Westmalle Abbey and Beer: What Visitors Can See and Do
Westmalle Abbey near Antwerp is a working Trappist monastery famous for Westmalle Dubbel and Tripel. Here is what the public can see, buy and join.
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Westmalle Abbey is a working Trappist monastery, not a brewery tour: the abbey and its brewery are not open to the public, and the Trappist monks of Westmalle live and work there every day. Visitors plan around the abbey shop, the prayer services you can attend, and the guesthouse rather than a walk through the brewhouse. The abbey brews Westmalle Dubbel and Tripel, two of Belgium's best-known Trappist beers, and also makes a semi-hard cheese from its own cows. This guide covers what Westmalle is, what you can actually do there, and how to fit it into a longer Belgian beer trip.
The abbey sits at Westmalle in the Kempen, the region north-east of Antwerp. It is a short stop rather than a destination in its own right: a couple of hours covers the shop and a prayer service, and the rest of the day belongs to Antwerp or the surrounding countryside. The monks belong to the Cistercians of the Strict Observance, known as Trappists, and the abbey's full name is the Abbey of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Westmalle, as the abbey itself sets out.
Westmalle Abbey: a working monastery, not a visitor attraction
The first thing to understand is that Westmalle is a monastery first. The monks follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, dividing their day between prayer and work, and the community belongs to the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance. The abbey was founded in 1794 and is one of the Trappist abbeys United by the International Trappist Association, which oversees the Trappist label. What visitors see is a working religious house, not a heritage attraction with a ticket desk.
Where Westmalle sits and how it relates to Antwerp and the Kempen
Westmalle lies in the Kempen, the region of heathland, pine woods and small towns north-east of Antwerp. The abbey's address is Antwerpsesteenweg 496, B-2390 Westmalle, and Antwerp is the natural base for a visit. The abbey is a short stop on the way to or from Antwerp rather than a full day out, so combine it with the city's Grote Markt, cathedral and museums. The Kempen itself rewards a slow drive or cycle through villages and woodland, but Westmalle is not a town with a sight-packed centre.
Can you visit the Westmalle brewery? No. The abbey and brewery are not open to the public, so there is no brewery tour.
Where can you buy Westmalle beer and cheese? Westmalle Dubbel and Tripel are sold in selected shops and food service outlets. Beer is sold at the brewery shop, while the abbey shop concentrates on home-made products such as Trappist cheese and farm eggs.
Westmalle Dubbel and Tripel: what the abbey brews and why it matters
The abbey is famous for two beers: Westmalle Dubbel, a dark, malty beer, and Westmalle Tripel, a strong golden ale. Both are Trappist beers, brewed within the abbey walls under the monks' supervision. The International Trappist Association lists Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Abbey among its member abbeys, and the Trappist label is reserved for products made in or near a Trappist monastery under the community's control. The beers are sold in selected shops and food service outlets, and the income is reinvested in the brewery and in improving working conditions for its employees. If you want to understand what the label actually guarantees, our guide to Trappist beer explains the rules behind it.
What you can actually visit at the abbey
The abbey and brewery are not open to the public, so there is no brewhouse tour and no walk through the monastic buildings. What the public can do is attend the monks' prayer services, shop at the abbey shop and, by arrangement, stay at the guesthouse. Plan a short stop of an hour or two around one of those, rather than expecting a full visitor experience. Westmalle is one of the Trappist abbeys whose beers carry the Trappist label, and the other Trappist breweries have different arrangements, which our guide to Trappist Breweries in Belgium sets out.
The abbey shop: Trappist cheese, farm eggs and products from other abbeys
The abbey shop sells home-made products rather than beer: Trappist cheese, fresh eggs from the farm and postcards, plus craft products from other Trappist communities such as jams and soaps. Beer is sold separately at the brewery shop, not the abbey shop. The cheese is made from the milk of the abbey's own cows and is available at the abbey entrance and in a few selected stores. The abbey shop, as the abbey describes it, is the place to start.
Prayer services you can attend, and how to join them
Visitors are welcome to attend the monks' prayer services, which follow the traditional pattern of the liturgy of the hours. The abbey publishes the times: on weekdays, Terce and Eucharist at 10.45 am, None at 2.00 pm, Vespers at 5.15 pm and Compline at 7.30 pm; on Sundays, Terce and Eucharist at 10.00 am, Sext at 12.15 pm, Vespers at 4.00 pm and Compline at 7.30 pm. Arrive at the gatehouse ten minutes before the service starts and sign in. Treat these as a religious observance rather than a performance: dress and behave accordingly, and follow the sign-in instruction. The abbey's service times are listed on its own site.
A stay at the abbey guesthouse
The abbey guesthouse takes visitors who want silence and reflection for a few days, with a daily schedule set by the community. Stays are arranged through the guest brother at gastenhuis@abdijwestmalle.be, and the abbey publishes an information sheet with the daily schedule. The house closes for silent days, which run from 4 pm on the Saturday before the first Sunday of the month until 9 am on Monday; the abbey lists these for 2026 as 4 January, 1 February, 1 March, 5 April, 3 May, 7 June, 5 July, 2 August, 6 September, 4 October, 8 November and 6 December, and for 2027 as 3 January, 7 February, 7 March, 4 April, 2 May, 6 June, 4 July, 5 September, 3 October, 7 November and 2 December. It also closes for longer periods, which the abbey lists for 2026 as 30 August to 13 September and 29 November to 6 December, and for 2027 as 29 August to 12 September and 28 November to 5 December. If you are planning around a quiet stay, check those dates before you commit to travel.
Westmalle as a short stop within a longer Belgian beer trip
Westmalle works best as one stop on a wider Trappist trail rather than a destination in itself. Pair it with Antwerp for the city sights, and consider a comparison with Westvleteren, where the Sint-Sixtus abbey sells its beer under its own arrangements. Scourmont Abbey near Chimay and Orval Abbey lie further south in Wallonia and make a separate trip. If you are assembling a brewery itinerary, our guide to Trappist Breweries in Belgium and our pillar guide to Trappist Beer: What the Label Means and What to Order set out the background, while our Westvleteren guide explains the buying rules at Sint-Sixtus.
Should you build Westmalle into your trip?
Add Westmalle to a Belgian beer trip if you want to see a working Trappist monastery at close quarters, buy cheese at the abbey shop and sit in on a prayer service. Do not build a day around it: with no brewery tour, the visit is short, and the abbey is best paired with Antwerp or a drive through the Kempen. If the beer is your main interest, plan the tasting in Antwerp and treat Westmalle as the place where the beer comes from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you visit the Westmalle brewery?
No. The abbey and brewery are not open to the public, so there is no brewery tour. Visitors can attend the monks' prayer services, shop at the abbey shop and stay at the guesthouse by arrangement. For a brewery visit, look at other Trappist abbeys with public facilities.
Where can you buy Westmalle beer and cheese?
Westmalle Dubbel and Tripel are sold in selected shops and food service outlets. Beer is sold at the brewery shop, while the abbey shop concentrates on home-made products such as Trappist cheese and farm eggs. The cheese is available at the abbey entrance and in a few selected stores.
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