Dendermonde

Dendermonde is a city in East Flanders. The small-sized city has about 46,000 inhabitants (2018). It is sits between the bigger cities of Ghent (Gent), Mechelen and Brussels.

Understand

The municipality of Dendermonde consists of 8 villages or towns including Dendermonde proper. The other 7 parts of the municipality are Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde and Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde.

• 1 Tourist Office, Grote Markt, ☏ +329 5221 39 56, toerisme@dendermonde.be. October 1-March 31 on weekdays: 10:00—12:00 and 13:30—16:30, April 1-September 30 on weekdays: 10:00—12:00 and 13:30—18:00, July & August: daily 10:00—18:00. 

Get in

By train

The 1 Dendermonde Railway Station is quite central in the town. Dendermonde is an important node in Flanders' railway network.

• Direct connections from Brussels and Ghent. Dendermonde is 35 to 55 minutes away from Brussels and 25 to 36 minutes from Ghent, depending on the type of train you take.
• Dendermonde is a train ride of 20 minutes away from Mechelen.
• There are also direct connections from nearby Lokeren.

By bus

The Flemish national bus company, De Lijn, has lines to Dendermonde from Ghent, Berlare, Aalst and other neighbouring towns. For more information regarding different timetables (only available in Dutch): https://www.delijn.be.

By car

The main road is N47 (Lokeren-Asse). Next to the Kasteelstraat is a parking plot, just as the larger Parking De Bruynkaai at the banks of the Scheldt river.

Get around

Since the historical city centre is rather small it is very possible to cover all distances on foot. If you want to go outside the town centre, you can rent a bike for free for the first 24 hours with the Blue Bike service. This service point is next to the train station. Before renting a bike one must first obtain a Blue Bike card which costs €12. There are several Blue Bike centres across Belgium so if you are planning to visit several towns this may be a very good investment.

See

• Market Square (Grote Markt). As the main square of the city this square functioned as the main meeting and social point of the city for several ages. The city hall and the city museum are on this square. (updated Feb 2016)

• 1 Belfry (Belfort), Grote Markt 37. One of the 56 belfries in Flanders recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (updated Oct 2017)
• 2 Butcher's Hall, Grote Markt 23. Sat and Sun: 13:00 - 18:00.  

• 3 St. Alexius Beguinage (Sint-Alexiusbegijnhof). 07:00 - 21:00. This beguinage is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has 61 houses built around a trapezoidal courtyard. Most houses are built between 1604 and 1660. The beguinage has existed in this place since 1288. The original church of the beguinage got destroyed in 1914 and was replaced by the current one in 1928. The last beguine passed away in 1975. The entrance to the beguinage is from Brusselsestraat.  
• 4 Beguinage and Folklore Museum, +32 52 21 30 18, musea@dendermonde.be. Sat and Sun: 13:00 - 18:00. Located in house #11 of the beguinage, this museum shows visitors how the life inside the beguinage used to look like. (updated Jan 2022)
• 5 Abbey of St Peter and St Paul, Vlasmarkt 23. Benedictine monks still live and work in this abbey in the heart of Dendermonde. (updated Jan 2018)
• 6 Church of Our Lady. M closed, except on public holidays. Dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. (updated Jan 2018)
• 7 Courthouse, Justitieplein. Built between 1923 and 1927. (updated Jan 2018)

Do

Events

• Ros Beiaardommegang. Every ten years there is a big procession where Ros Beiaard, a huge wooden horse, is carried around the streets of Dendermonde. The last celebration was in 2010. 

Eat

Dendermonde Town Hall and Belfry

• 1 Da Vinci, Koning Albertstraat 29, ☏ +32 475 92 58 35, info@davincirestaurant.be. Well appreciated restaurant in the suburb of Sint-Gillis with a mainly French cuisine. €26 - 59. (updated Feb 2016)
• 2 Den Abazjoer, Grote Markt 14, ☏ +32 52 52 34 86, info@denabazjoerdendermonde.be. Closed Tu and W. Tasty dishes with fresh ingredients and quick service. Menu of the day €15.50. (updated Jun 2017)
• 3 Gasthof Het Vaderland, Grote Markt 16, ☏ +32 52 21 11 36. Another restaurant worth noting. (updated Jun 2017)
• 4 Zorba, Franz Courtensstraat 16, ☏ +32 52 21 72 97. Closed M, Tu. Greek restaurant. (updated Jun 2017)
• 5 't Truffeltje, Bogaerdstraat 18, ☏ +32 52 22 45 90. Upscale restaurant and the only restaurant with a Michelin star in the city. Menu €60-80. (updated Jun 2017)

Drink

Best beer in Dendermonde is Vicaris (www.vicaris.be)

Sleep

• 1 B&B Domus Portus, Dijkstraat 2, ☏ +32 486 49 35 27. One of the most central bed & breakfasts in Dendermonde. The rooms overlook the water. €95. (updated Jan 2018)
• Casa Luna Loft, Sint Gillislaan 27, Sint Gillis bij Dendermonde (direction Lebbeke), ☏ +32 498 50 92 00, Info@casalunaloft.be. Check-in: 16:00, check-out: 11:00. A quiet loft on the second floor of an old mansion. Breakfast is possible. Also contains Sauna Casa Verde sauna and hammam. Reservations required for loft and sauna. Email for sauna: Info@casaverde.be. €120; sauna from €200. (updated Jan 2021)