Location: Sint-Niklaas
Top Things to do in Sint-Niklaas
What to do and see in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium: The Best Places and Tips
Sint-Niklaas ([ˌsɪnt nɪˈklaːs]) (French: Saint-Nicolas) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sint-Niklaas proper and the towns of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, and Sinaai.
Restaurants in Sint-Niklaas
1. Waasland Shopping Center
Overall Ratings
4 based on 78 reviews
Reviewed By LauraDaveJames - Solihull, United Kingdom
This shopping mall is located on the edge of Sint Niklaas just off the motorway not far from Antwerp. It has a very large car park and is the largest shopping mall that we have visited in Belgium. There is a supermarket and a wide range of shops to suit all budgets. The restaurants and bars are plentiful and much superior to the offerings in UK shopping malls. As is usual in Belgium you have to pay to visit the toilet, but the ticket allows you a discount at some coffee shops. A good day out, particulary if the weather is poor.
2. Thermen Katara
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 299 reviews
Thermen Katara is one of the largest spa's in Belgium. We welcome you on a trip around the world of sauna and wellness. Discover our wide offer of sauna's, baths and treatments from all parts out of the world and enjoy the fresh food prepared in our own kitchen. Katara is an oasis of quite, peace and relaxation. We consider a friendly costumer service, cleanliness and hygiene to be our basic values. Thermen Katara is free accessible for use of sauna, which happens naked every day except for wednesdays, which are the bathsuit days. You will find us at Belsele inbetween Antwerp and Ghent.
Reviewed By ArticCynda - Brussels, Belgium
Short summary: service okay but expensive for what it is, lacking refreshments, and difficult to reach.
Elaborate review:
Located on the outskirts of Belsele, in a commercial zone, the location choice of the thermae is peculiar to say the least. The Belsele station is only infrequently serviced, and particularly poorly during weekends and holidays, which makes it even more inconvenient for a touristic attraction. There is a bus stop nearby, but few buses connect to the station so it may be shorter to simply walk (distance ca. 1.4 km) rather than wait for a bus. There are only a few direct trains connecting to Brussels per day, so careful planning is paramount. Poor accessibility will undoubtedly be the most difficult to resolve problem that Katara is currently facing.
The facilities themselves are new and modern. For those seeking a rustic ambient, Katara definitely isn't the best choice, but that is of course a matter of preference. The interior is relaxing, well maintained and tastefully decorated. There is ample space, and few areas give an overcrowded feeling. There is sufficient diversity in things to do, ranging from foot baths to saunas, to (outdoor only) swimming pools, steam bath, relax lounge, jacuzzi etc.
In our experience, the facilities were very clean, and there are absolutely no negative remarks to be made on hygiene or health. Staff is cleaning throughout the day, and most of them are very friendly and helpful.
The only point where Katara is severely lacking is refreshments. There is not a single drinking water Fountain in the entire complex, nor any other kind of refreshment (fruits, tea, ...) which are an absolute necessity for a sauna centered wellness oasis. It is odd that they have not yet picked this up after 5 years of operation. It is therefore necessary for guests to bring water or tea along themselves. Fortunately, the provided lockers are large enough to store all of this.
The thermae are currently undergoing expansion, and the new oriental sauna and relax lounge with beds and sofas are both superb new additions to the site. It seems that the current boiler room has a hard time keeping up with its growth though, as evidenced by the lack of warm water in showers when many guests are showering simultaneously. Occasionally, the water is just too cold for a comfortable shower, even after a sauna session!
At other points, Katara appears overzealous. The surveillance cameras in the changing rooms (!) for example may please the staff's voyeuristic needs but are, needless to say, misplaced. The camp fire next to the swimming pool also offers little extra value but does produce a lot of air pollution.
Although the provided service at Thermae Katara is generally good, the value of a visit is only average due to the very high prices (considering entrance fee, extra charges for basic needs like refreshments, and expensive food and drinks in the restaurant). A visit is therefore only justified when spending an entire day at the thermae and bringing own drinks and snacks along. Katara still has a long way to go until it can offer a value comparable to that of German wellness/thermen.
3. Molsbroek
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 89 reviews
Reviewed By LeenLokeren_Belgium_ - Lokeren(Belgium)
Nature reserve with a walking/biking path all around the natural lake/pond. There are several bird watching spots too, with explanation table( albeit only in Dutch). There is a wooden house where one can get information about the wildlife in the surroundings. brilliant with children!
4. Verbeke Foundation
Overall Ratings
4 based on 67 reviews
Reviewed By Ron K - Copenhagen, Denmark
The Verbeke museum is situated 20 km north of Antwerp. It consists of an indoor section, mostly in unconventional forms such as greenhouse, container, warehouse, and a large park around it with beautiful nature and sculptures, and art installations. Everything is unconventional, unpolished but sparkling at the same time. I have rarely been so thrilled by a visit to an art museum. It is a mixture of Ali Baba's treasure cave, a biology laboratory, a curiosum cabinet and an art gallery. Everywhere you see seemingly random stuff but it is all extremely well thought and planned. There is a lovely section of bio-art, in which nature and artistic thoughts are brilliantly fused. The outside section is a gorgeous 12 ha. large wild nature park in which you will find plenty of interesting art installations, all of a refreshing originality. You will never look to a museum in the same way after you have visited this one. This is worth more than the maximum of 5 stars.
5. Temse Brug
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By DeWolf77 - Sint-Amands, Belgium
Not really a touristic highlight and actually "just another bridge", however it is remarkable in some way. There's the old part which used to be a real pain in the @ss untill 2010 or so because it caused huge traffic jams when opened for a ship to pass. Since 2010, a new part was added that more or less solves the traffic congestions. And for the rest, it's just another bridge that does why we pay taxes for :-)
6. Kasteel Cortewalle
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 26 reviews
Reviewed By Mervyn G - London, United Kingdom
We attended a friends marriage ceremony here. It was wonderful. Very well kept and interesting building and the staff were great too.
7. Filva Ballooning
Overall Ratings
5 based on 1 reviews
Our company let you experience the joy of fying in a hot air balloon. Floating on the wind drifts through the sky.
Reviewed By helenwhyte15
We flew with Filva Ballooning as part of a 30th birthday celebration. It was an extremely memorable experience viewing the beautiful scenery in Belgium as the sun rose. Filip and his team were very professional. The whole experience was perfect from start to finish. I...MoreWe are very happy you enjoyed your morningflight !
8. City Hall and Belfry (Stadhuis en Belfort)
Overall Ratings
4 based on 44 reviews
Reviewed By margareth700 - Holmfirth, United Kingdom
Antwerp is full of magnificent buildings and the city hall completed in 1564 is really stunning, outshining the those of Bruges, Genoa and even Venice. Situated in the Grote Mark, the façade has 87 flags representing Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium, Europe and the United Nations. The other flags represent countries that are member of the European Union and nations that have a consulate in Antwerp.
In front stands the Brabo Fountain – legend has it that Brabo killed a giant who used to cut off sailors hands if they did not pay a toll.
9. Wereldbeeld
Overall Ratings
5 based on 5 reviews
In the sculpturegarden and galerie of Wereldbeeld, you can admire a large collection of stone and metal sculptures. During summer we organise workshops sculpting, given by 2 very experienced Zimbabwean artists.
10. St Nicolas Church
Overall Ratings
4 based on 23 reviews
Reviewed By drdvg - Bengaluru, India
Sint_Niklass, close to Antwerp and Ghent in Belgium is a nice little town and the major attraction of this place is the St Nicolas Church at the centre of the town in front of a huge market place. I thought of Santa Claus when I visited the Church. the town is very famous for kite flying. It has very good restaurants too
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