13 Absolute BEST Things to do in Dinant

There are so many great things to do in Belgium’s charming town Dinant.

Dinant is famous for being the hometown of the man who created the saxophone, it’s known for its breathtaking scenery, and for having one of the driest (yet most historically interesting) biscuits on earth – It’s definitely a town worth exploring!

We recently stayed 2 nights in beautiful Dinant, so we had the chance to visit all of the great landmarks in the city. To our delight, we quickly discovered that there are so many great things to do in Dinant in spite of its small size.

In this travel guide, we aim to share everything we learned about Dinant. This includes practical information such as how to get there and where to stay, and then we’ll of course list all of the best things you can do in Dinant.

Hopefully, this guide can help you get the most out of your visit to this little historical pearl in Belgium.

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Things to know before you visit Dinant

Why visit Dinant?

Before continuing this blog post, we want to say a few words about why Dinant is worth a visit. There are so many great places to see in Belgium, so why should you bother to visit Dinant?

First of all, Dinant is just beautiful. Located deep within the countryside of Wallonia, you’ll find some really beautiful landscapes here. The Meuse River is running through the town, there are several cliffs and caves in the area, and you can be sure to find beautiful hiking trails in the woods.

Secondly, Dinant is a great escape from the big cities in Belgium. If you’re a bit tired of the hustle and bustle of Brussels, then Dinant is the perfect day trip! But even though Dinant is a small town, there are still plenty of things to see and do – which this blog post will show you in a minute.

Lastly, Dinant is full of history. Especially the dark stories about Charles the Bold and World War 1 is just so interesting to learn about. Dinant is definitely a town that has endured some hardships over the years, yet it proudly keeps rebuilding itself, which is just so fascinating! A great way to learn about the history of Dinant is to visit the Citadel – but more about that later.

How to get to Dinant?

Since Dinant has a train station, it’s easy to get there with public transportation. There is a direct train from Bruxelles-Luxembourg Station to Dinant Station which takes 1 hour and 25 minutes and costs €14,5 for a one-way trip.

If you prefer to skip the public transportation and if you don’t have a car, then you can also join a guided tour to Dinant and Luxembourg. However, it’s only possible to join the tour group from Brussels 2-3 days a week or else you have to book a private tour.

Check availability for the guided tour in the box below:

Where to stay in Dinant?

We stayed 2 nights in Dinant at an affordable guesthouse named Les Voisins De Mr Sax.

It was really great, and we can really recommend this place! It was located right in the middle of the city center, we had a big spacious room with a private bathroom, and there was a shared kitchen with everything you needed to cook a meal. We paid around €100 per night.

If you prefer to stay in a hotel, then here are a few other good options in Dinant.

Consider staying at La Merveilleuse by Infiniti Resorts, which is an old monastery located on top of a hill overlooking the river and Dinant city center – and it’s where you’ll find Maison Leffe.

Another good option is ibis Dinant Centre. This hotel is a basic 3-star hotel, but it’s located right by the Meuse River, so it offers some excellent views – yet it’s pretty affordable.

Top things to do in Dinant

Now let’s move on to the main purpose of this blog post – discovering everything that Dinant has to offer! Here are the 13 best things you can do in Dinant. We hope you’ll have fun!

1. Explore the Citadel

The Citadel of Dinant is probably the most popular thing you can do in town.

The citadel is full of interesting history, it has the best views over Dinant and its surroundings, plus there are many great things to do and see while you’re here.

The citadel has always been an important part of the city because it used to defend Dinant against its enemies. In the year of 1040, the Prince-Bishop of Liège built a fortress on the rock where the citadel lies, however, it was destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. It wasn’t until 1819 when the Dutch army arrived and constructed the citadel as we know it today.

During our visit, we learned a lot about the citadel and its importance to the city. But my favorite parts were seeing the beautiful view of Dinant and then of course experiencing the collapsed shelter which challenges your balance in a fun way!

You’ll also walk through the citadel’s many chambers, learn about life in the garrison, and you can follow a 150-meter long tunnel that tells the story of Dinant during World War 1. It’s honestly super interesting!

You can either walk the 408 steps to the top of the citadel or take the cable car. We chose to walk up – I mean, Worldwide Walkers should mean something. Right? The ticket price is actually the same whether you walk up or take the cable car – so just do what you feel. But mind the very steep steps to the top.

The entrance fee to the Citadel of Dinant in 2024 is as follows: It costs €12 per adult and €10 per child. You can also buy the combined ticket that includes the citadel and a river cruise for just €20 per adult and €15 per child.

The opening hours to the Citadel vary according to the season – see the table below for more information:

Season/Time of year	Opening hours 2024
April – September	Every day 10 AM – 6 PM
October – 11th November	Every day 10 AM – 5:30 PM
11th November – March (Except January)	Every day (Except Friday) 10 AM – 4:30 PM
January	Only open during weekends

2. Visit the Cathedral

The most iconic building of Dinant is definitely the cathedral – also known as Notre Dame de Dinant. It’s a gothic cathedral that dates back to the 13th century, it has a long and interesting history, and it’s known for its round pear-shaped bell tower.

In one of the chambers of the church (to the right upon your entry), you’ll find a short documentary about the church. Here you can learn more about the history of Notre Dame and of Dinant itself. So take a seat and spend 10 minutes getting to know the history – it’s honestly super interesting and it makes you understand Dinant better.

One thing is for sure, visiting Dinant’s cathedral is without a doubt one of the things you must do if you really want to get to know this charming, little town in Belgium.

The Dinant Cathedral is free to visit, and it’s open every day – but the opening hours differ depending on the season:

Season/Time of year	Opening hours 2024
Summer (01/04-31/10)	9 AM – 6 PM
Winter (01/11-31/03)	9 AM – 5 PM

3. Stop by the Sax Museum

If you visit Dinant, then you’ll quickly notice a recurring theme – there are saxophones everywhere! Why? Because the creator of the saxophone was born here.

Adolpe Sax was born on the 6th of November 1814 in a house in Dinant. Today this house has been turned into a small museum where you can learn all about Adolphe Sax’s life and how the saxophone (among other instruments) came to life.

It’s a very small museum and it won’t take more than 15 minutes to visit. The Sax House is completely free to enter, and it’s open every day from 9 AM to 7 PM.

So make sure to pay a visit to the Sax House. Oh, and don’t forget to take a picture with the statue of Mr. Sax, who’s sitting in front of the house. It’s an absolute must-do for any tourist in Dinant!

4. Count the saxophones!

Talking about saxophones… Dinant is full of them.

There are so many saxophone statues placed around town – You’ll find most of them on the Charles de Gaulle Bridge, but really, they’re everywhere. So I had a little game with myself to see how many statues I could count during our visit, and if I remember correctly then it came to 32 saxophones!

The saxophone statues are super colorful and they often represent a country. It’s honestly pretty cool. Write a comment below and let me know how many saxophones you found during your trip to Dinant.

5. Try the Dinant cookie

The most iconic thing you can eat in Dinant is the “Couque de Dinant”, which is basically the driest and hardest cookie I’ve ever tried in my life… However, this little treat has so much history behind it that it’s an absolute must try in Dinant.

The cookie originates from the 15th century when the town was besieged by Charles the Bold and there was a lack of food in Dinant. That’s when people had the idea to create something from the supplies that was left in town – flour and honey.

So, the dough of Couque de Dinant only consists of flour and honey, which is kneaded by hand before it’s flattened and pressed into moulds with different motives. It’s then baked in an oven at a high temperature ranging from 250 – 320 degrees celcius. The last step of the process is to let the cookie cool down …and become extremely hard.

We bought our Couque de Dinant for €5 at “Maison Jacobs Fabrique de Couques” on Rue Grande 147. We chose the motive of a rooster because it’s the symbol of the Walloon Region in Belgium, but you can choose many other motives in the shop.

It’s actually pretty cool to just stop by and see the motives whether you want to try the cookie or not.

When we bought the cookie, we were advised not to bite into it because of its hardness, but instead break pieces off and suck on them or dip them into coffee. That’s how you eat the Dinant biscuit without losing any teeth.

While I may not sell this cookie very well on this blog, I still advise you to go and try it!

6. See the War Memorial of 1914

Another thing to do in Dinant is to visit the War Memorial of 1914. The memorial was inaugurated in 2014, marking the 100 year date since Dinant lost many of its innocent citizens to the first World War.

The memorial is specifically dedicated to the victims of the 23rd of August 1914, when the germans took Dinant, destroyed many of the city’s buildings, and executed a total of 674 civilians.

You can freely enter the memorial at any time, and while you’re there, you can read the information board and see the pictures from when the germans took control of Dinant in 1914.

There is also a nice view of the river from the memorial, so make sure to go here and enjoy and appreciate a moment of peace – A privilege the people of Dinant didn’t have in 1914.

7. Rent a boat

One of the most popular and fun things to do in Dinant is to rent a boat.

The rental boats are located in the Meuse River right by the cathedral and Café Leffe. They’re electric boats, so they don’t pollute the Meuse River and they’re easy to sail.

Boat rental in Dinant is open daily from April 1st, and it’s closed during winter. The opening hours range from 10 AM – 6:30 PM, and one boat costs €59/hour in 2024 (up to 7 people are allowed in the boats, so you can split the cost).

8. Do a river cruise

Don’t want to be your own captain, but still want to see Dinant from the river? Then go on a river cruise!

There are several river cruises you can do in Dinant – some last 45 minutes, some are 2 hours long, and some last for days! Since we never did a river cruise we can’t share our experience of this.

However, you can buy the combined river cruise/citadel ticket for just €20 per adult if you want to save some money.

9. Visit the Merveilleuse Cave

The absolute coolest things to do in Dinant (literally, I was freezing cold) is to visit the Merveilleuse Cave! Also known as “Grotte de Dinant la Merveilleuse”, which translates into “The Wonderful Cave of Dinant”. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful caves in Belgium – and it’s only a 10 minute walk out of the city center.

Visiting the Merveilleuse Cave was without a doubt the biggest experience we had in Dinant. Walking several 100 meters underground and discovering chamber after chamber while getting dripped on by stalagmites was just so incredible!

We paid €10 per person (2022 prices), and it took us a small hour to reach the surface again. We really enjoyed it, and it was such a great place to cool off during the heatwave of August. You can either enter by yourself, like we did, or buy a guide to take you around.

We can’t find the exact opening hours of Merveilleuse Cave in 2024, but expect it to be something like this: Weekdays from 12 AM – 4 PM and weekends from 11 AM – 4 PM. Basically, just go by the cave during the middle of the day and you will most likely be able to enter.

10. Drink beer at Maison Leffe

One of the best things to do in Dinant, if you love beer, is to visit the House of Leffe. While the beer actually originates from Leffe Abbey, which you can also visit in Dinant, you’ll still learn about the history of Leffe while walking the old corridors of an ancient monastery.

It costs €12 to visit House of Leffe, which also includes a beer tasting and a gift. House of Leffe is open daily from 11 AM to 7 PM. But if you want to enjoy the old monastery a little bit longer, then you can always book a room at the La Merveilleuse Hotel, which is located at the House of Leffe.

You can see the House of Leffe from the city center of Dinant, so it’s only a short walk uphill to get there. And whether you visit the house or not, we still advise you to go here and enjoy the great view over Dinant!

11. Walk to Leffe Abbey

Want to see where the Leffe Beer was actually made? Then you should head to the Leffe Abbey. The Abbey was founded by the Premonstratensian canons of Floreffe in 1152. Less than 100 years later, in 1240, the canons began to brew beer.

The beer became very popular with the people of Dinant because back in the Middle Ages it was safer to drink beer than water. Unlike drinking water, the beer was boiled during the brewing process, so all the microbes got killed – thus making it safer to drink.

So basically, beer saved lives. Okay, maybe that’s a bit farfetched… But it was very popular with the people back then, and it still is today!

Walking from the city center to Leffe Abbey takes about 10-15 minutes. However, you can only do a guided tour in the weekends of July and August. So don’t expect to see anything but the old buildings if you come any other time than this.

12. Go on a hike

There is so much beautiful nature in the area of Dinant, so you can easily strap on your best shoes and go for a hike!

While we didn’t have time for this activity during our stay (plus we felt exhausted from the 30+ degrees celcius), we would still have loved to do it. The area is known for rocks, cliffs, forests, rivers, and caves. So if you want to get into nature, then just follow your feet and get going!

13. Take a day trip to Maredsous

Not only are there many great things to do in Dinant, but the whole area surrounding this little town is full of some great places to explore!

You can find a lot of beautiful, old abbeys in the area or you can go visit some enchanting caves.

We chose a day trip to beautiful Maredsous Abbey to taste the beer and cheese they make here. We luckily had a car since we were visiting Dinant with Glenn’s family, but you can also get here with public transportation.

There is a direct bus line from Dinant to Maredsous (line #35), but it doesn’t go that often, so check the timetable on Google Maps before you set out on your day trip.

Our 3 favorite things to do in Dinant

So, what was our 3 favorite things to do in Belgium’s beautiful Dinant? In this section we’ll give you our top 3 recommendations for what to do in the town if you only have a limited time here. This hopefully helps you choose what things to go for while you’re here.

1. The Citadel: The Citadel is just a must-visit on your trip to Dinant because it has it all. It has the views, it’s historical, and it’s full of great information, plus there are even some interactive exhibitions about the war in the citadel. It’s the best place to explore if you really want to get to know Dinant’s history.
2. The Merveilleuse Cave: We absolutely LOVED exploring the cave. It’s so fun and adventurous, and it’s probably the experience, which we found most spectacular. Walking hundreds of meters below earth is just something extraordinary.
3. The saxophones: We loved exploring everything that had to do with Mr. Adolpe Sax. He’s just such a big part of Dinant! Learning more about him, his life, and the way he created instruments is just a must. So make sure to visit the little Sax Museum and see all the different statues of saxophones on the way.

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We hope you enjoyed this blog post about all the best things to do in Dinant. It was our second time here, and we absolutely loved it. Dinant is such a charming little town that shows you a different side of Belgium – it totally stands in contrast to the large cities of the country.

Hopefully this blog post was helpful to you – or else just ask any questions in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading and happy travels!

First time in Belgium? Read this blog post: 35 things Belgium is famous for. Want to discover more great cities in Belgium? Check out:

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• Things to do in Bruges
• Things to do in Brussels