Itineraries

Itineraries

Many visitors to Belgium come specifically for beer tours of the entire country. However, it's also rewarding (as well as easier) to incorporate visits to breweries, famous beer cafés, and other beer-related sights into the general itinerary for your trip. All of Belgium's major cities have interesting beer-related attractions either within their boundaries or nearby.

Here are some options:

Brussels should be your first stop. There's a beer museum on the Grand'Place and several charming cafés with lots of specialty beers. Since Brussels is situated in the middle of the country, any excursion is feasible on a day trip—even the most remote place listed here, the monastery of Orval, is only 180 km (112 mi) away. You might consider side trips to nearby Leuven, where Stella Artois is brewed, or to a small authentic Gueuze brewery, or even to the Trappist monastery of Chimay.

From Antwerp you could visit the De Koninck brewery or Bierhuis Kulminator, a café with 550 beers on its list. From Antwerp, it's an easy trip to Het Anker in Mechelen or the Trappist monastery in Westmalle. From Gent, take a trip to the Liefmans or Roman breweries in Oudenaarde. Brugge might be the starting point for an excursion to the abbey in Westvleteren or breweries in Roeselare and Poperinge. The city of Liège is about an hour and a half from the monasteries in Orval and Rochefort.