Berlare

Berlare (pronunciation BEHR-lah-ruh) is a small town of 14,000 inhabitants in East Flanders, consisting of Overmere, Uitbergen, Donk and Berlare proper. It is a very peaceful and calm municipality located on the banks of the Schelde river and has a lot of beautiful natural settings to offer its visitors.

Berlare town square

Understand
  • 🌍 Tourist office, Donklaan 123, ☎ +329 342 92 40, e-mail: . April 1-September 30: 10:00-18:30. October 1-March 31: 10:00-16:30. Closed on Mondays and during the Christmas holiday period. From October until March also closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is the tourist office of the commune of Berlare. It is also possible to rent bicycles here. (updated Jan 2016)

Get in

By train

The closest railway station is Schoonaarde. From there the south of Berlare is within walking distance. A bigger station is in Lokeren, where you can take a bus to Berlare.

By bus

The Flemish national bus company, De Lijn, has lines to Berlare or its villages from Lokeren, Dendermonde and Aalst. There are also buses from the regional capital Ghent, but the ride takes a lot of time. For more information regarding different timetables (unfortunately only available in Dutch): https://www.delijn.be.

By car

The main road is the N467, which connects N445 (Ghent-Zele) to N461 (Wetteren-Dendermonde).

Get around

See
Bareldonk chapel
  • 🌍 Lake Donk. Flanders' largest lake. The north shore is touristic with lots of restaurants etc. The rest is quiet and green. (updated Dec 2018)
    Lake Donk
  • 🌍 Castle of Berlare and surrounding park, Dorp. April-September: 8:00-20:00, October-March: 8:00-17:30. Open every day. This castle dates back to the 17th century and is protected since 1975. It is built in renaissance style and on the exact same location of a fortified building that stood here until French soldiers burned it down in 1677-1678. The buildings are not accessible, but the park is. Free admission. (updated Jan 2016)
  • 🌍 Sint-Martinuskerk (St. Martin's Church), Dorp 1. Through history only the tower and only a part of the aisles remained from the original 15th-century church. Other parts of this church are built in the 17th or 20th century. The pulpit from the early 19th century still can be seen today inside the church with four wooden carvings from 1719 underneath it. Many historical valuable paintings decorate the church's inside walls. Free admission. (updated Jan 2016)
  • 🌍 Bareldonk chapel, Kapelleplein. Every day from 9 till 17. This site used to be a destination of many pilgrimages in the past and dates back to the 13th century. Inside the chapel you can see many interesting paintings. It is located very close to Lake Donk. Free admission. (updated Jan 2016)
  • 🌍 Museum Donkmeer (Museum Lake Donk). Every day from 10:00-12:30 and 13:30-17:00 (18:00 in July and August). This museum opened in 2006 and is located right next to Lake Donk. The museum pictures the political development of the past centuries with special attention to the French Revolution and its consequences for the Southern Netherlands. Free admission. (updated Jan 2016)
  • 🌍 Eendekooi (Lake Donk). Replica of a cage which was used for catching ducks. There is also a small zoo and a playground. Free. 

Do
  • 🌍 Fishing (Lake Donk). Some excellent fishing spots. Dispensers for day permits available. 
  • Ice skating (Lake Donk). When lake Donk freezes many people go ice skating. There are some gin and hamburger stalls on the ice. free. 
  • 🌍 Water sports. Sailing and wind surfing on lake Nieuwdonk. 
    Nieuwdonk
  • Entertainment. A bowling alley, two casinos, minigolf and boating at lake Donk. 

Events
  • 🌍 Open air musical. Every two years in late August there is an open air musical on the shores of lake Donk. 
  • 🌍 Waterfeesten (Around lake Donk). Yearly festivities with concerts, stunt shows, helicopter rides and fireworks. First weekend of August. 

Buy
  • 🌍 Market (Donk). Every Sunday afternoon. Small street market. Non-food only. 

Eat
  • Specialty. The local specialty is eel. 
  • Donk. There are dozens of restaurants along the north shore of lake Donk. 

Drink

Sleep
  • Camping (Near lake Donk). Several caravan & camping sites: Roosendael, Noordzee, Zonneschijn, Bareldonk, Primavera, Rodeo. 

Connect

Go next

Ghent, Lokeren, Dendermonde and Aalst are not far away. These are all reachable by regional public buses.

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