Stenay: Beer Culture, Town History and Meuse Routes

Stenay offers several different reasons to visit: the history of beer, a historic townscape and trails through the river landscape. When planning your stay, you can explore these themes separately or combine them. When choosing a walk, both the route length and its focus can help: some trails follow the town’s layout and fortifications, while others pass through the Meuse Valley and offer views of the forests of the Meuse and the Ardennes.

Beer tradition at the Musée de la Bière

The Musée de la Bière presents the history of brewing and beer-making traditions across 2,500 m², from their origins 12,000 years ago to the present day. The tour comprises six sections. They cover the building’s history, the raw materials needed to make beer, and the development of brewing techniques, transport and tavern culture.

The museum visit ends in a tavern offering tastings and regional products for sale. The selection includes 70 craft- and industrially brewed beers, which you can take away or drink on site. Since the number and selection may change, check the current offering before your trip.

Church and medieval streets

The Church of Saint-Grégoire was rebuilt in 1833 and houses movable cultural heritage classified as Monuments Historiques. The medieval street layout is still clearly visible in the townscape. Narrow streets run along the fortifications, making for a distinctive walk. The church’s architectural history and the medieval street layout thus represent different historical points of interest in Stenay.

Walks and circular trails

The Jardins et voies d'eau walking trail passes through the streets, footbridges and lanes of Stenay, by gardens and stone walls, and through the river landscape shaped by the Meuse, the canal and small streams. The route thus connects the town’s intimate streetscape with its waterside surroundings.

The Rives et collines de Meuse circular trail starts at Stenay’s marina, runs through the Meuse Valley and follows an old Roman road. The route offers views of the Meuse and the forests of the Meuse and the Ardennes. It is an easy 13-kilometre route for hiking or mountain biking.

The Les anciens remparts circular trail starts at the port and goes around Stenay, following surviving traces of the town walls and passing through the former military citadel, home to the Musée de la Bière. The trail then passes the watermill and its waterwheel before descending towards the Meuse. This easy walk is 2.9 kilometres long.

The two circular trails differ in both length and focus: Rives et collines is 13 kilometres long and is also suitable for mountain biking; Les anciens remparts is shorter, at 2.9 kilometres, and leads to traces of the fortifications, through the citadel and past the mill. Both routes are described as easy. You can take their length and preferred theme into account when choosing.

Discover more destinations: Marville, Lacroix-Sur-Meuse, Moirey-Flabas-Crépion, Ligny-En-Barrois, Saint-Mihiel, Mécrin, Avillers-Sainte-Croix, Quincy-Landzécourt.

For the broader travel overview: Meuse.