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The Flemish Beer Route
Duration
8 days
Site savings
$17
From
$795 USD
A bike and beer cycling tour in Belgium is a wonderful way to explore the beautiful countryside and indulge in the country's famous beer culture. You can expect to cycle through scenic routes, passing by picturesque villages and historic landmarks while stopping at various breweries and pubs to taste different varieties of beer.
- CategoryEasy-going & Leisurely
- TypeSelf-Guided
- Duration8 days
- Culture LevelFamiliar
- Skill Level2 - Novice
- Activity Level2 - Moderate
- Elevation1 - Easy
- TerrainFlat
- Distance229.9 miles
- Avg. Daily Distance38.5 miles
Quick Stats
- Duration8 days
- Main DestinationBelgium
- Distance229.9 miles
- Avg. Daily Distance38.5 miles
- Elevation1 - Easy
- TerrainFlat
Route Map (click to view larger image)
Itinerary Details
- Day 1Arrival Genk
Make your way to Genk today, receive a friendly welcome at your hotel and wander through delightful Molenvijver Park before dinner.
- 55.9 miles
- Hotel Zuid
- Day 2Genk - Peer
The first day of this cycling holiday takes you over the Kempens Plateau. The journey immediately starts with a highlight: ‘Cycling through the Heath’. You cycle on a cycle path right through the ‘Mechelse Heide’, one of the largest heath areas in Flanders. The literal highlight of this cycle path is a 300 meter long wooden bicycle bridge from which you have a beautiful panoramic view over the landscape. You cycle through the vast pine forests of the Hoge Kempen National Park and through the Ophovenderheide. There is time for coffee in the small towns of Opglabbeek and Meeuwen.
Today's final destination is small pictures Peer, one of the 'Good Towns' of the former Prince-Bishopric of Liège. Here you will find the Pieter Bruegel museum.
- 41 miles
- Hotel de Boskar
- Breakfast
- Day 3Peer - Turnhout
Another day full of natural beauty starts with a little bit of history. Soon after the start you will cycle through Hechtel. This village was completely destroyed in September 1944 during the Battle of Hechtel. Through the Pijnven you cycle through a new unique cycling experience in Limburg: Cycling through the Trees. A 700 meter long cycle path takes you through a double circle at a height of 10 meters. You literally cycle in higher atmospheres between the treetops of the Bosland van de Kempen. Via the former sand pits around Mol and the canal from Dessel to Schoten you arrive in Arendonk where you can admire the Toremansmolen. From here it is not far to Turnhout. On the way through you will first pass the Liereman landscape, one of the oldest nature reserves in Belgium
- 46.6 miles
- Best Western Plus Turnhout City
- Breakfast
- Day 4Turnhout - Antwerp
Venture out to picturesque Merksplas and pop in at the visitors’ centre to learn about former prisioners’ colony where farming skills were taught and practised out in the fields. Pass Oostmalle and Malle on your way to Westmalle, to savour a well-deserved Trappist beer at the café opposite the abbey. Then zoom onward to the cosmopolitan city of Antwerp.
- 36.7 miles
- Van der Valk Hotel Antwerpen
- Breakfast
- Day 5Antwerp - Leuven
The city hubbub comes to a hush as you glide into quieter, greener surroundings. Check out a bit of military heritage at Mortsel’s brick-and-sandstone Fort no. 4, one of the eight original Brialmont Forts (1860-1864) on Antwerp’s defensive line. Sail onward toward Leuven to spy the festival grounds where the 4-day Rock Werchter is celebrated each summer. Then test your legs a bit when you encounter a few gentle slopes!
The welcoming university town of Leuven offers a taste of the good life, shared with local bon-vivants, and traditional architecture at the Groot Begijnhof, a residence for the “Begines”, a 13th-16th century semi-monastic order for lay women.
- 42.3 miles
- Park Inn by Radisson Leuven
- Breakfast
- Day 6Leuven - Diest
Cycle a superb stage, stopping first at the Vlooybergtoren in Tielt-Winge. Clamber up the rusty steps and take in the panorama from this unique, and seemingly precarious, vista point. Further on, Haksberg Castle nestles amid 3.6 hectares of vineyards, where local wines are named after the bird species of Hageland.
Make time to stop at Belgium’s most important pilgrimage site, Scherpenheuvel with the Low Countries’ oldest central-plan domed church. Top your day off in the gorgeous town of Diest, with its historic ties to the Royal House of Orange. This as yet 'undiscovered' destination adds a welcome surprise and the chance to amble along the River Demer.
- 27.3 miles
- Hotel de Franse Kroon
- Breakfast
- Day 7Diest - Genk
Today’s flat roads will not leave you breathless, but the scenery most certainly will! Ride first to the Schulensmeer, with its array of water sports, then dive into De Weijers, the “Land of 1001 Ponds”. Slalom your way past man-made fishing ponds, marvel at colourful vegetation and keep an eye out for unique fauna. In Bokrijk, an open-air museum depicts early 20th-century country life and a chance to try your hand at traditional skills and crafts.
Finally, brace yourself for a bizarre experience as you cycle a 200-metre path right through a natural lake, skimming along in harmony with the ducks.
- 36 miles
- Hotel Zuid
- Breakfast
- Day 8Departure from Genk