Saint Sixtus Abbey (Westvleteren, Vleteren, Belgium)
Photos - Info - Meteo - Tips - Nieuws - Geo Info -
General information about St. Sixtus Abbey
The world-famous Trappist beer is brewed in this Saint Sixtus Abbey. You can buy it there (in the abbey itself by appointment or in the shop in the café) or taste it in the adjacent restaurant "In De Vrede." The Trappist monks settled in the Sint-Sixtus Abbey in Westvleteren in 1831. To earn their living, they started brewing beer within the abbey walls in 1839. This modest brewing activity grew into the now world-renowned Westvleteren Trappist beer, which is still brewed according to Trappist tradition and under the supervision of the monastic community. To be clear, these were not exactly the same recipes or commercial production as today, but they did mark the beginning of the brewing tradition.
Be sure to visit the Lourdes Grotto (Mary's Grotto). What is less well known to the general public is that there is also a guesthouse.
Did you know that... the monks did not always brew their own beer? Although the Trappist monks of St. Sixtus Abbey had been brewing beer since 1839, for a long time production was carried out in collaboration with the Watou brewery. This brewery had the necessary infrastructure to brew and market St. Sixtus beer on a larger scale. After the Second World War, the monks decided to take over the brewing process again. With the commissioning of a new abbey brewery in 1945, the Watou brewery's license expired and the beer was once again brewed entirely within the abbey walls of Westvleteren. More about the Sint-Bernardus Brewery in Poperinge can be found here.
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Visitor tips
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Tip 1: On sunny days, In de Vrede can be particularly busy because it is located on a popular cycling and walking network. Groups are advised to book in advance.
Tip 2: Not far from the abbey is the animal shelter "De Zonnegloed." It's worth a visit, especially if you have children with you. Or how about theHop Museum" in Poperinge ? That way, you can stay with the beer culture theme.
Geographical information
Address: Donkerstraat 12, 8640 Westvleteren, West Flanders, Flanders, Belgium
Geographic coordinates:
– Google Maps: Latitude = 50.8959751 – Longitude = 2.7208427
– OpenStreetMap: Latitude = 50.896630 – Longitude = 2.720143
– Altitude h = 16 m
Location of St. Sixtus Abbey on:
Tourist map of Top.Vlaanderen – Google Maps – OpenStreetMap.
Route to St. Sixtus Abbey: Route via Google Maps
Meteo
20°C
| Day | Condition | Temperature | Precipitation | Rain Chance | Wind | Humidity | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Today
9:00 p.m.
|
 slightly cloudy
|
19° | 21°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 9 Km/h | 83 % | 1028 mb |
|
Tomorrow
9:00 p.m.
|
cloudless
|
14° | 20°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 12 Km/h | 89 % | 1028 mb |
|
Fri, May 26
9:00 PM
|
partly cloudy
|
16° | 19°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 13 Km/h | 85 % | 1029 mb |
|
Sat, May 26
9:00 PM
|
 very light cloud cover
|
15° | 18°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 16 Km/h | 87 % | 1031 mb |
|
Sun, May 26
9:00 PM
|
cloudless
|
15° | 18°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 14 Km/h | 89 % | 1031 mb |
| Hour | Condition | Temperature | Precipitation | Rain Chance | Wind | Humidity | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Today
3:00 p.m.
|
slightly cloudy
|
17° | 18°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 7 Km/h | 68 % | 1028 mb |
|
Today
6:00 p.m.
|
partly cloudy
|
15° | 16°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 6 Km/h | 77 % | 1027 mb |
|
Today
9:00 p.m.
|
 partly cloudy
|
15° | 15°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 9 Km/h | 83 % | 1028 mb |
|
Tomorrow
12:00 AM
|
 slightly cloudy
|
14° | 14°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 12 Km/h | 89 % | 1027 mb |
|
Tomorrow
03:00
|
partly cloudy
|
14° | 14°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 12 Km/h | 86 % | 1028 mb |
|
Tomorrow
06:00
|
partly cloudy
|
14° | 14°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 12 Km/h | 83 % | 1028 mb |
|
Tomorrow
09:00
|
cloudless
|
18° | 18°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 10 Km/h | 71 % | 1028 mb |
|
Tomorrow
12:00
|
cloudless
|
19° | 19°°C | 0 mm | 0% | 2 Km/h | 67 % | 1028 mb |
Online information about St. Sixtus Abbey
Saint Sixtus Abbey:
Website - 
YouTube - Wikipedia (EN - FR - AND)
Wikipedia information on:
- Trappist beer (EN - FR - AND)
- Trappists (EN - FR - AND)
Heritage Agency: Database
Vleteren Tourist Office:
Administrative - Facebook - Instagram
Tourism Westhoek (Westtoer)
Website - Facebook - Instagram
Information about adjacent catering establishmentsIn Peace":
Website - Facebook - Instagram
Our photos of Saint Sixtus Abbey
Our photos, videos, etc. are all (c) 2004-2026, Top.Vlaanderen, Belgium. They may not be copied or used without permission. If you would like to use them for a project, please contact us in advance and we will see how we can work together. If you would like us to photograph your own tourist attraction, B&B, vacation home, etc., that is also possible. Please contact us via our contact form .
Spherical 360° photos
Want to know how such a spherical 360° photo is taken, check out our special page on the subject: "Taking a spherical 360° photo".
- 360° photo of the entrance to St. Sixtus Abbey of West Vleteren
- 360° photo of the Marian grotto
Photos of St. Sixtus Abbey (February 26, 2026)
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Photos of the Maria Grotto (February 26, 2026)
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Photos of Sint-Sixtus Trappist beer (February 26, 2026)
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Photos of the "In de Vrede" meeting center (February 26, 2026)
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Photos of the nature reserve at Hoeslandbeek (February 26, 2026)
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Disclaimer: All information presented on top.vlaanderen has been compiled with the utmost care. It is also checked regularly. If you have any comments, errors, additional information, etc... please contact us via our contact form. We are not responsible for possible incorrect or incomplete information.
