Bouillon

Bouillon is a great little town in the Ardennes just on the French border.  

The tourist information office is located just outside the castle walls and supplies a number of hiking maps, postcards and leaflets of things to do there.

Places to Stay

The HI has a fantastic view of the castle and
is clean and comfortable.  They have one of
the best kitchens I've ever seen in a hostel
and the staff are really friendly and helpful.

It's quite a walk up the hill from the bus stop,
so make sure you wear your walking shoes on
your way up!

Breakfast is included in the price and they sell beer, coke, crisps etc from the bar in reception in the evening

Their website is: Bouillon - Sur La Hauteur

Places to Eat

The town has all the shops you'd expect -
a butchers, grocers, bakery, chocolate shop
etc.  Enough to make a decent meal if you're
staying somewhere with a kitchen or want to
have a picnic lunch.

There's also a market in the town itself on Wednesday, Saturday and Sudnay mornings
that sells fresh fruit and vegetables along with clothes and touristy trinkets.

Things to Do

The castle is the main attraction of the city
other than the hiking trails.  It's right on the
town so you can't miss it and it's really
pretty lit up at night.

It's not a working castle so you'll have to be
prepared to climb over the ruins and it's not
really wheel chair friendly.

They do regular birds of prey shows.  Don't worry if you don't get a seat at the front, there's plenty of seating on the castle walls!

Don't forget to collect a leaflet from the ticket office as the castle has lots of numbers on the wall that are detailed on the leaflets. 

Leave lots of time for exploring, it's a half day thing.

There's also plenty of hiking in the surrounding area and the trails are well marked.

Links

Official Tourist Board