The best hiking routes in Liège

Liège offers two starkly different walking landscapes. To the east, the vast plateau of the Parc naturel Hautes Fagnes - Eifel (and its larger protected zone, the Parc naturel des Hautes-Fagnes - Eifel) presents an open, peat-covered moorland. Here, walkers follow wooden boardwalks over wet, spongy mosses and acidic soils, where stunted birch trees and heather dominate the view. In November, these high plains turn a deep rust-brown under heavy mists, offering a stark, exposed walk with no shelter from the elements.

In contrast, the western and southern valleys provide a gentler, more enclosed experience. The Parc naturel Burdinale-Mehaigne features quiet agricultural valleys where paths run through damp meadows, willow groves, and alongside old stone farmsteads. The ground here is mostly clay and dirt tracks, which can feel heavy underfoot. Nearby, the Parc naturel des Sources offers wooded, undulating terrain shaped by the natural springs that filter through the rocky soil, creating a more forested, intimate canopy.

This region does not have dramatic mountain peaks or deep, rocky gorges. Instead, you choose between the wide, exposed peat bogs of the high plateau, which can feel isolated and bleak, and the lower, sheltered river valleys where farming and woodland interlock. The plateau paths are often busier around the main wooden boardwalks, while the agricultural valleys of the west see fewer visitors.