grottes-barque-sous-terrain

Just 1 hour and 45 minutes from Lille, these caves hide the longest underground boat ride in Europe!

undefined undefined 25 juin 2026 undefined 17h00

The Editor

Via Michelin

When the thermometer goes wild, all we want is to find a cool spot. And lucky for us, less than two hours from Lille, there's a pretty amazing place: giant caves, an underground river, and a boat ride underground. Yes, it exists, and it's in Belgium.

If there’s one outing that ticks all the boxes during a heatwave, it’s the Caves of Remouchamps. Located in the province of Liège, they have been attracting curious visitors for nearly two centuries but still remain a bit under the radar for Lille locals. However, the spectacle is truly impressive.

An underground adventure less than 2 hours from Lille

As soon as you step inside, the temperature drops instantly. Here, there’s no need for fans or air conditioning: the underground galleries provide a naturally refreshing feeling all year round. The visit starts on foot, with nearly 800 meters of galleries carved by nature. You walk between rock formations, massive halls, and geological curiosities shaped over millennia. And around the corner appears one of the stars of the place: the Cathedral. This gigantic hall reaches nearly 40 meters high. To give you an idea, it could fit a 12-story building inside!

A boat ride… underground

But the moment everyone has been waiting for comes at the end of the tour. The return is by boat on the Rubicon, the river that flows through the lower level of the caves. And here, we’re talking about a record: the Remouchamps Caves host the longest underground navigation in Europe accessible to tourists. For several hundred meters, you glide gently into the darkness, between passages that can be quite narrow and ceilings so low that you almost feel like you can touch them with your fingertips. With a bit of luck, you might even spot a few bats… or the famous “Sottais,” little legendary creatures that the locals imagine hiding in the rocks.

A perfect outing idea to escape the heat!

With the natural coolness of the surroundings, the completely exotic experience, and a boat ride that feels like it's straight out of an adventure movie, the Grottes de Remouchamps is the type of gem we love to bring up as soon as the mercury rises. And when it’s over 30 degrees in Lille, heading underground to float down a subterranean river is definitely a great idea!

Address: Rue de Louveigné 3, 4920 Aywaille, Belgium