Sights for a Group

A group of thirty people gets treated differently than a family at an attraction. Some places require a reservation, others only take groups at set times, and a few don't take them at all. That's rarely clear in advance, so below is what we run into for each type of place.

Caves take groups, but by appointment

The Han Caves near Rochefort take groups of fifteen or more and run on fixed departure times. You don't buy a single ticket at the entrance. Instead, you register your group ahead of time. Inside it's about fifty-five degrees year-round, so a sweater is a must, even when it's warm outside. For groups with kids, this is the most reliable rainy-day option in the region.

Castles and heritage sites vary a lot

Bouillon Castle and Vianden Castle take groups by appointment, with a guide who tells the story. The ruins above La Roche-en-Ardenne are freely accessible, and you can see them with a group in half an hour. Durbuy's castle is privately owned and can only be viewed from the outside, which is a letdown on a rainy day if that's what you came for.

Adventure parks are built for groups

The Ardennes has several adventure parks with treetop courses, ziplines, and suspension bridges. Adventure Valley in Durbuy and Ardenne Aventures in La Roche-en-Ardenne both offer group packages and have their own parking lot with room for a tour bus. Tree Experience in Rochefort, Coo Adventure in Stavelot, and CapNature in Bertrix are all within half an hour of one of our destinations.

• Han Caves, Rochefort, groups of fifteen or more
• Adventure Valley, Durbuy, packages for up to forty people
• Signal de Botrange, Waimes, highest point in Belgium
• Molignée draisines, Onhaye, rail bikes for a mixed group

Viewpoints cost nothing and always work

The view of the Tombeau du Géant from Botassart is a twenty-minute walk from the parking lot. At 694 meters, the Signal de Botrange is the highest point in Belgium, and you can drive right up to the foot of it. For a group with mixed fitness levels, these are the spots that work without any planning, since nobody has to reserve and everyone can go at their own pace.

Museums and trains for a rainy day

The tobacco museum in Corbion takes groups by appointment and tells the story of the barns you see all over the valley. The Molignée draisines near Onhaye are rail bikes on an old railway line, which works remarkably well for a mixed group because the pace naturally stays the same. Tourist trains run on set days, so check the schedule before you head out.

What to arrange ahead of time

Call or email a week ahead and give the exact number of people. Ask whether there's a group rate, because with thirty people that adds up quickly. Also ask where the bus can park, since that's the real bottleneck at the smaller places. If you show up on the day with a full bus, you'll often find yourself facing a closed gate.

What a visit costs for thirty people

At the caves and the adventure parks you pay per person, and with thirty people that adds up. Most places have a group rate. You only get that rate if you register ahead of time, not if you tell the cashier you're a group of thirty.

Where it usually goes wrong

The two things that most often go wrong are the booking deadline and the weather. Caves and parks are full during the summer vacation, and a treetop course closes during thunderstorms. So plan one indoor option per stay, so you're not sitting in the house with thirty people trying to figure out what to do.

The distances between places

The places in this piece are spread out across the whole region. From Bouillon it's fifty minutes to the Han Caves and an hour to Durbuy. So plan one visit per day, not two, because getting a group on and off the bus takes more time than you think. Two visits in one day means you rush the second one.

Tell Ingrid what you'd like to see and how many people you are, and she'll book the tours and send you the times. She checks with each place whether there's a group rate and where the bus can park.