Savor Suds Alfresco at Some of Europe’s Finest Pubs
Enjoy Gourmet Dinners Onboard Prepared by our own Private Chef
Beer Tastes Better When You are Drinking it in Person at the Brewery!
Beautiful Bruges, Belgium is a Haven for Beer and Chocolate Lovers!
Getting to Know the Families Behind the Breweries Makes for a Truly Memorable Beer Trip
Drinking Westies at In De Vrede Cafe in Westvleteren is a Highlight of our Beer Trips
Cheers!
Beer is a Great Way to Connect with New Friends!
Authentic & Delicious French Farmhouse Breweries!
Sailing Along the Scenic Canals is an Easy, Relaxing & Unique Way to Travel for Beer!
Date:
October 26, 2024 @ 1:00 pm –
November 2, 2024 @ 9:00 am
Start Location:
Bruges, Belgium
Closest Airport: Brussels Airport (BRU)
End Location:
Tournai, Belgium
Closest Airport: Brussels Airport (BRU)
Duration:
8 days / 7 nights
Price:
$3,995 per person, double occupancy$4,995 per person, single occupancy, limited availability
Enjoy VIP Access and Exclusive Brewery Tours and Tastings
Sip unique regional brews in some of the most historic and best beer-stocked pubs. Visit beer lovers’ “Meccas” such as Chimay, Rodenbach and St. Bernardus, as well as a host of other incredible breweries on the Belgium & France Beercation Cruise 2024
Experience Europe Like a Local:
Soak up the Vibrant Colors, Aromas, Flavors and International Flair of Lille, France at a gourmet tea room or cheese shop, a museum, a sidewalk café or strolling the cobblestone streets of the Vielle Ville. See beer in a new light when we visit CÉLESTIN mico-brewery located in the heart of Lille where we will meet a 9th generation brewer. Satisfy your curiosity about local history and culture by exploring this fascinating region along the French/Belgian border at WW1’s Flanders Fields Museum, Popering’s Hops Museum and the old historic quarter of Lille.
Savor Gourmet Meals and Cuisine a La Bière:
Tempt your tastebuds with meals prepared with fresh local ingredients daily by our private chef onboard, during some amazing beer tastings and regionally inspired lunches along the route and at an exclusive gourmet beer-paired dinner at Rodenbach where you’ll be treated like royalty. Experience for yourself why Bon Beer Voyage won the 2017 and 2018 World Food Travel Association’s Food Trekking Awards for Best Tour Operations on Water.
Relax with Comfortable Accommodations:
All of the cabins on our canal cruiser are individually climate controlled with heat and air conditioning. Each cabin has two twin beds, a window and private bathroom with shower.
Be Our Guest:
Relax it’s your vacation! No driving! No figuring out where to eat or how to get from one place to the next! We are happy to help with any of your beercation planning. So don’t hesitate to contact us for pre or post hotel nights, flights, insurance quotes, or for any other assistance you may need. Get ready for the best beercation cruise ever!
Belgium & France Beercation Cruise 2024
October 26 – November 2, 2024
Only $3995 pp person Double Occupancy
Limited Single Occupancy at $4995
Book My 2024 Belgium and France Beercation Now !
The most convenient airports for this beercation are:
Arrival: Brussels Airport (BRU)
Departure: Brussels Airport (BRU)
Email us or call 1-888-U-Go-Beer with any questions you have!
Today we start our beer tour by “drinking local” with the very entertaining tour and tasting at De Halve Maan Brewery. The view of Bruges from the rooftop here is pretty spectacular. Afterwards, you will have some free time to explore Europe’s most perfectly preserved medieval city and explore some of the historic local pubs that Bruges is known for among the beer cognoscenti, before our welcome aboard dinner.
Dinner
Relax and enjoy a morning sail before our coach picks us up and takes us to visit 
with brewer Daniel Thiriez at Brasserie Thiriez in France. Daniel makes some fabulous Saison style beers and we are often treated to his latest creations long before they are available stateside. His tasting room will make you feel like you’ve traveled back in time to a place where you will want to stay awhile. If we are lucky, his wife Marielle, an artist who is as talented at painting as Daniel is at brewing, will show you her work in her atelier in the brewery. We will be having a “packed” lunch at the brewery.
This afternoon we will head out to Ypres where we will visit the fabulous interactive Flanders Fields Museum and have a guided walking tour through this historic town, which was of great importance during World War I.
After our moving visit to the Flanders Fields museum, we obviously will need a beer; so we’re off to visit someplace sure to cheer us up 
–St. Canarus. “Dr. Canarus” is quite the character and his beers reflect that- from his tasty Tripel to the “Virgin of Gottem”-a blonde beer which has a single hopflower added to each bottle by hand!
Interesting side note: Brian Strumke of Stillwater Artisanal Ales, from the USA, has done collaboration beers with both of the brewers we visit today.
Dr. Canarus also has a beer called Pere Canard. Canard means duck in French, but is also a term used to mean drunk. No worries if you are feeling a bit ducky though, you are on beercation! After our visit to St. Canarus our coach will bring us back to the barge for dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today you are in for a real treat. We will start off exploring Kortrijk, which originated from a Gallo-Roman town with a local guide. Afterwards you’ll have some free-time before we meet back on the barge for lunch.
Then it’s off to drive through farmland and hop fields where will have a privately guided visit of Poperinge’s Hops Museum. Afterwards, we’ll enjoy a taste of the local Hommelbier and then have some time to wander through the main square in town before hopping (no pun intended) back onto our bus.
More outstanding beer will follow after our trekthrough the hundreds of huge foeder barrels during our tour at Brouwerij Rodenbach in Roeselare. We will then be treated to a truly special event-a Candlelight Dinner in Between the Foeders – paired with Rodenbach, of course!
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning we can relax and soak in the scenery as we sail with the barge through lunchtime.
After lunch we’ll walk to CÉLESTIN mico-brewery located in the heart of Lille where we will meet the 9th generation brewer, Amaury d’Herbigny.
After our tour and -of course, tasting- the rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy and explore; visit museums; or shop for everything from artwork to artisanal beer! (Yes, of course, we’ll give you a heads up on where to find the beer!) We’ll meet up later on to head back to the barge for dinner on board. This evening explore the nightlife in Lille on your own or join Mike to see what’s on tap at Lille’s #1 beer bar-La Capsule!
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we spend the 1st half of the day in Belgium and then finish back in France. Our first visit of the day will be to to St. Bernardus brewery for a tasting of their world class beers! After our
beery visit on the rooftop bar of St Bernardus were are back onto our bus so we can head off to Beer Lover’s Mecca- Westvleteren!
Here, at the In de Vrede Café, we will be able to sample some of the rarest and most popular of Belgian beers, the elusive Westvleteren 12s, known affectionately to many as “Westies”. There is also a small gift shop where they sometimes have 6 packs available for purchase. If we are lucky, we’ll be taking home some nice souvenirs!
Last, but certainly not least, we will head to Brasserie Artisanale La Fabriq. The brewery is in the small town of Râches, France on the banks of the Scarpe, a short drive to the beautiful city of Douai, where we will by mooring for the evening. La Fabriq’ brewery is located in a former 19th century brick factory. It was in this factory that all the red bricks were made to build the red houses, which are very representative in the North of France. After our tour and tasting we’ll head back to the barge to enjoy another delicious dinner onboard.
Breakfast, Dinner
Get ready for one truly amazing day! We’re off to Chimay, where they have been brewing their awesome Trappist beers for over 150 years! Today we will be treated like beer royalty as we have the opportunity to visit the Chateau, abbey grounds & the Espace Chimay museum, as well as perhaps taste some beers that you can’t find elsewhere! And, don’t forget the cheese tasting- Chimay makes some incredible cheeses as well…and since all of this touring works up an appetite, there will be a gourmet lunch too! After our all-day visit to Chimay, we’ll meet up with our barge in Valenciennes, France where we will enjoy dinner onboard. Optional after dinner walk to downtown with beer guide, Mike.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning we visit some more of our French and Belgian brewing friends to tour their breweries and taste their offerings. Even if you don’t speak French, we’re sure you’re going to agree that their beers are magnifique!
Today we begin our day in French speaking Belgium with a visit to Brasserie de l’Abbaye Des Rocs. At Abbaye Des Rocs they have been brewing top rated beers since 1979. After a tour of this family run brewery and
a tasting of their delicious beers in their charming tasting room, we will take a very short drive across the border into France. Here we will visit our friends Xavier and Alain Bailleux, a father and son team who make their award winning beers at Brasserie Au Baron. We’ll start with lunch at their restaurant Au Baron, located streamside in the quaint town of Gussignies, France. The restaurant is owned by (and attached to) Brasserie Au Baron (Bailleux). The food and beer you will experience at this family owned establishment is simply outstanding. The restaurant’s grill is even constructed from an old brewkettle! Of course, we’ll tour the brewery as well.
After our adieus, we will head back to our barge in France for our Farewell dinner! After dinner, anyone finished with their packing and in need of just “one more for the road” is welcome to join Mike for a walk into town for some final beer hunting!
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
All good things must come to an end, so we bid you adieu after breakfast and say “A la prochain!” which loosely translates in French to “Until next time!”
Breakfast
Belgium & France Beercation Cruise 2024
October 26 – November 2, 2024
Only $3995 pp person Double Occupancy
Limited Single Occupancy at $4995
The most convenient airports for this beercation are:
Arrival: Brussels Airport (BRU)
Departure: Brussels Airport (BRU)
Book My 2024 Belgium & France Beercation Now !
Not ready to book just yet?
Email us or call 1-888-U-Go-Beer with any questions you have!
Thanks Ruth and Mike for another wonderful Beercation. Our expectations were high after having such a great time with you last year traveling from Amsterdam to Bruges. Once again, you exceeded our expectations! The range of breweries was fabulous from the back room brew kettle at Canarus and the endless aging barrels at Rodenbach to the fully modern operation at Chimay. The group was great and the crew of the Iris made our time on the barge lots of fun. We’re looking forward to traveling with you again!
The Belgium and France Beer Bon Voyage was fantastic! My wife and I really enjoyed the whole thing. The barge made it great since there was no need for daily packing / unpacking. The food and accommodations were excellent. Our hosts and tour directors, Ruth and Mike, made the trip all the more enjoyable with their knowledge and enthusiasm. We felt this passion for beer excellence and knowledge flowed to the group, and made it more cohesive. We learned a lot about Belgian and French beers. We were able to try beers and styles we had not experienced before. We met a large number of dedicated brewers who were so enthusiastic about their products. I would recommend this trip for anyone who likes Belgian style beers, or wants to learn more about them.
So glad I got to go. Even my most intense beer friends at home might be overwhelmed by taking this trip. Amazing beers from the famous breweries and small unknown to me. My appreciation of Belgium beers has been enhanced greatly. All of our local tour guides were really knowledgeable and answered questions deftly. The barge served as our floating hotel while we spent days traipsing the country side in search of incredible Belgium beer. We ate, drank and slept well for days with our wonderful hosts Ruth and Mike. Barge staff were simply over the top. We met some really fun fellow passengers that made the trip even better – all beer aficionados. Bucket list item: Beercation – check. Thanks for the memories. What a trip!
The beercation of a lifetime, no joke! This is not your run of the mill tour group, tour guides or brewery tour. It is so much more unique and personal, the places you visit, the people you meet, the beers that delight your taste buds, the food that never ends, the beauty of all the history surrounding you. I loved every second of it!
Please Read our Terms & Conditions, and complete your Signature & Release Form before you travel. You will need to sign this online form for each guest and have it back to us at least 30 days prior to tour departure-thanks.
Our beer tour itineraries are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances such as inclement weather, transportation problems, or an unexpected business closure. We’re continually looking for ways to improve our tours and we sometimes come across a special new pub or brewery since the itinerary was published that we’d like to share with you. Since our beer tours are planned far in advance, we may occasionally adjust the itinerary as necessary to provide you with the best trip possible! Since a minimum number of passengers are required in order to run each trip, we suggest you refrain from non-refundable air purchases until 2 months prior to your departure date or confirmation of sailing.
