Beercycling - Amsterdam to Brussels Endeavour

Our Amsterdam to Brussels tours feature a perfect balance of Belgium and Dutch countryside, history, culture, fine dining, and of course beer, beer, beer along our 10-day Endeavour. Starting in Amsterdam, we'll visit a few local breweries before starting our bicycle tour in the nearby town of Haarlem. At this point we’ll set our sites south, briefly touching the North Sea, and slowing working our way to the Belgian border. In the Netherlands we will visit Brouwerij De Molen, the Trappist monastery La Trappe, the home of Gouda cheese, a beer-themed church, active windmills, and much, much more. In Belgium another Trappist monastery, Westmalle, awaits, along with several breweries both small and large such as Duvel, Het Anker, and others. We will have a full rest day in the beer mecca of Antwerp. The riding is flat and leisurely which will allow us plenty of time to soak up the sights and enjoy all the great beer in a relaxed manner.

Day 1

Meeting today in Amsterdam for a walking tour of the city. We’ll learn about some local history (don’t worry, not too much, this is a beer tour!) and get to know each other over lunch together at a local cafe. First brewery of the trip! We’ll be taking a tour of the awesome local brewery De Prael. Afterwards we head to the train station, heading to nearby Haarlem, which will be the starting point of our cycling tour. We will collect our sweet bikes, get all our luggage sorted, and take a brief test ride around town. (Baggage you don’t want to carry on the tour will be delivered to you at the end of the tour) Dinner tonight is at the Jopenkerk, a brewery located inside a beautifully restored church!

Day 2

Today’s ride will lead us to the beach, and we will have lunch at a trendy beach club at the North Sea. Summer tours: Weather permitting we can take a break on the beach and even go for a swim! Spring tours: Today we will see the famous Dutch Tulip Fields with millions of wonderful flowers! Next up is our destination for today: The small town of Bodegraven and Brouwerij De Molen. After the tour and the tasting we can go for the full monty having an awesome beer-themed dinner in the old Windmill (“Molen”) itself. And our hotel is right nearby!

Day 3

A little change of scenery today as in addition to cycling we will be taking 2 rides on a ferry!No official brewery visit today, but don’t worry, we will reward your effort with a beer/cheese/chocolate tasting session at our hotel once we arrive!
Time permitting we may be able to take a tour of an active windmill in the area!
Our hotel tonight is in a fortressed town called Woudrichem, surrounded by water on all four sides! We’ll also be hosting a bottle share tonight. We encourage everyone to bring a beer or two with them from their home region. Then we can all share and do a little beer-bonding!

Day 4

A big day: We’ll be heading for the one and only Dutch Trappist brewery Koningshoeven, the makers of legendary “La Trappe” beers. Our tour will include a walk around the monastery grounds, and even in to the brewery itself! (Who know, you might even spot a monk working!) After a La Trappe tasting along with lunch at their attached cafe, we’ll make home for the night in nearby Tilburg. Lots of bars and Dutch beers to explore in town tonight!

Day 5

A short day on the bikes today as we cross the border in to Belgium! A great personal brewery visit lined up today: Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar, a small brewery doing some wild things with their beers! We’ll do a tour, tasting, and everyone can have some time off to explore the area as they choose.

Day 6

We’ll continue into Belgium today, passing through Turnhout en route to another Trappist Monastery: The one and only, Westmalle. No one is allowed inside the monastery, but we can explore the grounds outside and visit the cafe across the street where we can have lunch, taste the holy beers, and watch an informative movie about the history of the brewing here. Beer mecca awaits us tonight: Antwerp, in all it’s beer-filled glory. There are dozens of amazing beer bars to visit here, enough that we’ll be spending two nights here!

Day 7

A much needed day off to rest your legs today! (Or use them a lot, it’s your call!)
Besides all of the amazing beer bars, such as the Kulminator which has the enormous selection of beers and tons even vintages of many, Antwerp has a lot more to offer. Antwerp is always a lively town, there are commonly festivals, outdoor concerts, art exhibits, and lots more going on when we visit. Several day trips are possible for those wanting to ride their bikes some more today

Day 8

A visit to one of Belgium’s most famous breweries: Duvel! We’ll have lunch, a personal tour, and tasting at the brewery. Next up today is the Mechelen, another fun, lively town with lots going on. And for an extra special experience: Our hotel tonight is at a brewery! Brouwerij Het Anker, another amazing beer maker has a charming hotel on site. We won’t have to travel far for beers tonight! The brewery also has an amazing restaurant attached, and we’ll recommend a group dinner here tonight.

Day 9

A scenic ride awaits us today as we head west passing by the abbey of Affligem in route to our hotel in Ninove. We’ll do another tour today at a regional brewery such as Slaghmuylder, Affligem, or Bosteels. We saved a special treat for tonight: Probably the best beer-restaurant in the world, De Heeren van Liedekercke. If you want to go big you can spoil yourself silly with a crazy 7-course meal paired with specific beers for each. Their menu changes each season highlighting different regional produce. It will be insanely delicious (and we’ll be taking a taxi tonight so you can extra enjoy yourself!)

Day 10

As Brussels is not a fun city to cycle in, our bicycles will be picked up today in town and we will continue on train back to Brussels. They say you save the best for last, and in this case that might be true: A visit to Brasserie Cantillon awaits! Cantillon is known as the world-wide headquarters for sour beer lovers. They make styles of beer known as “Lambic” and “Gueuze”, which is sort of like a champagne tasting beer that is really wild compared to anything else. We’ll take a self-guided tour there before saying our goodbyes. Sadly, that’s the end of the tour, but hopefully we’ll all have some new friends, photos, and memories to enjoy!