Discover Sint-Lievens-Houtem

Sint-Lievens-Houtem combines gently undulating landscapes, historic paths and remarkable examples of regional culture. Those looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home can choose between active days on hiking and cycling routes, historical discoveries and special culinary experiences. This makes it possible to create a varied trip without every activity having to have the same character.

Hiking through history and landscape

In the Tussen Zwalm en Dender hiking network, the gently undulating landscape around Sint-Lievens-Houtem offers more than 100 km of quiet paths. For a manageable day trip, there is a signposted hike that starts at the Marktplein in Sint-Lievens-Houtem. It is 10.8 km long and is described as taking 2 hours and 15 minutes. This information helps you incorporate a specific hike into your daily itinerary.

Historic routes also shape the character of the area. The Oude Heerweg is a historic route along which Roman legions marched towards Boulogne in order to cross to Britannia from there. The Cotthem and Oude-Heerweg hiking route passes the Livinus Chapel and the Sint-Anna Chapel. Another historic hike, the Livinustocht, runs from Sint-Baafsabdij in Ghent to the Marktplein in Sint-Lievens-Houtem via the Sint-Livinus Chapel. Those interested in sacred history and paths with a clear cultural connection will therefore find several different points of interest.

Cycling routes for different day plans

Sint-Lievens-Houtem can also be explored by bicycle over different distances. Along the quiet roads, there are cycling routes of 6.4 km, 10.5 km and 14.2 km. For a longer ride, the signposted Land van Rode fietsroute is an option: it starts and ends at the market square of Sint-Lievens-Houtem, covers 43 km and runs through Zottegem, Zwalm and Oosterzele.

Those looking for a more challenging route can plan the mountain-bike route. It starts and ends at De Fabriek sports centre, heads towards Cotthem and passes over the 83 m-high De Balei climb. In good weather, the towers of the Ghent port area can be seen in the distance from there. The Trage wegen zonder grenzen fietsroute Oosterzele-Sint-Lievens-Houtem connects Oosterzele and Sint-Lievens-Houtem. When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore consider whether short rides, a signposted day tour or a mountain-bike route should be the focus of your trip.

Cultural heritage in the townscape

One of the special historic sights is the Sint-Lievenskruis, a rare legal-archaeological market cross. The regulations for the annual fairs were proclaimed from there. The Sint-Michiel parish church has a Romanesque choir dating from the 11th to the 12th century and a Neoclassical nave from around 1776. The church also contains a marble and stone tomb monument for Saint Livinus dating from the 15th century.

The Houtem Jaarmarkt originated from the Sint-Lievens procession and the associated pilgrimage to Livinus. Another destination for visitors interested in culture is the Korenwatermolen on the Molenbeek. It is situated in a wooded setting and has a preserved iron water wheel and a sluice. For families with a wide range of interests, it can be appealing to begin a day with physical activity and then visit a historic site or technical monument.

Regional speciality and choosing suitable accommodation

Sint-Lievens-Houtem also has its own culinary character. De Volle Maan produces traditionally made organic goat cheese from the raw milk of 600 of its own goats. This complements a trip in which regional specialities are just as important as landscape and history.

When looking for accommodation, you can therefore base your choice on your preferred travel rhythm: a holiday apartment suits a trip with changing daily plans involving hiking, cycling, cultural experiences and regional cuisine. If you are planning longer excursions, it is worth including the respective starting and end points of the described routes in your planning. For quieter days, the historic buildings, chapels, mill and local history offer destinations in their own right.

Discover more destinations

If you would like to consider more destinations for your trip planning in addition to Sint-Lievens-Houtem, here is a compact selection: Evergem, Wetteren, Temse, Sint-Niklaas, Sint-Laureins, Gerhardsbergen, Ghent and Dendermonde.

To the higher-level travel overview: East Flanders.