Villers-devant-Orval
About this Place
Villers-devant-Orval is a small village in Wallonia, close to the French border, and home to the Abbey of Notre-Dame d'Orval. Surrounded by woodland and quiet countryside, it is best known as the home of one of Belgium's Trappist abbeys.
The modern brewery sits within the abbey complex, continuing a much older association between brewing and monastic life at Orval. But this is more than simply the place where a famous beer happens to be made: the Cistercian ruins, working monastery and secluded valley give Orval a strong sense of place that is inseparable from the beer carrying its name.
Brewery: Brasserie d’Orval
Visitor notes
Most visitors come to Villers-devant-Orval for the abbey, its extensive historic ruins and, inevitably, the famous Orval beer. The working brewery itself is not normally open to the public, apart from limited annual open days, but the public abbey visit includes an exhibition devoted to Orval's brewing know-how and production process. Allow around two hours to explore the ruins, museum collections and other visitor areas rather than treating Orval as simply somewhere to buy a beer.
Afterwards, À l'Ange Gardien, around 200 metres from the abbey, is the traditional place to put the theory into practice. Alongside Orval beer and cheese, it has the unusual distinction of serving Orval Vert on draught — a lower-strength version otherwise associated with the abbey itself.
The abbey shop sells Orval beer and cheese as well as other monastery products. With woodland and the wider Gaume countryside surrounding the site, there is every reason to linger. Orval may not offer the conventional brewery-tour experience, but for anyone interested in the relationship between Belgian beer, monastery and place, that rather misses the point.
Dogs are welcome in many of the outdoor areas around the abbey provided they are kept on a lead. As policies for museums, cafés and indoor spaces can change, it is worth checking the current arrangements before your visit. À l'Ange Gardien has outdoor terraces in season, but we have not found a published policy confirming whether dogs are permitted inside; check directly before visiting.