Winter in the Ardennes

The Ardennes hibernate with one eye open. Winter merely reveals another side of their beauty. Snow and ice enhance the magic of their valleys and forests. The flora and fauna of the Ardennes adapt, the inhabitants celebrate Christmas in their cosy homes, listening to stories and legends around log fires. Sports fans swap their canoes and bikes for skis and snowboards. A perfect place for a reinvigorating winter holiday!

Snow magic

The first snow usually falls in the Ardennes before Christmas and the covering of white makes the Ardennes a scintillating, dazzling fairyland. The cotton-wool layer covers forests and meadows alike, only the rivers resist its embrace. The snow provides new opportunities for sport and fun: downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and snowmobiling, especially in its winter sports resorts.

Ski in Ovifat

Where can I ski in the Ardennes?

The Ardennes have several well-known ski resorts on north-facing slopes: Weiswampach (near Clervaux in Luxembourg), La Chapelle (near Sedan in France) and Thilay (near Monthermé in France). If there’s plenty of snowfall then the ski runs in the Belgian Ardennes will open: at Thier des Rexhons (near Spa), La Ferme Libert (near Malmédy) or Baraque Fraiture (near Houffalize). Prices are much lower than in the Alps and the atmosphere less snooty, so why not give them a try?

Discover the magic of Christmas in the Ardennes

Christmas for children (and big kids)

Christmas markets in beautiful small towns and villages, life-sized Nativity scenes, ice-skating rinks in town and city squares, all are part of a theme park for excited children. After enjoying the cold, there’s nothing better than warming up again in front of a roaring log fire, especially listening to a fairy tale or legend. Winter is also a season for keeping up your calorie intake to keep you warm! It’s also a favourite time of year for photographers, capturing frost-covered trees, birds breaking the ice to drink from a pond, or even the tracks left in the snow by wild boar and deer. The Ardennes has winter presents for everyone!

Christmas market

Christmas village in Liège

High point highlight

The first snowfall is particularly enchanting in the Hautes-Fagnes Nature Park, which contains the peak known as the Signal de Botrange, at 694 m (2,227 feet) above sea level the highest point in Belgium. It is accessible by road and there is even a 6 m staircase there to climb so you can reach an altitude of 700 m!

Live Winter like nowhere else

Hautes Fagnes in Winter

Vianden in Winter

Forest of Saint-Hubert in Winter