Northern Belgium is known as the “Flanders” region, and is home to some of the most scenic cycling in Europe. The mostly flat landscape will take you through lush green farms, quaint country towns, medieval villages, and dirt trails along meandering rivers. Along the way we will pause for refreshments at some of Belgium’s finest breweries and beer cafes, some of which have brewing traditions going back hundreds of years! Of course, there is much more history to sample in this area, but the primary focus of the trip is, you guessed it, beer! Our guides are first and foremost beer lovers, and will ensure everyone on the trip is able to enjoy, discover, and learn all about this magical fermented beverage! Through our own personal research we have been able to hand-pick the best bike routes and locations in order to make this a unique experience that you simply can’t find with any other bicycle touring agencies. With beercycling, you don’t just drink beer every day, you earn it!!
Registration is now open!
Mileage: 5km / 3mi
Today we will all meet in Brussels at our sponsor hotel around 11 AM. After introducing ourselves we will go grab our shiny bikes from the shop, followed by a short test ride and tour around town, and then go grab some lunch and beers! We will visit the Delirium Cafe near the Grand Place. This place is famous for having over 2,000 beers available on its menu! (a world record!) We will go over the plan and goals of the trip and talk about beer and bikes, of course!
Day 2 – Brussels to Sint-Niklaas
Mileage: 55km / 34mi
On the way out of the bustling city of Brussels we’ll cycle past the Royal Palace and the Atomium. Shortly thereafter the path will take us to some scenic, wide open, green farming areas that make for a relaxing traffic-free afternoon. Good photo ops today! We’ll stop for a picnic lunch, followed by a visit to the tiny town of Buggenhout, where we’ll visit the historic Bosteels Brewery (makes of Tripel Karmeliet, Kwak, and Deus) and take a guided English tour. We’ll spend the night just north in Sint-Niklaas, a small town where we can all get some rest and relaxation and enjoy some great Belgium food together.
Alternate brewery visits for today on select tours: Duvel, Het Anker
Day 3 – Sint-Niklaas to Ghent
Mileage: 61km / 38mi
Today we will get an early start and head north towards the small town of Ertvelde. Again, we will be following stunning country-side and have lots of traffic free paths so that we can take our time and take photos along the way. The region is full of small charming towns, and we’ll see some windmills as we’ll be close to the Dutch border. That afternoon we’ll visit the Van Steenberg Brewery, makers of the famous “Gulden Draak”, “Piraat”, and “Augustijn” beers. (This was one of the biggest highlights on the 2011 tours) We’ll enjoy a few beers, have some cheese and salami snacks and then after a long break in we’ll cycle south and stay the night in Ghent (our first of two visits to Ghent on this tour), one of the bigger most lively cities in Belgium. Plenty of options for exploring here, including lots of nightlife, beer cafes, live music, canal tour, and restaurants.
Day 4 – Ghent to Bruges
Mileage: 45km / 28mi
Today we can sleep in a bit (you may need it!) before taking the direct, leisurely canal path to Bruges. Bruges is truly like walking around in a movie, surrounded by charming shops, canals, delicious smells and tastes coming from every street corner. There are a couple GREAT beer spots in town here, the highlight of previous tours has always been “De Garre“, a tiny restaurant serving a special house Tripel, that will knock your cycling socks off. “Brugs Beertje” is another popular spot.
Day 5 – Day off in Bruges
Mileage: Zero
Today is a day off so that everyone can get out and explore the town. It’s also critical to rest your legs a little, as we have lots more biking to do later in the week! Everyone in the group will have the option to take of tour of De Halve Maan, which is the only brewery in the city of Bruges. The tour is part brewhouse, part museum and is full of interesting Belgian beer history. Afterwards sampling the Brugse Zot Blonde is a MUST! Dining suggestion for tonight: Mussels and Fries, a Belgian specialty.
Day 6 – Bruges to Lo
Mileage: 56km / 35mi
Today we’ll head south into more farmland with scattered small villages to explore along the way. Our brewery visit today is more of an “experimental” type of operation. De Dolle Brouwers (AKA “The Mad Brewers”) haven’t been in business of trying to follow Belgium’s normal brewing traditions, but they are creating exceptional, unique beers that must be tasted to be appreciated. We will enjoy some of their beers at the brewery in Esen before we head to the small village of “Lo” to make our home for the night. Our hotel is actual an old Abbey that at one point in the early 1900′s used to make beer as well!
Alternate brewery visits for today on select tours: Brouwerij Strubbe (Itchegems), De Snoek Malthuis
Day 7 – Lo to Ieper
Mileage: 33km / 21mi
Today is a very special day! We’ll be some of the few lucky enough to visit the Westvleteren Abbey! There are only seven (but soon to be eight!) breweries in the world that get the branding “Trappist”, and this is the smallest of the seven. All the beer is made by monks, and all profits go directly into supporting themselves and the community. They also happen to make, what many have called, the best beer in the world, the Westvleteren 12. You be the judge for yourself! The cafe across the street and the Abbey are the ONLY places in the world this beer can be purchased. After our “religious experience” at the cafe we’ll head South, visit a hop field nearby, and take a self guided tour of the Hop Museum in Poperinge. That night we’ll sleep in Ieper, a city famous for it’s WWI and WWII history. At 8 PM that night we’ll have the option to attend the “Last Post” ceremony, which takes place here 365 days a year (wow!), and honors those who lost their lives in the deadly battles.
Day 8 – Day Off in Ghent
Mileage: Zero
Today we’ll take a morning train ride to Ghent and everyone can have the day off the bikes to further explore the medieval town. (too much to see it warranted another visit!) Optional brewery for today: Visiting the “Gruut Brewery” (female owned brewery that brews with spices instead of hops. Beer shoping! – The “Hop Duvel” beer shop is the best in all of Belgium, both for selection and for prices. Worth a visit!
Day 9 – Ghent to Aalst
Mileage: 56km / 35mi
Today we’ll start working back towards Brussels; our finish line is within reach! We’ll have a chance to sleep in a bit today before heading to nearby the Huyghe Brewery, makers of the famous Delirium Tremens, Noctornum, and Noel strong ales. Tonight we’ll sleep one last night in a small town near the Gueze Region of Belgium!
Alternate brewery visits for today on select tours: De Ryck
Day 10 – Aalst to Brussels
Mileage: 40km / 25mi
The last day of our tour will still be a fun one! We’ll take a quick ride into town, drop off our bikes, have a picnic lunch, and make a final group trip over to the “Cantillon” brewery, a very old and famous maker of “Geuze”, which is sort of like a champagne tasting beer you’ll either love or hate. After 10 days you’re sure to be more knowledgeable about Belgian beers and we hope the memories from this trip will last a lifetime! Cheers!
