Wallonia encompasses the southern region of Belgium and is home to the bulk of the population of French-speaking Belgians. It's well-known for being home to idyllic castles and towns, each providing a bit of magic and bringing what seems like legends to life.
On our four-day roadtrip through Wallonia, we made sure to stop at as many castles as we could throughout the region. We did not go inside all of them, as some are only open on weekends or with private tours, but the fairytale-like views from the outside, this roadtrip provided just the inspiration we were after at the end of 2020.
Here's six castles we stopped at during our trip and some of the enchanting photos we captured along the way:
1. Château fort de Bouillon, Bouillon
€11 adults / €8.50 children & students
Sitting prominently near the border of France and the Ardennes, the Château fort de Bouillon is an impressive structure standing on an ideal geographic location, encircled on three sides by the River Semois and with stronghold hills all around.
The Château fort de Bouillon was first mentioned in 988 but there has been a castle on the site for much longer. Most notably, in 1082, the castle was owned by Godefroy de Bouillon, one of the most famous crusaders. He sold the castle to finance his First Crusade. The castle was later updated to include artillery for Louis XIV. At its peak, there were once 200 soldiers living and working here.
2. Château fort de Crèvecœur, Dinant
free
The ruins of this impressive castle have stumped historians as it seems the layout and purpose has changed many times over the years. Now, free to explore, the ruins offer a panoramic view over Dinant and the River Meuse. In fact, we skipped paying for the famous Dinant Citadel and opted for just the views from here, instead.
Looking over Dinant
3. Château de Walzin, Dinant
free (but cannot enter as it is private property)
Although you can't visit this castle as it is private property, you can walk along the river to the viewpoint. Here you can take in the views of one of the most impressive castles in the region built in the 13th century, perched high on the edge of a straight face of cliff.
We didn't quite make it to the viewpoint as it was flooded over from the rains, but the bridge view was great as well!
4. Château de Vêves, Dinant
€8 adults / €7 students / €5 children
Closed for COVID-19, we only got to see this elegant castle from the outside. The current castle was built in the 15th century after being burned down, but with history and foundations dating back to 670, the castle sits proudly on the popular route from Dinant to Rochefort.
5. Château de Corroy-le-Château, Gembloux
free (but cannot enter as it is private property)
This was, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful castles we saw in all Wallonia. Unfortunately, it is private property so you cannot enter the castle unless you pre-book a private tour, but the views from the bridge are exceptional and invoke all sorts of fairytale-like images.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
