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European Beer Tour

“A frothy mix of history, culture, fine cuisine and local brews.”

In Europe, good beer and the good life go hand in hand. The beer in Europe is as diverse and intriguing as the culture – but three nations on the continent tower over all others – Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic.  Craig Bresett, our resident home brewer and beer enthusiast invites you to join us on a journey through all three beer-nations (plus a jaunt to the Netherlands oldest Trappist brewery)!  We’ll visit breweries, large and small, some run by monks, some by craft brewers, sample some unique and delicious beers, and enjoy mouthwatering local cuisine. But it’s not just about the beer – there’s plenty of art, architecture, history, and culture thrown into the mix. With our tour director taking care of the details, our private coach acting as full-time designated driver, and plenty of free time built in for your own explorations, this really is the Ultimate Beer Tour!

The Ultimate Beer Tour Includes

The full-time services of a professional tour director who is passionate about the history, culture, and beer of Europe All admissions and local tours – no hidden extra charges for any excursions – covering these experiences (and more!):

  • Belgian Beer Lesson (with tasting)
  • Bruges Belfort
  • De Halve Maan Brewery Tour
  • Church of the Holy Blood
  • Michelangelo’s Madonna of Bruges
  • Menin Gate
  • Flanders Fields Museum
  • Abbey of Saint Sixtus (Brewers of Westvleteren)
  • St. Bavo’s Cathedral
  • Koningshoeven (Monastic brewers of La Trappe) or Orval Brewery
  • Cologne Cathedral and Roman ruins
  • Kölsch beer experience
  • Altstadt Köln
  • Heidelberg Castle
  • Altenburg Castle Tower
  • Franconian Brewing Museum
  • Guided history/beer tour of Bamberg
  • Pilsner Urquell Brewery Tour
  • Wenceslas Square
  • Prague Castle
  • St. Vitus Cathedral
  • Walking Tour of Prague – Old Town and Jewish Quarter
  • Strahov Monastic Brewery
  • Rafting Trip down the Vltava River
  • Cesky Krumlov Castle and Tower
  • Krumlov Brewery
  • Weihenstephan Abbey (World’s Oldest Brewery)
  • Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial (optional)
  • Guided Beer Tour of Munich
  • World famous Höfbrauhaus!
  • Oktoberfest reserved seating (Oktoberfest Tour Only)

A small group (average group size 12)  •All group transportation from Bruges to Munich
11 nights accommodation in comfortable, centrally located hotels
All breakfasts, 7 lunches, and 5 dinners  •All tips for driver and guides
Guaranteed pricing on your tour – locked in the moment you make your deposit

“I’m a brew-geek, so for me it was the perfect mix of brewery tours and beer-bar experiences. On the process side, I enjoyed seeing the differences in the brewing processes from region to region and from large to smaller scale operations On the drinking side it was an amazing to try so many different styles. Craig is an awesome guide with enthusiasm and energy to match his knowledge. You can tell he loves the history of places and that makes it fun to hear and learn about stuff as we go. I’d be more than happy to have him as a guide again any day.”  Tony – Ultimate Beer Tour

“From working in the hospitality industry, I tend to be picky when it comes to the travel and leisure arena. However, from start to finish, our entire experience with Craig and the Ultimate Beer Tour not only met but far exceeded our expectations. We shall take another tour in the future as traveling with Craig is the only way to go.”  Lara and Mickey – Ultimate Beer Tour

 

Sept 13 – 24, 2024 SOLD OUT!

July 11 – 22, 2025

Sept 12 – 23, 2025 (Oktoberfest)

 

$3925

($4355 for Oktoberfest Ultimate Beer Tour)

Per Person + Air Based on Double Occupancy

All prices in US dollars.  Payment in other currencies possible – contact us.

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Day 1: Welcome to Belgium!

Day 1:  Welcome to Belgium!

We’ll meet at our centrally located hotel in medieval Bruges in the late afternoon and have a welcome drink with an expert on Belgian Beer and proprietor of one of the best beer cafés in Bruges!  This evening we will enjoy a beer themed dinner at Bierbrasserie Cambrinus (named for the a legendary Flemish king with a particular enthusiasm for beer).

Sleep in Bruges (3 nights)  / Bus: none / Walking: Light

Meals provided:  Dinner

Day 2: In Bruges

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

The Fine Print – What You Get:

Not so much fine print: We believe in up front pricing, not a hard-to-read long list of extra costs.
Group Size: We run small group tours, about half the size of a normal big bus tour. The Ultimate Beer Tour operates with no more than 24 tour members, usually fewer but never more, plus a tour director and a driver.
Transportation: Transportation is in a private chartered coach. Lots of free space on the bus to stretch out and relax!  Transportation to and from airport is your responsibility. Both Bruges (first town) and Munich (last town) are well served by train connections and close to major airports.
Activity level: The Ultimate Beer Tour is suitable to people with a basic fitness level. You will need to carry your own bags, climb hotel stairs, and keep a leisurely to moderate pace on city walking tours.  This trip is suitable for adults only (you know, because of the beer).
Accommodations: We choose generally smaller, family-run hotels, in the 3-4 star category, that are close to the action, rather than large impersonal hotels in some industrial park outside of town. All rooms have private ensuite bathrooms with shower or bathtub. Most rooms are doubles.

  • Solo travelers: You may choose to pay extra for one of the limited number of single private rooms, or you can room with another solo traveler in the group of the same gender (if available) and skip the extra fee.
  • Couples: Couples will usually share a room with one double bed (larger Queen and King beds are not common in Europe).
  • Two friends traveling together: Two friends or siblings traveling together will be roomed together with two beds in a twin room where possible. Note: some European twin beds share one headboard but they will always have separate sheets.
  • Triple room: A typical triple room will be one double bed and one single bed, rollaway or cot.
  • Sightseeing tours and attractions: This is the main reason you are in Europe, and we understand this! Led by your OneLife tour director, and local guides when appropriate. Entrance fees to all attractions are included. Most tour companies sell many of their attractions as expensive “optional excursions” which add up really quickly. Not us.
  • Meals: Breakfasts are always included. Note that because we stay in characteristic European hotels, breakfasts will reflect local preferences. Many lunches/dinners are on us – the rest are up to you. See itinerary for breakdown.
  • Gratuities: Unlike most tour companies who ask you to pay a “mandatory” tip to the driver and guide, at Eat and Drink Like a European tipping is not required.

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