A Weekend in Viroinval: Nismes and Fondry des Chiens
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Nismes is a charming little village worth exploring in Viroinval. You can spend the day at Jardin d’O, the communal park with a castle, an amazing water playground,`pedalos, stepping stones and much more. Fondry des Chiens is a unique rock formation in Belgium with beautiful nature around.
In a Nutshell
- Best bungalows in the forest
- Village de Vacances d’Oignies offer bungalows in the forest in the area. They all have a kitchen and there’s also a playground on site.
- Vallée les Etoiles offers bungalows in nature and an indoor pool and sauna give you the best combination for family holidays. It is 18 minutes away from Dinant by car
Nismes
Nismes is quite charming and there are a lot of restaurants near the center of the village
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Jardin d’O
Jardin d’O is a big park with nice playgrounds…
…but what is really worth it is the water playground!
There are also pedalos and mini golf. We loved going around the lake and under the quirky bridges with the pedalos!
The stepping stones were also a big success. There are several creeks around the lake as well
You can find the opening hours and cost for pedalos in Jardin d’O here
There is free parking at the park (not many places)
There is also mini golf, you can find details here
There is also an orientation game. You can get it from Maison du Tourisme, see details here
Fondry des Chiens
Fondry des Chiens is a geological formation that is unique in Belgium, a natural sinkhole about 20 meters deep
Touristic train
You can see Jardin d’O and Fondry des Chiens with a tourist train ora 4km hike. The tourist train goes around Nismes for about one hour, all the way up to Fondry des Chiens. The language of the visit is French. You can take your stroller with you. Also accessible for wheelchair users
You can find opening hour and cost here
Starting point:
Rue Vieille-Eglise 5, 5670 Viroinval
Hike
You can see both Jardin d’O and Fondry des Chiens with a touristic train or with a 4km hike. For the 4km hike (2km to Fondry des Chiens and 2km to go back to the starting point), you can start at the church of Nismes and follow the red rectangle.
*You can download the document for this hike here. This is a map and info on what you see, no gpx file in this link
*You can find the gpx file here
*Starting point of the hike:
Eglise Saint-Lambert de Nismes, 5670 Nismes
*Stroller friendly, wheelchair friendly
*Dogs are allowed on a leash
Kid-Friendly Restaurant Nearby
Brasserie des Fagnes has an outdoor play area and a museum on how they used to produce beer. It’s a great place in the area to grab something to eat! Book in advance to make sure you get a table.
Nearby are also the Chimay castle, Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont where Chimay beer is brewed. Beers and Cheeses of Chimay is the selling point of Chimay, which is a restaurant and there is also a small playground
Address of Beers and Cheeses of Chimay
Nearby
Three Valleys Steam Train
Ride the Three Valleys steam train and visit a small train museum in the Ardennes
Lac de l’Eau d’Heure
Lac de l’Eau d’Heure is nearby, the biggest lake area in Belgium with tons of activities around, many signposted hiking trails and kilometers of stroller friendly paths around the lakes. There is also a swimming zone at Plate Taille
Natura adventure park
Natura adventure park offers parcours accrobranches, e-scooters and bikes, barbecue, bangee jumping and the highlight is… A zip line over the lake!!!
Relais de Falemprise
Relais de Falemprise is a great place in the area of Lac de l’Eau d’Heure to spend a sunny day with the family. There are jumping castles (and a water slide!), pedal boats, a lake to swim, a frituur with a huge sandpit near the lake
Aquascope
Aquascope is a fun and educational parcours for kids around the natural reserve of the lake Virelles with a good playground and ice cream to finish
