Citadelle de Dinant — Attraction in Dinant

I was there yesterday (Sunday), the place is not that big but it has many attractions. I arrived by car through the upper neighborhood (by the way, a great neighborhood, few houses in the interior and quiet streets) it is possible to see some signs pointing to the citadelle, which helps. The parking lot on the right side, it's not very big but it wasn't full (maybe due to bad weather). From the outside, you can see a playground and a restaurant inside, on the left. So we go in and walk a little bit, we arrive at the window and the small gates are closed. There was a man there who informed us that to see everything else inside, you have to buy a ticket. We pay our entry by card (2 adults + 1 child = 31 euros) and we see that the area is really divided between left and right, in the middle is the cable car that you "operate" yourself. When he arrives you go in, close the door (he makes an attention sound before moving - you spend all your time listening to it when it's busy) and go down. To exit you open the door. So, about the citadelle, we started walking on the right side, it is very well preserved and gives us a good first impression... we really felt safe inside. Upon entering we have the dimension that the space is not small and there is a lot of information there, their collection is impressive. My 7 year old daughter was very entertained, she loved the guillotine 🤣 and we learned a lot there. There are dolls there (in the first rooms) to represent the prisoners. They are not ugly dolls, at DisneyParcs there are many attractions with worse dolls 🤣 if you are with children I suggest talking about the story beforehand or going in front of it a little, leave the children in the playground while you decide if your child is going to see that room quietly or if they will be scared. There's a bathroom inside the citadelle and a cafe but I didn't used it. In the middle there is a large open area space and around it the spaces are divided and each space has objects and information. As it is very high, it was quite windy. At the end there is an open area with a handrail to see the city, it is worth it even with strong winds. The space is under renovation but it didn't bother me, even the parts already finished are incredible, nice to see. Nothing too old, lots of dark rooms and much less "messy". This, for me, makes a difference. There's a part that simulates a battlefield, it's dark with gunshots as we walk through the barricades. My daughter was a little scared but in the end she liked it. There is also a staircase outside the citadelle (more than 400 steps) that leads to the left side of the church, almost at the same point where the cable car arrive. After finishing this old part, we walked in front of the cable car for my daughter to play in the playground on the left side. There you can also have a beautiful view of Dinant and there are toilets and a cafe that I didn't go into. In this part there are tables and chairs where I saw people eating a snack. It was a great tour, we were there for around 2hrs but I believe that if the weather was nice we would have stayed longer. 31 euros I found it too expensive but I still recommend the visit. I saw some ramps and I could say that the place is accessible but the ground is mostly pebbles. See the photos to...

I think we paid €23 each and that included a river cruise so it was a good value introduction to the town. The cable car only took a few minutes and we reached the top, saw the Gloster Meteor incongruously parked in the trees and then looked at the views across the river. It was then a short walk down a ramp to the citadel entrance where the exhibition began.

We learned about the castle being rebuilt in the 16th century after the sack of the town by Charles the Bold and then the fortifications being rebuilt by Vauban after the French capture of the citadel in the 17th century. Following the French defeat at Waterloo the town was handed to the Dutch Republic and they rebuilt and modernised the fort in its current form before it became part of Belgium in 1830 and was then sold in 1878 and became a tourist attraction.

in 1914 the town was in the path of the German invasion of Belgium and nearly 700 civilians were massacred by the Germans amid widespread looting, destruction and murder. The citadel was again occupied by German troops in their 1940 invasion. There was also a section to hear the actual accounts of the 1914 massacre by those involved and the German commander claimed they were fired upon by "shrews" and his troops responded accordingly. I'm not sure the 3 week old baby killed in this action could be considered a shrew and the commander was never charged with war crimes.

The route then led us to the gun batteries of the citadel and you could use media screens to give you information on each section of the self guided tour. There were a variety of cannons on display and also hand weapons and uniform of the 19th and 20th centuries. There was also an exterior terrace which gave you more views up and down the river valley. One very strange part was a damaged casement that had been created at a 30 degree angle, a challenge to walk around and there was also a recreated trench system to see. The final part was the cells from the time the Citadel served as a prison for disobedient troops in the 1920s and 30s. We then took the cable car down the hill and walked along the riverside for our...

The Citadel is the major attaction in Dinant. There is a lots of history to the place which is very interesting to know. The castle on top of the hill is worth spending the time. The view of Dinant along with the river Meuse from top of the castle is magnificient. Its maintained good enough and is a worth place to spend some time with family and friends. They also provide place in the castle to organize parties or other gatherings.

I couldn't find a site to order the tickets online. On the other hand its not really necessary as the queue for the tickets are not that long. You can either get the tickets from the entrance to the citadel down the hill or at the top. Tickets include entry to the castle and as options tickets to the cable car and/or 2 hour boat cruise.

If you are going by car then there is a free parking space on top of the hill. In the area of the entrance of the castle there is a playing are for kids and a small snack bar. It will take around 1+ hour to have the walk through of the castle. You can take the stairs downhill to the centre of Dinant or you can use the cable car. If you entered the castle from the top, I would suggest to take the stairs to the way down and then come back up by cable car. We were doubtful if that was possible, but asked them and confirmed that it is possible to do so.

We were there when the weather was too hot, so consider options like extra water and so for such extreme weather conditions. If you are visiting with kids who needs a stoller please be aware that its not that easy to use the stroller in the compound. Nevertheless there are spaces where you can leave them for sometime when taking stairs to other rooms down below.

Which brings me to the part where there is an underground bunker with in the castle. It is advised for people with orientation problem not to go in as it may cause vertigo. The space in there is made in a slanting angle so you will really feel weird when walking through the small dark space. Its fun and awesome for those who...