In de Vrede

West Flanders


Abdij Sint-Sixtus' café-pub, In de Vrede, is the only place in the world where you can be (virtually) sure of tasting the incomparable Westvleteren 12°, often cited as Belgium’s greatest beer.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby West Flanders attractions

1. Abdij Sint-Sixtus

0.01 MILES

The mythical Westvleteren Trappist beer comes from this isolated abbey in Westvleteren village, 7km north of Poperinge; it's reached via a web of tiny…

2. Talbot House

2.8 MILES

This is an unusually light-hearted WWI attraction. Reverend Philip ‘Tubby’ Clayton set up the Everyman’s Club here in 1915 to offer rest and recreation…

3. Death Cell

2.84 MILES

Though English troops nicknamed it 'Good old Pops', Poperinge had a more sinister side – it was a place of execution for wartime deserters. Hidden behind…

4. National Hopmuseum

2.85 MILES

Once the municipal centre for weighing and storing hops, the 19th-century Stadsschaal now houses this distinctively scented museum, where you’ll learn…

5. Sint-Janskerk

2.87 MILES

The imposing Sint-Janskerk’s ‘miraculous’ little Virgin-and-Child statuette reputedly brought a stillborn child to life in 1479.

6. Brouwerij Sint Bernardus

5.23 MILES

Founded in 1946, this brewery in Watou can be visited on guided tours (phone or email ahead, minimum 15 people). Sample its wares in the brasserie. You…

8. Essex Farm CWGC Cemetery

6.85 MILES

The enduring image of poppies as a symbol of wartime sacrifice comes from the famous poem In Flanders Fields. It was written by Canadian doctor John…