Chimay
A Small Princely Town In Southern Hainaut, With The Castle Of The Princes Of Chimay And, Nearby, The Trappist Abbey Of Scourmont Whose Chimay Beer Is Sold Worldwide · Chimay, Hainaut Province
Chimay is a small, quiet princely town in the far south of Hainaut, in French-speaking Wallonia, close to the French border. Its heart is the castle of the Princes of Chimay, a family seat above the Eau Blanche valley that can be visited on guided tours and is known for a small 19th-century theatre inside, along with a sloping Grand-Place and a collegiate church. The name is famous worldwide for another reason: about 10 km south stands the Trappist Abbey of Scourmont, whose monks brew the Chimay beers and make Chimay cheese. The brewery is closed to visitors, but the abbey's inn, the Auberge de Poteaupre, serves the beers and cheese and houses the Chimay Experience visitor centre. Around the town lie the Lakes of Eau d'Heure, the Viroin valley and forests reaching into France. It suits beer lovers, slow travellers and people touring southern Belgium by car. The honest caveat: the town is quiet, with little to do in the evening, public transport is poor, and some visitors arrive expecting a brewery tour that does not exist.
The castle and Grand-Place of Chimay, with Scourmont Abbey about 10 km south near the French border, Chimay, Hainaut Province, Belgium
The town is open at all times and costs nothing to walk. The castle of the Princes of Chimay is usually visited on guided tours, most often from spring to autumn and on weekends, with fewer days in winter - check the current schedule and tour languages before you go. The collegiate church is generally open in daytime outside services. At Scourmont, the abbey church and grounds can usually be visited quietly, but the brewery is closed to visitors. The Auberge de Poteaupre and the Chimay Experience generally open most days in season and fewer days in winter; confirm. Getting there: a car is by far the easiest, about 1 hour 45 minutes from Brussels and 1 hour from Charleroi. By public transport, SNCB trains run from Charleroi to Couvin, then a TEC bus covers the last stretch; services are sparse at weekends. Book castle tours and Poteaupre lunches ahead for summer weekends.