Easter in the Ardennes was a great idea. The untypical sunny weather and the great activities we booked in advance turned this destination into a success with the kids. In Belgium, at the moment, all cultural and outdoor activities need to be booked in advance.

Here is out Top 5 outdoor activities to do with kids in the area of Liege, Belgium.

1. Visit Forestia wildlife park

You can spend an afternoon or even a full day here. There is an adventure park attached to the animal park where kids 5 and up ( from about 1 m in height) can follow several tree top walks, hanging bridges and rappelling. There are even routes for adults, with a couple reserved for those with a height of 1m70. The nice people running the park will explain what cans be done for what age and brief you in the use of the material. You can choose to buy a combined ticket with the animal park or just the animal park.

Our son tried three trails of varying difficulty taking about 1 h to complete. At the end he was getting a bit tired so we switched to the animal park. This section of Forestia is quite extensive with two possible paths lasting between about 1 h and 1 h 30 min. You can admire a variety of European wild animals, the highlight being the grumpy bears. The animals have large enclosures in the forest and there is some effort put into giving them a space resembling their usual habitat. There are scheduled animal feedings that you can check on their website.

At the entrance there is a large playground which we saved for last. There is enough here to keep all ages entertained for at least an hour. Also, there are a few picnic tables to enjoy a snack. Between the adventure park, the animal park and the playground we ended up spending approximately 4 h here. We really enjoyed the variety of activities and the natural feeling of the animal park.

2. Learn at the Prehistomuseum

Another outdoor activity that is geared towards children and has an interactive educational component. When you arrive, you are asked to choose a tribe name and receive a tag and a map with the 5 zones of the theme park. Then you can enjoy a number of activities from prehistoric hunting to pottery and fire making. Some activities are scheduled at regular intervals and require you to pick up a token for the desired time ( pottery, making a musical instrument). Others you can just join by hanging your tag at the entry point ( archery, spear hunting) to avoid overcrowding. Our favourite was working with the clay in the pottery class and building our own little mammoth. Second best was the prehistoric hunting experience.

We recommend you start with the scheduled activities and then explore the rest of the park as well as the inside exhibitions. When we visited there was a temporary exhibition on prehistoric felines. The kids receive a puzzle to complete which keeps them quite engage in the explanations and exhibits. Once they present the completed puzzle, they receive a little surprise.

3. Climb and slide at Chlorophile park

The park consists of a trail in a forest that takes you an a discovery of plant and animal life through 20 something stops marked in the map. The experiences and games build around the theme of water, sun, plants and animals and the interaction of different forest species. The highlight is a suspended tree top walk of about 100m where you walk high above the forest floor for a different perspective of the trees and birds. The trail would take about 2 h to complete and there are picnic tables scattered around. It is also quite stroller friendly. The only part with stairs is the access to the tree top walk.

At the end of the trail there are a few playground to choose from, one of which has 30 m high slide. The kids happily spend another hour just taking the adventure bridges and slinging away. You can purchase some snacks and, in our case the traditional playground ice cream, at the reception desk but the choice is limited so we do recommend bringing a pic nic for this attraction.

4. Hike one of the Houffalize forest walks

Houffalize is a small riverside village in the Ardennes that can act as a starting point to a variety of walks in the region. You can grab a map at the Tourist Info point just off the main square but generally they are quite well signposted so you will find your way without one. The duration of the walk and the difficulty are also clearly marked on the regional map in front of the Tourism office. We have not been able to identify a stroller friendly walk so we had the carrier ready to go for this activity.

The walk we chose is named Roche plate and is a popular one with families for its gentle slopes and beautiful views. It is a loop walk of about 5 km starting just in front of the Tourist office. Take a pic nic and water with you. There is a lovely bakery just in front of the church on the main square in Houffalize if you forgot to pack one from home.

5. Explore Roche en Ardennes feudal castle and war museum

Roche en Ardennes is a sleepy and picturesque Ardennes villages that is very popular in Summer with Belgian families. The river flowing peacefully though the town Center and the towering feudal castle give it a fairy tale feel. In the town Center you will also find the war museum, presenting a collection of World War 1 artefacts. The most impressive though is the tank parked out front.

For the best panorama, you will need to head up to the castle. Again, you will only be able to use the pram up to the ticket office so do foresee a carrier for this one. Also watch your steps inside the ruins as the ground is not levelled. Some of the stones are slippery when wet so consider some good walking shoes for good stability if you are the one with the baby carrier. The most exciting part for the kids is probably the prison cell and the guards tower. And of course screaming the number on the orientation map at every single information board you encounter while exploring the castle.

I hope you check out some of these attractions during your Summer holidays in the Ardennes in Belgium. Also, if we missed a place that you think would be great to explore with kids, let us know in the comments below.

Safe and happy travels!

CGK