European Brewery Connoisseur - Belgium, Germany and Czech Republic 13 Days
This trip commences in September in Brussels where we'll start off with one of the greatest beer festivals in the world right in the central area at historic La Grande Place. With tokens, we can try fruit beers, Abbey beers, Trappiste Beers, blondes, champagne beers, wheat beers and a tremendous variety of tastes that Belgium caters for.
On day two we'll head to Delirium, the best beer bar in the world, known for having an encylapaedic menu and incredible decor, you can find any beer style here that you could possibly want. The following two days in Belgium take us to Flanders and to Bruges in particular where we'll explore the highlights of the city's culture, try the best "frites" or French Fries in the world and visit a couple of local breweries with private tours in both.
Across the border into Germany we''ll be heading for Munich via Strasbourg in France and exploring a lot of culture in the Black Forest and Stuttgart areas. We'll finish up in Bavaria, attending one of the smaller Oktoberfests, integrating with the locals and trying their food and of course, experiencing why the Germany Beer Purity Law makes such fine quality beverages. Three nights in Munich at the end wraps up a trip near the German Alps, a destination we'll experience on a day trip.
Itinerary and Specifics
Highlights:
- Understand the complex nature of the top quality beers being brewed in Europe
- Understand how the beer market has changed with technology, use of exotic hops and customer demand for weird and wonderful
- Meet the brewers and brewery managers - go behind the scences and see areas not generally reserved for the public
- Try some of the best beers known to humankind
- Every day, we incorporate some other cultural activities so it's not just one brewery after the next - there'll be great galleries, museums, cafes, restaurants, castles and other attractions to keep the trip diverse and interesting for all, even if they're not beer enthusiats
- Have the excellent company of an expert driver/guide who will take care of you for the duration of this trip
- See some of the world's most romantic and beautiful cities - Bruges with its Canals, Strasbourg with its canal and river as well as famous Cathedral and Petit France, Munich with its incredible architecture and famous English Gardens
- Return home with a profound understanding of what it is that makes Belgium and Germany the best beer cultures in the world, as well as filling up on other culture and beautiful, charming cities
Includes:
- Airport Transfer to and from airports and hotels
- Brussels Beer Festival entrance and wrist band worth 30 credits
- 5 Brewery Visits - behind the scences and meet the makers, with tasting included
- Expert Driver/Guide and comfortable touring vehicle
- Porterage for 1 piece of luggage in and out of all accommodations
- Accommodations on a Bed and Breakfast basis
Not included:
- Your flights to Brussels and out of Munich
- Gratuities - suggested minimum of $20 per person per day for your experienced driver guide.
- Lunches and dinners - we prefer you to decide to eat and drink what best suits your diet and tastes
- Entrances to galleries, museums and attractions - many of these will be free in Europe
Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1
Arrive in Brussels International Airport, Meet and Greet and transfer to the central hotel where you'll stay for three nights. The local guide will show you around the town on foot and also we'll do your panoramic city tour tonight. Free time this evening to relax or have dinner in one of the many fine restaurants or bistrot near the hotel.
Day 2
Today it's the beer festival on La Grande Place but first what we'll do is give everyone the morning free to recover from any jetlag and to explore any of the highlights shown by the local guide yesterday. There's a startling amoung of culture in Brussels and some of the finest art galleries in the world. This afternoon we'll head to the beer festival and explore all the complexity of Belgian tastes in one place. This evening we'll go for dinner near Delirium (best beer bar in the world) and follow on to the former to wash it down with something you won't find anywhere else, or just return to the hotel if we're not up for it.
Day 3
Today it's all about Art Nouveau, you'll get a guided tour of the Art Nouveau musuem and then we're on to the delight that is Villa Empain, one of the most interesting places in Belgium, also with a private guide. Return to the city and enjoy the evening together.
Day 4
Today we'll drive to Bruges and do a walking tour as soon as we arrive. We'll spend the night here with the afternoon free to enjoy a canal cruise, visit one of the several musuems as well as some excellent seafood restaurants and beer cellars. It's an incredibly beautiful city.
Day 5
We'll spend the morning in Bruges and then we're off to Antwerp,the city of diamonds, intrigue and a major European Port. It's an incredibly interesting place with one of the most beautiful train stations in the world. We'll do a guided tour and learn about the role the River Rhine plays here. Of course, we'll visit a local brewery and try some of the local gauffres - waffles with Belgian chocolate.
Day 6
Today we'll head for Rochefort and Orval Breweries before making our way across the border into Luxembourg. We'll have two night in the capital of this micro-state.
Day 7
We'll get a local guide to meet us at the hotel and conduct a morning walking tour. The afternoon is at leisure to explore the culture of the city.
Day 8
An interesting day lies ahead, from Luxembourg we'll stop in the former mining and very important university city of Saarbrucken, Germany before arriving in Strasbourg, the capital of France and the seventh biggest city in the country.
Day 9
We'll visit the Route du Vin and also the Kronenbourg factory, which makes excellent beers. Try the wheat beer, it's excellent. We're back into town for some excellent French food and Alsatian specialities in some of our favourite places.
Day 10
Today we'll cross over into Germany and spend the night in Stuttgart, a fantastic city known for its links with horses and Mercedes-Benz. We'll enjoy some of the local beers and visit a German brewery. Most of the hops in Europe comes from Germany and Czechia so we're really in the best area for its production now.
Day 11
From Stuttgart we'll head directly to Munich to enjoy the amazing Oktoberfest (so named as it finishes, not starts, on the first weekend in October). There's too much culture to share a stick at here but certainly we want you to experience some of the best - Hofbrauhaus, Deutsches Museum, Frauenkirche, BMW HQ and Musuem and much more. We'll get a guided city walking tour on the history of the NSDAP and National Socialism as well as explaining the entire history of the city of Munich, capital of Bavaria.
Day 12
We'll attend the Oktoberfest with Tent Tickets - Lowebrau and Paulaner are some of the more familiar beers and we'd certainly recommend them both. Grab a Bretzl, maybe even dress in a Drndl or Lederhosen and enjoy the company of your friends and fellow travel companions.
Day 13
Today ends the trip and we'll organise the transfer to Munich International Airport where you can decide to return home or Connect with another Global Dream Travel journey. We'd recommend Glories of Poland and the Baltics or Delights of the Adriatic, flying to either Warsaw or Venice Marco Polo.