This article first appeared in My Travelogue by Bhushavali
ONE OF THE PICTURESQUE CASTLES IN BELGIUM
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Castles in Belgium: Belgium is one of the countries is the highest
number of castles density! While there may be more castles in many other
countries incl. Germany or France, given the size of Belgium, the number of
castles in Belgium is just too many! There are more than 10 castles near Brussels itself! If you go on a simple, 20-25km long node-to-node bike ride
anywhere in Belgium, you'll definitely come across more than 2 castles, at
least!!!
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Pic Credit: Google Earth
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Visit Lavaux-Sainte-Anne in Belgium: Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne
Castle is one of the very picturesque and instagrammable castles in Belgium
located in the beautiful village of Lavaux-Sainte-Anne. The castle is the home
to not 1 but 3 museums and a deer park! It is not a very big castle; it has
about 20 rooms in all; but it is a charming village surrounded by deers,
cultivation fields, & village life, so you'd want to spend more time
around than just the castle and you'd want to click a 100 pictures!
Though it is possible to visit Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne on a day trip
from Brussels by train, it is best experienced on a weekend trip from Brussels. It is very much possible to stay in this little village of
Lavaux-Sainte-Anne for a night or two and visit the castle and experience this
region.
VISIT CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE CASTLE
VISITING CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE CASTLE WITH KIDS
Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle is one of the best castles in Belgium to
visit with young kids. Kids get to dress up as knights or princesses as soon
as they enter the castle! As soon as we entered, Atyudarini was given 2
choices and she chose princess, complete with the headdress and that's what
she wandered around the castle, wearing! This is worn on top of their own
clothes, so I didn't have to worry about it.
HISTORY OF CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE CASTLE
The history of Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle dates back to 1244
CE. The Chateau was then just a watchtower built as a lookout over Bavay -
Nassogne Roman road. This was built by Jacques de Wellin (aka "de la Vaux") as
requested by Saint Hubert Abbey. It was much much later in 1450, that the
castle was built as we know it today. Jean II de Berlo built 3 towers and
connected them by walls and in 50 years, the 4th tower was also built. In 1630
Jacques Renard de Rouveroit bought it and reconstructed it as we know it today
with Renaissance-styled rooms and castle gates, etc. It changed hands,
survived the revolution, and almost fell into ruins. In 1934, the non-profit
Friends of Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne was set up. They renovated it, and
opened it to the public!
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MUSEUM OF THE RURAL LIFE IN FAMENNE IN CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE CASTLE
The first section of the museum is the Museum of Rural Life in Famenne. The
rooms were set in underground cellars. There was the kitchen with authentic,
historic utensils, including pans, a waffle maker, kettles, etc. Beside it
is the dining room complete with a cabinet of crockery. The next room is the
historic storage room filled with look-alike vegetables, fruits, as well as
poultry! There was even a butter churner here.
MUSEUM OF THE LIFE OF THE LORDS OF LAVAUX IN CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE CASTLE
The ground floor is dedicated to the lives of the Lords of Lavaux. The first
room was stunning with regal couches and a mannequin wearing a huge Victorian
gown, which absolutely fascinated Atyudarini. The next few rooms are more of
the life of the Lords including a study room with historic cabinets &
tables. Next was a bedroom with a charming bedpost and damask duvets. The last
room has the staircase to go upstairs, but the room also has a stunning fresco
of the knights in a battle! There are also armories scattered all over the
castle. As soon as you go upstairs, there's a very nice view from atop through
the window, which was once upon a time, a watch tower!
NATURE & HUNTING MUSEUM IN CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE CASTLE
The first floor is dedicated to Nature & Hunting. It was quite interesting
and almost resembled a natural history museum with several stuffed animals! It
was super interesting for little Atyudarini. There were several local birds
and small animals including deer, wild boar, foxes, mountain goats, hares,
ducks, owls and hawks, and more. One of the rooms had a piece of very interesting furniture where everything was adorned with deer/stag antlers - the backrest
& legs of chairs, handles & decor of cupboards are all made of
antlers!!! Typical to any noble household of the yesteryears, there were
mounted heads of stags & bison that they hunted! Apart from actual
hunting, another leisure activity of the times was, of course, falconry! There's
a room dedicated to Falconry as well with several stuffed predatory birds.
DEER PARK IN CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE CASTLE
Around the castle is a moat and all around it is the deer park which has about
10 European Fallow Deer present. We were incredibly lucky that just a few days
before we visited, the deer had given birth to a few fawns and one of them was
a melanistic (black) one! Black European Fallow Deer are pretty rare (the
usual ones are chestnut-colored with white spots).
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CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE CASTLE PRACTICAL DETAILS
Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle Tickets: €8. Can be
bought online on the official website of Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne. Click Billetterie on the menu.
Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle Timings: Has very assorted
open dates. Check the
official website of Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne
HOW TO REACH CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE CASTLE BY PUBLIC
TRANSPORT
Where is Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle (on Google
Maps)? Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne
How to reach Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle without a car? The reason it
has taken forever for me to visit Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle is
that, while it is connected by LeTEC buses, it doesn't run on weekends.
LeTEC Bus Route 166a
runs only on weekdays and only 2 buses a day and only during school days (not
during school vacation)! If you get it right (get the 12:30PM bus at Jamelle
onwards & 02:45PM bus at Lavaux-Ste-Anne to return), you'll still only get
less than 2 hours at Lavaux Sainte-Anne. This is the only option. The bus is,
technically, meant for the school kids in the village to reach Rochefort or
Jamelle!
If you need more time at Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne (which, ideally you
will, if you don't want a rushed visit), the only other option is to stay in
this village and take the early bus the next morning (around 07:00AM) and
perhaps visit Rochefort or Han-sur-Lesse on Day 2!
While the bus doesn't run on weekends, it does on weekdays of school vacation,
but it stops at Lessive Centre which is about 5km from Château de
Lavaux-Sainte-Anne. If you can bike, the nearest railway station is Beauraing
which is about 13km away.
TAXI SERVICES IN LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE
If the whole LeTEC Bus sounds scary or if you can manage only a weekend trip
or need a comfortable day trip, a good idea would be to hire a taxi from
Rochefort-Jamelle railway station to Lavaux Sainte Anne. I have used Taxi Lux
in Durbuy and not here, but they operate in this region as well. You will have
to call them earlier and pre-book the taxi in advance; there is no fleet of
taxis available outside the railway station.
TaxiLux phone number - 0032 (0) 495/47 22 73
TaxiLux email id - taxiluxlibramont@skynet.be
PLACES TO VISIT AROUND LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE
Domaine des Grottes de Han - 9km away. Biking is the best option. Takes
about 1 hour by bus with a change at Rochefort. Just 10 mins if you hire a
car! Here's all you need to know about Domaine des Grottes de Han.
Rochefort - 12km away. Just 30 minutes by bus. Direct bus available. Here are all the things to do in Rochefort.
Domaine Chevatogne - Not practical by public transport. 15km away.
Just 15 mins if you hire a car.
Beauraing - Not practical by public transport, but if you ride a bike,
it is only 13km away. Just 15 mins if you hire a car. Here's all about my one day in Beauraing.
GET YOUR GUIDE TOURS NEAR LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE
LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE HOTELS
HOTELS NEAR CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE CASTLE
Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle is located in the little town of
Lavaux-Sainte-Anne village, which hardly has 10 streets. It is a charming,
little, authentic, Belgian village. Somehow, one of the very few houses in
this little village is a restaurant + B&B called Les 4 Lunes and 2 more of
these houses are listed on Airbnb! I visited Lavaux-Sainte-Anne on a day trip and did not stay here, so I cannot personally review any of these for you!
LES 4 LUNES - Les 4 Lunes is located steps away from Château
de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne. This is an excellent option because not only do you get
to stay in an authentic Belgian village but also get to go on a sunrise walk
around the castle and visit the deer park early in the morning when they
are just waking up! There's also a restaurant on the ground floor and both are
managed by its owner Bill. There are only 3 rooms in the B&B - Lune
d'Orient, Lune de miel, Fleur de Lune. It is a cozy little family establishment.
Inform them of your dietary requirements in advance, when you book the room because everything is made to order here and there is no other restaurant in
this village as well.
Where is Les 4 Lunes (on Google Maps): B&B Les 4 Lunes
How to reach Les 4 Lunes? same as above
Book a room online: official website of Les 4 Lunes
Les 4 Lunesphone no: +32 (0)84 38 84 26; +32 (0)477 196
651
Les 4 Lunesroom rates: Room rates begin at €80 for double occupancy in a standard room
AIRBNB IN LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE VILLAGE
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Beautiful castle!
ReplyDeleteIt's such a great idea to give children the choice to dress up when visiting the Chateau Lavaux Sainte Anne. That will definitely make them understand much better the place they are visiting. I wish they did it for adults too, that would be so much fun! I like that this castle is surrounded by a moat - it makes visiting it feeling like a journey back in time, to the medieval times. The 3 museums and the deer park definitely make coming here worth it for the entire day.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy visiting medieval castles and this one is no exception. How fun that the kids can dress up and pretend to be royalty, can adults not join in?! It's so interesting that each floor was dedicated to a certain group in society. The castle is so well preserved given it was built in the 13th century!
ReplyDeleteSuch castles give off a magical feeling. I adore the notion of Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle supplying children's costumes so they can dress up as a knight or princess upon entering. This will undoubtedly increase their enthusiasm and pleasure as they explore the area. My interest is also piqued by the on-site Nature and Hunting Museum. Atyudarini looks gorgeous in that long red dress, by the way!
ReplyDeleteWe sure do love to visit castles on our travels. So it was great to read about some of the picturesque ones in Wallonia in Belgium. I love when castles have been restored inside and you can get a view of how life was lived. Such a great variety of museums for the Chateaux de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle. I am sure it would be a lot of fun and educational for kids.
ReplyDeleteLovely castles to explore! So glad they've been preserved and are available as museums. I appreciate the extra details you include such as best places to stay.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of Chateau de Lavaux in Sainte Anne in Belgium before. It looks like a fairy tale. Its thick walls and round towers look great. I would like to see it as it's home to 3 museums and a deer park, so it's a perfect idea as a whole day trip from Brussels. It's also great to know that it is accessible by train from Brussels. I also love that kids dress up as knights or princesses during visits! I would like to see the museum of Rural Life in Famenne and the museum dedicated to the lives of the Lords of Lavaux. It's beneficial that you provided prices and opening hours.
ReplyDeleteChateau de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne castle is a beautiful place to visit and it's amazing how it was transformed from a light house to a castle in different stages over the years. Atyudarini looks pretty in the princess outfit and definitely it's a great place for kids and taking Instagram pics.Both the museums of life of lords and the nature and hunting museums are exotic with classic interiors and stuffed animals.And spotting 10 European fallow deers sounds great!
ReplyDeleteHappy to know that kids can enjoy a visit to Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle. My daughter would be thrilled to dress up as a princess and walk in a real castle.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience. Will bookmark this post for future reference.
CHÂTEAU DE LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE looks like a wonderful day trip excursion. I think I would love to play dress up as much as the kids and explore the place. Who would not like to be a pretend royal for a day in a medieval castle ? Thank you for the introduction to this castle.
ReplyDelete