HOME   ARTICLES   ABOUT US   LINKS   SPECIAL DEALS   CONTACT

Bargain Travel Europe guide to Europe on a budget for vacation destinations, travel ideas and secret spots missed by travel tours.

DURBUY - BELGIUM ARDENNES
Prettiest Smallest Historic Town on the Ourthe River

Durbuy has been a “city” since 1331, dubbed so by John the first of Luxembourg. For the longest time this trading town on the Ourthe River in eastern Belgium, at the northwest edge of Luxembourg province of Wallonia called itself “the smallest town on Earth”. Granted, it’s a small town, but you can find many smaller ones. It might better refer to itself as the prettiest small town. Or perhaps truly, the “luckiest”. While most of the other small towns in this part of the Belgian Ardennes were heavily damaged in WWII, some almost destroyed, especially during the Battle of the Ardennes at the end of 1944 (see Battle of the Bulge WWII Belgium), the medieval town of Durbuy was mostly untouched. Early on in the occupation of Belgium, the Germans destroyed many of the bridges across the rivers, while leaving others intact for strategic routes. Durbuy’s bridge on the Ourthe was gone by the time the allies reached Belgium. While other towns suffered devastating battles for their bridges, Durbuy’s was already down and the town survived.

Nestled in a steep canyon of thick trees Durbuy is a striking little jouney back into time with narrow cobblestone streets through buildings and houses dating from the 16th and 17th Century constructed of the same light grey stone. Dominated by its story book looking privately owned castle at the end of the bridge where the Ourthe courses below the steep cliff of the 'La Falize', the narrow streets of Durbuy and its open town square are lined with brasseries and restaurants. Durbuy is a very popular tourist destination among Belgians, known for its fine food gastronomie. On a good weather weekend it can be pretty crowded, with car parking stretching down the narrow highway and strollers on narrow streets. For earth's smallest city, Durbuy boasts 27 restaurants, 19 hotels and 16 Bed & Breakfasts from the elegant Le Sangalier des Ardennes to the Hotel La Caleche in the center square where horse carriages clop visitors from bar to bistro. Across the river from the central town is the Durbuy Topiary Park composed of 250 boxwood trees sculpted into birds, crocodiles, mermaids and deer.

At the end of the foot bridge to the topiary park in the center of the village on the main Rue d'Ursel is the brewery restaurant of “La Ferme au Chene” serving The Marckloff Beer. Phillippe Marckloff established the second “free” brewery in Durbuy in 1550 and brewed a beer known for a few hundred years as “La Marckloff”. In 1989 the Trine family re-established the brand as a micro-brewery with a tasty rich amber beer served in the small historic bistro with a river view terrace. A good stop if touring Belgium's many famed small beer purveyors (see Orval Monastery and Trappist Beer).

Durbuy is about 40 minutes south of Liege. Other sites of interest near Durbuy are the megalithic era site at the village of Weris, a little tourist tram through the woods at Erezee , the Golf of Durbuy greens course where you can whack a ball through the thick Ardennes trees, the Chateau de Modave also known as the Castle of the Counts of Marchin, and the underground caverns Grottes de Hotton. © Bargain Travel Europe

Find best hotel and travel deals in The Ardennes

Web Info
Durbuy
Tourism Wallonie-Bruxelles

Paris to Brussels Thalys
London to Brussels Eurostar

These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.

SEE ALSO:

WATERLOO BATTLEGROUND MUSEUMS

FLANDERS FIELDS WWI MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS

ROMANTIC MONS

Get a Free Travel Safety Guide from Bargain Travel Europe

Privacy
Legal
Contact

Discover Cheap Travel in Europe on a Budget with Bargain Travel Europe ©2006-08 Winged Lion Entertainment Ventures, LLC