Auberge Au Nature des Ardennes

The Ardennes


Halfway between Alle and Rochehaut, this lovable if basic rural retreat is so old-fashioned that it's almost a museum piece. A roaring fire heats the cosy lounge, a copious breakfast is served amid family mementoes and there's a lovely rural garden with pond for picnic dinners (the restaurant no longer operates but drinks are available).

The chemical toilets are noisy, the floors slope and some ornaments are of questionable taste but it's all part of the experience. Prices are very fair and the kindly owner is a dead ringer for French singer Véronique Sanson.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Ardennes attractions

1. Rochehaut

0.55 MILES

The scenery west of Bouillon reaches a memorable climax at Rochehaut, where a long balcony surveys a glorious view down across a perfect river curl…

2. Pont de Claies

2.81 MILES

Installed every summer, Pont de Claies is Belgium's last seasonal footbridge. Originally designed to let tobacco harvesters reach their crops, it's made…

3. Tombeau du Géant Viewpoint

2.82 MILES

The Ardennes' most celebrated panoramic viewpoint overlooks a perfect hoop of river valley creating a forested peninsula. The viewpoint is on a dead-end…

4. Centre d'Interprétation d'Art

3.27 MILES

In the centre of Vresse, this attractive gallery has a 300-work permanent collection featuring paintings and sculpture by artists with local connections…

5. Le Belge

3.29 MILES

In a glass-sided display building, Le Belge is a 1980 recreation of Belgium's first steam locomotive (1835). It's beautifully made but nobody seems quite…

6. Galerie Maurice Pirotte

4.75 MILES

Even when it's closed, it's still worth seeking out this tiny gallery for its photogenic setting – an old stone house draped with flowers and creepers in…

7. Château de Bouillon

4.79 MILES

Slouching like a great grey dragon high on Bouillon's central rocky ridge, Belgium’s finest feudal castle-ruin harks back to AD 988, but it's especially…

8. Musée Ducal

4.8 MILES

Between the town and Château de Bouillon's car park, this museum spreads over two historic houses and includes a small antique smithy (free access)…