Hot-spiced beer and wine, and shopping at some of Belgium's most magical winter markets in Bruges, Gent and Antwerp)...what’s in your stocking? There’s something for everyone on this tour. This is an especially good tour for your spouse, who may not share your passion for beer. The week builds to the Essen Christmas Beer Festival which is a very, very special and merry festival featuring many delightful seasonal Belgian brews, which are only available in Essen and in limited quantities. The official name of this event is the Kerstbierfestival and is held in Essen, Belgium, near Antwerp. It is organized by O.B.E.R. (Objective Beer Tasters of Essen) and has been going for more than 25 years. This is a pay-as-you festival, which makes for a casual, relaxed and enjoyable pace. The Christmas Beer Festival is one that needs to be experienced at least once by all true beer enthusiasts. This unique tour begins in Bruges and culminates at the famous “Kerstbierfestival” in  Essen. This is paradise for Belgian beer lovers. Also front and center will be the charming Christmas markets of Bruges, Gent and Antwerp along with overnights in these cities. Ornately decorated, ice skating and Christmas music in the background, I can taste the hot-spiced beer and wine now! 

Also on this tour we’ll visit Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres and Brewery de Halve Maan in Bruges, de Dolle Brouwers (‘26) Brasserie Dubuisson (‘27) and Cafe Trappisten, the taproom for Trappist Westmalle. In 2026, we also visit Trappist Westleteren for lunch.

• Seven nights accommodations in nice, friendly, centrally-located hotels in Bruges, Gent and Atwerp.

• All breakfasts, three lunches and two dinners with gratuities.

• Beer during brewery and taproom visits, and company meals as listed on the itinerary.

• Ground transportation via a custom coach with a restroom, refrigerator and professional driver. Leave the driving to the professionals!

• Professional and courteous BBM! guide services.

• All tours and admissions.

• Admission to the Kerstbierfestival, one glass and some starter tokens for beer. Extra beer is on your own.

• An instant group of interesting and fun, beer-loving friends you haven’t met yet.

• Guaranteed tour price the moment submit your deposit.

• Plenty of unstructured free time to relax, shop and explore on your own.

• Custom BBM! name badges.

• Souvenir BBM! luggage tags

• Flexibility in the event you need to transfer or cancel your tour.

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• Airfare

• Airport transfers.

• Some meals and beer on your own. Free-time sightseeing.Our guides are available to provide suggestions.

• Beer at the Kerstbierfestival beyond the tokens provided in your starter kit as part of the admission.

• Fine Print: You are responsible for the costs of your free-time sightseeing. Be sure to read our Terms & Conditions Agreement for important details.

• Gratuities, at your discretion, for brewery tour guides and coach drivers.

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Deadline to sign up is one month before departure. 

2026 Price: $3795/per person + Air, $595 single supplement*
* Prices based on double room occupancy.  If you are a solo traveler and would like to have a private room all to yourself there is a single supplement fee of $595 in addition to the base price of $3795 per person. We can also work with you to pair you with other single travelers to avoid the single supplement. Better yet, recruit a friend to come, too! Unless, of course, like Rick Steves says, you prefer to “snore alone.”

We require a minimum number of guests for each tour to be guaranteed to go, so it’s important to sign up ASAP, as opposed to waiting until the deadline. Also, tours can fill rapidly and suddenly, so signing up early ensures that you will go and not be disappointed.

2027 Price: $4095/per person + Air, $695 single supplement*

Please share  BBM! tours with fellow Belgian beer enthusiasts, your friends in general, and encourage them to join the fun!

Mon. • Bruges  We meet at 1 p.m. at our centrally-located hotel in Bruges. We’ll get checked in, have a short walking tour of the city to get a feel for this illustrious city, point out some special beer cafes, walk through the Winter Markets, then enjoy a bottle share. This evening, we have our welcome dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Evening is on your own to explore the many inviting beer cafes of Bruges and the Winter Markets. You’ll be provided a list of my favorite beer cafes in Bruges, including some most visitors don’t know about, for you to explore on your own. (Dinner)

Tues • Bruges  Morning is free until we meet for a canal boat ride, followed by a tour at Brewery/Distillery Bourgogne des Flandres. Be prepared to be amazed. This is the only brewery I’ve been to where the brewery is built around the tour. It’s very clever.

Lunch is on your own. I recommend Brewery de Halve Maan, home of Zot beer. This afternoon you have some more free time to take in the Winter Markets, the many sites of Bruges, visit again the Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres taproom (they have a lot of beers and spirits), rent a bike, take a carriage ride, visit museums, or just people watch, while savoring a Belgian beer in on a heated café terrace. You are on your own for dinner. Later this evening we meet for an informal tour of some of the most interesting beer cafés in the city.  (Breakfast)

Wed. • Gent  After breakfast the morning is free for you to enjoy Bruges before we board our coach to visit de Dolle Brouwers for a tour and tasting. Founded in 1980, Brewmaster Kris Herteleer has made quite a reputation for himself and his beer. His wife, Els, and three sons also work at the brewery. They’ve come a long way from their humble beginnings. They are especially known for Stille Nacht, their over-the-top-delicious Christmas ale. We’ll have a vertical tasting of Stille Nacht, where you will enjoy three tasters from different years. Other high-gravity beers include Arabier, Boskeun, Dulle Teve and Stout. This brewery will delight! Kris is also a highly regarded painter and you’ll see some of his work at the brewery.

Afterward, it’s on to the home of Trappist Westvleteren beers, the Abbey of St. Sixtus and its brewery tap, “In de Vrede,” (In the Peace) for a company lunch and to indulge in their famous, exquisite and rare beers.

Then it’s on to Gent and their famous Christmas Market. Shopping, ice skating, eating and drinking will be front and center. This afternoon, there is an informal walking tour of the Christmas Market and some famous cafés of Gent, including the world-famous Trollekelder, Goudon Mandeken, de Planck and others. This evening, we’ll have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Gent and then visit the Christmas Market again, this time at night with all the Christmas lights on and glistening, and festive music to round out this eventful day. So much beer, such little time…  (Breakfast & Lunch)

Thur. • Gent Morning is free to sleep in, enjoy breakfast, have some couple time and explore the city. At noon we meet for lunch at one of my favorite beer cafes followed by a tour of two more. These are special ones, known mostly to locals. We’ll have a short walking tour along the way and I’ll introduce you to more of Gent and what makes it so very special. The rest of the afternoon and evening is free. Dinner is on your own. (Lunch)

Fri. • Gent  Morning is free, then at 10 a.m., we meet in the lobby to walk to the Belfry of Gent. We’ll tour the inside of this historic tower, then take an elevator to the top to look out of Gent and the Christmas Markets. The view is spectacular.

Lunch is on your own.

We’ll reconvene in the NH Hotel lobby at 2 p.m., then it’s on to the Gravensteen Castle to visit their Christmas pop-up bar located deep in the cellar. You’ll feel like you’ve been transported back to Medieval times. Once there, we’ll enjoy the exquisite Fourcette multi-grain tripel by Brewery Van Steenberge, brewers of Gulden Draak. The rest of the day is free to indulge in one of the coziest Winter Markets in Belgium right here in Gent! (Breakfast)

Sat. • Antwerp This morning we transfer to to Antwerp, our home for the next two nights. On our way there, we’ll visit Trappist Westmalle to visit the famous taproom of the abbey, Café Trappisten. We’ll have a leisurely lunch; sample the beers, including their Extra, Dubbel and Triple, which is the benchmark for the style. Westmalle Extra (3%), was originally reserved for consumption only by the monks. Afterwards, we will see the beautiful exterior of the Abbey and its spectacular tree-lined driveway. Then it’s on to Lier, where you’ll get to visit the cozy winter market without the massive crowds of Antwerp. The citizens of Lier are known as “schapenkoppen” (sheep’s heads) because in the middle ages they chose to have an animal market instead of a university. You’ll love this undiscovered gem of Belgium. This replaces Lier, where this tour stayed in previous years. Dinner is on your own. (Breakfast & lunch)

Sun. • Antwerp  Morning is free to soak in more historic Antwerp, then we take the train directly to the Christmas Beer Festival in Essen, where you will have your socks blown off (so wear two pairs) by the delectable Christmas beers available here.   This is what the whole tour has been building toward and a decadent indulgence few beer drinkers will ever experience.  You will become members of a very small and elite club of beer enthusiasts.  This cannot be overstated.  We’ll spend the evening at the Festival, have dinner on your own there, and then catch one of the last trains back to Lier for a nice, peaceful sleep, where visions of Christmas beers dance in our heads! (Breakfast)

Mon. • Antwerp  Our grand Christmas Beer Festival Tour officially ends with breakfast.  You may catch the train from Antwerp about 45 minutes to the BRU airport.  Thanks for participating in the Christmas Beer Festival Tour of Belgium! (Breakfast)

* Itinerary subject to change.

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Our special guest on the 2023 departure of this cheeky, wild and wonderful tour was Jeff Bradford, from the YouTube channel Drink Destinations: Beer Wine & Spirits. We had some fun and learning with this drinks expert! Be sure to check out Jeff’s informative videos and social media posts from this tour. Instagram and Facebook.