Sights & Activities

What to see & do in Aywaille, Remouchamps and the Belgian Ardennes?

The cottage is nestled in the heart of nature, within a nature reserve. Aywaille – Remouchamps, just a few minutes away, has everything you need: supermarkets, restaurants, cafés… And the Ardennes region is full of treasures: caves, castles, rivers, forests and hiking trails — more than enough to fill your stay!

Sports & outdoors

  • Many marked walks on foot, on horseback, by bike… A walking map is available in the cottage. → website
  • Walks from the cottage: down to Aywaille via a dirt path through a small wood, to Remouchamps, through the countryside…
  • Very pleasant cycle path along the Amblève connecting Aywaille to Remouchamps, for cyclists, rollerbladers and walkers.
  • The cottage is right next to the famous cycling climb "La Redoute", known from the Liège-Bastogne-Liège race.
    La Redoute
  • For cyclists, plan your route using the junction network (Points-nœuds). → website
  • LaserTag, Arrow Combat, Bubble Soccer, Legend Walk, Geocaching — A La Tag in Remouchamps. → website
  • Aywaille swimming pool — closed since the 2021 floods and not due to reopen for several years. For a swim, head to the Spa pool or the Thermes de Spa (16 km).
  • Spa swimming pool — completely rebuilt after the floods: a 50 m outdoor pool with slides, paddling pool and wide lawns, a 25 m indoor pool and a panoramic brasserie. The indoor pool is closed during the summer season. Spa (16 km). → website
  • The Wégimont provincial estate — a good alternative for a swim: outdoor pools heated to 26°C in a 22-hectare park with ponds, a playground and mini-golf. Late April to the end of August, booking advised; proper swimming trunks compulsory. Soumagne (28 km). → website
  • Thermes de Spa in an exceptional setting: pool, hammam, sauna… → website
  • Swimming in Lac de Robertville (50 km) or Lac de Butgenbach (60 km), in the river at Sy (15 km).
  • River fishing in Aywaille on the Amblève or pond fishing in Sprimont.
  • Golf in Barvaux, Spa and Gomzé-Andoumont (5 km). Mini-golf in Palogne.
  • Kayaking in Palogne, Bomal, Barvaux, Hamoir — on the Ourthe and at Coo.
  • Outdoor tennis in Aywaille and indoor tennis in Sprimont.
  • Skiing in the Ardennes — all snow condition information. → website
  • Barbecue in the cottage garden!

Bike rental & bike shops

  • Bicyclic Remouchamps — bike and e-bike rental, sales and the largest workshop in Wallonia. Perfect for climbing La Redoute or following the cycle path along the Amblève. Sougné-Remouchamps (5 km). → website → directions
  • Cycles Matagne – Trek Concept Store — sales, test bikes (mountain, road, electric) and a workshop servicing all brands. Aywaille (4 km). → website → directions

Nearby attractions

  • Grottes de Remouchamps — 4 km. → website
    Grottes de Remouchamps
  • The Church of the Immaculate Conception (1739) — its beautiful stained-glass windows were just unveiled (October 2026): extraordinary colours when the light shines through. Our latest favourite! Sougné-Remouchamps (3 km). → directions
    Vitraux de l'église de l'Immaculée Conception, Sougné-Remouchamps
  • Comblain-au-Pont: caves "Les découvertes mystères" and open-air stone sculpture museum. → website
  • Château de Harzé — 8 km. It now hosts seminars and private events and is no longer open to visitors, but the village is worth the detour: it is the starting point for 8 waymarked walks.
  • Village of Deigné — 4 km, a very beautiful village.
  • Durbuy, the smallest town in the world — very pretty village in local stone, shops, cafés, restaurants (20 km). → website
  • Banneux Notre-Dame — one of Europe's major pilgrimage sites, 10 km away: close to 700,000 pilgrims from around the world each year. This is where the Virgin appeared eight times to Mariette Beco in 1933 as "the Virgin of the Poor". Wooded estate, freely open all year. → website

Walks

  • The nature reserve of the Heid des Gattes, right next to the village. → website
  • Les Fonds de Quarreux — Walk No. 18.
    Fonds de Quarreux
  • Le Ninglinspo — Walk No. 21. Belgium's only torrent: small waterfalls, little bridges, a small pool for swimming in summer. → website
    Ninglinspo
  • Chapelle Ste Anne des Pouhons, Ernonheid-Aywaille — Walk No. 31.
  • Les Chantoirs de Rouge-Thier in Deigné — Walk No. 23.
  • The Hoëgne valley — a beautiful walk along the river to its source. Starting point: Hockai (Spa).
  • The Charmille du Haut-Marêt (or Berceau de La Reid) — a 573 m green tunnel formed by nearly 5,000 hornbeams trained over metal arches. Planted in 1885, it is the longest in Belgium. Free and open all year, starting from the Château du Haut-Marais. La Reid (11 km). → website

For children

  • Wonderful playground in Aywaille (near the swimming pool) and in Remouchamps.
  • Le Monde Sauvage — safari and animal park in Deigné (4 km). → website
    Le Monde Sauvage
  • Parc Forestia — local wildlife, treetop adventures, in La Reid (8 km). → website
  • Telecoo — cable car above the waterfall and Plopsaland Ardennes in Coo (25 km). → website
  • Corn maze in Barvaux — a different theme every year (20 km). → website
  • Parc Chlorophylle — educational forest park in Manhay (20 km). → website
  • Houtopia in Houffalize. → website

For young and old

  • Kayaking on the Ourthe at Domaine de Palogne. → website
    Kayak sur l'Ourthe
  • Bowling in Remouchamps (Camping l'Olympia) and in the centre of Tilff.
  • Spa Forest — the treetop adventure park our nephews absolutely loved! 10 courses and more than 120 obstacles, from 1 to 15 m up, from age 4, with proper courses for adults too: red and black levels, a 100 m zip line and a 15 m "FreeJump". Allow about 2.5 hours. Spa (19 km). → website
  • Parc Forestia — treetop adventure course. → website
  • Rock climbing and via ferrata at Palogne and in Durbuy at Adventure Valley — Belgium's largest adventure park, home to the country's longest zip line (566 m). → website

Museums

  • Toy Museum in Ferrières — 12 km. → website
  • Vintage Car Museum in Stavelot Francorchamps — 25 km. → website
  • Bee Museum in Tilff — 16 km. → website
  • Stone Museum in Sprimont — 3 km. → website
  • The Avouerie d'Anthisnes — the beer and peket museum occupies a 12th-century defensive keep, one of the three best preserved in Europe, alongside a 17th-century castle. A tasting is included with admission, down in the vaulted cellars. Anthisnes (17 km). → website
  • Historical Museum "December 1944" in La Gleize — 20 km. → website
  • Bastogne Historical Center — World War II (54 km). → website
  • Castle museum at Domaine de Palogne. → website
  • 11th-century Romanesque chapel in Xhygnesse-Hamoir — 12 km.
  • Blegny-Mine — a genuine coal mine listed as UNESCO World Heritage, one of only four in Europe whose galleries are still visited through the original shaft: helmet on, you go down in the pit cage to 30 and 60 m. It is 15°C down there, so bring a layer. Blegny (44 km). → website

Other tourist attractions

  • The spa town of Spa — balneotherapy, casino and the famous F1 circuit at Spa-Francorchamps (16 km). → website
    Spa
  • Domaine de Berinzenne — the High Fens near Spa. → website
    Les Fagnes
  • Durbuy, the smallest town in the world — 20 km. → website
  • Theux and Château de Franchimont. → website
  • The shrine of the Vieux Bon Dieu at Tancrémont — the chapel holds a wooden Christ found in a field around 1830; carbon dating places the cross between 810 and 965, one of the oldest in Belgium. People also stop here for the famous rice tart (13 km). → website
  • Jehay Castle — a 16th-century Renaissance castle with a startling chequerboard façade, unique in Europe. The interior is closed for restoration, but the estate is open: Italian gardens, a 19th-century kitchen garden and bronze sculptures. Late March to mid-October. Amay (50 km). → website
  • Modave Castle — perched above the Hoyoux valley, with more than 25 rooms to visit with an audio guide, gardens and a nature reserve. Rennequin Sualem built the hydraulic wheel here around 1667 that inspired the one at Marly, for the fountains of Versailles. Modave (38 km). → website

Markets

  • Saturday morning in Aywaille, next to the station — fruit, flowers, vegetables.
  • Sunday morning in Bomal — flea market, fruit, flowers, vegetables.
  • Flea market in Spa every Sunday morning in the park.

Restaurants & recommended spots

  • Many restaurants in Aywaille town centre — a wide choice. All kinds of cuisine are available.
  • Le Pacha — one of our favourites! Moroccan cooking by the owner himself: delicious couscous, tagines and grills. Lovely terrace for eating outside, a really friendly owner and food that never disappoints. Sprimont (5 km). → website → directions
  • Brasserie Georges in Sprimont — lovely terrace and garden with children's games. Sprimont.
  • Le Cantil — tapas and dishes with local produce. Aywaille. → website
  • L'Atelier Cuisine — large terrace. Beaufays.
  • La Source de la Géronstère — lovely inn with great home-cooked food in the middle of the Spa woods. → website

Belgian fries

  • Mayonnaise — they make their own mayonnaise and many of their sauces in house, and that is what makes the difference. Sprimont. → directions
  • Woopy'snacks — Dominique's favourite chip shop! Their boulets (Liège meatballs) and burgers are particularly good. Sougné-Remouchamps (4 km). → directions
  • Chez Flo — one of the locals' favourite chip shops right now. Home-made fries cooked in two baths, half chip shop and half neighbourhood bistro. Louveigné-Sprimont (9 km). → directions

Belgian beers

  • L'Elfique — local beer brewed in Aywaille by our neighbour. Restaurant next to the brewery. → website
  • La Chouffe — in the village of Achouffe (35 km). Brewery visits possible. → website
  • Lupulus — craft brewery in Bovigny. Visits by appointment. → website
  • The Avouerie d'Anthisnes — "La Cervoise", an amber beer tasted in the vaulted cellars of a 17th-century castle. The tasting is included with the visit (17 km). → website
  • Val-Dieu Abbey — a bit further afield (40 km, around 40 min), but worth the trip: a Cistercian abbey from 1216 whose beers are exported worldwide and still brewed on site. Tastings, a shop and a lovely 19th-century garden. Aubel. → website → directions

Ice cream

  • Au P'ti Schrapou — the best ice cream around! Their sorbets, made with local fruit, are simply amazing. Artisan ice cream made on site, more than 25 flavours, terrace. Louveigné-Sprimont (8 km). → website → directions
  • Nicoli — on the main street in Sprimont.
  • Le Goût du Jour — ice cream parlour next to the Grottes de Remouchamps.

Shops

  • Artisan and organic bakery "Le Pont" — breads, pastries and an organic grocery, with seasonal fruit and vegetables restocked on Tuesdays. It is also a work-training social enterprise. Sprimont (4 km). → website → directions
  • Färm Dolembreux — organic co-operative supermarket: local seasonal produce, more than 200 bulk items, eco-friendly cosmetics and household products. Sprimont (8 km). → website → directions
  • Open on Sundays: Carrefour (Aywaille) and Proxi Delhaize (Sprimont).