🌨️ Is there snow?
The snow report for the East Cantons, with data from the slope operators themselves. Outside the season the report is sometimes temporarily unavailable.
👉 See official website & info
Ostbelgien (official)
Winter in the Ardennes
Snow, cross-country skiing and Christmas atmosphere, about six hours from London via the Channel Tunnel.
Photo above: Stephane Mignon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · resized · via Wikimedia Commons · all photo credits
Home › Winter in the Ardennes
❄️ Welcome to the wintry Ardennes
Snow in the Ardennes is never certain, but when it falls, it settles first in the High Fens and at the Baraque de Fraiture. Then you can go cross-country skiing, sledging and walk over boardwalks through the white moorland, just under six hours' drive from London to Malmedy via the Channel Tunnel, plus the crossing. If no snow falls, the Christmas markets, the Spa thermal baths and a castle at Christmas time are a great plan B.
By Arjan Zuur · reference date 23 October 2026 · sources below
On this page we bring winter together: where the chances of snow are greatest, what it costs, which rules apply to your car and where to stay. All with the official source.
⚡ Sorted quickly for a winter weekend
Four things to check just before you set off. All buttons lead to the official source.
⛷️ Baraque de Fraiture
Trails and slopes are only open with enough snow, then from 9 am to 5 pm. Check with the local operator.
👉 See official website & info
La Station
🦌 Check hunting days
Until the end of January forests may be closed on hunting days. The notices at the forest entrance are binding.
👉 See official website & info
ChasseOnWeb
🚗 Driving in the snow
What the Belgian highway code says about winter tyres, chains and fog lights.
👉 See official website & info
Federal Police
🛏️ Find accommodation right away
🏨 Hotel in Malmedy
Hotels in Malmedy on Booking.com: a town on the edge of the High Fens, just a short drive from Botrange and Ovifat.
👉 See current prices & availability
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booking.com · Malmedy
🏨 Hotel or B&B in the Ardennes
Hotels, B&Bs and apartments in the Belgian Ardennes on Booking.com, with current prices for your dates.
👉 See current prices & availability
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booking.com · Belgian Ardennes
💛 If you book through our Booking.com links, we receive a small commission. You pay nothing extra, and it helps us keep this research free. You can recognise these links by the label “Ad · affiliate link”. More in our disclaimer.
📌 Overview
Winter in the Ardennes at a glance
Your best chances of snow are in the High Fens (Signal de Botrange, 694 m) and at the Baraque de Fraiture. Check the snow report before you set off; winter tyres are not compulsory in Belgium.
| Highest point | Signal de Botrange, 694 m: the highest point in Belgium (Waimes Hautes Fagnes) |
|---|---|
| Cross-country skiing | 4 trails of 3, 7, 14 and 21 km at the Baraque de Fraiture (Vielsalm) (Vielsalm tourism) |
| Skiing and sledging | Ovifat: 3 slopes for all levels and a sledging run (Waimes Hautes Fagnes) |
| From London | From London via LeShuttle: Malmedy ± 467 km (± 5 h 45 min); Spa ± 455 km (± 5 h 38 min), plus the crossing |
| Winter tyres | not compulsory in Belgium; studded tyres prohibited (politie.be) |
| Christmas markets | Durbuy from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; all Christmas markets |
🧭 More winter: Christmas markets and seasons
This page is your starting point for winter in the Ardennes. The Christmas markets and the rest of the year each have their own page.
🎯 Christmas markets 2026
Location: Durbuy, Liège, Malmedy, Monschau, Eupen Type: Christmas market
Five Christmas markets in and around the Ardennes with 2026 dates and opening times. Durbuy is open longest: until 3 January 2027.
🎯 Seasons guide
Location: All of the Ardennes Type: seasons guide
Deer rut and hunting in autumn, the Malmedy Cwarmê in February and kayaking in summer. This way you can see what is on in every season.
🚗 Getting there from London
The winter sports spots are in the East Cantons, south of Malmedy. From London you take the Channel Tunnel or the Dover–Calais ferry, then drive via Dunkirk, the Brussels ring (R0) and Liège; Spa and Malmedy are the nearest destinations we worked out.
| To | Distance from London (via LeShuttle) | Driving time (excl. crossing) | Fuel return (BE–UK) | Route from Calais |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spa | ± 455 km | ± 5 h 38 min | ± €118–123 | A16 → E40 → R0 → E42 → N629 … |
| Malmedy | ± 467 km | ± 5 h 45 min | ± €122–127 | A16 → E40 → R0 → E42 … |
| Durbuy | ± 433 km | ± 5 h 28 min | ± €113–117 | A16 → N225 → A25 → A27 → E42 … |
Route: OSRM/OpenStreetMap (fastest route), calculated on 24 October 2026 from London St Pancras, without breaks, traffic or the Channel crossing. Fuel: 6.5 l/100 km (assumption), petrol: BE €2.002/l (FOD Economie, official Belgian maximum price petrol 95 RON E10, valid from 24.10.2026) to UK 174.57 p/l = €2.085/l (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). Channel crossing: LeShuttle 35 min (leshuttle.com), ferry Dover–Calais ± 1 h 30 to 1 h 40 (P&O Ferries, DFDS); fares not included, check current fares. Explanation and sources in the cost guide.
📋 What can you do where in winter?
The winter highlights side by side. Snow activities only take place when there is enough snow.
| Where | What | When | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Fens (Signal de Botrange) | Walking across the moorland; nature centre with the FANIA+LOUP exhibition (€ 8) | all year; most beautiful with snow | botrange.be |
| Ovifat (Waimes) | 3 ski slopes for all levels and a sledging run | with enough snow | Waimes Hautes Fagnes |
| Baraque de Fraiture (Vielsalm) | 4 cross-country trails (3, 7, 14, 21 km) and 3 ski slopes | with enough snow, 9 am–5 pm | La Station |
| Reinhardstein castle (Ovifat) | Castle visit in a Christmas atmosphere | 28–29 Nov, 5–6 and 12–13 Dec, 19 Dec 2026–3 Jan 2027, 10 am–6 pm | reinhardstein.net |
| Spa | Thermes de Spa: 3 hours of bathing from € 31 | weekdays after 5.30 pm | thermesdespa.com |
The Christmas markets of Durbuy, Malmedy, Liège, Monschau and Eupen are listed with dates and opening times on our page Christmas markets 2026.
⛷️ Snow, cross-country skiing and warming up
Four winter outings with the price from the official website. Snow activities only take place when there is enough snow.
🎯 Baraque de Fraiture
Location: Vielsalm Type: cross-country · skiing · sledging
At the highest point of the province of Luxembourg there are four cross-country trails of 3, 7, 14 and 21 km and three ski slopes. Only open with enough snow, then from 9 am to 5 pm.
🎯 Signal de Botrange
Location: Waimes Type: moorland · nature centre
At 694 m the highest point in Belgium, in the middle of the High Fens. In the nature centre the FANIA+LOUP exhibition tells the story of the Fens and the wolf.
🎯 Ovifat ski slope
Location: Ovifat (Waimes) Type: skiing · sledging
Three slopes for all levels and a sledging run, popular for more than 70 years. Check the snow report beforehand to see if there is enough snow.
🎯 Thermes de Spa
Location: Spa Type: thermal baths
Warm up after a cold day: 800 m² of baths. Children under 15 are not admitted.
Want to experience the vast forests of the Ardennes, but looking for the ultimate wilderness with huge fjords, the northern lights and the freedom of the right to roam? Discover our wild camping & nature guide at Scandinavië op Reis (in Dutch).
🛏️ Our 3 favourites for a winter weekend
Three hotels with wellness: one right by the Ovifat ski slope, one in Spa and one in Durbuy near the Christmas market. Selected on the basis of what the hotels themselves state on their websites; we have not (yet) stayed there ourselves. The rating is the Booking.com rating on the reference date. You can see prices and availability for your dates at the accommodation.
You will find more thermal baths, wellness days and spa hotels on our page Wellness in the Ardennes.
🎯 Domaine des Hautes Fagnes (Ovifat)
Location: Ovifat Type: hotel
Wellness area of 2,500 m². Pool, two saunas, Swedish steam bath, jacuzzi.
👉 See current prices & availability
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🎯 Silva Hôtel Spa-Balmoral
Location: Spa Type: hotel
Indoor pool, outdoor jacuzzi, hammam and sauna. Wellness 7 am–8 pm; children 7–10 am and 6–8 pm.
Find out more
Access to the wellness area when booking via the hotel's own website.
👉 See current prices & availability
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🎯 Le Sanglier des Ardennes
Location: Durbuy Type: hotel
Hotel on the Place aux Foires in the old town. The wellness area has a Finnish sauna and an infrared sauna, a salt cave and an outdoor jacuzzi, and is not included in the room price.
Find out more
Other wellness packages: Escale Zen € 170 pp (3 h 15 min), Escale Alpine € 200 pp (1 h 40 min).
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays the wellness area only opens from 2 pm.
👉 See current prices & availability
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💛 If you book through our Booking.com links, we receive a small commission. You pay nothing extra, and it helps us keep this research free. You can recognise these links by the label “Ad · affiliate link”. More in our disclaimer.
🧾 Rules and costs in winter
What the Belgian highway code says about driving in winter, and the other rules you come across in winter.
📋 Rules you should know
| Topic | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Winter tyres | Not compulsory in Belgium; there are no specific rules for winter equipment. | politie.be |
| Snow chains | Allowed. | politie.be |
| Studded tyres | Prohibited, except with a permit from the minister (highway code art. 81.4.4). | politie.be |
| Lights | Dipped headlights when visibility is below 200 m; rear fog light only when visibility is below 100 m. | politie.be |
| Hunting | Until the end of January forests may be closed on hunting days; the notices on site are binding. | ChasseOnWeb |
| Vignette | In 2026 no toll and no vignette in Belgium; a digital road vignette is planned from 1 May 2027. Check the current rules before you travel. | wallonie.be |
The police compiled the rules in 2016; the Vias institute gives more driving tips for snow.
💶 Costs at a glance
All amounts on this page together. Prices may change, so check again just before you set off.
| Topic | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-country ski trail Baraque de Fraiture | free | La Station |
| Hire of skis, boots and poles | € 12 pp | La Station |
| Sledge hire | € 10 | La Station |
| FANIA+LOUP exhibition, Botrange | € 8 | botrange.be |
| Thermes de Spa, 3 hours | from € 31 (weekdays after 5.30 pm) | thermesdespa.com |
| Fuel return London–Malmedy (via LeShuttle) | ± € 122 (fill up in BE) to ± € 127 (fill up in the UK); Channel crossing not included, check current fares | Route calculation above |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is there snow in the Ardennes?
It changes from week to week. Your best chances are in the High Fens and at the Baraque de Fraiture. You will find the current snow report for the East Cantons on ostbelgien.eu.
Where can you go cross-country skiing in the Ardennes?
At the Baraque de Fraiture (Vielsalm) there are four trails of 3, 7, 14 and 21 km. The trail is free; hiring equipment costs € 12 (La Station).
Can you ski in the Ardennes?
Yes, on small slopes: Ovifat has three for all levels plus a sledging run, the Baraque de Fraiture has three. Only with enough snow.
What is the highest point in Belgium?
The Signal de Botrange in the High Fens, 694 m.
Are winter tyres compulsory in Belgium?
No. Snow chains are allowed, studded tyres are prohibited (except with ministerial permission).
How far is it from London to the High Fens?
To Malmedy ± 467 km from London St Pancras via LeShuttle, ± 5 h 45 min without breaks, plus the 35-minute crossing (OSRM, 24.10.2026). Ovifat and Botrange are beyond Malmedy in the High Fens.
Sources
All prices and rules on this page come from the official websites below, with the date we retrieved them. Prices can change in the meantime; check again just before you leave.
- Ostbelgien: East Cantons snow report (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- La Station Baraque de Fraiture: cross-country, skiing and sledging (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Office du tourisme de Vielsalm: Baraque de Fraiture (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Waimes Hautes Fagnes: Signal de Botrange (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Botrange: FANIA+LOUP exhibition (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Waimes Hautes Fagnes: Ovifat ski slope (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Reinhardstein: visits and Christmas opening (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- VISITWallonia: Durbuy Christmas market 2026 (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Cité de Noël Malmedy 2026 (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Thermes de Spa: opening times and rates (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Federal Police: driving in winter (2016) (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Vias institute: driving in snow (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Wallonia: hunting (ChasseOnWeb) (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Wallonia: road vignette from 2027 (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- UK DESNZ weekly road fuel prices, unleaded (ULSP) average pump price, week commencing 19.10.2026
- FOD Economie, official maximum price petrol 95 RON E10, tariff no. 2026/204, valid from 22 October 2026 (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Vlaanderen.be: road vignette from 1 May 2027 (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Wallonie.be: Vers la mise en place d'une vignette routière en Belgique (updated 11 September 2026) (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Brussels LEZ: zone and registration of foreign vehicles (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Slim naar Antwerpen: LEZ, frequently asked questions (R1 ring outside the LEZ) (retrieved 23 October 2026)