Should You Visit Namur Dinant, Or Both In Belgium?

Namur Dinant Belgium share quite a few similarities. Both cities are in the Wallonia region, along the Meuse river, and have glorious Citadels overlooking the city below. So the question is, do you need to visit both of them while in Belgium?

I’ll go over all the similarities and differences between Namur and Dinant Belgium so you can decide if you want to visit one or the other, or both! I also have individual guides for what to do in Dinant and what to do in Namur Belgium.

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Why Visit Namur or Dinant?

Both Namur and Dinant are easy day trips from Brussels. The main attraction in each city is a citadel and they both have spectacular views. Aside from the citadel, they also have different attractions you can visit.

You can do both, but if you’re only in Belgium for a short amount of time it’s more worthwhile to explore different cities like Leuven, or Brussels. The one you ultimately decide to visit should depend on what you’re more interested in.

Can You Visit Namur AND Dinant Belgium Together In One Day?

When I was researching Dinant and Namur, I came across a suggestion to combine both cities in one day trip from Brussels.

It was suggested because if you take the train from Brussels, you literally stop in Namur on your way to Dinant. They’re only about 30 minutes apart by train. The idea is to spend the morning in Namur and then head to Dinant for the afternoon (or vice versa).

If you want to do this to save money, you most likely won’t. You’re only buying one less ticket than if you went to each separately. Plus, Belgium gives you a discount on buying a return ticket so this way you’ll have to pay full price for all of them and you might even end up spending more. 

The bigger problem is that you’ll end up feeling rushed in both cities. You won’t be able to properly enjoy either one by doing this.

Arriving To Namur Or Dinant By Train

Both cities are easy to get to, but Namur is closer and a bit more straight forward (if you’re coming from Brussels anyway). It’s one direct train which takes about an hour (read my full in depth guide on a day trip to Namur from Brussels).

Getting to Dinant is a bit more complicated because you first have to go to Namur and then switch trains. From Namur, Dinant is about 30 minutes away by train. We had an especially hard time getting to Dinant because the train was under construction when we visited (so ended up on a bus). But, hopefully, it’s all fixed by the time you’re visiting.

In both cities, the train station is centrally located so you won’t need any other mode of transportation once you’ve arrived. You can walk everywhere you need to go!

Comparing Namur Dinant Main Attraction: The Citadel

If it wasn’t obvious, both Namur and Dinant are home to huge Citadels overlooking the city. Each Citadel offers incredible views, has a museum to explore, and run tour groups.

But after visiting the two Citadels, we ended up liking the Namur Citadel better. It all came down to it having a lot more history to it. The Dinant Citadel is a bit strange because it’s actually been a museum longer than it’s been a working military base.

So, if you’re a historical buff, the Dinant Citadel probably won’t cut it for you. It’s been privately owned for centuries now so it doesn’t even compare to the historical value of the Namur Citadel (which was used even in WWII).

The only downside to the Namur Citadel was getting to the top. We ended up walking the entire way up (which ended up being shorter than we thought), but otherwise you’d have to take a bus to get there. The Dinant Citadel is nice because they run a funicular that’s included in your ticket to take you up and down. 

Which Citadel Museum Was Better?

The museum component of each Citadel were both very well designed interactive museums. The Namur Citadel has a leg up though because it’s a part of their visitors centre which it completely free to visit! It gave a really nice overview of the citadel over the centuries but also of the city.

The Dinant museum focused on the most recent event that took place there which was August 1914. It’s a very well done museum but, it doesn’t give you as much of a well rounded overview like the Namur Citadel does. Also, because it only covers one event, it’s a lot shorter.

What About Each Citadel Tour?

On top of the museums, both Citadels offer tours. Namur had two different tours you can pay for. The first one is a train ride with an audio guide that takes you around the grounds.

The second one is an underground tour with a personal tour guide taking you to places you can’t otherwise go to.

You have the option to buy only one tour, or a combined ticket if you’re interested in both. If you only have a limited time, I recommend the underground tour instead of the train tour.

The Dinant Citadel tour is a mix of the train tour and underground tour from Namur. It’s with a personal tour guide and they take you to a mix of places around the Citadel. It’s worthwhile because they have access to places that visitors don’t (like the prison museum and underground areas).

You might not have known about any tours at the Dinant Citadel before visiting, and there’s a reason why. As it turns out, it’s not officially offered by the Citadel itself, so it’s not included in your entry ticket. The tour guides are volunteers that make their money from tips they get at the end of the tour.

As good as the tour was, it was a bit odd paying entrance free to an attraction and then having to tip our tour guide. The tour is only advertised once you’re inside the Citadel, and it’s also advertised as a free tour… so just a heads up if you do decide to go, bring cash to tip!

Cruise Options In Namur Or Dinant

As with most other European cities that are located on a river, Namur and Dinant both offer river cruises. We didn’t end up going on either, so I can’t say if one is better than the other… Namur might be more interesting because it’s where the Meuse and the Sambre rivers meet, but I can’t say for sure.

We tried to go on the river cruise in Namur but the company didn’t stay true to the departures times they had advertised online so we missed it. 

I’d have more faith in the Dinant river cruise line, it seemed more like an official company running the cruises. And you can buy a combined ticket when you’re buying your Citadel ticket, so it seemed more reputable than our experience in Namur. 

If a river cruise is something you’re interested in, it’s good to know that both cities offer this attraction.

Extra Attractions: Namur Or Dinant!

Besides the Citadels and cruise lines, each city has their own city-specific attractions. These extra activities should play a big role in the city you choose to visit. 

Your choices are between an art museum in Namur or beer and grottos in Dinant. We loved the Félicien Rops museum in Namur, but it’s not for everyone. This is a local Namur artist, so you most likely won’t find his work elsewhere, but it’s VERY graphic and I wouldn’t recommend for children.

Dinant has something that’s more appropriate for everyone that the whole family can enjoy, the Grotte of Dinant Merveilleuse. 

This is also Belgium we’re talking about so both cities have beer. Dinant is home to the Maison Leffe, a museum about the history of Leffe beer and they give you tastings after. Namur also has their local beer, Blanche de Namur, that you have to try while you’re there. Unfortunately, there’s no brewery or museum to visit for Blanche de Namur.

Dinant is also where Adolphe Sax (the inventor of the Saxophone) was born. They have a mini (free!) museum about his life and the saxophone that you can also visit. There are also a lot of saxophones hidden around the city that you can scout out in your spare time.

Namur Or Dinant Views

If it’s the view you’re interested in, then Dinant is the place to go! I mean, have you seen that view!? 

That being said, it doesn’t mean Namur isn’t beyond beautiful either. If you walk around the Citadel and cross the river Meuse (over the Pont de Jambes), you’ll also get some beautiful sights of the Citadel.

Namur’s views are nothing to complain about, I think they’re very much underrated.

Comparing The Cities

Both cities offer a very different feel. One is not necessarily worse than the other, it’s just a matter of what kind of vacation you’re looking for. So aside from the Citadel and river cruises, why is each city worth visiting?

Why Is Dinant Worth Visiting?

Dinant felt like a resort town, the perfect spot for a weekend getaway. But, because of that, it felt like people don’t actually live there. Instead, this is where they have their vacation home. It’s a relaxing day trip to Dinant, with lunch along the Meuse River, a stroll through the small streets, and great views along the way.

Why Is Namur Worth Visiting?

If you want a better example of a Wallonia city in Belgium, then you’ll want to visit Namur. It’s more of a real city with actual shops and businesses, and there’s even a University there. If you want to explore a city in the Wallonia region, Namur is a better example of what that would be like, whereas Dinant seemed like the exception to the rule!

Downside To Visiting Dinant

Because Dinant is more of a vacation spot, it’s also a bit more expensive and the restaurants close between lunch and dinner. So, there isn’t too much to do there in the time after the attraction close and before restaurants have opened again. 

We tried to explore some of the city but there isn’t really anywhere to go. It seemed liked there’s only one main street to walk along (and it’s not very long).

Downside To Visiting Namur

Fomo (fear of missing out) is real, and there’s no denying it. If you’ve seen the pictures of Dinant, and think you might be upset if you don’t see this glorious town in real life then you won’t be satisfied with just visiting Namur. Namur is not all over social media (which might actually be a positive for you) but it can be a negative for others.

So Which One To Choose: Namur Dinant, or Both?

After visiting each city, we decided that each one is better for something different. The one you ultimately decided to visit should really depend on your interests and what you’re hoping to get out of a day trip. The one thing we did agree on is that you don’t need to visit both in one trip because of how similar they are.

If you still can’t decide and want a more in depth guide to each city, read my guide to one day in Namur and Dinant.

My Belgium Day Trip Essentials

Check Out My Other Belgian Guides

• The Complete Guide to Belgium
• Travel Guide: Namur
• Travel Guide: Dinant Belgium
•  The Perfect Belgian Souvenir
• The Ultimate Guide To Belgian Beer

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Last update on 2024-04-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API