This trip is being organized for E+A Family Travel.
On this six-day Belgium Beer Tour, we will visit many breweries, new and old, to learn more about the people, their history, and the beers they brew throughout this beautiful country . We’ll also visit several of Belgium’s renowned Beer Cafés along the way, all the while enjoying what might come as a surprise to some – delicious food that blends traditions and mixes the multiple cultures in Belgium.
Since the first Crusades the Church allowed abbeys to brew and distribute beer as a fundraising method. Trappist monks carry on those deep traditions today with their dark, sweet, complex ales, while Belgian craft brewers create their own rich brewing history by experimenting with modern beer flavors. You’ll get to taste a wide variety of these beers throughout the week.
Life is short and so it makes sense to maximize your time in Belgium. This six-day vacation does just that. We tour much of the country, exploring four different cities and villages, including Leuven, Ghent, Bruges, West Flanders, and Brussels. We will visit over a dozen breweries, abbeys, and beer restaurants, and your Hosts will show you some of our favorite off-the-beaten-path Beer Cafés while introducing you to some of our favorite people in Belgium’s beer culture.
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Know Before You Go: The Do’s and Don’ts of a Beer Tour
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Curated Experiences
- Take private, custom brewery tours with our local brewer and beer guide, Yannick
- Experience Belgian cuisine, including locally-made cheeses & chocolates
- Visit breweries such as Van Steenberge, small microbreweries like Bouwerij de Coureur, and the large well-known Stella Artois Brewery home base.
- Visit and taste from renowned Beer Cafes, Abbeys, microbreweries, and beer restaurants.
- Visit the largest WWI cemetery for commonwealth forces, Tyne Cot, and learn about the rich history of the region.
“Yannick was amazing; he really knew the areas we visited, and the variety of tours was outstanding!” -Belgium Beer Tour Guest
Belgium Beer Tour Details
- Date: September 23 – 28, 2024
- Trip Price Per Person: $4,500
- Single Supplement: $500
- Guide: Yannick de Cocquéau
- Group size: 8 – 20 people
- Meals: Breakfasts & dinners are included, except for lunch on Day 3 and dinner on Day 4.
- General Tour FAQs
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Brussels
Welcome to Belgium! Home of delicious fries, waffles, and of course, beer!
Our adventure starts at 1:00 PM, allowing you to arrive in Brussels this morning or the day before (which we highly recommend). After a quick orientation, we head out for a walking tour of Brussels with your local guide.
This evening we’ll enjoy a wonderful welcome dinner of Belgium’s classic food specialties and beer cuisine at a local restaurant.
To cap off the night, we’ll check out a few of Brussel’s world-famous beer cafes to raise a toast to the start of our beer adventure.
Day 2: Leuven
After breakfast, we will depart to the east for Leuven, Belgium’s eighth-largest city. Our first stop is a tasting at right outside the city at Bouwerij de Coureur, a neighborhood microbrewery with the moto “Life is Brewtiful.” Whether it’s one of the regular beers or a rotating drink you’ll find there is a brew for all tastes.
Our next stop is Braxatorium Parcensis Brewery, a Park Abbey whos spirit has been around for centuries. The beers brewed here are true abbey beers because they are produced – as with the Trappist beers – within the walls of the abbey. If you’re a Hazy IPA fan, you’ll love their 10 de Libertus beer, with an overdose of dry hopping and fresh yeast. After your fill of morning beer, we’ll take a break for lunch at Brasserie de Abdijmolen “The Abby Mill.”
In contrast to the smaller microbrews and Abby beers, the next stop is the well-known home base of Stella Artois Brewery. We’ll enjoy a draft tour followed by a tapping course.
You’ll have some time to relax, check into the hotel, and explore Leuven on your own before dinner at Domus Home Brewery, serving classic Belgium food with a wide variety of vibrant beers.
Day 3: Bruges
This morning we’ll check out of our hotel and get on our way to the city of Bruges. Bruges is known for its rich history, impressive architecture, tasty food, and great beer cafés.
We start our exploration of Bruges by whetting everyone’s whistle with a visit and tasting of Brouwerij Fort Lapin, a rather new brewery named after the fortress built in 1664 to protect Bruges’ commercial hub. We’ll chat with the brewer and founder, Kristof Vandenbussche, an outspoken entrepreneur from the area. Kristof had been brewing as a hobby for ten years before taking the final step from beer lover to professional.
You’ll then have a chance to walk through the fairy tale streets of Bruges and enjoy lunch on your own. We recommend eating at one of the last remaining family-owned breweries in the Bruges city center: Brewery De Halve Maan. You may have heard about the new 2-mile beer pipeline they recently built leading from their brewery in the city center to their bottling plant in an industrial area. The pipeline carries 1,500 gallons of beer an hour at 12 mph, which has saved them hundreds of truck trips a year. When you see the narrow, historic streets of Bruges, you will wonder how the tankers ever made their way through originally!
After lunch, you have the option of exploring the beautiful streets of Bruges on your own – or head out for another wonderful brewery! If you chose the brewery, you’ll experience a special brewery tour and blending session at Bourgogne des Flandres. Bourgogne des Flandres specializes in the Flemish beer blending tradition of mixing fresh beer with aged beer to create a perfect balance of flavors. It also happens to be the “home brewery” of our guide and brewer, Yannick.
Tonight’s dinner is at a local restaurant with a wide range of Belgian beers.
Day 4: West Flanders
We start our day with a tour and tasting at a newer brewery that opened in 2014 but is housed in a building with quite a bit of history. Kazematten‘s building was originally built as part of Louis XIV’s fortress back in the 1680s and used for storing weapons into the 20th century. We’ll get to taste their Grotten Sante, a spicy dark brown beer, and their Wiper Times 14, a highly fermented blond beer.
Our next stop is a sobering but powerful visit to a site of great importance memorializing the region’s dark WWI history. Tyne Cot is our next stop and the site of the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world, of any war. After a short visit, we’ll finish the afternoon with lunch.
After lunch is the Rodenbach Brewery, where they have world-renowned cask halls with 294 oak casks, some of which are 150 years old. Rodenbach has a rich history that extends back to 1821. We’ll have a chance to taste their well-known barrel-aged sour beers that are brewed in the Flemish red style.
To end our day, we will drive back to Bruges for an evening and dinner on our own. Your guide, Yannick, will be happy to offer recommendations of places to eat.
Day 5: Ghent
After breakfast and checking out, we’ll head on the road to one of our favorite cities in all of Europe – Ghent! (which also just so happens to be the home city of our trusty beer guide, Yannick.)
Before reaching Ghent, we’ll stop in West Flanders for a tour and tasting at Van Steenberge. Established in 1874, Van Steenberge is famous around the globe for Gulden Draak beer, a beer with fruity and zesty aromas but a caramel, toffee, roast malt, and coffee flavor.
Back on the road, we’ll stop for lunch at one of the best beer restaurants in the area, Heeren Van Liedekercke, before heading into the city. We’ll then check into our hotel, drop off our luggage, and set out to take in Ghent’s history, architecture, culture, and of course, its beer heritage, all on a lively walking tour.
We’ll end our walk at one of the newest breweries in Ghent, Dok Brewing Co, where they love to try out new styles and flavors, all while keeping their proud Belgian beer tradition in mind. We’ll take a tour of their brewery, enjoy a beer tasting, and sit down to enjoy a delicious dinner. For dessert, we’ll indulge in some delectable Belgian chocolates, paired with beer, of course!
Day 6: Brussels
On our final morning, enjoy a leisurely breakfast before making our way back to Brussels. Your guide, Yannick, will accompany you back to the city and drop off those heading to the airport, although we highly recommend spending a few more days in Belgium!
Belgium Beer Tour Highlights
- Bouwerij de Coureur – Leuven
- Braxatorium Parcensis – Leuven
- Stella Artois – Leuven
- Domus Home brewery – Leuven
- Brouwerij Fort Lapin – Bruges
- Brewery De Halve Maan – Bruges
- Bourgogne des Flandres – Bruges
- Kazematten – Ypres
- Rodenbach Brewery – Roeselare
- Oude Geuzestekerij De Cam – Gooik
- Dok Brewing Co. – Ghent
- Van Steenberge – East Flanders
- De Heeren van Liedekercke – Denderleeuw
- Artevelde City Brewpub – Ghent
- DOK brewery – Ghent
*Please note updates to the outlined itinerary may occur due to changes in availability of breweries and to accommodate new opportunities that arise.
Book NowTour Accommodations
- Night 1: NH Collection Brussels Centre – Our hotel for our first night has been freshly renovated and is located in the heart of historic Brussels. We are a kilometer from the central train station and less than half a kilometer from Grand-Place, the central square of Brussels.
- Night 2: Martin’s Klooster – Sitting near the river Dyle, Martin’s Klooster is a charming hotel that prides itself on offering exceptional service and elegant rooms among the cobbled streets of Louvain.
- Night 3 & 4: Hotel Acacia – Located in the historic center of the Bruges (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and in the middle of all the action.
- Night 5: Hotel Harmony – Perfectly located along the riverfront in the heart of the historical City Center of Ghent, our hotel for the next two nights offer well appointed yet comfortable accommodations.
Please note: Hotels are subject to availability. If listed hotel is not available at time of tour, a hotel that is equal or better to the original will be secured.
What is Included
- All Local Transportation
- Double Occupancy Lodging
- Breakfasts; lunch and dinners, except one lunch on Day 3 and dinner of Day 4
- All Scheduled Activities and Brewery Visits
- Beers During Organized Tastings
- Professional Tour Guide
Not Included: Travel to and from destination, most lunches unless otherwise indicated, beer with meals, personal expenses, and optional gratuities to local staff and your guide. Travel insurance is also not included, though we highly recommend it. Check out our Travel Insurance page for more information.
While the general trip itinerary will remain the same, the actual restaurants, hotels, and activities listed are subject to modifications. Changes that are out of our control are common — restaurants close or lose their amazing chef, a winery changes their visiting hours, a hotel gets remodeled, etc. You are entrusting us to create an outstanding vacation for you and so it is possible we may take the liberty of making necessary changes to the itinerary that will improve your overall trip experience. If there is any one experience that is going to make or break your trip, please discuss this with us in advance.
Arrival & Departure
We meet in the early afternoon in Brussels, allowing you to arrive that morning or on a prior day as you wish. Getting to our meeting place at the hotel in Brussels from the airport or train station is easy and we will provide complete information in your Pre-Departure Packet.
Our adventure ends in Brussels mid afternoon on our final day. You can extend your stay in Brussels, hop on a return flight home, or easily take a train wherever your next adventure lies!