By rail
Dinant, ~1.5 h from Brussels
Europe · Belgium
Dinant, Belgium
A citadel above the Meuse
Getting there
By air
Brussels (BRU), ~1.5 h
Best time to visit
May to September — summer
Don't miss
The Citadel
The Collegiate Church
The Meuse
The Grotte La Merveilleuse
Things to do
The citadel
Boat trips on the Meuse
The caves
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Own work · Public domain
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
Kayaking the Lesse river
Questions travellers ask
How far is Dinant from Brussels?
About 1.5 hours by train. Brussels (BRU) airport is about 1.5 hours away as well.
What's worth a look in Dinant?
The Citadel above the Meuse, the Collegiate Church and the Grotte La Merveilleuse. Take a boat trip on the Meuse, too.
Can I go kayaking near Dinant?
Yes — kayaking the Lesse river is a local hidden gem.
What are couques de Dinant?
Hard honey biscuits. Pick some up on a summer visit, between May and September.
About Dinant
- Riverside
Where it is
Dinant is a small town in the province of Namur in Wallonia, southern Belgium, on the banks of the River Meuse in the Ardennes, squeezed beneath tall limestone cliffs.
History
In the late Middle Ages Dinant was so famous for its finely cast brass wares that such work is still called dinanderie, until the Dukes of Burgundy sacked and burned the town in 1466. Its position on the Meuse made it a strategic prize in many wars, and in August 1914 much of the town was destroyed during the German invasion; it was rebuilt below its citadel and the onion-domed Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame.
People
Dinant's people speak French, and the town is known for the couque de Dinant, a rock-hard honey biscuit pressed into carved wooden moulds. Tourism on the river and in the surrounding Ardennes is a mainstay of local life.
Known for
- The citadel above the town
- The Collegiate Church and its onion dome
- Boat trips on the Meuse
- Kayaking on the Lesse
- Couques de Dinant, hard honey biscuits
Did you know?
Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, was born in Dinant in 1814, and giant saxophones painted in the colours of different countries line the town's bridge across the Meuse.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.