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Great Belgium Beer Tour (GBBT)

Contact andy@bier-mania.com

Phone +49-(0)2157 810558 (Germany)

Mobile +49-(0)177 7095599

Tour Outline

This truly epic Belgium gourmet & beer tour has been designed to show you the complete spectrum of beer culture that Belgium has to offer, from the illusive Trappiste monastic breweries, to the world renowned bier cafés of Bruxelles, Antwerpen and Bruges.

We include brewery visits as well as beer-dinners at two of Belgium’s premier beer-restaurants, as  well as learning about not just the beers of Belgium but also the culture, background, history as well as the geography of this incredible part of the world.

We will visit every province in Belgium as well as along the way visiting every Belgian Trappiste monastery; we will also visit breweries representing every style of beer that Belgium has to offer, although unfortunately we cannot visit them all! Furthermore we will visit and overnight in the Bière de Garde regions of northern France, truly remarkable areas which we feel deserves their rightful place on this tour.

The tour is typically 10-days in duration and starts and ends in Bruxelles or Düsseldorf, Germany.

Read more about our Belgium beer tours....

Tour Itinerary                              From €2150.00 pp/10-days

We suggest you fly in the day before the tour and not spend tour-time getting over the flight! Start the tour fresh!

Day 1-Trappiste Monasteries & Antwerpen

We start this incredible 10-day adventure at the Trappiste Abbey at Achel on the Belgium/Dutch border, we have the chance to have a look around the grounds of this abbey as well as trying some of their beers in the cafe where we can also see the small brewery behind glass surrounds.

After we check into our central Antwerp hotel, we have some free time to look around this gorgeous town before meeting up later to see some of Antwerp‘s bier cafes and have some excellent cuisine at Pelgrom restaurant, an amazing restaurant in a cellar in Antwerp's old town.

Overnight– Hotel Cammerpoorte, Antwerpen

Day 2 -Flanders, Historic Bruges & Beer Dinner

Today we head straight to the Bosteels Brewery in Buggenhout in East Flanders for a tour of this amazing brewéry followed by some of their excellent beer, Kwak and Triple Karmeliet on draught and maybe some Deus if we are lucky!

We move on and check into our hotels in central Bruges around lunchtime, the rest of the day is yours to discover and meander around this amazing historic town, rightly recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

We meet up later for a beer dinner at Den Dyver, probably Belgium‘s premier restaurant for beer cuisine, last year 2007 it was voted Belgium‘s best and will maybe even get the award again in 2008, good luck!

Overnight– Den Witten Leeuw, Hotel Goezeput, Bruges

Day 3-West Flanders & French Flandres

We leave Bruges for a great day travelling across West Vlaanderen (West Flanders), an area steeped in history as well as some of the most diverse selection of beers in Belgium.

We end the day in Mont Cassel where we check into our excellent hotel in the middle of Cassel and have some free time to see this gorgeous town, if you have seen the film Chocolate then this town may ring a bell! Have a stroll up to the top of Mont Cassel or have a beer at Trois Moulins, a cafe in a time warp!

Later on we meet up for some beer and excellent food at the Kasteelhof for some typical Vlaams food and beer.

Overnight– Hotel Le Foch, Mont Cassel

Day 4-Saison Country & Bruxelles Capital

Today we go out of France and into the Province of Hainaut (say I know!) and to the brewery famous for its Saison beer, Brasserie Dupont.

We should have a tour here as well as some beer and excellent cheese after which we go onto Roeselare and the renowned Rodenbach Brewery for a tour and tasting of the beers. Part of Belgium‘s history and probably the largest collection of oak barrels in the world. The ‘sweet and sour‘ beers are pretty much unique in the world!

We haven‘t forgotten lunch. There are 2 or 3 ‘frites‘ vans just outside Roeselare! After this we then head out on the motorway to Bruxelles where we will be for the next 2 nights.

Tonight is a free night, maybe you want to meet up for a beer later in Delirium? Or just take in the atmosphere of this amazing town.

Overnight– Hotel Ibis or Hotel Astrid Centre*** (St Catherine), Bruxelles

Day 5-Bruxelles & Beer Dinner

Today is a free day to have a look around Bruxelles and all it has to offer.

We meet later at our hotel and eat at La Villette, a quaint restaurant cooking excellent authentic Belgian food, just round the corner from our hotel.

Overnight– Hotel Ibis or Hotel Astrid Centre*** (St Catherine), Bruxelles

Day 6-Lambic Biere, Chimay Trappiste & Crusader Bouillon

After the hustle and bustle of Bruxelles, we leave this city for the next stage of the tour when we travel through the rest of Wallonia.

After a long day we find ourselves at our hotel for the evening and ready for a good rest before going back into France in the morning. We should have time to have a look around  the Crusader castle before meeting up later maybe for a beer.

The town of Bouillon is an ancient town, again nestled between hills on a curve of a river, famous for its castle and the original crusader, Godfrey of Bouillon. The evening is yours to have a look around the town, maybe have some food, sit by the river and watch the sun go down over the castle?

Overnight– Hotel de la Poste****, Bouillon/Belgium

Day 7-Chateuax & Artisanale Breweries of Lorraine

Today is an action packed day when we travel into the region of the upper Meuse (Maas) river known as Pays de Meuse. The day takes us to a beer museum, a chateau brewery, through the WW1 battle grounds and to a farm brewery and finally back to Verdun, a truly remarkable day.

After getting to Verdun we can meet later in the evening for a beer. The rest of the evening is yours to have some food and stroll around the town.

Overnight– Hotel Le Coq Hardi*** , Verdun (France)

Day 8-Orval Trappiste, The Ardennes & Beer Dinner

Today is a busy day when we start the day with a visit to the Zone Rouge area near Verdun when we have the chance to visit some WW1 battle sites.

We then have a scenic drive through this region and then up into the Belgian Ardennes and the amazing Trappiste monastery of Orval, probably the most historical of Belgium‘s 6 monastic breweries.  We then check into the 300-year old converted forgery La Vieille Forge, Mont (population 29 humans, 252 cows, 6 dogs).

In the evening we have a beer dinner-a 3-course meal cooked with beer, awesome night! The fresh Ardennes air along with the great food, open fire and of course some beer should ensure you sleep well tonight!

Overnight– La Vieille Forge, Mont, Mont/Belgium

Day 9-Ardennes Loop

Today is a loop of the Ardennes when we visit La Roche-en-Ardenne, Rochefort and then back to Achouffe for a brewery tour, proceeded by a few Chouffe beers and a sing song dedicated to the memory of La Chouffe (a gnome who lives in the forest of the Ardennes).

We then return to La Vieille Forge, Mont (population now 36 humans, 252 cows, 6 dogs) for our final evening together and some more home cooked food at this wonderful Ardennes guest house.

Overnight– La Vieille Forge, Mont, Mont/Belgium

Day 10
High Fens & Düsseldorf

Today we have a relaxing scenic drive through the Hautes Fagnes (high fens), a nature area on the border with Germany and also Belgium‘s highest point at 700 metres, crossing the border back into Germany before the tour comes to an end in Düsseldorf.

Bye bye! Hope to see you on another tour!

Optional Extras

Day Zero

With this option you arrive a day early in Düsseldorf and we start the tour the next day. The hotel is booked as a supplement and is not part of the tour. Works well as you have time to relax after your flight! We may even come over to Düsseldorf and join you for a beer and some food!

Overnight– Hotel Lindenhof***, Düsseldorf or Zur Mühle, Kaldenkirchen

Extra Night (day 10)
Düsseldorf

After the 10-day tour, we recommend that you relax for one night in Düsseldorf before catching your flight home the next day. It also means you can take it easy Sunday evening and not worry about getting to the airport on the Sunday, we know it can be stressful catching flights, better to finish the tour first! Naturally we will help you with any arrangements. We can also arrange transfers to airports or train tickets, again as a supplement and not part of the tour.

Overnight– Hotel Lindenhof***, Düsseldorf or Zur Mühle, Kaldenkirchen

 

 

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