From Dinant to the Moniat rocks

A loop starting from Dinant towards the Moniat rocks, offering a magnificent view of the Meuse valley

Details

2902212
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.79 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 139 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 143 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 206 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 95 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the edge of Avenue Franchet d'Esperey.

(S/E) Cross the avenue with caution to reach the towpath on the right bank of the Meuse.
Walk back up towards the Charles de Gaulle bridge, admiring the citadel and the Notre-Dame collegiate church on the other side of the river. Turn right at the bridge and head towards the small roundabout.

(1) At the roundabout, take the first left, Rue François Bribosia, going uphill, then turn left into Charreau des Capucins just before passing under the bridge.

(2) Continue straight ahead, passing Maison Leffe and the La Merveilleuse hotel on your left, following the small path marked with a blue arrow .
Follow the path that runs along the Meuse River on the heights, cross the small bridge and continue until you reach the gardens.

(3) When you reach a fork, continue straight ahead into Charreau de Neffe. A little further on, turn left into Rue du Pont-Cajot and continue until you reach the tunnel under the railway line.

(4) At this point, do not take the underpass but continue straight ahead on a small path alongside a hangar, following the blue arrows.

(5) At the viaduct, take the path on the right and turn left when you reach the road at the top.
Go up the small road, passing the sign indicating that you are entering state property.

(6) When you reach the Charlemagne road, take the small path on the left that leads into the woods.

(7) At the fork, follow the arrow to the left indicating the viewpoint. The blue trail continues to the right, but the short detour is worth it. The trail runs along the ridges of the Moniat rocks without difficulty. The view of the Meuse valley is exceptional.

After the rocks, turn right to rejoin the original path and turn left to follow the Charlemagne road.

(8) At the end of the trail, turn right, pass under the Charlemagne road and then turn right again to take the path running alongside this road in the opposite direction. Continue straight ahead along the path and then the Rondchene road until you reach a right-hand bend with an information board.

(9) At this point, take the path on the left, which continues along the road, with the Citadel of Dinant a little further ahead. The end of the path descends towards Dinant and passes in front of the Leffe house.

(2) After the building, continue on the left. Go down Rue François Bribosia to the roundabout.

(1) Turn right, then left before the bridge, passing the statue of Charles de Gaulle. Follow the towpath, then cross Avenue Franchet d'Esperey on the left to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 102 m - Avenue Franchet d'Esperey car park - Meuse (fleuve)
  2. 1 : km 0.51 - alt. 102 m - Rue François Bribosia
  3. 2 : km 0.84 - alt. 115 m - La Merveilleuse
  4. 3 : km 1.88 - alt. 111 m - Charreau de Neffe
  5. 4 : km 2.37 - alt. 102 m - Rue du Pont Cajot
  6. 5 : km 2.72 - alt. 122 m - Viaduct over the Meuse
  7. 6 : km 3.28 - alt. 173 m - Moniat Nature Reserve
  8. 7 : km 3.89 - alt. 184 m - Moniat Rocks
  9. 8 : km 5.28 - alt. 196 m - End of the trail, on the right
  10. 9 : km 6.31 - alt. 204 m - Fork in the road, information sign
  11. S/E : km 8.79 - alt. 102 m - Avenue Franchet d'Esperey car park

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 33 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
User 27843381

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike with some lovely views. Only the section along the main road (30 mins) is less pleasant.

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Bidoo
Bidoo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

I parked at point 2 in the Leffe car park, as parking in Dinant is expensive and complicated, and this part of the route is not particularly interesting.
From point 2 to point 5, the path is really very pleasant, a small, very shady trail. Then you are very close to the motorway and right behind the safety barrier for a while. At one point, you could even walk onto the motorway. I found this very disturbing. Not to be done with a dog or children.
The view is truly splendid and makes you forget the rest. It's an ideal place for a break.
Unfortunately, the return journey takes you back to the edge of the motorway via a small path lined with brambles. I did this in July and had to be really careful. Once you've passed under the motorway bridge, the return to Dinant through the fields is very pleasant and the view is magnificent. The path returns to point 2 at the Leffe car park, where I picked up my car. If planned in advance, a visit to Leffe would be nice.

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Edn
Edn

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

beautiful route with great views. Perhaps a little noisy on the paths along the road for part of the hike. Personally, it didn't bother me too much.
Worth doing again

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Virginie L
Virginie L

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Part of the hike is close to the road. You can't see it, but you can hear the traffic for about half an hour. The rest of the hike is very peaceful. There's a bit of forest and some fields. There are beautiful views of Dinant at the start and finish

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bxdeltou
bxdeltou

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route, not too long, offering beautiful views of the region and the town of Dinant.
Parking on Avenue Franchet d'Esperey isn't easy, so it's better to park at the station, which is close to the start. Unfortunately, the section along Route Charlemagne is quite noisy, which is a shame because the scenery is peaceful. The route alternates between woods and countryside, paths and small roads that are not too busy (except at the start in the town of Dinant), which is pleasant.
The short detour to the viewpoint is really worthwhile, thank you for recommending it!

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mamili
mamili

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route for the eyes but not for the ears, with traffic noise on the Charlemagne road (approximately 2 to 3 km)

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Llaverac
Llaverac

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The first part of the route (stages 1 to 5, roughly speaking) is quite pleasant, with beautiful views of Dinant and the Meuse and a gentle climb. The viewpoint just after stage 7 is also well worth the effort. The fact that the walk starts in the town centre is also a plus.

After that, I found the rest of the route less enjoyable: the noise from the cars along the Charlemagne road isn't too bad, but in mid-September 2023, on our right there were mainly felled trees and bare earth on harvested fields, which made for a rather dreary landscape. If I were to do it again, I wonder if I wouldn't just turn back after the viewpoint at stage 7.

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Mitch Gallot
Mitch Gallot

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route in the hills above Dînant, with a mix of wooded and rural sections
The route is accessible from the town centre.
Attractive views

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smashdc
smashdc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful loop in Dinant, Belgium :-)
The Rochers de Moniat, the Saxophone Bridge and the Meuse River! My little montage:
https://youtu.be/AsvxFblSt3s

A section close to the main road, but not too bad.
three beautiful long straights around the plateau, including one at the Charlemagne viaduct before returning to the city centre.
Nothing too annoying given the short distance.

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Mirbou
Mirbou

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, very well signposted with blue rectangles on a white background. Magnificent view of the Meuse from the Moniat nature reserve (good tip in the walk description).

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nitelet valentin
nitelet valentin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with magnificent views of the Meuse and a real change of scenery
The route is very well signposted.
I did the hike at the beginning of September during the week and didn't see a single person on the trail.

I highly recommend it!

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Daninou
Daninou
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. It's true that at one point you're walking parallel to a busy road, but in my opinion this doesn't spoil the hike at all. There are magnificent views of the collegiate church and the Moniat rock.

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Jipie
Jipie
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The car park at the start is normally reserved for SNCB users
A beautiful walk, the only problem is that it runs alongside the main road, although it is hidden by trees (noise from cars).
Although the elevation gain is not too significant, you can feel that it climbs quite a bit during the first third of the route

Superb view of the Citadel of Dinant at the end of the route

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velo-ravel.net
velo-ravel.net
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Photos of the route.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9fZgWbgNvzhWPZ...

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Ann VE
Ann VE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

the route was well marked, but you walk along a major road (the N92) for much of the way, so there is a lot of noise.
the walk is peaceful in the sense that there aren't many people around. I think it's better by mountain bike than on foot.
you do have a nice view of the Monat rock and, on the way back, of the citadel. We enjoyed it anyway, with the sun shining.

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