CIAO! TRAVEL 2008 GBBT 2 PACKAGE
The 2008 Great Belgian Beer Tour 2 & Ultimate Belgian Brewery & Castle Crawl 12 Breweries, 6 Castles, Chocolates galore, The Zythos 24 hours of Belgian Ales Festival, The Nacht de Grote Dorst Gueze & Lambic Festival, 3 nights Ghent and 3 nights Brussels February 25- March 03, 2008From $1995.00
The Most Outrageous Beer Travel Bargain of 2008! After extensive research and preparation, Ciao! Travel invites you to join the 4TH Annual Great Belgian Beer tours to the 24 Hours of Beer in Belgium! § R/T AIR ON AMERICAN AIRLINES from San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco (add $49), Seattle or Chicago to Brussels, Belgium (Departures are available from all USA cities) § Tour Departs February 25, returns March 03, 2008 (Or let us know your preferred travel dates for a custom itinerary) § 3 nights GHENT hotel & 3 nights BRUSSELS hotel § Zythos - 24 HOURS BELGIAN BEER FESTIVAL § Visit 12 Top Belgian Breweries § Visit 6 Belgian Castles § Official Great Belgian Beer Tour Long-Sleeve T-shirt § The Great Micro Brew Café Tour & Ultimate Pub Crawl § The GBBT Brussels & Antwerp Beer Café Ultimate Pub Crawl § Brussels & Ghent city guide booklet and city maps § Frommer’s Brussels & Brugge Guide with Ghent & Antwerp! HURRY! SPACE IS LIMITED – Only 07 spaces left! YOU MUST BOOK BY JANUARY 31st FOR THESE PRICES! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The 2008 Great Belgian Beer Tour 2
& Ultimate Belgian Brewery & Castle Crawl
7 NIGHT COMPLETE AIR PACKAGES include:
OPTIONS
[ ] R/T GBBT Coach to Poperinge – St Bernardus, Westvletern, Van Honsebrouck Castle brewery $49.95 [ ] R/T GBBT Coach to Pipaix Bush, Dupont, Brasserie a Vapeur, Chateau Beloeil tour $49.95 [ ] R/T GBBT Coach to “Night of the Great Thirst” Gueze & Lambic Festival $19.95 Prices are per person based on double occupancy. For single traveler prices add the low single supplement: $529, $549 or $649. Airline departure taxes of $139.95 per person and shipping and handling fee of $29.95 per person will be added to your invoice. Documents are sent two weeks prior to departure. YOU MUST RESERVE YOUR TOUR BY JANUARY 31st FOR THESE PRICES!Above airfares are quoted from San Diego, Los Angeles or Chicago; from San Francisco or Seattle add $50; from Portland add $150; from New York deduct $100. Flights from all Continental Airlines gateway cities and Business or First class airfares are available upon request. Other departure dates are available at additional cost. Transfers are provided for scheduled tour departure dates only. The 2008 Great Belgium Beer Tour 2 & Ultimate Pub Crawl is offered subject to the terms and conditions published herein. This is a preliminary program and is subject to change CST-2010054-40
The 2008 Great Belgian Beer Tour 2 & Ultimate Belgian Brewery & Castle Crawl 12 Breweries, 6 Castles, Chocolates galore, The Zythos 24 hours of Belgian Ales Festival, The Nacht de Grote Dorst Gueze & Lambic Festival, 3 nights Ghent and 3 nights Brussels February 25- March 03, 2008Tue 26 Morning arrival in Brussels where we’ll be met by the GBBT private luxury motor coach for a short transfer to Het Anker Brewery, home of Gouden Carolus ales and Belgian Beer Chocolates! We’ll tour the brewery, then enjoy a tasting of ales as an aperitif to lunch in the Breweries café’
After lunch we continue on to our hotels in historic Ghent, one of the most beautiful historic cities in Europe. Ghent was the seat of the counts of Flanders whose great Gravensteen Castle is a “must” visit. Of even greater importance to the Beer Traveler, Ghent is a conveniently located to visit the great Breweries of Flanders!
This afternoon you have the option of exploring Ghent and the magnificent castle, cathedral or museums or continuing on the GBBT Coach to de Glazen Toren, brewers of Saison d’Erpe or Delirium brewers of Delirium Tremens or De Landtsheer brewers of Malheur*
Your evening is at leisure.
Wed 27 Today you have the option of further exploring Ghent or Brugges “The Venice of the North” or joining us on the GBBT Coach for a one hour drive southwest to the hop fields of Poperinge to visit St Bernardus brewery for a tour and tasting.
We’ll lunch in one of our favorite Belgian destinations: Westvleteren’s “In de Vrede” cafe – where you can enjoy Wesvleteren abbey cheese, pate, smoked ham and, of course, the world’s most rare and renowned Abbey ale: Westvletern 12!
This afternoon we’ll visit the beautiful Van Honsebrouck Castle & Brewery where we’ll stop to taste Kasteel Ales, Brigand and St Louis Framboise. Your evening is at leisure to explore the nightlife of Ghent. Don’t miss master choclatier: DASKALIDES http://www.daskalides.com/en/default.aspx Don’t worry if you want to join the GBBT coach and visit the Breweries and Castle, you’ll have plenty of time on the weekend to visit Brugges, Antwerp & the 24 hours of Beer Festival!Thu 28 This morning brings another full day of options! Relax, sightsee, visit a museum or just enjoy the 16th century architecture of Ghent. Or perhaps you will opt to join the GBBT Coach for an hour’s drive south to Pipaix to visit three incredible breweries and a castle! This morning we’ll visit Debuisson, brewers of Bush Noel and Scaldis Prestige for a tour and tasting, then have a sandwich with a beer at the Brewery
Back on the GBBT coach we arrive at Dupont, brewers of Saison Dupont for a tour and tasting.
This afternoon we’ll enjoy tour of Chateaux de Beloeil. Owned by the Princes de Ligne since the 14th century, the Chateau is completely furnished and houses a rich collection of art objects from the 15th to the 19th century with its famous library with 20000 books. The French-style garden, a harmonious balance of water and greenery, shadow and light, stretches out over 25 acres through which a small train takes you for a tour. If there is time after the Castle we’ll visit Brasserie a Vapeur, the oldest steam-powered Belgian brewery in operation, brewers of Vapeur Cochonne and other interesting alesThis evening is at leisure to dine and discuss the day’s adventures!
Fri 29 This morning we say goodbye to Ghent and travel northeast to Beersel Castle - one of the few well kept examples of a Middle Age fortified castle. It still looks the same as it did at the end of the 15th century.
After Beersel, we will visit nearby Drie Fonteinen Brewery. As a gauze-blender the brewery 3 Fonteinen has a long tradition. Gaston Debelder started in the fifties, his son Armand continues to blend a sublime gauze with lambic from Girardin, Lindemans and Boon. Since the end of 1999 Armand Debelder brews his own lambic, which creates a geuze of excellent quality. We will be able to taste Drie Fonteinen’s ales at their own superb restaurant over lunch.
After lunch we our GBBT coach will transport us to our Brussels hotels where the rest of your afternoon is at leisure to explore Brussels. Brussels sightseeing tours are available as an option. Tonight your options are: Visit our favorite Brussels Beer Café “Delirium" for a pre-dinner pint of fine Belgian ale, then choose from an impromptu pub crawl exploring the classic beer cafes of Brussels or opt for an Ale Menu dinner at Spinnekopje restaurant. The menu is famous for the use of Belgian ales in the cuisine and has an outstanding beer list!OR
You may opt for the GBBT coach trip to the Bi-Annual “NIGHT OF THE GREAT THIRST” (Nacht de Grote Dorst) the wonderfully definitive Gueze & Lambic festival held at the traditional Flemish “Pub with Insurance against the Great Thirst”!March
Sat 01 You have this morning at leisure to further explore Brussels. Don’t miss The Grand Place, and it’s Maison de Brasseurs (Belgian Brewers Guild), the superb Contemporary art museum, Auto Museum and even a Museum of Comic Strips (invented in Belgium). Perhaps you’ll have a pint and enjoy lunch in the nearby Petit Sablon – an area renown for its antique shops and great beer cafes, all serving great food and abbey cheeses.Today the beer traveler is greatly challenged – before the 24 Hours of Beer begins!
This morning you can walk to Cantillon for their Open Brewing Day!
Then train to Sint Niklaas for the ZYTHOS 24 HOURS OF BEER FESTIVAL from 12NOON-MIDNIGHT I
The wise festival attendee will take a few breaks from the festival to explore nearby Antwerp’s many delights, such as chocolatier G-BASTIN or Castle Steen http://www.gbastin.com/?page=txtpic2&pid=240&alang=EN&submenu=No
Or explore two of Brussels top chocolatiers: WITTAMER http://www.wittamer.com/ and
Sun 02 This morning you might decide to train to Brugges – “Venice of the North” to tour the famous canals and 16th century houses and De Halve Maan brewery – brewer of Bruggse triple. Explore the master chocolatiers of Bruges: PRALINETTE: http://www.pralinette.be/Pages/index.php or BRUGES Chocolates: http://www.brugeschocolates.com/index.html, and visit Castle ten Berghe - a maginificent medieval castle just 2km from Bruges by bus. The castle has been transformed into a luxury B&B and may not be open to the general public, but is still lovely to visit photograph and enjoy the grounds.
Rounding off your Great Belgium Beer Tour is the 2nd half of the ZYTHOS 24 HOURS OF BEER FESTIVAL - 10AM to 10PM.
Mon 03 This morning we’ll transfer from our hotel to Brussels airport by train for our flight home.
We look forward to your joining us on
The 2008 Great Belgian Beer Tour & Ultimate Brewery & Castle Crawl!
This is a preliminary itinerary with final brewery visits to be confirmed.
Breakfasts are included, Lunches are not included.
2008 GBBT Tour Terms and conditions
Have Questions? Requests? Suggestions?
Please call Bill at Ciao! Travel at: (619) 297-8112
or email Bill at: jazz@ciaotravel.com
Optional Add-on packages are available to: Dublin; Paris, Munich; Stockholm and other cities
Page updated January 21, 2008 Copyright © Ciao Travel 1999-2008. All Rights Reserved.