A few words on Wallonia

• Its capital: Namur.
Since 11 December 1986, Namur is the capital of the Walloon Region and its 3,5 million inhabitants, at the heart of the Europe of the Regions.
Namur houses the Walloon Government and Parliament. To learn everything about the Walloon institutions (Parliament, Government, public services), you can visit the site Carrefour de la Région wallonne

• Wallonia as "institution”: The Walloon Region is one of the three Regions in the Federal State of Belgium, the other two are the Flemish Region and the Brussels Capital Region.
To learn everything about the Belgian Regions and Communities:
http://www.crisp.be/Wallonie/index.html

• Wallonia is the southern part of Belgium and a very undulating region. Spoken languages are French, and in the far east, German.
It shares a border with France, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Germany.

• Highest point:

the SIGN OF BOTRANGE (ROBERTVILLE), 694 m!

• Green:

80% of the Belgian forests are located in Wallonia.

• Blue:

a river, the Meuse flows through it, as well as a number of rivers and streams.

• Black:

former mining land, nowadays the slag heaps are covered with vegetation! Some sites can be visited... the memory remains. http://www.terrils.be/

• Wallonia consists of 5 provinces:

Walloon Brabant
South of Brussels. Waterloo, Villers-la-Ville, Wavre, Nivelles, Louvain-la-Neuve, landscapes of the Brabant Hesbaye.
Hainaut
Western Part. Slight hills, large beech groves. Charleroi, Tournai, Mons, Binche, Chimay
Namur
Centre south of Wallonia. Valleys and Rivers. Namur, Dinant, Han-sur-Lesse, Rochefort, Couvin.
Liège
Northeast of Wallonia, very undulating. Liège, Spa, Huy, Stavelot, Malmedy
Belgian Luxembourg
In the southeast of Belgium. Saint-Hubert, La Roche, Bouillon, Orval, la Gaume and Durbuy.

PLACES TO VISIT IN WALLONIA?

• Our Castles (1 castle per 25 km² )

• Abbeys (some names will sound familiar to beer and cheese lovers):

Floreffe, Leffe, Maredsous, Orval, Villers …

• Plenty of historical sites, theme trails, famous people

(Magritte, Rops, Sax, Simenon etc.), citadels, fortresses and fortified castles.

• Remarkable nature sites

• Charming small towns

• Visit to traditional companies

(breweries, chocolate factories, tapestry-making, etc)

• Events (Cultural Agenda ):

various folkloric events, carnivals, festivals, etc.

42 Tourist Houses in Wallonia

in different areas of Wallonia are glad to give you the necessary information for your stay.

LODGING IN WALLONIA (Choose the accommodation which suits you)

The large hotels are mainly located in the large cities (Charleroi, Liège, Namur) and in the historical and typical Walloon cities (Mons, Tournai, la Roche, Durbuy...), but everywhere, you can find a lot of smaller hotels, mainly near remarkable tourist locations.
Reservation: Logis de Belgique Logis de Belgique: cosy hotels, regional gastronomy.
Phone +32. (0) 84.41.27.67
Staying at an inhabitants' home occurs quite often in Wallonia: country cottages, farm cottages, theme cottages (horse-riding, bionature,).
Reservation: Belsud: guest rooms, cottages, farm stays etc.
Phone +32. (0) 2 504 02 80 Belsud or Fédération des Gîtes de Wallonie
Complexes for youngsters and groups: tourist centres for associations and families, youth hostels, holiday villages, etc.
Reservation: Youth Hostels. Phone +32. (0)2 219 56 76: Auberges de Jeunesse