Herentals: Discover Culture, Water and Trails

Herentals combines impressive evidence of the city’s history with hiking trails, water experiences and special destinations for a varied stay. Those looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home can tailor their trip entirely to their own interests: discover historic sites, spend time outdoors or explore interactive water worlds with children.

Beguinage, churches and the history of the city

A good starting point for cultural discoveries is the Beguinage of Herentals. It was established within the city walls after the beguines received permission in 1590 to purchase 26 houses and plots between the “Hoge” (Begijnenstraat) and the “Lage Burchtstraat” (Burchtstraat). In 1597, Philip II confirmed this permission. The open interior of the Beguinage is surrounded by monumental yew hedges dating from 1878, giving this historic site a clearly recognisable character.

The Beguinage Church of Saint Catherine is part of the history of the Beguinage. The Late Gothic pseudo-basilica was built from 1599 to 1614. In the Church of Saint Catherine, Jacobus Verbuecken created a work in 1680; Peter Verbruggen created the sculptural work for it. A visit is possible with a city guide and by prior reservation through the culture and tourism service. Saint Waldetrudis is also worth including in a tour of the city: the Brabantine Gothic cross basilica is known locally as the Bovenkerk.

Another historical focal point is the Cloth Hall. It was founded at the beginning of the 15th century by cloth makers and wool dyers. After the fire of 1512, it was rebuilt in 1534; the belfry was constructed by Peter Moens and Merten Casus. This allows different eras and functions to be connected in Herentals without the individual buildings losing their own history.

Hiking, cycling and water along different routes

Herentals offers several clearly distinct options for active days. The city is part of the Kempense Heuvelrug hiking network, which runs through the municipalities of Herentals, Kasterlee and Retie. Those looking for a shorter activity with children can choose the 4-kilometre children’s hike “De woeste bergen van Baroes”. It starts at the Toeristentoren in Herentals. The wooden observation tower itself offers views in all directions for up to 31.655 kilometres.

The surrounding area can also be explored by bicycle: Herentals is the starting and finishing point of an archaeological cycling route through varied landscapes. On the water, Sport Vlaanderen Herentals offers a kayak trip on the Nete to the watermill of Grobbendonk. When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore focus on cultural days, a hike, a cycling tour or an excursion on the Nete.

Discover water with the whole family

Hidrodoe in Herentals is a water discovery centre with dozens of interactive water experiments. In the water garden, visitors can create clouds and pump up groundwater. Groups of up to 60 people can visit via the online reservation system. Netepark complements this theme with three indoor pools, a 70-metre-long water slide, a current pool, a whirlpool, water sprays, and fragrance and steam baths.

These different options can help with travel planning: if you want to focus on culture and historic buildings, the Beguinage, churches and Cloth Hall take centre stage. For an active stay, you can choose from hiking, cycling and kayaking activities. Those wishing to include water experiences can choose Hidrodoe or Netepark. Herentals is easily accessible by train and car; you can take this information into account when planning your trip.

More places to include in your search

If you would like to compare Herentals with other destinations, you can also include Wuustwezel, Turnhout, Brecht, Hemiksem, Zandhoven, Antwerp, Rumst and Heist-Op-Den-Berg in your further search.

For the overarching travel overview: Province of Antwerp.