Introduction
Dinant is a beautiful village in southern Belgium best known for its beer, views, and history. La Meuse River carves the beautiful landscape shaping canyons and the surrounding forest of this quaint town. Dinant is famed for the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Leffe, founding the present-day renowned beer. With tons of action packed into this tiny town, Dinant is a place worthy of a visit!
Brief history lesson of Dinant
Dinant is a tiny town with a population of roughly 12,000 inhabitants. However, this little town packs a lot of history. Dinant was the hometown of Adolphe Sax in the 19th century. That name probably sounds familiar because Mr. Sax was the inventor of the saxophone.
Additionally, Dinant is the birthplace of Leffe beer. For the beer connoisseur, this is especially cool because Leffe was one of the first beers made in the blond style. The Abbey of Notre Dame de Leffe was founded ages ago in 1152. The monks in the region created the brew as a healthy alternative to other drinks, as sicknesses were spreading rapidly throughout the region. Because of the local herbs and hops used in the brew, the beer has a particularly higher alcohol content in this region.
If you want a more detailed history lesson, I invite you to read more.
Where is Dinant?
Dinant is in Belgium’s southern Wallonia, positioned inside the providence of Namur. It is situated along the La Meuse River that forms the canyons through the town. Dinant lies within the Ardennes Mountain range, some of Belgium’s most prominent landscapes. If you head south from Brussels, you will notice the vast change in scenery as you swoop through this gorgeous and bumpy landscape.
How to get from Brussels to Dinant
The closest major city to Dinant is Brussels. It is also well connected with very frequent trips to and from the two.
The easiest way to access this beautiful oasis is by train. The journey will take you about 1.5 hours each way. Trains leave (roughly) every 20 minutes from the Brussels-Luxembourg station in Brussels. Belgian Train’s website is the best resource to check the accuracy of specific departure times. A one-way ticket is only € 7.10 if you are under 26 years of age, and € 14.50 for a full-priced adult.
You can also drive a car, taking a little over 1 hour to reach Dinant from Brussels.
My trip to Dinant
I went to Dinant on a day trip while visiting Brussels during the fall time. A day trip leaves enough time to properly explore the town and visit the renowned Leffe Abbey. Dinant is a hidden location that many do not know much about. It does not resemble the rest of the geographically flat Belgium. The Ardennes truly make a pretty landscape different from the rest of the country.
Dinant, and Belgium generally, is not a cheap place to visit. I spent a total of € 35 on train rides, beers, and attractions. Consider € 35 to be the bare minimum you can expect to pay when coming from Brussels by train. It would be easy to spend more, because almost every attraction in the town has an entrance fee.
I was partly drawn here from the imposing cliffs overlooking the city, and partly because of the famous beer that comes from Dinant. I love beer and the history of the monks making particularly strong beer here in the 12th century drew me to learn more. The pictures in this article are beautiful, but nothing compares to truly being there. Dinant is an underrated location, and I cannot recommend it enough.
What to do in Dinant
Tour Leffe Maison
Touring Leffe Maison is at the top of this list because my experience here was amazing. The Leffe Maison is a museum of the history of Leffe beer and the culture that surrounds it. The interactive exhibit takes you through time, starting at the beginning stages of the bottling process, explaining ingredients, and the history of Leffe’s famous glassware.
The ticket to enter the museum is € 10, which includes two Leffe beers comprising of one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic. If the weather is nice, there is a beautiful patio to enjoy your beers out to the side of the museum that overlooks the valley and the town of Dinant. Keep in mind that you need cash to buy your ticket to the museum.
Explore Grotte de Dinant la Merveilleuse caves
Dinant has some hidden caves that many would not expect! There are guided tours within specified times. The tours are available in English, Dutch, and French. If some cave exploring sounds like something you would like to do, I recommend checking out the Grotte de Dinant website to contact them for specific visiting times, as it often varies.
Walk over the Pont Charles de Gaulle
Pont Charles de Gaulle is the most picturesque spot in the city of Dinant. The bridge hangs over the la Meuse River through the beautiful valley of cliffs and forests. It also hosts the flags of over 50 nations.
Gaze at Collégiale Notre-Dame de Dinant
the Notre Dame de Dinant is a beautiful cathedral that blends perfectly into its surroundings. The cathedral was built during the 13th century. The gothic style of the dome gives an interesting feeling from the middle ages. The church is in the center of the town and is free to enter.
explore the old ruins of the Castle of Crevecoeur
The Castle of Crevecoeur is an old defensive structure built back in the 14th century. This attraction is slightly far away from the other attractions. It can be seen from Dinant and is a gorgeous hike! I recommend diving more into the history of this location.
Hike up to Citadelle de Dinant
The Citadelle de Dinant is the prominent structure that sits on a cliff overlooking the town. It is hard to miss when you are visiting Dinant. To get to the top of the rock, you can either walk up the stairs, take the cable car, or drive to the top around the back side. To get the most out of the experience, I recommend taking the 400 stairs that climb to the top of the cliff. No matter which way you want to go, it will cost € 11. This price gives you access to the beautiful hike and entrance to the structure. If you want the best view of the entire valley, take advantage of this cool opportunity.
Conclusion
Dinant is a beautiful hidden town in the Ardennes Mountains. With only a 2-hour train ride from Brussels, you could be in this picturesque Wallonia town. Dinant is perfect for either a day trip or a weekend getaway. Here, you can climb up a cliff to the Citadelle de Dinant, tour Dinant’s fascinating history of beer, or explore even explore a cave! This guide gave you basic knowledge of Dinant’s history while introducing some of the attractions that this region hosts.
