The Sint-Jozefkapel lies along a route of the Pieterpad and is also at the heart of a pilgrimage site. In Smakt, religious history, walking and cycling routes, and the landscape along the Loobeek come together. When planning your trip, it is worth deciding on your main reason for visiting first: would you like to visit the chapel, choose a walking route or reach the town on a cycling tour?

Pilgrimage chapel and church

The Sint Jozefkapel is listed as a Rijksmonument under monument number 37233. Inside are a wooden altar and a Baroque retable dating from around 1700. A retable is a decorative altar screen; here, it is one of the chapel’s historic features. The present-day Sint-Jozefkerk stands next to the pilgrimage chapel. It was built in the 1970s and is associated with the Carmelite monastery.

Smakt is a pilgrimage site dedicated to Saint Joseph. In local tradition, Joseph is venerated in three ways: as the patron of a happy life, the Christian family and a blessed death. Many pilgrims visit the small chapel around Saint Joseph’s feast day on 19 March. If this occasion is important to your trip, you can take the date into account when planning; it also provides a specific point in time for a stay in Smakt.

On foot and by bike

The long-distance Pieterpad walking route passes through Smakt and Holthees and runs past the Sint-Jozefkapel. On the way to Smakt, a section of the Pieterpad passes through woodland and heathland. The route therefore connects the town with a range of landscape areas. For another walk, consider the B12 Bedevaartswandeling Oostrum-Smakt: a version dated 23 February 2020 gives its length as 21.5 kilometres. Check the route before setting off.

There are specific route options for cyclists, too. The “Fietsroute landgoed Geijsteren” passes through Smakt; another cycling route follows the Loobeek valley to Smakt. One cycling route also offers a 0.6-kilometre detour to the Sint Jozefkapel. As route signage may change, it is advisable to check the current signs before setting out.

A parish programme dated 31 August 2026 lists regional bus route 255 as a connection to the Sint-Jozef pilgrimage shrine from the railway stations at Vierlingsbeek, Venray and Boxmeer. If you plan to travel by bus, check the timetable for your travel date.

The Loobeek and the landscape

The Loobeek flows through Smakt towards Vierlingsbeek. Smakt lies in the old, low-lying floodplain of the Maas. In the wider region, the Loobeek valley was once a peaty, marshy area that retained water. This history of the landscape is part of the broader Loobeek system and should be distinguished from the present-day routes through the town.

The nature-related information also refers to different areas. Boshuizerbergen, a Natura 2000 site, is near Smakt. Marsh St John’s-wort and marsh violet, among other plants, grow in marshy meadows between the pastures near Smakt; their occurrence can vary depending on habitat conditions. This takes you from a protected area nearby to plants associated with particular meadow habitats.

When choosing your stay, you can treat pilgrimage, walking and cycling as separate focuses rather than combining them into one fixed tour. If your main reason for visiting is the chapel, Saint Joseph’s feast day in March can serve as a guide. For walking or cycling plans, the route and planned distance are more important. Search for a hotel in Smakt based on the main purpose of your trip.

Discover more destinations: Merselo, Geijsteren, Wanssum, Oostrum, Veulen, Blitterswijck, Venray, Ysselsteyn

Go to the broader travel overview: Venray.