Durbuy
Durbuy, with less than 500 inhabitants, calls itself the "smallest town" in the world. The first castle was built around 889, and the village was first mentioned in official records in the 11th century.
By the early 14th century Durbuy had aquired city wall, a police and a courthouse, and was awarded the status of "city" by charter of rights, by the John, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, in 1331. Up to this day, Durbuy is still officially a city, and not a village, in spite of its diminutive size. The locals claim it to be the smallest city in the world, but that privilege is probably deserved by Staverden, in the Dutch province of Gelderland, which only counts 40 inhabitants.
Durbuy has kept its original medieval atmosphere and is mostly geared to tourism nowadays, with plenty of fine restaurants and hotels housed in historical bluestone buildings. If you hesitate between the numerous restaurants in town, try the Le Sanglier des Ardennes or Le Fou du Roy.
The Ourthe River passes through Durbuy and marking the boundaries between three of Wallonia's geographical regions : the Condroz, the Famenne and the Ardennes. The river is ideal for kayaking and rafting. It is also possible to do horse riding and rent mountain bikes in Durbuy. The nearby megalith site of Weris is also recommended.
How to get there
To reach Durbuy by public transport, you should catch a local train to Barvaux-sur-Ourthe, on the Liège-Jemelle line. The journey takes 50min from Liege, or 25min from Jemelle (Rochefort). If you are coming from Brussels, you can either take a train to Liege, or one to Luxembourg and change at Jemelle. Either way should take about 2 hours to reach Barvaux. From Barvaux, you can take a taxi or walk the 2km to Durbuy. There are also buses but they are very infrequent.
By car, follow the indication for Durbuy from the E411, E25 or N4
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