Dinant Overview

Razed by the German army in 1914, Dinant (pop. 13,000) has managed to reinvent itself as a tourist destination because of its rich history and beautiful surrounding landscape. Dinant’s  citadel towers over the Meuse River. To see the spectacular view, you have to pay the €6.50 entrance fee and take a required 1hr. tour detailing Dinant’s bloody history. Buy tickets at 3-5 pl. Reine Astrid. (☎082 22 36 70. Tour in German and French. Open Apr.-Oct. daily 10am-6pm; Nov.-Dec. and Feb.-Mar. M-Th and Sa-Su 10am-5pm; Jan. Sa-Su 10am-5pm.) Descend into the beautiful depths of the Grotte Merveilleuse, 142 rte. de Phillipeville, 600m from the train station, for a witty 50min. tour of the cave’s limestone formations. With the train station behind you, take a right and follow signs to Phillipeville and La Grotte. Bring a jacket to avoid underground chills. (☎082 22 22 10; www.dinantourism.com. Open July-Aug. daily 10am-6pm; Apr.-June and Sept.-Oct. daily 11am-5pm; Dec.-Mar. Sa-Su 1-4pm. Tours 1 per hr., usually in English. €6.) Rooms in Dinant tend to be pricey, so try accommodations in nearby towns. Café Leffe , 2 r. Sax, named after the famous beer originally brewed in an abbey in Dinant, is past the bridge from the tourist office, on the left (☎082 22 23 72; www.leffe.be. Entrees €7-13. Open daily 11am-11pm. Reserve in advance. AmEx/MC/V.) Get set up to kayak at the Meuse at Anseremme. (☎082 22 43 97; www.lessekayaks.be. Kayaks €17-26.) To get to the tourist office from the train station, turn right, take the first left, and take another immediate left by the river. (☎082 22 28 70; www.dinant-tourisme.be. Open M-F 8:30am-6pm, Sa 9:30am-5pm, Su 10am-4:30pm; low season reduced hours.) Rent bikes at Raid Mountain-Bike, 15 r. du Vélodrome (☎082 21 35 35. €16-20 per day. Passport required.). Trains run to Brussels (1hr., 1 per hr., €11.10) and Namur (30min., 1 per hr., €4.10). The bike ride from Namur is 28km.