Top Things to do in Namur Province
What to do and see in Namur Province, Wallonia: The Best Things to do
Discover the best top things to do in Namur Province, Belgium including Citadelle (Citadel), Felicien Rops Museum (Musee Felicien Rops), Parc de Furfooz, Cave of Lorette-Rochefort, Citadelle de Dinant, Eglise Collegiale Notre-Dame, Domaine Des Grottes De Han, Grotte La Merveilleuse, Maison Leffe, Charles-de-Gaulle Bridge.
Restaurants in Namur Province
1. Citadelle (Citadel)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,151 reviews
Reviewed By karanvivek - Evere, Belgium
Beautiful castle .. with wonderful view from every level Best way to explore castle is by foot (walk up), stay at every level (there are plenty of sitting spaces here and there) There are car parking at the highest level and at a level below (just next to Parfumes of Namur shop) One can easily spend whole day here .. there is a museum, an expo and small yet beautiful shop, cafe and train ride, small kids play area and plenty of open space to sit around and relax
2. Felicien Rops Museum (Musee Felicien Rops)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 251 reviews
Reviewed By periandro - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
The building inside which there is the Museum is a nice house dating back to the seventeenth century situated in 12, rue Fumal to where it moved in the eighties of the twentieth century from the Hôtel de Gaiffer d’Hestroy. The Museum is located in the hub of Namur at a walking distance from the Cathedral. That can be clearly realized by casting a glance through the two looking boxes directed to Saint - Aubain Cathedral and St. Jean church, very interesting views by the way. The works by Rops displayed in that Museum represent a unique art conception encompassing divers types of slide arts. So, one can see there some lithographs which were published in the Uylenspiegel journal, such as the caricature of the French photographer Nadar and “La politique pour rire”. It’s amazing to realise how in the satirical drawings concerning the series to which the last mentioned lithographs belong Rops referred to the Belgian constitution and blended humour with parliamentary decisions. The “Uylenspiegel , journal des débats, artistiques et literaires” was a magazine founded by Rops himself and therefore the real starting point of his artistic career. His art production at that time wasn’t constricted to lithographs and the proof thereof is the oil painting “L’Entrée au bal”. It’s a striking picture in that Museum at the sight of which it’s easy to gather that Rops’s concerns didn’t fall within the academic teaching which enjoined geometric rigour and perfect identification of forms. Likewise the lithograph “La Médaille de Waterloo” is a striking work particularly as it depicts the army as a mass of absurd skeletons. This work is an example of Rops’s political commitments as it shows a dwarf senile Emperor supporting himself with a cane in the middle of a radiant Waterloo medal . “La Peine de Mort” is also a witness of the author’s political commitment as a contribution against death penalty. In his works within the scope of realism style the denouncement of the hypocrisy of certain people is outstanding. In them Rops painted what he saw. That’s why he was accused sometimes of making anticlerical works, as it was the case in connection with “Chez les Trappistes” and in “Un Enterrement en Pays Wallon”. Both litographs are eye catching as they denounce the perversity and the stupidity of the clergy respectively. The latter should be observed attentively in order to realise the solitude in which the little orphan in front of the grave finds himself as he doesn’t get a single gesture of consolation or tenderness from the other people attending the burial. The painting “Tête de Vieille Anversoise” is in realism style. In it the piercing and scrutinizing gaze of the elderly lady depicted in it is somewhat terrifying. Among Rops’s works somehow related to the French poet Charles Baudelaire exhibited in the Museum one could point out “La Mort qui danse”, “Les Épaves”, consisting in etching and dry-point, destined to be the frontispiece for Charles Baudelaire’s work “Les Épaves”, and “Satan semant l’ivraie”. The last one depicts a frightening scene in which the devil tramples on a freshly ploughed soil spreading away the rye grass that will destroy the farmers’ harvest. Rops was also very skilled in the technique of engraving what can be observed in two sketches exhibited in the Museum which he made to be used as a frontispiece for “Les Oeuvres Inutiles et Nuisibles” 1879 - 1880 consisting of two albums, the first one opening with a naked woman and the second album with the same drawing on the same woman dressed in her city dress. It’s amazing to watch these two drawings which somehow remind of the paintings of the Majas by Goya. Perhaps the most interesting sections of the Museum are the works having women as the main character. In the works included in one of those sections some prostitutes are portrayed as well as scenes in women’s bars, cabarets and brothels. The world of prostitution really fascinated the artist. That section consists of drawings, heliogravures prints, pastels and colour etchings. All the women represented in those works are beautiful as one can see in the following ones: “La Buveuse d’Absinthe”, “La Dèche”, “Le Gandin Ivre” and “Le Bouge à Matelots”. In another section Rops tried to reflect the fact that at the end of the nineteenth century women were often considered as manipulating. The charming character of all women depicted in those works is outstanding. Watching them one can be astounded at realising that women possess whatever is needed to procure for themselves all that they want from men. This can be clearly observed in Rops’s versions of “Dame au Pantin et à l’Éventail”, made each one of them using different techniques though the watercolour is present in all of them. In the fourth version, for instance, the lady carries a knife on her belt and, with a satisfied expression, holds up a puppet whose position calls up its submissive role. The picture “Pornocratés” ou “La Dame au cochon” is perhaps Rops’s most widely known work. It’s a stunning work depicting a lady dressed only in gloves, black stockings and a Gainsborough hat who walks proudly over the ancient arts that are sculpted and set into the marble. Three little cherubs try to seduce the woman, who continues its way guided by a pig. It’s a marvelous painting. Upon suggestion of Jules Noilly, Rops created more than a hundred sketches of lifestyles outlining the bourgeois hypocrisies of the time. In the Museum there are about twenty of them which are splendid artworks that can no doubt be admired by anyone having a bit of sensitiveness. One among the most interesting of them is perhaps “La Chanson de Chérubin” representing a scene in a boudoir saturated with red. That scene is about a vulgar bourgeois singing a serenade to a prostitute who has a vague look and is undressed. Another precious picture of that series is that called “La Toilette” showing a woman of doubtful reputation and morals dressing herself under the interested gaze of a dandy, lacing her corset, her eyes riveted on those of her lover. She reveals herself to be manipulating and dangerous. In the journeys that Rops made to evade himself from Paris and so discover other realities, he also continued carrying out his artistic activity. The most outstanding artworks displayed in the Museum in relation to those intervals are the oil on canvass paintings “La Plage de Heyst”, which is the impression of the atmosphere of a visit to the North Sea, and “Le Paysage Scandinave” in which he used a post-impressionist technique, as well as that called “Vue de Séville”. As far as the rest of the works to be admired in the Museum is concerned, that painting called “Avendre (Les Deux Amies)” is the most outstanding. It depicts two ladies, one of them consisting of a stunning nude comparable to those of Toulouse-Lautrec. Besides, on the day I visited the Museum, 14.01.2020, the temporary exhibition was also very interesting. It consisted of paintings borrowed from other Belgian museums and included even one by Ensor. As one can gather from the foregoing the Rops Museum is a unique art museum housing highly valuable works different from those which can be seen in most museums. Such works are both very peculiar and beautiful. In order to realize such qualities it’s therefore utterly recommendable to visit the Museum and watch attentively all the works there exhibited.
3. Parc de Furfooz
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 225 reviews
Near the doors of the Ardennes, along the Lesse, near Dinant, park and nature reserve of Furfooz invites you to discover through a nature walk
Reviewed By johanac34 - Prague, Czech Republic
We started the day with this nice tour around the hills. It is really clean, sign are clear and the cave are nice surprises. Strongly recommended with kids with the lamp of your mobile. Explore them. Nice bar in the middle of the way where you meet the kayakistes.
4. Cave of Lorette-Rochefort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 75 reviews
5. Citadelle de Dinant
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,772 reviews
It was between 1818, and 1821, during the Dutch occupation, that the citadel was built in its current form. Throughout the kitchen, the bakery and the forge, you will discover the daily life of 400 soldiers that were living there. Don't forget to visite our new space 1914-1918, explaining all the fights that took place in dinant during the first world war.
Reviewed By Charlies-Antoine
We have spend 3h here with the family, well organised and highly interesting, views are mind blowing, afterward we too the cable car to have a drink at Le Cerf Vert which is probably the most beautiful bar / bistro in Dinant, a little gem!
6. Eglise Collegiale Notre-Dame
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 491 reviews
Reviewed By johanac34 - Prague, Czech Republic
This nice church looks like a small cathedral. The stones are nice and the glass are really well decorated. Protected by the rock, it creates a nice atmosphere.
7. Domaine Des Grottes De Han
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,595 reviews
Visit the Domain of the Caves of Han and experience a magical encounter with the sheer majesty of nature. Discover the Cave of Han and venture into the Wildlife Park… Prepare to be amazed!
Reviewed By Elwing - Antwerp, Belgium
I went here when I was a kid once, and returned not expecting a whole lot more than a bit of nostalgia, but there is a lot more to it than that. I wish I'd come earlier in the day as there was so much to see! This is a set of attactions, which includes a museum of archeological finds, that I did not have enough time for to see, and a museum that shows mannequins involved in old timey occupations, which was endearing. The main things are the animal park and the caves though. The animal park is visited in a safari bus, it has all the larger native European animals, and the landscape is stunning. The caves were much more impressive than I remembered them. It is quite a walk underground, something like 2 kilometres and 500 steps, so this is not something for the very young or very old. Of course, this complex of caves has been open to the public for 200 years, which means it is not in pristine condition. But the sheer size of it, the size and the variation of rock formations, and the whole presentation of it is truly impressive. The guide was lovely, and there is a short, artistic light show halfway trough. If you do not speak French or Dutch you may want to ask for help at the information desk, as this is a destination that mostly sees visitors from Belgium and the Netherlands.
8. Grotte La Merveilleuse
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 234 reviews
Reviewed By high_low73 - Bergen, Norway
The Cave 'La Merveilleuse' might very well be our best experience, as far as sights go, in Dinant. The cave consists of many separate rooms that characterize this fascinating natural phenomenon. La Merveilleuse (The Marvellous) was discovered in 1904, and is in private hands. we experienced stalagmites, stalactites and small running water as we wondered through the lovely chambers. The tour took about an hour before we climbed back to daylight. The most amazing was the tour guide that with his knowledge and humour made it all come to life and made it an unforgettable tour. We had plenty of time to look around on our own and take some pictures. A bit kitschy shop at the entrance, and the toilet facilities were horrible. But cave and guide were fabulous!
9. Maison Leffe
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 514 reviews
Opening hoursHigh season(From Easter holidays until autumn holidays + Christmas holidays + spring break):Open from Tuesday until Sunday 11 am - 7 pm.Low season(After Christmas holidays until before Easter holidays ):Open from Friday until Sunday 11h00 - 19h00.
Reviewed By joaquims504 - Copenhagen, Denmark
The maison has an awesome atmosphere. The museum is not guided, just videos like a documental. For only €7 you get a 3 x 75ml leffes or a small bottle, your choice. After you leave you can have a bottle or a leffe cup (awesome). You have a great view from the maison, in the photos you can confirm it. Free place to park, in the rest of the city I think it is €0,1 x hour and the first 90 minutes are free. You can leave the car there and just walk throw Dinant, it is just 500m or less from the center.
10. Charles-de-Gaulle Bridge
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 644 reviews
Reviewed By ASeenath - County Durham, United Kingdom
The Charles-de-Gaulle Bridge in Dinant offers splendid views of the city landscape. In addition, it is one of the more impressive and lively bridges in Europe with fantastic artwork.
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