Flanders Region Beercycling Tour
The new Dutch tour will take us on a unique 10-day route starting in the southern province of Limburg near the Flanders border, along the river Maas. We will cycle our way north, visiting breweries almost every day including the highlight: The holy Koningshoeven (La Trappe) Trappist Abbey. And our tour will end at the beach just west of the cycling metropolis of Amsterdam. Many quiet villages, local beer bars with massive menus, world-class restaurants, cathedrals, tulip fields, fruit orchards, and small brewery tours await our arrival. This tour will also feature several special (included) beer dinners, including one inside a Church! If you get tired of all the beer (not likely) you find a nice break by trying some amazing Dutch desserts, mussels, and some of the best cheese in existence. 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!!
Day 1
Meet in Amsterdam. Take train to Roermond
Mileage: 5km / 3mi
Welcome to the tour! Today we will all meet in the medieval center of Amsterdam at the brewery De Prael. After a drink or two “meet and great” we’ll then we take a train ride to Roermond, in the south of Holland, which serves as the starting city for the cycling tour. There we will aquire and setup the bikes, take a safety course, and do a short testride with our bikes to our main goal today: brewery Christoffel. This 25 year old craft beer brewery (also exporting to the US) is famous for it special bottles and their rare brewing process: bottom fermentation, in open tubs. Their 9% IPA is a must!
Day 2
Roermond to Arcen
Mileage: 50km / 31mi
Our first real bikingday through the southern province of Limburg, the most relaxed part of the country where people enjoy life with good beer and food. Following river Maas we’ll end our first day in Arcen, home to the Hertog Jan brewery. This brewery is now part of Inbev, but is still brewing it’s original craft beers like their amazing Bock and Grand Prestige.
Day 3
Arcen – Nijmegen
Mileage: 65km / 40mi
Beautiful scenery today, through the river Maas and the slightly hilly woods we’ll arrive in the official oldest town of the country, founded by the Romans more than 2000 years ago. Here we will have a nice tour and tasting at microbrewery De Hemel, followed by a special tasting and dinner (included). For those of you who want to explore more of the beerside of town there are 2 brilliant beerbars to enjoy the best Dutch and Belgian craft beers!
Day 4
Nijmegen – Den Bosch
Mileage: 65km / 40mi
Today we’ll cycle along fields with newborn lambs and through the beautiful fruit tree area of Holland; and this is the time of the year to do it! Pink and white blossom of apples, pears and cherries lie all along the countryside. Dutch spring at its best! We finish in Den Bosch (also called ‘s Hertogenbosch), where we can let our legs rest for a day.
Day 5
Rest day in Den Bosch
Mileage: Zero
Den Bosch was founded in 1184 and has always been one of the most important Catholic towns of Holland. It’s wonderful cathedral “Saint Jans” is the proud symbol of the town and well worth a visit. Den Bosch is great place for food and drinks, including several excellent beerbars. Don’t end your stay without trying a “Bossche bol”, the local chocolate/whippedcream cake!
Day 6
Den Bosch – Woudrichem
Mileage: 70km / 43mi
This morning, with our refreshed legs, we’ll go a tad south, heading for the one and only Dutch Trappist brewery Koningshoeven, the makers of legendary “La Trappe” beers. Located on a quiet and beautiful spot in the woods we’ll get a tour around the abbey gardens and the brewery. After a La Trappe tasting and lunch we head north, ending our tour in the really small cosy town of Woudrichem, where they say, “time stands still”.
Day 7
Woudrichem – Gouda – Bodegraven
Mileage: 60km / 37mi
A great day for cheese lovers! We’ll cross the main rivers Maas, Waal and Rhine today and enter the province of South-Holland. Don’t forget: the name of the country is the “Netherlands”, of which “Holland” is just a portion! We will visit Gouda, another old town, famous, of course, for it’s cheese and for its candle-production. We will visit their museum and do a cheese tasting. Afterwards we go to Bodegraven, where (according to Ratebeer) one of the best breweries in Europe is located, De Molen. After the tour and the tasting we go for the full monty having a beerdinner in the old Windmill (De Molen) itself!
Day 8
Bodegraven – Haarlem
Mileage: 70km / 43mi
This promises to be the best day of the tour as far as the scenery is concerned. Today we will see the famous Dutch tulip fields with millions of wonderful flowers! We will do a tour at microbrewery Klein Duimpje in Hillegom and then ride along the beach (perhaps a little too early for a swim) of the North Sea to Haarlem, hometown of the excellent located brewery of Jopen: in an old church! This is the last cycling day, and we’ll celebrate by having dinner together in the Jopen-church (included).
Day 9
Haarlem-Amsterdam-Haarlem
Mileage: Zero
Today we will complete the loop and travel to Amsterdam by train (15 minute ride). We’ll take a tour at brewery De Prael, where we met just 9 days ago, and also at the Windmill brewery ‘t IJ. We will then guide you to the best beerbars in Amsterdam, like het Arendsnest (they sell strictly Dutch beers, and have more than 100 selections), In de Wildeman (serious beertasting, no music!) and for those who are a little homesick the Beertemple (mainly US beers).
Day 10
Haarlem
Mileage: Zero
The tour ends! But the memories remain! We hope you’ve enjoyed the adventure together!