Food & Wine: Beers of Belgium & Germany

Board your overnight flight to Brussels today.

Welcome to Belgium! Transfer to Bruges and settle in to your hotel. Then, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at a welcome dinner.

A walking tour introduces you to Bruges’ history and reputation as Belgium’s chocolate capital and city of canals.

• See Market Square, Burg Square, and the belfry, a 13th-century bell tower
• Admire the Beguinage, a UNESCO World Heritage site now home to an order of Benedictine nuns
• Take in the scenic views at the romantic Minnewater, the “Lake of Love”
• Pop into some of the many chocolate shops for tastings
• Set off on the canals and tour the city by boat

Enjoy a free evening in Bruges or add an excursion.

Spend a free day in Bruges or add an excursion.

Travel east toward central Belgium. Stop en route at Huyghe Brewery, home to the world-famous Delirium ale, for a tour and Belgian beer tasting. Then, make your way to Brussels, home of the European Union.

• See the elegant Baroque houses that line the Grand-Place
• Pass city icons, such as Manneken-Pis, Palais de Justice, and the Place Royale

Tonight, professional chefs teach you how to make a traditional Belgian meal at a cooking class and dinner.

Travel south through Wallonia, Belgium’s French-speaking region, to the Rhine Valley, making two stops along the way.

• Take a guided tour of Maredsous Abbey, where monks continue the Benedictine brewing tradition
• Sample a variety of different cheeses during a light charcuterie lunch served with a Maredsous brewed beer
• Visit Dinant, a charming Belgian town at the edge of the River Meuse, where you’ll have free time to explore

Pay a visit to the picturesque village of Rüdesheim am Rhein this morning.

• Stroll the historic alleyways of the pub-lined Drosselgasse
• Enjoy free time to eat lunch

This afternoon, take in the spectacular sights of the Rhine River Valley on a scenic cruise from Rudesheim to Sankt Goar.

Then, visit a local vineyard to enjoy a wine tasting followed by dinner.

Travel through the Middle Rhine Valley—a UNESCO-protected region famous for its castles, historic towns, and vineyards—en route to Bamberg.

• Stop in medieval Würzburg
• Take a tour of the city’s Residence Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site
• Sit down to sample locally made wines, including Riesling and Silvaner, during an included lunch

Set off with a local guide on a walking tour through Bamberg, a city built on seven hills.

• Admire the towering Bamberg Cathedral and surrounding square
• Pass the Baroque New Palace
• Stand in awe of Old Town Hall, built in the middle of the Regnitz River
• Visit the quaint fishermen’s village of Little Venice

Tonight, eat like a local at a tavern and taste Rauchbier, a regional smoky beer.

Stop to visit Kuchlbauer Brewery, which some say is the most beautiful brewery in the world, as you travel to Munich

• Tour the brewery, including the observation tower designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser
• Sit down for a tasting of Kuchlbauer beer paired with a Bavarian pretzel

Please note: When Kuchlbauer Brewery is closed, it will be replaced with a visit to an alternate Bavarian brewery.

Meet up with your local guide for a panoramic tour of Bavaria’s capital city.

• Travel past the Englischer Garten and fashionable Schwabing district
• Enter the Residenz, once home to the Wittelsbach dukes of Bavaria
• Explore Marienplatz, Munich’s medieval heart, and see the famed Glockenspiel and the Gothic Frauenkirche
• Shop at the Viktualienmarkt for fresh food, flowers and other delicacies
• Finish with a beer tasting at a typical Bavarian beer hall

Spend a free afternoon in Munich or add an excursion.

Then, celebrate your trip with your group at a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home or continue on to Prague, Czech Republic.