Villers-La-Ville offers several practical ways to explore the town’s history and landscape: the abbey church, walking routes of different lengths and guided tours with tastings. The dimensions of the abbey church offer a tangible starting point: it is 94 m long, 40 m wide and 23 m high. When planning your visit, you can weigh up architectural history, outdoor activity and a culinary highlight.
The Abbey and Its Architectural History
The first monastic settlement on the abbey site was established in 1146, when monks from Clairvaux Abbey settled there at the instigation of Saint Bernard. Construction of the abbey church began in 1197, initially in the Romanesque style, and was later continued in the Gothic style; it was completed around 1267. The abbey’s large cloister was built in the 13th century. These dates distinguish the first settlement from the later building phases and provide a timeline for the abbey’s history.
The Notre-Dame de la Visitation church in Villers-La-Ville also brings together different periods of construction: it was rebuilt in the Neo-Romanesque style in 1925 and has a Romanesque tower dating from the 12th century. The two details represent different historical phases—the rebuilding of the church and the date of its tower.
Walking Routes and Interpretation
Promenade 1, “Autour de l’Abbaye,” is 2.5 km long. Promenade 2, “Villers, par monts et par vaux,” is 6.75 km long. The distances can be compared directly: the first promenade is shorter, while the second covers a longer distance. Promenade 2 is not accessible to pushchairs or people with reduced mobility. Route details can change due to work or diversions, so check the current route conditions before setting out.
The abbey offers a multimedia guide featuring an interactive map, texts, reconstructions, podcasts and 3D videos. In the Jardin des Senteurs, a meditation path with eight panels invites visitors to explore mindfulness. Alongside architectural history, visitors can therefore choose from different ways to learn and reflect.
Wine, Beer and Landscape
The Confrérie du Vignoble de l’abbaye de Villers-en-Brabant offers guided tours of the vineyard and wine cellar with a tasting afterwards throughout the year. Tours are available in French, Dutch, English and German. Availability and booking arrangements may change, so check them before making plans.
The microbrewery at Villers Abbey is open to the public from March to December on the second Saturday of each month at 14:30 and 16:00; visits are also possible by appointment. Tastings of beers brewed on site are available. Check the schedule before your visit, especially if you are planning around a specific date.
The landscape also gives a stay its own distinctive focus: Villers-la-Ville lies on the border with Walloon Brabant, with fields on one side and forests on the other. The Thyle and Gentissart rivers have carved through the landscape, which is characterised by silt and bluish-grey shale. The rivers and rock add a geological dimension to the contrast between fields and forests.
Plan Your Journey
The abbey is 2 km from Villers-la-Ville station on railway line 140 between Ottignies and Charleroi. TEC bus route 51 connects Louvain-la-Neuve with Villers-La-Ville from Monday to Saturday. Check train and bus timetables before travelling so your plans fit the available connections.
Discover more destinations: Orp-Jauche, Sint-Genesius-Rode, Huldenberg, Dilbeek, Herent, Aarschot, Braine-Le-Château, Bomal
Return to the overview of the region: Brabant.
