12 reasons to visit Durbuy, the smallest city in the world!

For an unforgettable trip with a fairytale feel you must visit Durbuy. Located in Belgium’s Wallonia region, 1.5 hours from Brussels, this picturesque city is filled with narrow cobblestone streets and timber-frame and stone houses, and surrounded by emerald-green hills.

But there’s more to the town of Durbuy (pronounced Dur-bwee) than its storybook looks, this medieval village is in fact “la plus petit ville du monde” (the smallest city in the world).

Durbuy’s city status dates back to 1331 when John I, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, bestowed the title. Ramparts were raised all around the tiny town, creating smallest city in the world. If you’re wondering just how small it really is, you can walk from one side of the city to the other in five minutes.

Admittedly, the Vatican City is officially the world’s smallest city but for commercial purposes Durbuy still likes to fly its miniature flag.

Plus, today Durbuy includes 41 villages and hamlets under its umbrella meaning that its area and population are substantially larger than it once was. At its heart, however, is still the original city, the layout of which hasn’t changed since the 14th century.

Disclosure: We were guests of the Belgian Tourist Office Wallonia for the purpose of producing this guide. This post may contain affiliate links. I have been or could be if you click on a link in this post compensated via a cash payment, gift or something else of value for writing this post. See our full disclosure policy for more details.

Things to do in Durbuy

We visited the small town of Durbuy for four days in May. I spent a significant part of my childhood living in Belgium but, if I’m entirely honest, I had never even heard of Durbuy before I was invited to visit.

But what a wonderful surprise Durbuy turned out to be. This is a fantastic destination whether you are travelling solo, in a couple or have the kids in tow.

Located in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes, Durbuy is place to wander medieval streets, discover mysterious stones, embark on a myriad of outdoor adventures and eat like a king.

Have a picnic at Le Roche de la Falize

Start your trip like we did, with a picnic by the big rock at the end of town.

For those with an interest in geology, the straight and symmetrical ‘Roche de la Falize’ is an excellent example of the ‘waves’ (synclines and anticlines) formed by tectonic movements. Even if you’re not terrible interested in rocks, however, it’s still worth looking at the dome-shaped rock and its layers of limestone; if nothing else because its some 360 million years old!

You can pick up bread, cheese, ham and more for a picnic a la Francaise from the Boucherie Bodson, located just behind the Durbuy Tourist Office.

Take a train ride

The best way to get a feel for the smallest town in the world, and to really understand just how petit it is, is to jump on board Le petit train touristique.

This tourist train winds its way through the city streets and up to a viewing tower positioned at the highest point of the city. Climb to the top and you’ll be rewarded with stunning views over Durbuy including the château and the topiary gardens.

The train leaves approximately every hour between 1pm and 5pm during the week and between 10.30am and 5pm on weekends. The entire journey lasts 30 to 40 minutes.

Visit the Topiary Park

Once you’ve seen the city from above, make your way to Durbuy’s topiary park, located on the banks of the Ourthe River with perfect views of the castle.

Home to some 250 topiary figures, the park covers one hectare and is the largest topiary garden in Europe. It’s one of the best things to do with kids with animals and figures crafted from Boxwood plants (Buxus). Favourites included the kayakers and the squirrels (we also spotted a Pamela Anderson sculpture sunbathing during our visit!).

Kids are given an activity booklet as they enter with plenty of games and activities to keep them busy – plus a prize at the end. The park is open daily 10am to 6pm except for November – February when the park shuts earlier. Check the website for details.

Walk the Streets

The Durbuy Tourist Office has a very good walking tour map that details the rich history of the tiny city and some of the historical buildings and old stone houses of Durbuy old town. Even if you don’t have a map, however, it’s an easy town to wander around the small city and I can guarantee that you won’t get lost on the pedestrian streets!

Don’t miss the Halle aux Blés or corn exchange. This building – with is rare half-timbering is also known as the Spanish House and one of the town’s most iconic buildings. A building has stood in this spot since 1380 but the building that you see today dates back from the 16th century (1530-1540). It has worn many hats over the years and is today home to the Durbuy Modern and Contemporary Art Museum.

Enjoy discovering the family-run shops and restaurants as you meander. Don’t miss the kid-favourite Bonbon Chic, a pretty sweet shop that sells locally made traditional chocolates and more modern candies.

La Marotte is a lovely-looking antique shop that sells fun things like old metal Tintin lunch boxes on Rue des Récollectines. Unfortunately it was shut when we visited (it’s only open on weekends).

Become a goat herder 

One of the activities that my kids loved the most during our trip to Durbuy was our afternoon with Géradine, owner of Chèvrerie de Borlon.

Géradine, along with her husband and three sons, live in the nearby town of Borlon where they own a goat farm. Géradine is the driving force behind the farm – she’s wanted a goat since she was eight-years-old!

After time spent living and travelling abroad and a stint learning to make cheese at a nearby prestigious fromagerie, Géradine established her own farm in 2017. She now has a flock of female goats and makes her own cheese daily.

What is especially wonderful about a visit to Chèvrerie de Borlon, however, is Géradine herself. She’s funny, engaging and really interesting having travelled the world and settled back in Belgium with her family. As a mum herself, she’s also brilliant with children joking with my kids that she has “the most beautiful goats and the best goats cheese in the village”… because she has no competition.

Visits to the farm have to be arranged in advance but there is no hard and fast format; you can spend a half-day milking goats and taking them to the field or opt for a longer, full-day experience. Some people just want a two-hour visit with the goats and this can also be arranged.

We arrived in the late afternoon and walked with Géradine and her eldest son up to the field where the goats roam during the day. Imagine my city kids’ surprise when, all of a sudden, the herd of goats came trotting down the road having let themselves out of the field because they could sense rain.

Back on the farm, the kids helped to feed the goats and put them in their pen. This really is one of the top things to do in Durbuy.

Adventure Valley Durbuy

Durbuy’s location in the heart of the lush green forest of the Ardennes means it has a lot of outdoor activities to offer including mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, and kayaking.

It also has the Adventure Park.

This outdoor adventure and nature park, located on the outskirts of town, is heaven for thrill seekers young and old and the best place to spend a day.

Durby Adventure Park features almost any activity you can imagine; zip down a tubing slide, whizz along a zipwire, navigate the bike park, jump from a wooden tower onto a giant inflatable bag, go rock climbing, try and make your way out of escape rooms and much, much more.

At the heart of the adventure park is a giant playground, ideal for younger kids. From here you can climb up and make your way across wooden bridges and onto large, bouncy nets.

Entrance to the park is colour-coded with different coloured wristbands giving you access to different activities. There are also additional activities such as laser tag and an escape room, which are sold separately. For more information on the Adventure Park, take a look at their website.

Go fishing

One of our other highlights during our time in Durbuy was the day we spent with Riveo.

This river centre is an educational and conservation centre dedicated to the River Hotton. Located in the town of the same name, the centre opened 15 years ago and now welcomes groups, schools, individual visitors and more to teach them about local life on the water.

We met our guide Frédéric on a sunny spring morning and followed him to the nearby river where he taught us how to fish. Again, for my city-living kids this was such a novel activity. Frédéric was patient and engaging with the children as they put bait on their hooks and waited for the Crussian Carp to bite.

Riveo also offer fly fishing for more experienced fisherfolk as well as larvae fishing, to monitor the quality of the water. Larvae fishing is usually done with school kids. The centre work with lots of schools from Brussels and Holland.

The Riveo centre also has a small aquarium, a fantastic River at Night exhibition and a mini golf course.

Journey underground

Not far from Riveo are the Grottes de Hotton, the Hotton Caves. There are more than 1,000 caves in Belgium (we have also visited and enjoyed the Grottes de Han) and this particular one was first discovered in 1958 after an explosion of a nearby quarry revealed a small hole in the earth. Cavers entered the narrow opening and took three days to navigate their way through and find another way out.

These caves are a true adventure. Formed by rain water (rather than river water), the natural cave system is 7km long in total (the tour only covers 1km) and reaches a depth of 70m below the surface.

There are 580 steps to get down and a lift to help bring you back up. Entrance to the caves is by guided tour only and our guide was entertaining and informative; he also knew exactly how much information to share with the kids before their attention started to wander.

On our underground tour we learn that stalagmites and stalactites only grow 1cm in 100 years. We learned how to recognise the characteristics of a rain water caves, such as the drapery effect you see on the stones as opposed to the smooth surfaces found in caves shaped by river water.

We even saw a layer of ancient seabed resting in what is now part of the ceiling in the cave network; you could even see shells embedded in it, which was absolutely incredible given that it was some 390 million years old.

As is par for the course with cave systems, there are various shapes thought to look like an animal or human. During our hour-long tour we saw a rabbit, an old man and an elephant camouflaged within the rocks.

Tours are held four times a day on weekdays and eight times a day at weekends and take approximately one hour. It drops to 12C at the bottom of the cave so make sure to bring a jumper. It’s also wet and muddy so do wear proper trainers or hiking shoes.

Keen spelunkers might like to try the ‘alternative’ route through the caves, which involves making your way down a plastic tube and into a 12m deep pit before crawling through narrow openings and fissures until you make your way out. This usually takes around 5 hours and is traditionally only allowed if you’re part of a cave club (and, in my opinion, a little bit mad!).

As you drive from the river centre to the caves it’s worth visiting the English Cemetery for British soldiers who died in WWII..

Search for mysterious stones

The nearby town of Wéris is known for being one of the most beautiful villages in Wallonia and as one of the biggest megalithic sites in the country.

A small but informative museum in the centre of town details what is know about these mysterious stones that date back to a time before the pyramids were built. Traditionally used as burial sites, a few of these megalith (big stones) and dolmens (graves) remain in the area today.

There are a number of walks in the surrounding countryside that takes you past some of these standing stones; the museum sells maps detailing these walks.

We attempted the shortest walk, a 5km route, but turned back after the first megalith – walking with a three-year-old is challenging when you don’t have a pushchair or kiddie backpack.

Still, the countryside is beautiful and the sheer size and age of the rocks are fascinating. If you have bigger kids, it’s well worth trying out one of the walks.

Get lost in the Durbuy Labyrinth

Not far from the city centre, the Durbuy Labyrinth is another fun outdoor activity that kids – and adults – will love. Ever year, the labyrinth is created in 11 hectares of maize fields. Actors and shows bring a fun, theme park feel to the maze. There are other attractions here too, including a wooden maze where you need to solve riddles to escape.

Take a day trip to Dinant

Located just a 30minute drive from Durbuy is the picture-perfect town of Dinant. Located on the banks of the River Meuse, Dinant is a wonderful place for a day trip, or a longer stay. It’s famous for being the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the Saxophone, Leffe Beer and the Couque de Dinant, there is a lot to see and do.

Visit the Citadel, take a boat ride along the river, stop the Maison de Monsieur Sax and much more.

Visit the Christmas Market

It might be the smallest town in the world but it is home to a large Christmas market. The Durbuy Christmas Market takes place every December and runs into early January with something for everyone. There are food stalls as well as craft stalls selling gifts and Christmas decorations. There is also an ice rink.

Durbuy Hotels

Chez Tante Alice

We spent two nights at Chez Tante Alice, an absolutely charming B&B located 14km from Durbuy itself.

Owned and managed by Marie-France (who is as welcoming as her hotel), the house was the original home of her Aunt Alice and today offers four double bedrooms for guests.

There are three double bedrooms upstairs and a further one downstairs. There are two living areas for guests to use as well as access to the well-tended garden – you’ll notice that Marie-France has very green fingers! The rooms all enjoy a literary theme and are named after regional writers.

One of the highlights of staying here are the breakfasts that are prepared by Marie-France. Expect homemade yogurts, fresh bread, local cheeses and hams and an array of homemade jams in a variety of flavours (rhubarb and banana was just one of the jams on offer when we stayed). Served in Marie France’s conservatory, overlooking the garden, it really was the perfect way to start the day.

Adventure Valley Camping

Our second two nights in Durbuy saw us under canvas. Fortunately, however, given my novice camping credentials, we were under luxury canvas with an ensuite bathroom.

Located above the Adventure Valley is a camping option for visitors to Durbuy. The tents are the kind of high-end luxury tents traditionally used in African safari camps and there are two categories, Bali and Shaksha.

The Bali tents are simple but comfortable, have shared bathrooms and can sleep four, six or eight people.

The Shaksha tents on the other hand, come with a private, raised wooden deck where we could enjoy a glass of wine once the kids had gone to bed. There was a double bed as well as a bunk-bed and the all-important ensuite bathroom.

At the heart of the camp grounds is a dining hall and you can reserve meals as well as organise to have breakfast delivered to your tent. There’s also a large playground at the heart of the camp grounds.

How to get to Durbuy

Durbuy can be easily visited as a day trip from Dinant, Brussels, Liege or Luxembourg or you can visit as part of a Belgian road trip itinerary.

The truth is, however, that Durbuy is a destination in its own right and you could easily spend several days to a week here exploring all that the area has to offer.

Durbuy is best visited by car; you can get a train from Brussels to one of the neighbouring towns but then you are reliant on buses to get around. Either bring your car over from the UK, travelling via the Eurotunnel, or hire a car in Brussels. You’ll also want a car to explore the area.