Discover Assenede

Assenede combines wide-open landscapes, water-rich creeks and impressive traces of regional history. Those planning a trip involving activity, nature and cultural discoveries will find various ways to plan their days here: a 14-kilometre hiking route, an almost 31-kilometre cycling route, distinctive waterways, as well as churches, chapels and historic buildings.

Creeks, polders and distinctive waterways

The Assenede creek area has great natural value because of its distinctive character, composition and ecological connectivity function. The landscape includes saltwater or brackish creeks, reed vegetation, wet meadows, marsh and silting vegetation, ditches and ponds. The reed-fringed banks of the Kleine Kil provide suitable nesting sites for birds. The Grote Geul is a broad, calm waterway, while the Rode Geul owes its name to the red colour of the plants along its banks.

The Posthoorndijk is one of the valuable viewpoints in the creek area. The Assenede Creek Route follows the Doornendijkstraat to the Gezusterskreken. This allows you to include different landscape impressions in your plans without separating nature from local history.

Hiking and cycling with different stages

Assenede has an interactive hiking and cycling route through the Hollekenstraat, the polders and the creeks. The Assenede Hiking Route is 14 kilometres long and can be shortened by half. This option gives you a clear choice when planning your day between the full route and a shorter version. The Assenede Cycling Route is almost 31 kilometres long and follows quiet roads and attractive cycle paths.

Another option is the “Langs de kreken van Assenede” hiking route. It leads through picturesque lanes and along restored church paths. The Assenede Route also passes several filming locations from the television series “Black-out”. Those who prefer to travel by bicycle can choose a tour through the expansive natural landscape of the Houtland. It connects the municipality’s religious heritage with five churches and dozens of chapels. Another cycling tour passes places in Assenede characterised by tranquillity, greenery and wide-open spaces.

Churches, chapels and local history

At the protected parish church of Sint-Pieter en Sint-Martinus, the tower, choir, transept and side chapels are designated as protected parts. In the Hollekenstraat at the border, there are two cast-iron boundary posts dating from 1843. The Neoclassical Sint-Annakapel is dated 1773 on the front façade and on a stone on the rear façade.

The present-day Sint-Annakapel stands along the small processional path also known as the Sint-Anna-ommegang. This path has been known since the 1640s; the historic route ran from the parish church via the Hoogstraat and the Landsdijk to the chapel. The Schuttershof also tells the story of local traditions: it was the guild house of the Sint-Sebastiaansgilde, whose oldest known charter dates from 1482. The guild house was probably built by the Sint-Sebastiaansgilde in the second half of the 17th century.

Trip planning and finding accommodation

For a trip focused on hiking, you can choose from the 14-kilometre Assenede Hiking Route, its shortened version and the paths through the creeks. Cyclists can choose between the almost 31-kilometre Assenede Cycling Route, the routes through the Houtland and the paths along the creeks. Those who want to focus on culture can include churches, chapels, the Schuttershof and historic route connections.

Regional products are also among the possible travel experiences: Hoeveterras De Vliethoeve offers regional products for consumption on site or to take away. At route nodes 59–70, the statue “De Dijkwerker” commemorates the anonymous dike workers of the 15th century. This makes it possible to plan a varied stay in Assenede combining landscape, activity, history and regional flavours.

Discover more places

If you would like to continue your search beyond Assenede, you can find the pages for Bassevelde and Boekhoute here.

Back to the overarching travel overview: East Flanders.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Oosterzele, Deinze, Haaltert, Lochristi, Horebeke, Lierde.