Picturesque church villages Beukenberg – blue hiking route

This historical hike takes you along the Roman ramparts and ancient aqueduct of Belgium's first city.

The hike starts at Plinius Park, named after the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder who made the site go 'viral' as a Roman spa due to his description of an 'exceptional water source in Tongeren with healing effects'.

Further on, you pass the former water lock at Betho. The farmstead and castle were both built around a central courtyard. The castle estate, fief of the prince-bishop of Liège, dates from the 13th century. Today, everyone can enjoy a walk through the meadows surrounding the castle.

Tongeren was one of only four cities north of the Alps that had a stone city wall in Roman times. The location must have been worth the effort! You walk along the rampart’s remains.

Roman history adds a certain allure to this hike; after all, you are walking across one of the largest archaeological monuments in Flanders. The artificial ridge west of Tongeren acted as an aqueduct and pure spring water ran through a wooden trough towards the city centre.