Cost of a weekend in the Ardennes 2026

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In short

• Fuel return from London: ± €103 to €134, depending on the destination, the crossing and where you fill up; the Channel crossing comes on top.
• Filling up in Belgium saves ± €0.08 per litre of petrol on the reference date: Belgian maximum price €2.002 against UK average €2.085.
• Tolls/vignette: none in Belgium in 2026. A Belgian digital road vignette is planned from 1 May 2027 (1 day € 9 for Euro 4+); check current rules before you travel. The French A16 from Calais to the Belgian border is toll-free.
• Places to stay: for the weekend of 20–22 November 2026 we found 2 nights with private wellness from € 512 (Landal, max. 4 people); a game weekend with dinner and breakfast costs € 472 for two.
• Eating out: a pils (25 cl) costs € 3.20–3.70 on the terraces we looked at, a main course in a brasserie ± € 22–26.

2. Tolls, vignette and low emission zones

• Belgium 2026: no vignette and no tolls for cars on these routes (the only existing concession toll, such as the Liefkenshoek Tunnel, is not on the route).
• From 1 May 2027: a digital road vignette on Belgian motorways and regional roads for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, including foreign vehicles. Rates for Euro 4+: 1 day € 9, 10 days € 12, 1 month € 19, 2 months € 30, year € 100 (Wallonie.be; Flanders reports: subject to final approval). The vignette is valid from a start date you choose for the period you choose (explanatory memorandum to the draft decree). For a Friday-to-Sunday weekend, a 10-day vignette for € 12 is therefore cheaper than three day vignettes (3 × € 9 = € 27). Plans can change, so check current rules before you travel.
• Low-emission zones: London: the ULEZ covers all London boroughs (£12.50 a day for non-compliant vehicles); starting in central London, also check the Congestion Charge. (TfL ULEZ) (TfL Congestion Charge) Belgium: the Brussels ring (R0) is not part of the Brussels LEZ; foreign vehicles must register before entering the zone itself. (lez.brussels) Wallonia has no general LEZ in 2026. (wallonie.be)

3. Restaurant prices

A Belgian beer on a terrace or a dish of the day after a long walk is simply part of it. We compared two current menus from Durbuy and La Roche, with the Belgian average from Numbeo alongside.

Sources: La Brasserie Ardennaise menu (PDF), Le Quai Son menu (PDF), Numbeo, updated 21 October 2026 (averages from user reports). According to Statbel, restaurants and accommodation in Belgium became 5.1% more expensive between September 2025 and September 2026.

4. Places to stay: one fixed weekend compared

From a lodge with a hot tub to a game weekend in a hotel: what do you pay for the weekend of Friday 20 to Sunday 22 November 2026? We checked four providers on 22 October 2026, each for 2 nights.

Prices as shown by the providers on 22 October 2026; for Le Castelain and Luna the fixed weekend rate, without checking availability and excluding tourist tax. Prefer midweek? The same Landal lodge costs € 424–468 for 2 nights in November 2026. Read more about cottages with wellness and the energy surcharge in our wellness guide.

5. Sample weekend budget (2 nights, 2 people)

An example, not an average: with a cheaper cottage or if you cook yourself you will spend less, with days out such as the caves or a kayak trip more. Those prices are listed per destination under days out.

Method

1. Start: London St Pancras; via the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone (Coquelles on the French side) or the port of Dover (Calais port); destination is the town centre. Fly option: Brussels Airport (BRU) to the town centre.
2. Route calculated with OSRM (OpenStreetMap, fastest route, car) on 24 October 2026.
3. Litres = 2 × distance × 6.5 / 100.
4. Cost = litres × price. UK = UK DESNZ weekly road fuel prices, unleaded (ULSP) average pump price, week commencing 19.10.2026, converted at the ECB euro reference rate 23.10.2026: €1 = £0.83728; BE = FOD Economie maximum price (valid from 24.10.2026).

Sources

• UK DESNZ weekly road fuel prices, unleaded (ULSP) average pump price, week commencing 19.10.2026
• ECB euro reference rate 23.10.2026: €1 = £0.83728
• LeShuttle: crossing time 35 minutes
• P&O Ferries: Dover–Calais timetable
• DFDS: Dover–Calais
• TfL: Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels charge
• TfL: ULEZ
• Ulys: A16 toll-free from Boulogne to the Belgian border
• lez.brussels: Low Emission Zone
• Brussels Airlines: London–Brussels
• OSRM/OpenStreetMap, routes from London St Pancras, calculated on 24 October 2026
• FOD Economie, official maximum price petrol 95 RON E10, tariff no. 2026/204, valid from 22 October 2026
• Vlaanderen.be: road vignette from 1 May 2027
• Wallonie.be: Vers la mise en place d'une vignette routière en Belgique (updated 11 September 2026)
• Brussels LEZ: zone and registration of foreign vehicles
• Slim naar Antwerpen: LEZ, frequently asked questions (R1 ring outside the LEZ)
• OSRM / OpenStreetMap routing (router.project-osrm.org), routes from London St Pancras via Folkestone/Calais and Dover/Calais, retrieved 24 October 2026
• Nominatim / OpenStreetMap geocoding, retrieved 21 October 2026
• Flemish Government: draft decree on the road vignette, explanatory memorandum (2026)
• La Brasserie Ardennaise Durbuy: menu October 2026 (PDF)
• Le Quai Son La Roche: menu 16 October 2026 (PDF)
• Numbeo: Cost of Living Belgium (21 October 2026)
• Floreal La Roche: game weekend 2026
• Landal: Wellness Lodge 4BW1
• Le Castelain
• El Clandestino: Luna
• Statbel: consumer price index