Val-Dieu
About this Place
Val-Dieu lies in the rolling countryside of the Pays de Herve, near Aubel in eastern Belgium. Its focal point is the Abbaye du Val-Dieu, a Cistercian abbey founded in 1216 in a secluded valley between Liège, Maastricht and Aachen.
The abbey remained home to Cistercian monks until 2001. Today the site is maintained by the Christian Community of Val-Dieu and remains an active place of worship as well as a substantial visitor destination.
Brewery: Abbaye du Val-Dieu
Visitor notes
The basilica, large courtyard and wooded park can be explored freely, while guided visits provide access to the cloister and brewery.
Beer is very much part of the modern Val-Dieu experience. Brewing returned to the abbey in 1997 after a long interruption, and the brewery remains within the historic abbey complex. Visitors can also find an abbey shop selling beer, cheese and local products, and Le Casse-Croûte, a restaurant in the former stables.
Several waymarked walks begin beside the abbey and head into the surrounding Pays de Herve countryside, making Val-Dieu particularly well suited to combining an abbey and brewery visit with a longer walk.