Wandering around Wallonia
Alex Middleton unearths a range of activities and attractions for groups in the French-speaking southern Belgian region of Wallonia.
Since Eurostar began running services between London’s St Pancras International and Brussels Midi Station in under two hours, the ancient Belgian region of Wallonia, situated to the south of Brussels, has never been more accessible to groups.
Featuring small medieval cities set in the wooded valleys of the Ardenne, your group can explore attractions ranging from nunneries to breweries and outstanding gardens. Most attractions can provide pre-booked groups with an English speaking guide upon request or you can contact the Belgian Tourist Office for Brussels and Wallonia in London and they will be happy to recommend a guide to accompany you for part or all of your trip. Each city also has its own independent tourist office, which will be able to help you arrange a group visit.
Namur, capital of Wallonia
The capital and cultural centre of Wallonia, the city of Namur offers your group an eclectic mix of attractions and activities to enjoy.
Set on a hill overlooking the city and the Meuse River, your group can take a guided tour of the once fortified but now ruined Citadel of Namur. Stepping into the ancient cellars and caves of the Citadel, your group can find Guy Delforge Perfumerie. Booking a guided tour will give your group a chance to see the Perfumerie’s sub-terranean work-rooms, which have a temperature ideally suited to storing the delicate oils used in the perfumes.
Moving down the hill from the Citadel to the city centre, your group can visit the ornate baroque Cathedral of St Aubin, which was built in a lively Italian style, unusual for the region. Nearby, you can book a guided tour of the Convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame, which houses a large collection of 13th century religious pieces in gold.
To take a look back at everyday life in the city’s past, meanwhile, your group can visit the Museum of Groesbeeck de Croix. Built for a wealthy family in the 18th century, the house and garden have been restored to their appearance in the 1750s. For the more daring, a less family oriented look into the city’s past can be taken at the Felicien Rops Museum, a short walk away. A controversial figure in the 19th century, Rops’ erotic works include risqué illustrations for a collection of poetic works by Baudelaire – ‘Les Fleurs du Mal’.
To explore the region by boat, meanwhile, there are a range of operators in the city which offer groups trips down the Meuse River to places such as Dinant.
Tournai and Mons
The only Belgian city to have ever been ruled by the English, Tournai was heavily fortified by Henry VIII in the early 16th century. To learn more about the city’s heritage, you can visit one of Henry’s remaining fortifications, the Red Tower, which features daily audio-visual shows in English that explore the medieval history of Tournai. Nearby, your group can also see a range of grand structures from this era such as the Great Tower, built by Henry in 1513, or the fortified bridge of Pont-des-trous.
With its five romanesque towers dominating the city’s skyline, the Cathedral of Notre Dame will also give your group a chance to learn more about Tournai’s medieval past. It is home to a number of fine works of art including pieces from 7th century Byzantium.
Jumping forward in time to the 20th century, your group can visit the Art Nouveau Museum of Fine Arts. The style of the Museum was radical when it was built in the 1920s and it houses a collection that includes works by artists such as Rubens, Monet, Seurat and Van Gogh. Not far from here, you will also find the Museum of Weapons and Military History, the Folklore Museum and the Museum of Tapestry and Textile Art. Meanwhile, for botanists and gardeners alike, the city centre’s park of rare and collectable plants, La Feuillerie, has English speaking guides on hand.
Travelling east out of Tournai, you will find the ancient city of Mons. Despite having been the setting for heavy fighting in the two World Wars, much of the historic city miraculously survived and the following decades saw many careful restoration projects. These days, Mons offers your group a range of sights to explore.
Near the Grand Place in the centre of the historic quarter, groups can take a tour of the Gothic-Flemish Collegiate Church of St Wardrou and the city’s 17th century baroque-style Belfry, which was recently classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Opposite the Church is the Francois Duesberg Museum. Set out in a 19th century building that once housed the National Bank of Belgium, its collections include rare works in gold and silverware, collectable books, porcelain and antique clocks. To explore the city’s culture scene further, there are a range of other museums within easy walking distance including the Museum of Fine Art, the Folklore Museum, the Museum of Military History and Van Gogh’s House; one of the artist’s former homes, it now houses a museum about his life featuring an English audio-visual display.
In the countryside north east of Mons, on the way to Brussels, you can see the site of one of the most influential battles in European history at Waterloo Battlefield, which features a visitors centre and small museum. Groups can also pre-book a private guided battlefield tour on a specially adapted all terrain truck.
A short distance from here, you can enjoy a guided tour of Villers Abbey. Established in the 12th century, the Abbey was destroyed during the French Revolution leaving a panorama of magnificent ruins.
Dinant, Durbuy and La Roche-en-Ardenne
Situated to the south of Namur, the small city of Dinant, set amongst the cliffs of the Ardenne on a broad stretch of the Meuse River, is packed with activities for groups.
On top of the cliffs above the city, you can find the medieval Citadel. Reached either by a steep climb or cable car ride, groups can book a guided tour of the ruined fortress which takes in both its prison and torture chamber. The site is also home to the city’s Military Museum, where you can explore the Citadel’s historic role in more depth.
In the city itself, the medieval Collegiate Church of Notre Dame with its Byzantine onion-shaped dome is also open to groups and features an extensive collection of late medieval religious art.
For jazz-lovers, the city was the home town of Adolphe Saxe, the inventor of the saxophone and celebrates its musical son each year with a number of events including a series of free Jazz Competitions that take place every Sunday at various locations throughout July and August. During these months, a number of the city’s boat operators also offer groups pre-booked Dinner and Jazz Cruises on the Meuse.
Moving out of the city into the nearby countryside, guided tours for groups are available at the large Benedictine Abbey of Maredsous. The Abbey also features a visitors centre with an exhibition to tell you more about the history of the monastic order and produces a range of local delicacies including cheeses, sausages and beers, all of which can be sampled if you pre-book a buffet for your group.
Travelling north east, your group can explore the small city of Durbuy, where you will find the centre filled with small stores, cafes and restaurants. A short walk from here, you will find the Topiary Park. Created 20 years ago, the Park features dozens of shaped box hedges depicting everything from exotic creatures to busty female nudes.
Taking your group south from Durbuy, you will find the small city of La Roche-en-Ardenne. Situated in a steep valley, the city is overlooked by the ruins of the feudal Castle of La Roche. The castle offers groups pre-booked guided tours and buffet catering for lunches.
La Roche-en-Ardenne is also home to several museums that explore the history of the area, such as the Battle of the Ardenne Museum.
Liege
Situated in the east of Wallonia, the city of Liege has been an important political and cultural centre in the region since the Middle Ages and is home to a range of important sites for your group to discover.
In the city centre, the Cathedral of Saint Paul counts amongst its art treasures 11th century carved ivory-work and 15th century royal gifts such as reliquaries and shrines. Nearby, St Bartholomew’s Church dates from the 11th century and houses a range of artwork from the late Middle Ages including moulded brass reliefs, whilst a visit to the Church of St James, also in the city centre, will give your group a chance to see the Flamboyant-Gothic style of architecture that was once characteristic of the region.
To learn about the city’s industrial heritage, you can head to the House of Ironworks and Industry Museum, which features pieces such as 19th century kilns and Napoleon’s zinc bath-tub.
Moving out of the city centre, you can learn about other local crafts such as glass-blowing on a guided tour of the Crystal Works at Val Saint Lambert.
Chateaux and gardens
From fairytale castles to water gardens that inspired the Kings of France, Wallonia offers your group a chance to explore a number of aristocratic residences that are little changed since the days of the French Revolution. The following selection of properties all offer group discounts on entry and guided tours in English.
In the province of Hainaut, you will find the moated castle of the Princes of Ligne, the Chateau de Beloeil. The grounds feature one of Europe’s finest renaissance gardens whilst the Chateau itself houses a broad art collection with pieces dating from the 15th to 19th centuries.
Moving east into the Namur region, the Chateau de Veves near the village of Celles is the turreted 15th century home of the Lords of Beaufort. Set around a courtyard lined with a half-timbered gallery, the Chateau features a large collection of rare porcelain and furniture.
Not far from here, north of the small rural city of Dinant, are the romantic 18th century water gardens of the Palace at Annevoie. Featuring over 50 fountains and waterfalls as well as classical statuary, the gardens will give your group the chance to explore a range of intriguing vistas created almost 300 years ago.
Staying near Dinant, the 17th century Chateau de Freyr and its renaissance gardens stretch alongside the banks of the Meuse River in a steep valley of the Ardenne. The gardens were laid out in their current style in the 18th century and feature orange trees and hedge maze watered by a system of ornamental fountains and ponds.
Moving east to the province of Liege, the baroque Chateau de Modave is set on the edge of a rocky ridge overlooking landscaped grounds and the surrounding nature reserve. The Chateau’s interior has been heavily restored and its salons with their elaborate 18th century ceiling mouldings have now been filled with antique furniture and porcelain.
Belgian brews
Producing over 1,000 different brands of beer each year, Belgium has a brewing tradition that stretches back centuries. Many of its breweries offer groups guided tours that explore the culture and heritage behind the beer-making process.
The Abbey of Notre-Dame de Scourmont in the province of Hainaut has been producing Chimay Beers for centuries. Groups can also pre-book meals and accommodation at the Abbey’s Poteaupré Inn.
Producing honey spiced beers and lighter blonde beers, the Brasserie la Binchoice in the town of Binche near Mons also features a Brewing Museum.
The Brasserie du Bocq in Purnode near Namur is a family-owned brewery specialising in traditional Walloon beers such as its peppery Saison Regal. Tasting sessions at the brewery will give you a chance to try some of the new beers that it develops every year.
The small family-run Brasserie Dupont in Tourpes, situated to the east of Tournai, produces a range of blonde, brown and red beers as well as a range of breads and cheeses infused with beer.
The Brasserie Ellezeloise, situated in Ellezelles in the Walloon province of Hainaut, brews a small selection of old and new beers including the recently developed Hercule range, named after Wallonia’s fictional son, Hercule Poirot.
How to get there
There are a number of direct flights from the UK to Brussels Airport, which is located about five miles from the city and a short drive north of the Wallonia region. Brussels Airlines operates from Gatwick, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Newcastle, Cyprus Airways from Birmingham, Manchester, Stansted and Heathrow, flybe from Exeter, Bristol, Southampton, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle and both British Airways and bmi operate from London Heathrow. Ryanair currently operates flights from Glasgow to Charleroi Airport, 20 miles south of Brussels in the heart of Wallonia and will begin flights to the same airport from Manchester in October.
By rail, Eurostar runs regular services to Brussels Midi Station from London’s St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet in Kent. The journey takes under two hours and Eurostar tickets will allow you to travel from Brussels to any other station in Belgium for no extra cost. These can be purchased through Eurostar or Rail Europe.
By bus, Eurolines runs a direct service from London’s Victoria Coach Station to Brussels with journeys taking approximately eight hours.
By road, Brussels and the Wallonia region is about 125 miles from Calais taking about two hours to drive. P&O Ferries and Seafrance both operate regular crossings from Dover. An alternative is to take a Norfolkline ferry from Dover to Dunkirk, which is about 100 miles from Brussels. In just 35 minutes, you can also travel by coach via Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais.
Our thanks to the Belgian Tourist Office: Brussels and Wallonia, Rail Europe and Hotel Mercure Dinant Castel de Pont à Lesse for their hospitality to Alex Middleton during his visit.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Belgian Tourist Office: Brussels and Wallonia
217 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9FJ
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7537 1132
Fax: +44 (0)20 7531 0393
Email: info@belgiumtheplaceto.be
Web: www.belgiumtheplaceto.be