Great Breweries Marathon & 25k
Please Visit the 2022 Great Breweries Marathon Tour
Dates are tentative. Please contact us for details.
You will start your tour in Antwerp – Belgium’s 2nd largest city. But, it’s old town retains the quaint feel of a medieval port village. You’ll get a quick introduction to Antwerp, but we will make sure your legs don’t get too tired before your big race.
The races take place outside of Antwerp and you will run through various breweries along your route giving you a hint of your rewards after the race! The start & finish is at the Duvel brewery – one of Belgium’s finest beers! (And, you will get a gift pack of three Belgian beers — plus, your choice of beers at the after-party!)
After the race, we will move to Bruges, Belgium – the quintessential medieval town. Bruges is one of our favorite European towns! It’s brimming with quiet cobblestone lanes, romantic canals, grand market squares and soaring towers, this Unesco World Heritage site has another photo opportunity around every corner.
We enjoy sitting at a cafe drinking a world-class local beer and munching on “Belgian Fries!” We burn off those calories running along the canals and past the windmills, or by climbing the 366 steps up the bell tower to take in the grand views (all of that running & climbing is optional, of course. If you’re legs are sore from the race, you can just take it easy!)
Then, you will head out on a tour of some of the greatest breweries in the world. Belgium is a beer paradise and our local tour guide will show us some of the best – including Sint Sixtus Abbey of Westvleteren. The monks brew the Westvleteren 12, widely regarded as the #1 beer in the world. What better way to celebrate your 25k or marathon finish?
In addition to beer, Belgium is home to some of the best chocolate in the world. In our private chocolate tour, we will nibble our way through Belgium’s top chocolate boutiques.
Finally, we will all have time to slow down and enjoy all that Bruges has to offer!
View the full itinerary here!
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(* – Subject to change.)
Price based on double-occupancy. Contact us about the single-occupancy supplemental charge.
Additional information
| Accommodations | Luxury 4 or 5 Star Hotel |
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May 7: Arrival
- Arrive in Brussels
- Private transfer to Antwerp
- Our tour officially begins at 5 pm with a meet and greet “happy hour” to get to know your tour operators and fellow guests. We will be providing you with some information about your tour.
- “Welcome to Belgium” Dinner
May 8
- Optional morning run/walk
- Private guided tour of Antwerp
- The afternoon is free for you to explore Antwerp, or relax before your big race!
- Dinner on your own
May 9: Race Day!
- Transfer to Duvel Moortgat Brewery for packet pickup / race
- Great Breweries Marathon & 25k Marathon
- Registrations: 7 a.m. – 11.30 a.m.
- Start Great Breweries Marathon: 9.15 a.m.
- Great Breweries Marathon Walk (42 km): 9.25 a.m.
- Start Great Breweries 25K: 11.15 a.m.
- Great Breweries 25K Walk: 11.40 a.m.
- Official closing time finish: 7 p.m.
- Official closing time of the event: 7.30 p.m.
- (Above times are subject to change)
- Transfer back to Antwerp hotel
- The rest of the afternoon on your own to relax with a World-Class Belgian beer or visit the local sights
- Post-race celebratory dinner!
May 10
- Optional morning run/walk (or, just sleep in and eat pastries!)
- Private Chocolate tasting experience *
- Your afternoon is free to explore Antwerp’s museums & shops.
- Dinner on your own
May 11
- Optional morning run/walk
- Transfer to Bruges
- Private “introduction to Bruges” tour
- “Welcome to Bruges” dinner
May 12
- Optional morning run/walk
- Belgian beer tour *
- Visit world-class Belgian breweries and taste some of the top-rated beers in the world! (Including Westvleteren – voted “Best Beer in the World” numerous times!)
- More details coming soon!
- Lunch included
- Dinner on your own
May 13
- Optional morning run/walk
- Your day is free to explore Bruges or take a day trip to Ghent or Brussels
Check out everything to do in Bruges!
- Complimentary farewell dinner
- We will be dining at a quaint restaurant specializing in local Belgian cuisine.
May 14 - Departure
- Optional morning run/walk
- Transfer to Brussels Airport / Train station for the next leg of your journey or your return home
(* – Subject to change. More details coming soon.)
Do you love to run or walk? And are you looking for that next challenge ‘with a little something extra’?
Search no more! The Great Breweries Marathon offers you a solid endurance challenge, combined with the best thing Belgium has to offer!
As the Bordelese use the Marathon du Médoc to show the world their fondness for their exquisite wines, we are very proud to introduce you The Great Breweries Marathon. Together with Belgium’s best – Duvel Moortgat, Palm Belgian Craft Brewers en Brouwerij Bosteels – we invite you all on a great discovery run through these iconic breweries (literally!).
To top it off all finisher will be rewarded with a free gift basket, filled with the best beer in the world!
Visit the Great Breweries Marathon site here!
To guarantee safe conditions during the event, only 6,000 participants will be allowed. (But, if you register with our Finish Line Travel tour, you are guaranteed entry!) A Great Breweries Marathon T-shirt, a unique medal and a gift basket full of beer are included in your registration fee.
If you wish to “hike” the marathon or 25km, you may taste the amazing beers as you pass through the breweries! If you are running, your tastings will be your reward at the finish line!
Sunday, May 9 2021
- Registrations: 7 a.m. – 11.30 a.m.
- Start Great Breweries Marathon: 9.15 a.m.
- Start Great Breweries 25K: 11.15 a.m.
- Great Breweries 25K Walk: 11.40 a.m.
- Official closing time finish: 7 p.m.
- Official closing time of the event : 7.30 p.m.
Antwerp is the 2nd largest city in Belgium, but the center still retains the medieval history.
Here’s an idea of some of the things that you can see & do in Antwerp:
- Grand Place (Grote Markt)
- Red Star Line Museum – your ancestors may have come through the Red Star Line on their way to emigrate to the U.S.
- Cathedral of Our Lady
- Plantin-Moretus Museum
- De Koninck – Antwerp City Brewery Tour and Tasting
- Havenroute (Port Tour)
- MAS – Museum aan de Stroom (Art museum, or just go to the top for a panoramic view of the city and port)
- Rubens’ House (Rubenshuis)
- Royal Museum of Fine Arts (Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten)
- Chocolate Shops
- Shopping
- Breweries & Pubs
- Cycle through the Belgian countryside
- Day trip to Ghent
- We can help you organize a private tour to match your interests!
Bruges is a quaint city, but there is so much to do and see!
Here’s an idea of some of the things that Bruges has to offer:
- Climb the Belfry tower for some amazing views!
- Visit the Basilica of the Holy Blood
- See Michelangelo’s “Madonna and Child” sculpture
- Canal boat tour
- Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan Brewery Tour and Tasting
- Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres – Brewery tour and Tasting
- Shop!
- Stock up on the world-class chocolate!
- Relax and roam the picturesque cobbled streets
- Tour the World War I Flanders Fields
- Visit one of the local breweries for even more beer tasting!
- Cycle through the Belgian countryside
- Day trip to Ghent
- We can help you organize a private tour to match your interests!
What you need to know about this tour:
- Book your flight into and out of Brussels, Belgium. (Airport Code: BRU)
- If you wish to begin or end your tour in a different city, please contact us!
- Your flight will depart the USA on Thursday, May 7, 2020! (It will arrive in Brussels, Belgium on Friday, May 8, 2020.)
- You should plan your flight to arrive in Brussels approximately around noon, local time in Belgium. That will allow you clear customs, meet your private driver for the drive to Antwerp, and give you ample time before our happy hour meet-and-greet at 5pm. (If your flight will arrive later, please contact us.)
- Driving time from the Brussels airport to our Antwerp hotel is approximately 30 minutes – 1 hour
- Driving time from our Bruges hotel to the the Brussels airport is approximately 1¼ hours – 2½ hours (or more! Brussels traffic can be very busy!)
- Your return flight to the USA should depart Brussels, Belgium (Airport Code: BRU) on Friday, May 15, 2019. If you wish to extend your stay, or if you are continuing your journey to other parts of Europe, please contact us.
- We will provide you with lunch and dinner restaurant recommendations for any meals on your own. We have personally visited these establishments and can personally vouch for them! Unlike some hotel concierge desks, these are our unbiased and uncompensated recommendations.
- If you do not feel comfortable on your own with language differences (even though our recommended restaurants all speak English) or going out on your own in a foreign place, you are more then welcome to join us for meals. We are your hosts – we won’t ever leave you to fend for yourself!
- We have many suggestions for things to do on your free days. We will chat about your preferences and give you ideas of activities you will enjoy.
- The Great Breweries Marathon Cut-Off Time is 6 hours.
- The Great Breweries 25k Cut-Off Time is 4 hours.
- There is also a Marathon Walk & 25k Walk which uses sidewalks and recreational paths next to the road. So, no cut-off times are necessary and everyone is welcome to participate.
