Day 2: In Bruges

In the morning we’ll walk a few minutes to Market Square and ascend the 366 steps of the Belfort to get a bird’s eye view of this Gothic city. After a walking tour, including visits at the Church of the Holy Blood and Michelangelo’s Madonna of Bruges, we will enjoy a tour of De Halve Maan Brewery – the oldest functioning Bruges based brew house where the entertaining and passionate “brew guide” will reinforce your belief that beer is the greatest of all human inventions.  After we will lunch together at the oldest pub in Bruges (opened in 1515!).  After lunch, you will have the rest of the afternoon and evening to explore Bruges as you wish – equipped with some great advice from your tour director.

Sleep in Bruges / Bus: none / Walking: Moderate

Meals provided: Breakfast and lunch

Day 3: War and Peace

After breakfast we’ll meet our friendly Dutch bus driver, who will drive us out to the small Flemish town of Ypres, which had the misfortune to be located in the middle of some of the worst fighting in WW I – half a million people died in the fields surrounding this town – Flanders Fields. There we’ll visit the Menin Gate and the Flanders Fields WW I Museum. Then it’s off to the Abbey of Saint Sixtus – the monks there brew Westvleteren, the most sought after and elusive Trappist beer in the world. We’ll enjoy it right from the Abbey’s café and tap house, In De Vrede (“in the peace”). Another short drive and we will be in the centre of Belgium’s hop growing region, Poperinge, where we’ll learn all about this miraculous plant and taste it in a very special local beer.  Back to Bruges for an evening on your own – perhaps for a nice boat ride down Bruges’ scenic canals.

Sleep in Bruges / Bus: 3 hours / Walking: Light

Meals provided: Breakfast and lunch

Day 4: Netherlands and Rhinelands

In the morning we will board the bus and say goodbye to Bruges as we head East over the border to Tilburg. There we will visit the oldest Trappist Brewery in the Netherlands, De Koningshoeven, brewers of the extensive line of La Trappe beers.  After a tour of the brewery, lunch and a couple of beers, we’ll cross yet another border into Germany, where we will sample the only beer that truly can be called Kölsch during our visit to Köln (aka Cologne).  We’ll also visit the world famous Cologne Cathedral, and climb the massive towers (if you don’t want to climb, I won’t make you!).  In the evening we will settle into our hotel in the centre of historic Heidelberg, just down the street from some fantastic brew-pubs.

Sleep in Heidelberg (1 night) / Bus: 4.5 hours / Walking: Light

Meals provided: Breakfast and lunch

Day 5: Dukes and Dunkels

We continue our exploration of Germany with a couple of key stops today. First we will visit the Heidelberg Castle, home to the medieval Duke of Bavaria, taking an exclusive guided tour of the interior. After some free time to explore Old Town Heidelberg and visit one (or more) of the local breweries, we will depart for Bamberg, passing through territory that was once the centre of the early National Socialist movement, and your tour director will provide you with some historical perspective.  On the outskirts of Bamberg, we will stop at the family run Gänstaller Bräu brewery for a private tour and tasting of their amazing beers!  Brewer Andreas Gänstaller, considered by many to be the best brewer in the world, will amaze you with his tasty creations.  A short drive later and we will arrive in Bamberg in time for our first Bamberg brew house experience where we will share a traditional Franconian meal at Spezial, one of Bamberg’s cherished local brewpubs.

Sleep in Bamberg (2 nights) / Bus 5.5 hours / Walking: Light

Meals provided: Breakfast and dinner

Day 6: Bamberg = Beer

In the morning, tour members are welcome to join me on a vigorous walk to the Altenburg Castle on the highest hill overlooking the town, or you can sleep in to save energy for the day ahead. After breakfast, we will set out to explore this UNESCO world heritage town. Combining the history, architecture and beer of Bamberg is a unique joy – the tour seems to get more jovial after each brewery stop! We’ll visit the large Franconian Brewing Museum in the former Benedictine Abbey Michaelsberg and several of the local brewpubs. Beer in Bamberg is a passion for the locals, and their brewmasters craft some especially delicious brews. Most unique of all is the Rauchbier – brewed using an ancient method where the barley is “smoked”.

Sleep in Bamberg / Bus: none / Walking: Moderate to Strenuous (your choice)

Meals provided: Breakfast and lunch

Day 7: Czech it out!

Our hearty German breakfast will be followed by a journey across the former Iron Curtain border into the Czech Republic. We’ll stop for lunch in Plzeň (Pilsen) – and visit the Pilsner Urquell Brewery where history was made in 1842 when the first batch of Pilsner beer was brewed. Pilsner may be one of the most widely copied beer styles in the world, but there’s nothing quite so good as the original, and Czechs take special pride in this. A little further to the east and we will be in Prague, where we will will visit  Wenceslas Square, where the Velvet Revolution that ended communism in Czechoslovakia took place, and then head out for some delicious beer and snacks from Prague’s burgeoning microbrewery scene.

Sleep in Prague (2 nights) / Bus: 4 hours / Walking: Moderate

Meals provided: Breakfast and lunch (and late afternoon snacks)

Day 8: Bohemian Rhapsody

Rhapsody: a state of elated bliss. Which is the state you will be in having an entire day in the magnificent capital of Bohemia, Prague. We will tour the Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, and the Prague Castle before settling in for a Czech feast at the the Strahov Monastic Brewery on a hill overlooking the city. The evening will be yours to explore the city’s many watering holes or just stroll the cobblestone streets and the Charles Bridge.

Sleep in Prague / Bus: none / Walking: Moderate

Meals provided: Breakfast and lunch

Day 9: River’s Bend

We say farewell to Prague and head out to the Czech countryside to visit the fairytale town of Cesky Krumlov, situated on a scenic bend in the Vltava River.  On our way south we’ll stop at the original, REAL Budweiser brewery to see their visitor centre and decide if we prefer the “beer of kings” or the “king of beers”.  On the July trip, weather permitting, we will take a rafting excursion down the easy-flowing river, stopping for a riverside picnic, and arriving in Cesky Krumlov in style!  Our driver will continue on into town with our luggage and anyone who would prefer to not risk getting wet. Once in town, we’ll visit the castle and its unique baroque tower before dining together on hearty bohemian food and beer.

Sleep in Cesky Krumlov / Bus: 2.75 hours / Walking: Moderate

Meals provided: Breakfast and dinner

Day 10: The Old Country

We return to Bavaria today, perhaps the region of Europe most synonymous with beer, especially BIG beer. Beer and history are deeply intertwined here, so we might as well go to the source – Weihenstephan Abbey – the oldest brewery in the world. It will be celebrating its 1000th anniversary in 2040. Yes. One Thousandth.  Then in Munich we will have a short orientation walk in the historic centre, after which you will be free to explore on your own and possibly visit the historic Augustiner Keller.

Sleep in Munich (2 nights)/ Bus: 4.5 hours / Walking: Moderate

Meals provided: Breakfast and lunch

Day 11: Eins, zwei, g’suffa

Our final full day together will begin with some free time in this great city – maybe to visit the Residenz (palace of the Bavarian royalty) or the Deutsches Museum of Science and Technology or even the BMW Museum. We will regroup in the afternoon for a beer tour of Munich. We’ll have dinner together at a local brewery, and will end the tour at the world famous Hofbräuhaus, hoisting a Maß, singing “Eins, zwei, g’suffa” (one, two, drink) with the oompah band and celebrating our time together in Europe’s greatest beer destinations!  Note that on the Oktoberfest version of the tour, we will have a reservation at one of the big beer tents and spend the day enjoying Oktoberfest on this day.

Sleep in Munich / Bus: none / Walking: Moderate

Meals provided: Breakfast and dinner

Sleep in Munich / Bus: none / Walking: Moderate

Meals provided: Breakfast and dinner

Day 12: Auf Wiedersehen

The tour is over after breakfast. Your tour director will be happy to give you advice on your further adventures in Europe if you are staying on, and if you are heading home – the Munich International Airport is a short train ride away. Auf Wiedersehen!