A day trip to the abbey of Villers-La-Ville

Exploring the ruins of the abbey of Villers-La-Ville is the perfect day trip activity. Whether you live in Belgium or visiting Brussels on a trip through Europe, the abbey is easy to reach by car or by train and worth the ride.

The abbey of Villers was built in the 13th century and for ages it knew its ups & downs (spiritual and secular prosperity, internal crises, decrease of the number of lay brothers). It wasn’t until 1796 that the French revolutionary administration abolished the abbey. The ruins became a romantic attraction in the 19th century and restaurations started in 1893 and they’re still not finished.

It’s incredible to walk between the ancient walls of such an impressive piece of architecture. You can visit the church, which is the most remarkable building and explore places like the kitchens, the dormitories, the guesthouse, the pharmacy with its incredible herb garden (smell everything you can find there, it’s amazing!) and there’s even a vineyard!