You can easily start this tour at the Park & Ride of Namur, at exit 15 of the E411. You follow the Maas for 7 km and then turn right. You are now driving through the valley of the river Samson. The road winds you back up from the Samson Valley road to a high plateau.

The roads along the Maas are busy, so you leave as soon as you can to the village of Lustin and then to Crupet where the charming castle emerges as a surprise among the greenery.
Crupet Castle is dominated by a 15th-century half-timbered tower and surrounded by a wide moat. This castle is privately owned.

Much more famous, but less authentic is the castle of Spontin. The beautiful castle of Spontin is located in the center of Spontin, part of the Belgian municipality of Yvoir. With its massive walls, its towers topped with slate spiers and its moat with drawbridge, it corresponds quite well to the image that one usually forms of a medieval castle. The current shape dates from the 16th century.
Spontin Castle was located in a strategic location. Over the centuries, the castle has been attacked many times by armies from Liège, Dinant, Burgundy and France, among others. No army managed to take Spontin Castle. The castle is not accessible.

In Yvoir you come back to the Maas. This is an inconspicuous town built from the typical gray limestone. A few kilometers further, the tower of Leffe Abbey catches the eye. This one is best known for its beer. Founded in 1152, Leffe Abbey was a Premonstratensian abbey where canons lived together in a community with particular attention to reception and hospitality; numerous pilgrims could always visit the Abbey of Leffe.
In 1952 it was decided to resume the brewing tradition and the well-preserved recipe of Leffe to offer a range of delicious Leffe beers. Ab-Inbev has taken over and is committed to continuing the tradition of Leffe beer.
In the vicinity of the village of Lisogne you have some beautiful panoramic views of the region.

There are few places in the Ardennes with such a characteristic appearance as Dinant. That skyline alone: tall mansions, higher church, even higher cliffs and on top of that the citadel.
The citadel is literally and figuratively the highlight of a visit to Dinant. A cable car takes you up from the Maaskade, but it is actually more fun to take the old stairs, 408 in total. Once at a height of a hundred meters above the city, the citadel overlooks the land and water.
Open: from April to September: Every day from 10 am. until 6 p.m. From October to mid-November: every day from 10 am. until 5.30 pm - From mid-November to March: every day from 10 am. until 4.30 pm. (except Friday)
Entrance price: adults: € 10.00

There is also the opportunity to eat or drink something, for example in the Taverne Dinan located along the Maas.
Just outside the city you pass the Rocher Bayard. The Rocher Bayard is a spectacular pointed rock about 35 m high that is completely separate from the rest of the cliff. The Bayard rock is linked to the legend of the 4 Heems children and the steed Carillon. The 4 knights fled on the steed Carillon from Charlemagne. At Dinant, the horse took its lead to cross the Meuse and separated the rocky spur from the rest of the cliff with a blow of its hooves.
As soon as Dinant is behind you, it is time again for a piece of nature on both sides of a beautiful winding road. Via Dréhence you arrive in Anseremme where Lesse and Maas merge. Anseremme is best known for the canoe trips on the Lesse that end here.

In Hastière-par-Delà, you cannot ignore the 11th-century Romanesque church that used to be surrounded by an abbey that disappeared after the French Revolution. The church has been restored and is of rare beauty and austerity.

The tour is very rural. Forests give way to extensive agricultural fields. Here you can take some nice pictures of the area.

In Mettet you pass the 'circuit de vitesse Jules Tachény'.

Before you reach the end, all that remains to be done is the valley of the Molignée. The road winds alternately across the river and under the railway bridges.

They brew Trappist cheese and make cheese in Maredsous Abbey. This is definitely worth a visit.
Maredsous Abbey was founded in 1872 by Benedictine monks. It is a typical example of the neo-Gothic style and blends harmoniously into the wooded and sloping environment of the region. Lovers of abbey beer and abbey cheese will certainly get their money's worth here.
To visit:
from April to September: from 10am to 6pm on weekdays, from 10am to 7pm on Saturday and from 10am to 8pm on Sunday - from October to March: open from 10am to 6pm on weekdays and from 10am to 7pm on weekends - during summer holidays (July and August): open from 10 am to 7 pm from Monday to Saturday and from 10 am to 8 pm on Sunday

Before you leave the valley you pass the castle ruins of Montaigle and finally reach the Maas again. This castle was inhabited by the lords of Montaigle. After its destruction by Henry II in 1554, it was never rebuilt.

The Gardens of Annevoie have their origins in the Montpelliers family history dating back to the mid-15th century. The gardens were designed on the basis of three different philosophies: the French style, where art corrects nature, the Italian style, where art adapts to nature, the English style, where art imitates nature.
In the 1930s, the gardens finally open to the general public. They are soon classified as Walloon Heritage.
Open from April to early November: every day from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Entrance: 8.20 Euro / pers.

After a few detours through the Bois de Villers you will enter Wépion where the Museum of the strawberry is. If you want to know everything about the delicious strawberries of Wépion, then you should definitely visit this museum of Namur that you should not miss. Also enjoy a free visit to the Garden of the small fruits, where you can taste the seasonal delicacies.
The Strawberry Museum was founded in an old villa on the banks of the Meuse and has five exhibition rooms dedicated to the history of this place and strawberry cultivation. Also visit the documentation center or the shop where you can buy all kinds of regional products from regional producers. You can also obtain strawberries there during the strawberry season.
You can visit the museum freely

Now the end of the tour is gradually coming into view. All that remains is to climb the citadel of Namur over the small cobblestones.

The Citadel of Namur is located on a 100 meter high hill above Namur. It is strategically located where the Sambre river flows into the Maas. It is one of the largest castles in Europe and is connected to the Namur district of Jambes via the Pont de Jambes. The Citadel of Namur is located in 80 ha of green area. In the old barracks of Terra Nova, the Visitor Center presents 2,000 years of urban and military history in Europe through the history of Namur and its citadel. In this way we get a picture of the societies of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
You can visit the Center freely or with a guide. It is best to check the website for opening hours. The link can be found below.

The route ends in Namur where you can eat or drink something. You can also end your tour just outside the center in the Lunch Garden, which also has a spacious parking lot.

This tour gets 4 stars because it not only takes you past some castles, fortresses and natural monuments, but is also very rural, with forests giving way to extensive agricultural fields. The small villages do not disturb at all because they have kept their authenticity. Unfortunately, not all roads are equally good.