reading on TripAdvisor, the guided tour of the Citadel is included, but not obvious (numerous people complained about this), and is apparently very good, taking you to areas that you can’t get to by yourself and get to see some spectacular views too.

The Citadel of Dinant / Citadelle – Address: Citadel Road, 1 to B-5500, Dinant / Website

Price: €8.50 includes cable car into city centre (or take 408 stairs) // €14 citadel + cable car + river cruise. NOTE: As mentioned, there is a discount in conjunction with the ticket to Grotte la Merveilleuse. Others on TripAdvisor have stated that if you visit the Citadel you get a €2 discount there, and vice-versa. Apparently you also get a discount at the Maison Leffe Beer Museum.

Collegiale Notre-Dame – No matter which way you come into city you can’t miss this church – it stands front and centre right in the middle of the city below the Citadel. Built in 1275 it has a rich history and connection to the city of Dinant as well as both World Wars. It’s not huge inside but has quite remarkable stained glass windows.

Cost: Free (optional donation boxes inside). Closed 12-1pm

Charles-de-Gaulle Bridge – The Meuse River splits the city of Dinant through the middle and the Charles DeGaulle Bridge connects the two parts of the city right at the centre. The pathway on the bridge is nice and wide with each side having numerous colourful saxophone sculptures in honour of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone who was born there in 1814. Each sculpture has a plaque explaining which European country is depicted on the giant saxophone. There are plenty of opportunities to take pictures on the bridge and the locals just walk by like you don’t exist. On one side of the river is a bronze statue of De Gaulle recalling his participation in the defense of the Citadel during the First World War (he went on to become the French President from 1959 – 1969).

Adolphe Sax Statue And Museum – Dinant is a very small city. On the same side of the street as the Collegiale Notre-Dame (on Rue Adolphe Sax) – about 100 metres away, is the Adolphe Sax Statue and Museum. You can’t miss it, just follow the street posts made of saxophone parts and the bronze footsteps embedded in the pavement. When you spot the statue, you’ll see the museum behind it. The museum is tiny, but you have to visit it if you’re in Dinant. Website

Sax & The City – A Self-guided walking tour of the city. Website

Meuse River – River Cruise – 3 choices… 45 minutes, 2 hours and 3 ½ hours. Dinant Evasion is one of the key operators offering these cruises, with options ranging from short 45-minute trips to longer 2-hour journeys. The cruises start from Dinant town centre and pass through scenic areas, including the Bayard Rock, Ile d’Amour island, Pont Saint Jean bridge, the Anseremme lock and the Freÿr Castle. Website

There’s also another option: take the helm of one of the free license electric boats. Website

Parc de Furfooz – About 15 minutes south of Dinant, this woodland park has walking trails, prehistoric caves, a Roman fortress, Roman baths (rebuilt from their ruins), fantastic views, huge rocks and a pathway down to the Lesse River. Sounds great and yet another reason to return to this area again! Website Address: Rue du camp Romain, Dinant 5500, Belgium

Price: Adults – € 4.00 / Students (under 25) and seniors – € 2.00

If you’re travelling from the Spa-Francorchamps Racetrack area, there’s plenty of other great places to visit on your way to Dinant. Read our other article: Top 10 Things To Do Near The Spa-Francorchamps Racetrack

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About TravelBloggers…
Iain & Gail started blogging in order to inspire and motivate people to travel the world from their perspective – specializing in having the most fun while using the least amount of money…travelling on the cheap without sacrificing comfort.

** In the end you will only regret the things you didn’t do **