Dinant is located 60km south from Brussels. It’s worth visiting for a couple of reasons. One of them is the steps leading up to the Citadel. There are 408 steps built in the 15th century and still in use today. I like old steps, and these were no exception.

Another is the view from the top. The church is The Collegiate Church of Notre Dame.

It’s a Fact: In 1466 Philip the Good (ha!) punished a Dinant uprising in 1466 by throwing 800 copper-beaters into the river, tied two-by-two.

Dinants citadel was built in the 11th century to monitor traffic over the River Meuse. Dinant has been pillaged and sacked numerous times since then, which makes the Citadels presence seem, if not ironic, then pointless.

However, it was a nice place for a picnic and a tour.


Dinant is rightly proud of their most famous son Adolphe Sax. Adolphe invented the Saxophone.

Hence the almost ubiquitouos saxophone paraphenalia.

It’s a Fact: Dinant is hugely popular with Belgian touring motorcyclists. And bikers in general. This I can tell you from firsthand experience.

Just up the river from Dinant is Yvoir, a town notable for the grassy island in the middle of the river that has a bbq, friterie, and pub. We took a 20 second ferry boat ride over to snack on frites in the afternoon sun.