Château de Modave The Ardennes

Few of Belgium’s numerous castles have an interior that beats the memorable Château de Modave. The most arresting of the well-preserved 1673 stucco ceilings is the heraldic relief that covers the entrance hall. But doing the whole audio-guide visit (50 minutes) shows you another 20 majestically furnished rooms plus a lead-lined stone-cut bath, a remarkable bed-alcove and the balcony from which you can suddenly appreciate the castle’s strategic perch on a 60m-high cliff above a pretty rural stream. There's no hint of this topography from the castle’s level main frontage, which comprises classical French gardens, an extensive grey-stone fortified farm and a pair of 800m grand avenues leading from Modave village, 13km south from Huy via the N641. Save €2 with the relevant Visites Passion flier available from most tourist offices (www.visitespassion.eu).