Parc National de la Vallée de la Semois

Belgium · Europe · Visited 25 October 2025 · Established 2022

The Semois valley is home to what is arguably the most famous viewpoint in Belgium. Le Tombeau du Géant, near the village of Botassart, looks out over a near-perfect horseshoe bend in the Semois River, where the water loops around a densely wooded hill before doubling back on itself. The scale of it catches you off guard. You expect a nice panorama and get something that genuinely stops you in your tracks. It's easily accessible from a small free car park, and there are benches, toilets, and picnic tables at the top, so you can sit with it for a while. I only had time to photograph it and leave. It deserves longer, and you can even do hikes through it.

I visited in autumn, and the timing made all the difference. The Semois valley in full autumn colour is something else entirely. The forests that blanket the steep valley sides, mostly beech, oak, and hornbeam, turn through every shade of copper, amber, and rust. The river, dark and slow-moving at this time of year, threads through it all like a ribbon. Every viewpoint becomes a different composition, and the light shifts constantly. If you have any say in when you visit, autumn is the answer.

Bouillon

The town of Bouillon is the obvious cultural anchor for the park, and Bouillon Castle is the centrepiece. The fortress sits on a narrow rocky ridge in a tight bend of the Semois, looming over the town and the river gorge below. It dates back to at least the 10th century. Its most famous occupant was Godfrey of Bouillon, who inherited it in 1082 and then sold it to the Bishop of Liège to finance the First Crusade. He went on to lead the siege of Jerusalem in 1099 and was offered the crown of the city, though he declined it, and died there a year later without ever returning. Today you can walk the ramparts, explore the dungeons, and climb the Tour d'Autriche for a panoramic view of the town, the river, and the forested slopes beyond.

I didn't stay in Bouillon, but I spent a good few hours exploring and it warrants more. It's the largest settlement in the area, with more restaurants, shops, and things to see and do than the smaller villages. If you want a base with a bit more going on, it's the practical choice.

Rochehaut

I stayed in Rochehaut, a tiny village perched on a rocky promontory high above the Semois. Its viewpoint over the hamlet of Frahan, another classified panorama, is almost as impressive as the Tombeau du Géant. But the real highlight of staying here was the early mornings. On clear, still nights, cloud inversions settled into the valley below, filling the gorge with a sea of mist while the village sat above it in the first light.

The village itself has enough restaurants to keep you well fed for a few days, but one practical note: if you're not staying somewhere that includes breakfast, the food shops and cafés in the area don't tend to open until around 10am.

Who it's for

The Semois valley is comfortably the most scenic of Belgium's national parks. Between the viewpoints, the castle, and the walking trails that drop down into the valley and along the river, there's easily enough for two or three days. If you're only going to visit one national park in Belgium, this is the one.