Oudenaarde

Oudenaarde Town Hall. The building's belfry is among 56 across France & Belgium that are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

Oudenaarde is a city in East Flanders. Oudenaarde is about 30 km south of Ghent, the capital of the province. The town has a little over 30,000 inhabitants and is a convenient hub for cycling tourists because of its geographical location in the center of the Flemish Ardennes. The commune includes the villages of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heurne, Leupegem, Mater, Melden, Mullem, Nederename, and Volkegem en Welden.

Understand

Oudenaarde has been known for its tapestries. The industry flourished in the 16th century and remained very important until the 18th century.

• 1 Tourist office, Markt (City hall), ☏ +325 531 72 51, toerisme@oudenaarde.be. M-F 09:30-17:30. Saturdays between 1 March and 30 September: 09:30-17:30. Saturdays between 1 October and the end of February: 14:00-17:00. Su closed. In this tourist office you can buy several maps of hiking and cycling routes around Oudenaarde and the Flemish Ardennes. You can also get free advice and information from the staff. (updated Feb 2016)

Get in

By train

The 1 Oudenaarde Railway Station is located quite centrally in the town.

• Direct connections from Brussels and Ghent. Oudenaarde is 1 hour away from Brussels and 30 minutes from Ghent.
• Oudenaarde is a train ride of 20 minutes from Kortrijk.

By bus

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

Get around

Bike rental

• 1 Asfra Bike Rental, Bergstraat 75, ☏ +32 55 31 57 40. M 13:30-18:30, Tu-Sa 09:00-12:00 and 13:30-18:30. Rents recreational and professional bikes. 
• 2 Wheelpalace, Ambachtstraat 6, ☏ +32 55 31 20 79, info@wheelpalace.be. M and Su closed, Tu-Sa 09:30-12:15 and 14:00-18:00. Rents recreational and professional bikes. From €15/day. 

See

• 1 Town Hall and Belfry, Markt 1. The flamboyant Gothic-style town hall and its belfry were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, together with 31 other belfries across Flanders & Walloonia and later expanded to 56 buildings & belfies as Belfries of Belgium and France (). The city hall houses a unique collection of Oudenaarde tapestries. (updated Jun 2017)
• 2 Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen, Markt 43, ☏ +32 55 33 99 33, info@crvv.be. Museum dedicated to the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) cycle race. (updated Jun 2017)
• 3 MOU Museum Oudenaarde, Markt 1, ☏ +32 55 31 72 51, mou@oudenaarde.be.  
• 4 Beguinage, Burg. The oldest building in the beguinage dates back to 1500 and was the home of the rector. The houses in the beguinage are now flats for pensioners. The beguinage was proposed for the list of UNESCO World Heritage, but was not included in the list.  
• 5 PAM Ename (Provincial Archeological Museum), Lijnwaadmarkt 20, Ename, ☏ +32 55 30 90 40, pam-ename@oost-vlaanderen.be. €2.50 regular. Free for children under 12.  

Church of Our Lady of Pamele

• 6 Church of Our Lady of Pamele, Pamelekerkplein. The construction of the church began in 1234 on the banks of the Scheldt, and the Church of St Walburga near the market square, are both worth a visit. 
• 7 Church of St. Walburga, Markt, ☏ +32 55 31 72 51. This church is the largest in Oudenaarde and dominates the historical part of the town. 
• 8 Maagdendale Monastery, Maagdendale. This Cistercian abbey dates back to the 12th century and has been on the current grounds since the 13th century. Most of the edifices are now used as a city archive and for the municipal art academy.  

Do

• 1 Recreational Area "De Donk", Donkstraat. Daily 10:00-21:00. Recreational area around an artificial lake. It is possible to practice lake surfing here. 
• Ronde Van Vlaanderen: . The most important cycling race in Flanders of the year. The tour finishes in Oudenaarde. April. (date needs fixing)

Drink

• 1 Brewery Smisje, Driesleutelstraat 1, ☏ +32 475 36 44 89. Before moving to Oudenaarde this little brewery was in Bruges. Today it is the smallest craft brewery in Belgium. (updated Jun 2017)

Sleep

• 1 Leopold Hotel, De Ham 14, ☏ +32 55 69 99 65. Hotel in a new building close to the Scheldt river. There is a large parking site next to it. 

Go next

• Brussels and Ghent are easily accessible by train
• Other towns in the Flemish Ardennes: Zottegem and Geraardsbergen