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EuroVelo 5
Expert
304 km
Via Romea Francigena
The EuroVelo 5 route takes you to explore the wealth of the natural, architectural, cultural and brewing heritage of Belgium.
Having left Lille, known as the ‘capital of Flanders’ in France, you follow the rural greenway along the Roubaix canal to enter Belgium. Passing by small locks and drawbridges, accompanied by the lapping water, you will wind your way, sometimes in Wallonia, sometimes in Flanders, along the Espierres canal and then the Scheldt river.
When you reach Avelgem, you cross the river towards the Pays des Collines nature reserve and the Flemish Ardennes. This is a hilly region. The RAVeL, as greenways are known in Wallonia, set out along the old No 83 and No 87 railway lines, leads you successively to Renaix/Ronse and Lessines, two towns that are proud of their Flemish Renaissance style heritage.
You then follow the Dendre river to the historic centre of Grammont/Geraardsbergen, a major point along the route of the famous Tour of Flanders cycle race. You join the nodal-points network (knooppunten) in Flanders and the LF6-Vlaanderen Fietsroute cycling route which guides you to the south of Brussels. The route leads you through the picturesque villages of the Pajottenland, a region famous for its local fruity beers. After savouring one of these in the Grote Markt in Halle, you head towards the Senne valley, where you are enveloped in a special atmosphere that persists to the centre of the Capital of Europe. In Brussels, you go past all the familiar monuments, from the Grand-Place to the European Parliament.
You leave the city to the south, going through the majestic Sonian Forest. Following the minor roads of Brabant, lined with typical villas, you reach Wavre and the Hesbaye region, the breadbasket of this beautiful region. The Line 142 RAVeL then takes you along a gentle incline to Namur, the capital of Wallonia. Its historic centre and art of good living captivate a few more visitors every year.
The route continues along the Upper Meuse RAVeL, which boasts superb settings such as the famous cliffs and gardens of Freyr castle or the Dinant Citadel. You then make for the country roads of the Condroz plateau, where you pass through authentic villages with limestone dwellings. Having crossed Ciney, a centre of cattle breeding, you reach Marche, the lively heart of the Pays de Famenne region. Upon leaving the town, you take the RAVeL towards Hotton to reach the valley of the Ourthe river that winds wildly back and forth.
From La Roche-en-Ardenne, you go off to explore a multitude of landscapes, both grandiose and surprising. As you pass through the bewitching valleys of the Ry de Bronze, the western Ourthe and the Laval, pretty Ardennes villages and magnificent panoramic views will brighten your route, which runs mainly along very quiet roads. You climb slowly towards Bastogne, a Belgian city well known in the USA, because this is where a handful of GIs withstood the German offensive in the winter of 1944.
After this, you go to the greenway on the old local line No 618 in Assenois. You pass through the idyllic settings of the Strange and the Sûre valleys to end your journey in Martelange. You may then decide to continue towards Redange, Arlon and Luxembourg city on the cycling routes network of the Grand Duchy.
Interactive Route Map
Route Stages : EuroVelo 59
De Roubaix (F) à Renaix/Ronse (stage 1)
On the RAVeL of the Espierres canal, the Scheldt and Line 83
Having left Lille, the capital of French Flanders, you follow the greenway along the Roubaix canal, which becomes the Espierres canal RAVeL when you enter Wallonia at the Leers-Nord lock (Estaimpuis). Here you can enjoy refreshments at the Maison du Canal coffee shop. This quiet café in an old lock house offers a range of regional beers.
Family
32,5 km
De Renaix/Ronse à Grammont/Geraardsbergen (stage 2)
On the RAVeL of Line 87 and the Dendre
Starting from Renaix/Ronse, a town set within one of the hilliest regions of Flanders, known for that matter as the Flemish Ardennes, you follow the RAVeL virtually from one end to the other along this stage.
You enter Wallonia on the old No 87 railway line, converted into a greenway, and penetrate deep into the Pays des Collines region.
Family
28 km
De La Hulpe à Wavre (stage 3)
From La Hulpe to Wavre
You leave Brussels to the south towards Wallonia and the Ardennes. Here you can experience the Brabant atmosphere, with its typical villas. The urban setting soon makes way for a more peaceful environment, such as the Sonian Forest, the Solvay regional estate and the Château de La Hulpe park.
Expert
18.5 km
De Wavre à Namur (stage 4)
From Wavre to Namur
Starting from Wavre, the capital of Walloon Brabant, this stage takes you along the small rural roads of the Hesbaye plateau. Here you are in the breadbasket of this beautiful region, alternating between opulent fields of wheat and beetroot. You will discover vast areas of open countryside dotted with quiet villages and imposing farms that radiate character.
Medium
51 km
De Namur à Dinant (stage 5)
On the Meuse RAVeL
As you leave Namur, you are enveloped by the relaxing atmosphere of the Meuse RAVeL. You pass through the village of Wépion, recognised the world over for its strawberries. You gradually enter the most beautiful part of the Meuse valley with its many cliffs and superb sites such as the famous Annevoie gardens.
Family
27 km
De Dinant à Marche-en-Famenne (stage 6)
On the minor roads of the Condroz and the Famenne regions
In the Meuse valley, the path follows a gentle incline for about 10 km alongside the charming Fonds de Leffe nature reserve between steep rocky hillsides. You head towards the Condroz plateau along quiet little roads.
Medium
48,5 km
De Marche-en-Famenne à La-Roche-en-Ardenne (stage 7)
From Marche-en-Famenne to La-Roche-en-Ardenne
You head towards Hotton along the RAVeL and leave behind you Marche-en-Famenne, a dynamic town that is the economic centre of the Province of Luxembourg. When you reach Hotton, a small town with undeniable tourist attractions, you can go underground to explore the caves, awarded two stars in the Michelin guide.
Medium
28 km
De La Roche-en-Ardenne à Bastogne (stage 8)
From La-Roche-en-Ardenne to Bastogne (stage 8)
With a last look back at the mysterious La Roche, you head off through steep-sided valleys and wooded hills towards Erneuville and its vast grassy plateaux. You follow a pleasant route with a gentle slope along the delightful Ry de Bronze. You cross a multitude of picturesque villages with charming names such as Grainchamps, Tresfontaines, Wyompont, Ortheuville, Lavacherie or Amberloup. Sometimes perched on Ardennes ridges, sometimes nestling at the bottom of the western Ourthe valley, you will love these quiet, rustic places.
Medium
46 km
De Bastogne à Martelange (stage 9)
On the pre-RAVeL of Lines 163 and 618
This stage takes you through many villages in the Pays de Bastogne region and the idyllic valleys of the Strange and the Sûre rivers set largely in a Natura 2000 protected area. You follow two sections of the old 163 and 618 railway lines, now laid out as pre-RAVeL paths, which once linked Bastogne to Libramont on the one hand and Bastogne to Martelange, at the gates of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, on the other.
Medium
25 km
