Durbuy old town and the Ourthe
1 hDog-friendlyAll year
Walk · 1 h · free · grey-stone lanes on the banks of the Ourthe
From BrusselsCar · 1 h 30
Durbuy–La RocheCar · 35 min
Topiary park€5
Adventure Valley€45 from 110 cm
La Roche castle€8.50
Best timeMay · Jun · Sep · Oct
What to do
What to do in Durbuy and La Roche-en-Ardenne
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Durbuy topiary park
1 hAll ages, with a pushchairDog-friendly1 March to 31 October from 10:00 to 18:00; in November and February until 17:00; in December and early January until 16:00; closed from mid-January to mid-February
Garden · 1 h · €5 · €1 for ages 6 to 12 · more than 250 boxwood figures
From €5
How to do it
© Adventure Valley DurbuyAdventure Valley: zip lines, via ferrata and a covered area
6 hChildren from 85 cm; the more demanding activities, from 140 cmDog-friendlyAccording to the park's calendar; Halloween events in autumn and Winter Valley in December
Adventure park · all day · €45 from 110 cm · €15 for 85 to 110 cm
From €45
Book
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Durbuy and La Roche-en-Ardenne, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Durbuy and La Roche-en-Ardenne
From May to October, when kayaking runs and the topiary park is green. In July, August and on sunny weekends Durbuy fills up: go on a weekday or early. In December there is a Christmas market; from mid-January to mid-February the topiary park is closed.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
Durbuy and La Roche-en-Ardenne your way
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Durbuy and La Roche by car
By car, Durbuy is an hour and a half from Brussels on the E411, exit 18, and La Roche-en-Ardenne about 35 minutes further along the Ourthe valley. It is the natural way to make this trip: Wéris, Adventure Valley and La Roche are outside the village.
110–200 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepLe Sanglier des Ardennes, five-star…
- DrivingE411 from Brussels and N929…
- Where to eatLa Bru'sserie, Wednesday to Sunday
- ServicesDurbuy old town car parks…
Where to sleep
- Le Sanglier des Ardennes, five-star in the old town
- Le Clos des Récollets, with covered parking
Driving
- E411 from Brussels and N929 to Durbuy
- From Durbuy to La Roche via Hotton, about 35 minutes
Where to eat
- La Bru'sserie, Wednesday to Sunday
- Le Clos des Récollets, except Tuesday and Wednesday
Services
- Durbuy old town car parks, €9
- Durbuy and La Roche tourist offices
Flight to Brussels or Charleroi and car to Durbuy
For Durbuy, fly to Brussels-Zaventem (BRU) or to Charleroi (CRL), with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities, and hire a car at the airport: Durbuy is a good hour and a half from Zaventem and a little less from Charleroi. By train you reach Barvaux via Namur or Liège, but with changes and a shuttle that does not run all year.
- Getting thereBrussels-Zaventem (BRU): hire car and…
- Getting aroundCar for Wéris, Adventure Valley…
- Where to sleepLe Sanglier des Ardennes, if…
- ServicesTrain to Barvaux and shuttle…
Getting there
- Brussels-Zaventem (BRU): hire car and E411 towards Namur and Luxembourg
- Brussels South Charleroi (CRL): hire car; via Namur to the E411
- Liège (LGG) has mostly cargo flights; do not count on it
Getting around
- Car for Wéris, Adventure Valley and La Roche
- Hire bike at the Durbuy and Barvaux offices
Where to sleep
- Le Sanglier des Ardennes, if you arrive late, in the centre
- Le Clos des Récollets, with covered parking
Services
- Train to Barvaux and shuttle, in season
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Who you're with
Durbuy and La Roche-en-Ardenne for whoever you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Durbuy and La Roche with children
Durbuy is small and made for strolling, and around it there are very clear plans for children: a garden of boxwood figures, an adventure park with a covered area for rainy days, dolmens in the countryside and a ruined castle at La Roche.
- What works bestThe topiary park, €1 for…
- Where to sleepLe Sanglier des Ardennes has…
- Where to eatA picnic in the topiary…
- Bear in mindLa Roche castle is not…
What works best
- The topiary park, €1 for ages 6 to 12 and free for under-6s
- Adventure Valley, with activities from 85 cm in height
- The Wéris dolmens, in the open air
- La Roche castle, with animations and a treasure hunt during holidays
- Kayaking the Ourthe, from 110 cm, in a double kayak with an adult
Where to sleep
- Le Sanglier des Ardennes has spacious suites
Where to eat
- A picnic in the topiary park or in the outdoor areas of Adventure Valley
Bear in mind
- La Roche castle is not accessible with a pushchair
- On summer weekends Durbuy's old town fills up
What to do as a family
Durbuy and La Roche with teenagers
For teenagers, the Ourthe valley has real action: the adventure park with via ferrata and free fall, kayaking on the river and the ruins of La Roche.
- What works bestAdventure Valley: via ferrata, tubing…
- Where to sleepEither of the two hotels…
- Where to eatLa Bru'sserie and its sharing…
- Bear in mindKayaking depends on the water…
What works best
- Adventure Valley: via ferrata, tubing and, from 140 cm, Superfly and free fall
- Kayaking 8 km from Durbuy to Barvaux, or 12 km at weekends with enough flow
- La Roche castle and its story of the Battle of the Bulge
- The Wéris dolmens, for anyone who likes prehistory
Where to sleep
- Either of the two hotels in the old town, within walking distance of everything
Where to eat
- La Bru'sserie and its sharing plates
Bear in mind
- Kayaking depends on the water level: in a dry summer the long stretch may close
- At Adventure Valley, book your pass during holidays
What to do with teenagers
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingif you're flying
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Le Sanglier des Ardennes
Why we like it: Five-star hotel in the very heart of Durbuy's old town, with a wellness area, suites and the restaurants of chef Wout Bru.
Hôtel Le Clos des Récollets
Why we like it: Small hotel with a restaurant in a seventeenth-century house in old Durbuy, on a quiet street, with covered parking.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Durbuy and La Roche-en-Ardenne
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
La Bru'sserie
What to order: the sharing menu of eight dishes to share, or the three-course one at lunchtime
Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00–14:30 and 18:30–21:30 · closed Monday and Tuesday
Le Clos des Récollets
What to order: one of the three-, four- or five-course menus
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday · book online
Map
Everything on the map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Nearby
Near Durbuy and La Roche-en-Ardenne
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
50.13° N · 5.19° E
Caves of Han (Han-sur-Lesse)
By planeBy carCar-free
50.49° N · 5.87° E
Spa
By carBy plane
50.65° N · 5.58° E
Liège
By planeCar-free
50.26° N · 4.91° E
Dinant
By planeCar-freeBy car
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Weekdays are better
On sunny weekends Durbuy fills up and parking is hard.
- 2Check the river before kayaking
Adventure Valley publishes every day which stretches are open depending on the water level.
- 3One car, two villages
Do Durbuy in the morning and La Roche in the afternoon: the castle is open until 17:00.
Durbuy is the most convenient gateway to the Ardennes from Brussels: a village of grey stone and slate roofs set in a bend of the Ourthe, beneath the castle of the Counts of Ursel, which advertises itself as "the smallest city in the world". Around it you have a garden with more than 250 boxwood figures, a large adventure park, the Wéris dolmens and, 35 minutes upriver, La Roche-en-Ardenne and the ruins of its feudal castle. Together they make a long day by car or a relaxed night away.
How do you get there from Brussels?
By car, about an hour and a half: the E411 towards Namur and Luxembourg, exit 18 for Durbuy, and the N929. Leave the car in the old town car parks, with a single rate of €9 and panels showing free spaces. From Durbuy to La Roche is about 35 minutes via Hotton.
Without a car it is complicated: the train on line 43, Liège–Jemelle, stops at Barvaux and Bomal, with a change at Liège or Namur, and a shuttle to Durbuy that only runs at certain times of year. For this trip, hire a car.
What to see in Durbuy?
Start with the old town and the Ourthe: an hour of lanes, the bridge and the riverbank with views of the castle, which is private. Next to it is the topiary park, €5 and an hour among animals and characters in boxwood, open every day except from mid-January to mid-February.
If you are travelling with children or teenagers, Adventure Valley needs the whole day: zip lines, a via ferrata, treetop walkways and a large covered area for when it rains, from €45. The same company rents kayaks to paddle the Ourthe from Durbuy to Barvaux, 8 km in two hours, from April to October and if the river has water.
Ten minutes away, at Wéris, are the most important dolmens in Belgium, about 5,000 years old, in open meadows, with a small museum at the Maison des Mégalithes.
What about La Roche-en-Ardenne?
La Roche is the other great village on the Ourthe: a closed meander, a slate village and, above it, the ruins of the feudal castle, €8.50 and about 45 minutes to visit, open every day from 11:00 to 17:00. The village was badly damaged in the Battle of the Bulge, in the winter of 1944. If you are interested in that history, continue to Bastogne, about 40 minutes away.
Where to eat and sleep?
In Durbuy, La Bru'sserie, by chef Wout Bru, serves sharing plates from Wednesday to Sunday, including Sunday lunchtime. Le Clos des Récollets cooks seasonal menus in a seventeenth-century house and is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
For sleeping, Le Sanglier des Ardennes is the village's five-star, with wellness and suites; Le Clos des Récollets is small, on a quiet street and has covered parking.
How long?
One day covers Durbuy, the topiaries and Wéris, or Durbuy and La Roche if you do not go into Adventure Valley. With children and the adventure park, better to stay a night. With more days, combine it with Dinant and the Caves of Han, less than an hour away.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Brussels to Durbuy?
About an hour and a half by car on the E411.
Can you go to Durbuy by train?
As far as Barvaux, changing at Liège or Namur, and a shuttle that does not run all year. It is much more convenient by car.
What is there to see in Durbuy in a day?
The old town and the Ourthe, the topiary park, the Wéris dolmens and, with children, Adventure Valley.
How much does the Durbuy topiary park cost?
€5 for adults, €1 for ages 6 to 12 and free for under-6s.
How far is it between Durbuy and La Roche-en-Ardenne?
About 35 minutes by car along the Ourthe valley.