Christmas in Gent Tour 2025
Tuesday 23 December 2025 - Saturday 27 December 2025
We love Belgium (and winter beers) at Christmas and we love taking a coach full of like-minded people. For Christmas 2025 we are based in Gent in East Flanders. Our hotel for our five day, four night Tour is the Ibis Gent Centrum St Baafs Kathedraal Hotel, from where we will explore Belgium at Christmas-time.
Gent, the Leie Waterfront, packed with bars and restaurants. (photo Gent Watertoerist BV www.gent-watertoerist.be)
Gent is one of the Flemish jewel cities and is fabulous for beer cafes as well as historical sites. Just have a look at our Podge's Gent Bar Guide which gives an idea of the hand-picked beer bars we have included on the map within a walk of the hotel. We will manage to fit in a brewery visit or two, some great meals in top beer/restaurants and plenty of visits to interesting cafes across Flanders. All from the comfort of our luxury 49 seater coach. Join us.
Our coach company has booked us on our usual crossings on Le Shuttle train: Tuesday 23 December 2025 10.20hr Folkestone to Calais and Saturday 27 December 2025 19.50hr Calais to Folkestone.
We are based in Chelmsford in Essex and we use a UK hired coach to travel. We try to use Le Shuttle (Eurotunnel) from Folkestone to get to and from Belgium, but if not available we go by ferry from Dover to Calais. Most of our Travellers join the Tour at our main pick up point outside The Woolpack Pub, 23 Mildmay Road, Chelmsford CM2 0DN and most come from other parts of the UK, and some from further afield, especially USA. Lots of our Travellers stay the night before a Tour (and often the night of our return) at Chelmsford Travelodge, only a few minutes walk from The Woolpack or at the Premier Inn, near the Railway Station, about a 10 minute walk to the pick up point at The Woolpack. Podge's Central Chelmsford Map shows suggested accommodation and pubs! We all usually pop in to The Woolpack the night before departure for a meet, greet and a few beers with Siobhan who is your Tour Manager, Tour Guide and drinking pal for the duration.
Our Galloways luxury coach (49 seater coach with toilet) starts from Suffolk and on the way to Folkestone (or Dover if we go by ferry) and picks up at several points, as agreed with Siobhan, as below:
Ipswich, Bus Stop, Tesco Extra Store, Copdock Interchange, Pinewood, Ipswich IP8 3TS.
Colchester, McDonald's, Tollgate West, Stanway, Colchester C03 8RG.
Chelmsford, The Woolpack, 23 Mildmay Road, CM2 0DN.
Dartford, BP Garage (formerly Esso) 474 Princes Road, DA1 1YT. On the return leg we drop off at Dartford Railway Station DA1 1DR.
Swanley, Unit 4, Moreton Industrial Estate, London Road, BR8 8DE.
Ashford, pull in Outside Dobbies Garden Centre, Opposite Premier Inn, Ashford Eureka Leisure Park, Rutherford Road, Ashford, Kent, TN25 4BN.
Folkestone, Shell Garage, Stop 24 Services, J11, M20, Kent, CT21 4BL.
This Tour is now fully organised and the detailed and timed itinerary appears below. If you would like to join us please send Siobhan an email or call on +44 (0) 7722 724 558 for details on how to secure a place and pay the deposit for this Tour of £225 per person. The Tour price is at the foot of this page.
Day 1 - Tuesday 23 December
Very Early! Coach departs from Galloways coach depot at Denters Hill, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5RR.
06.15hr Coach pick up The Woolpack, Mildmay Road, Chelmsford CM2 0DN.
07.45hr Coach pick up at the pull in outside Dobbies Garden Centre, Opp. Premier Inn Ashford Eureka Leisure Park, Rutherford Road, Ashford, Kent, TN25 4BN.
08.00hr Coach pick up at Shell Garage, Stop 24 Services, J11, M20, Kent, CT21 4BL.
08.15hr Arrive Le Shuttle (Eurotunnel) Folkestone.
10.20hr Departure of Le Shuttle (Eurotunnel) Train crossing from Folkestone.
12.00hr Arrive/Disembark Calais (Eurotunnel).
13.30hr Arrive at our first stop of the Tour at the superb Beer Cuisine Restaurant (H)eerlijk near Oostende. The concept of ‘beer cuisine’ is relatively unknown in the U.K., but the Belgians do this very well, and the food here is fantastic. Vicky and her husband chef Kevin moved here from further down the coast in 2017. They wanted to concentrate on beer and food pairing, rather than pairing with wine. The great feature of the restaurant is the big beer fridges which take centre stage. They offer around 160 beers, including all the Trappist beers in the world and more than 60 Oude Geuzes/Lambics, including offerings from 3Fonteinen, Oud Beersel, Eylenbosch, Boon, Lindemans, Devillé, Girardin, Hanssens, Timmermans, Cantillon, Lambiekfabriek, De Cam and the newer ones too. They and are very proud of Belgian beer, like to support smaller breweries and get in new beers every month. I have arranged with Vicky a selection of four main meals which you can choose from and we’ll stop here for our first meal in Belgium and slake our thirst with a fresh beer.
15.30hr Leave Bier Restaurant (H)eerlijk at Raversijde.
16.00hr Arrive at the lovely Café Snelle Duve in Jabbeke. The ‘Fast Pigeon’ encapsulates two great Belgian cultural icons being pigeon racing and quality beer. This is a pigeon-fancier-themed cafe which may also be the local centre for the actual racing sport too. They have been here since 2019, have a great beer list and have installed a sort of "pigeon house" where meetings and small events can be held. It’s a cosy place with a lovely traditional Belgian geometric tiled floor. Expect pigeon wallpaper, racing pigeon décor, pigeon carrier cases and racing boxes. An excellent quirky, beery little place.
17.30hr Leave Café Snelle Duve in Jabbeke.
18.30hr Arrive at Ibis Gent Centrum St Baafs Kathedraal. This is our base for the next four nights which is in a fantastic position next to the cathedral and a square with a fountain and loads of cafes and restaurants around it. The evening is free for you to explore this beautiful city armed with a copy of Podge’s Gent Bar Guide* and accompanying map*.
Christmas Beer, by Het Anker Brewery
Day 2 - Wednesday 24 December
10.00hr Following a buffet breakfast in our hotel* we leave the Hotel on foot for the short walk to the beautiful Graslei Waterfront in the centre of the city for our city boat trip.
11.00hr Embark from the Graslei jetty on an Aperitif Boat City Cruise* with Gent Watertoerist. This is an amusing guided cruise through the historic centre of Gent and its waterways. Gent lies at the junction of the canalized part of the great River Leie (Fr. Lys) and the mighty Schelde (Fr. Escaut) and is the centre of an urban complex that includes Ledeberg, Gentbrugge, and Sint-Amandsberg. The city cruise includes a glass of local beer* onboard.
12.00hr Disembark (carefully!) from the Gent City Cruise boat. Make our way back to the hotel where we are picked up by the coach and set off east to the town of Wetteren.
13.00hr Arrive at Markt 17 Café Restaurant in the centre of Wetteren, on the central square, near the church dedicated to St Gertrude, who also appears on the arms and flag of Wetteren. St. Gertrude (626-659) was the first abbess of the abbey of Nivelles and is customarily depicted with several mice climbing up her crozier. Apparently, the devil sent the mice to try to tempt her (?) to no avail. She is the patron saint of hospitals, pilgrims and is prayed to in cases of mouse and rat infestation. Relics of the saint were brought to Wetteren in 1664, which made of the town a popular place of pilgrimage. We are visiting the Markt 17 Café Restaurant for a group meal. They also have a beer menu of some 58 choices including ten Trappist beers, but you could try one of the local beers on offer:
• Stien IPA 6.1%abv
• Stien Tripel 7.5%abv
• Uitzet 6.8%abv
• Pikaflor Blond 6.3%abv
• Gijzelaarke Tripel 8.7%abv
15.15hr Leave Markt 17 Café Restaurant in Wetteren.
16.00hr Arrive at the Winter Circus in Gent City. This is an amazing place which recently opened following a €31 million renovation (partly funded by the EU). This indoor city circus was built in 1885 and the acts were particularly popular in the winter months. In 1920, the building was almost destroyed by fire and was reconstructed. From 1947 a chap called Ghislain Mahy (1907-1999) a passionate mechanic from a young age, used the place as a car workshop. He went on to restore dozens of cars throughout his life. This continued until 1978, after which Mahy used the huge space as a storage garage for his vintage cars. After meticulous designs by a Gent firm of architects were approved, and following five years of building works, Gent Winter Circus opened again in 2024. It is a covered public square with three entrances, an underground concert hall seating 500 spectators, home to small businesses and ents venues. The building uses geothermal bore holes which use the warmth from the earth to heat and cool the building, and you’ll see references to the old Winter Circus performances and the car repair use too, especially Fiats. The place is open for wandering around in daily until 20.00hrs. Be tempted by the aroma of fresh bread from Bakker Klaas, sushi at Sakas or a beer at their two bars. Now that’s what I’m talking about.
These are the Bar Bougie (The Spark Plug Bar) or the Bar Bassie on the rooftop. The Spark Plug Bar has taken up residence in the former car repair shop and has a short beer list of 25 beers, but they are all interesting ones. On tap is Waar is Loca IPA a 6.5% pale ale from local Dok Brewing Company in Gent. In bottles they have two beers from local Gent Brewery Stroom (one is their Mondello, a pale ale brewed with blood oranges). They also offer three beers from Amsterdam Brewery ‘t Ij, two proper Oude Geuzes (3F and Cantillon) and Rebel Local from the excellent lads at Verzet Brewers. Also, Gentse Strop from family-run brewery Roman. Bar Bougie also say they have Circus Winter Ale, but this was a 2024 limited edition from quirky Circus Brewery in Zwevegem (which we have visited on Tour) so I hope they brew some for this season. It’s 10%abv… You may also want to pop up to the third floor to the Bar Bassie (The Low Bar) which, I am told is chic and has a wonderful interior and view. They have a list of 15 beers which include a Bassie Tripel, brewed locally for them, Chimay Blue and (my fav) White (the Tripel), Orval, Unwanted Tattoo and Golden Tricky both from Verzet Brewers, Saison Dupont Biologique and 3F Oude Geuze.
17.30hr Leave the Winter Circus bars at your own leisure, as we are an 8-minute walk from the hotel. On the way back you pass two famous bars, one is the Marimain at Romain Deconinckplein 3 with its famous terrace, and the other is a couple of doors up the Romain at Romain Deconinckplein 1. Between the two is the bronze statue of the Flemish actor Romain Deconinck. Thereafter it is a free evening. This is the evening when many bars close, but Siobhan has contacted many of them to establish their opening hours, and Podge’s Gent Bar Guide will indicate which are open on Christmas Eve.
19.15hr Arrive back at Ibis Kathedraal, Gent. Nightcap, anyone? A selection of beer in De Planck, Boat Cafe in Gent. 10.00hr Following a buffet breakfast*, a free morning in lovely Gent to explore the Christmas Markets or look round the Cathedral, and possibly visit the greatest artwork in the world, the Ghent Altarpiece, or 'The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' by the Van Eyck brothers, completed in 1432.
14.00hr Arrive/Meet up at the Café Restaurant Vrijdagsgevoel (Friday Market Feeling) on the huge and impressive Friday Market in Gent. This is a large corner restaurant with big windows onto the famous square. We’ll have a meal here as they serve traditional Flemish cuisine and have a beer menu of around 30 beers to choose from. Then it’s the rest of the day and evening free to wander about. It’s an 8-minute walk to our hotel.
The Vrijdagmarkt is one of Ghent's most iconic squares, steeped in history and surrounded by old guildhalls most of which are now restaurants and (beer) cafes. It’s big - covering one hectare and since the 1100s this square has been the setting for markets (still has one every Friday) social gatherings and political events. The impressive statue in the centre is Jacob van Artevelde (assassinated 1345) pointing his outstretched arm towards England, because he sided with us.
If you like Art Nouveau architecture, in one corner of the Vrijdagmarkt is the beautiful Bond Moyson Building. It is a grand monumental façade in two parts commissioned by the Gent socialist party in 1899. It is full of ideal Socialist (workers) imagery. Directly under the red letter “M” stands a crowing cockerel symbolizing a “new dawn” of equality and happiness for all (looking forward to that one when it comes!). Look on the façade for a coat of arms with “three eights,” symbolizing the early 1900s workers' slogan: “Eight hours work, eight hours leisure, and eight hours rest.” The inscription in gold “Werklieden Aller Landen Vereenigt U” means Workers of all countries, unite! See what I mean? The complex was originally designed to house the trade union, a cinema, shop, pharmacy, entertainment palace and hospital fund for workers. Today it is HQ to the Socialist Health Service and the Socialist Trade Union. You are now near the famous Dulle Griet beer bar where if you order a giant house beer, they take your shoe as a deposit against the expensive glass and hoist it above your head in a basket, returning it when you have finished.
16.30hrish Leave Café Restaurant Vrijdagsgevoel in central Gent.
The rest of the day is free in Gent, but at:
20.00hr Siobhan will be holding court at Bier Central in Botermarkt if you want to join her.
10.00hr Following a buffet breakfast* in our hotel we head off by coach for a day out.
10.30hr Arrive at the great beer warehouse Dranken Geers in Oostakker 11.30hr Leave Dranken Geers in Oostakker.
12.00hr Arrive at the mighty Brewery Van Steenberg in Ertvelde. Here we will have a brewery visit* and beer tasting* followed by a buffet meal in the comfortable new Bar Baptist tasting room. This great Belgian brewery was founded in 1784 by Jean Baptiste De Bruin and are now on their seventh generation. I remember visiting here over 30 years ago on our first Podge’s Belgian Beer Tour. I recall an elderly gentleman in a suit arriving at the brewery on a bicycle. We were told he was the former head of the brewery who visited every day. I think this was Jozef Van Steenberge (1915-2011), an important local man and innovator. They are traditionalists who seriously know how to brew and how to keep developing. They are experts in live beer and say that they brew high-fermentation beers like no other, using their own yeasts. They also say, quite rightly, that they have mastered the process of natural lagering and excel at bottle fermentation. I guess their most famous beer is Gulden Draak, which has evolved throughout the years. I remember it as very dark and very strong, it now comes in varying shades and strengths and described as a strong, dark tripel with secondary fermentation in the bottle using a wine yeast. They also brew:
• Piraat 7 Blonde (7%abv) and Amber (10.5%abv)
• Augustijn Abbey beer which comes in Blonde (7%abv), Grand Cru (9%abv) and Dark (8%abv)
• Bornem abbey Beer Dubbel (7.2%abv) and Triple (9%abv)
• Fourchette Blonde (7%abv)
• Gentse Tripel (8%abv) brewed for the city of Gent
• Baptist beer was first brewed in 2017 on the occasion of the opening of Bar Baptist and as a tribute to Jan Baptist de Bruyne, the brewery founder. It comes in a Blond (5%abv), White/Wheat (5%abv) and an IPA at (6.7%abv).
16.00hrish Leave Brewery Van Steenberg in Ertvelde.
We'll pay a visit in the early evening to the award-winning beer café Het Vermaek, just north of Gent. This café only opened in 2015, but in 2020 won the Best Beer Café in Flanders award. Owner Gerd Vermeulen is a knowledgeable beer expert and has agreed to open for us. His beer menu extends to 200 choices including 30 changing ‘blackboard’ beers. The choice includes a range of matured cellar beers in 75 cl bottles for sharing. They also offer eight fresh draught beers on tap. The café is also an Orval ambassador and a governor of La Trappe, which means they are keen on Trappist beers. This is a cozy café, perfect for a winter visit. Unusually, it has a reputation as an excellent coffee bar too. A nice black beer - go on - it's Christmas! 10.00hr After breakfast* check out of the hotel.
11.00hr Arrive at a new visit for Podge Tours, de Bolzak in Beernem. Google will tell you this translates as Ballbag, but surely something has been lost in translation here? Cute stand-alone roadside café and the date on the front is 1921, so almost certainly a post WW1 rebuild after damage. They are keen on quality beers and carry a card of 55+ beers. They are Orval Ambassadeurs and Trappist Gouverneur so expect a lot of Trappist beers, especially aged Orval. Plenty of West Flanders beers too, or you could go for one of their lambics.
13.00hr Leave Café de Bolzak in Beernem.
14.00hr Arrive at the Cultuurcafe De Grote Post in central Ostende. This is a brilliant new Grande Cafe within the former Ostende Post Office Building. In 2001 the building was purchased by the city of Oostende, renovated and given a new purpose as Cultural Center De Grote Post. It is a protected building and considered a post war gem of modernist architecture, constructed 1947-1953 on the site of the old post office, was destroyed in the Second World War. The food is interesting here and we are going to have a buffet, for those who wish to participate (I would!). They specialise in meaty and veggie dishes, inspired by world cuisine. The buffet will consist of two hot dishes being Flemish Beef Stew made with local Ostend Keyte Beer and a veggie Middle Eastern dish with tomatoes & chickpeas (kikkererwten in Dutch, which means frog peas). They will also supply salads such as Fattoush Salad (including crispy flatbread & sumac), Spinach salad with Parmesan, grilled veggies with hummus, premium tomatoes, coleslaw…Now onto the beer. This place has a menu of 30 beers, but there are absolutely no multi-national label ‘filler’ beers, just excellent beer picks, almost all from West Flanders breweries. They offer two from Stadsbrouwerij ’t Koelschip in Oostende, two from Omer Vander Ghinste in Bellegem, three from Verzet, in Anzegem, three from Brouwerij Strubbe in Ichtegem and one from The Brew Society in Heule. They have the lovely Jus De Mer from Middelkerke and one from newcomer De Haeckse Brouwers in Bruges, but I don’t know the location where these are brewed. Find out from the bottle, will you, and let me know. The same goes for the beer I’d pick which is the Zeevonk 7.2%abv on draft. This is a Dutch word which literally means "sea sparkle" and refers to the bioluminescent phenomenon of certain marine plankton that emit a bright blue glow when disturbed, often seen at night in the sea. Apparently, part of the sales revenue of Zeevonk beer goes to a group of volunteers who pick up and remove litter from Belgian beaches. That’s nice. Finally, they offer the mighty Sint Bernardus Abt 12 on draft. It’s a great ‘nap-on-the-coach-to-Calais-beer.’ Don’t tell the others…
16.15hr Tear ourselves away from the Cultuurcafe De Grote Post in Ostende.
17.50hr Arrive Calais Le Shuttle (Eurotunnel) Terminal.
19.50hr Leave Calais on Le Shuttle (Eurotunnel) train.
19.25hr Arrive Folkestone Le Shuttle (Eurotunnel) Terminal.
19.40hr Coach drop off at Shell Garage, Stop 24 Services, J11, M20, Kent, CT21 4BL.
20.00hr Coach drop off at the pull in outside Dobbies Garden Centre, Opp. Premier Inn Ashford Eureka Leisure Park, Rutherford Road, Ashford, Kent, TN25 4BN.
21.30hr Coach drop Junction Lady Lane & Mildmay Road, Chelmsford CM2 0EA.
21.45hr Coach drop off Travelodge Hotel, 128-136 Parkway, Chelmsford CM2 7GY.
22.00hr Coach drop Premier Inn Victoria Road, Chelmsford CM1 1NY.
23.15hr Coach drop off Galloways coach depot at Denters Hill, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5RR.
Day 3 - Thursday 25 December
Day 4 - Friday 26 December
Day 5 - Saturday 27 December
Tour Price is £1065 per person price sharing a double or twin room.
Single Supplement: £335 if you would like a room of your own.
The deposit payable to secure a place on this Tour is £225 per person.
Send Siobhan an email to find out how to pay the deposit.
Included in the cost of this Tour are:
Hotel accommodation and breakfasts;
Hotel city taxes;
Luxury coach travel on a 49 seater coach with toilet;
All brewery visits, tours and brewery beer tastings;
Entrance fees to attractions, museums and historical sites;
All items marked with an asterisk above and on the individual detailed tour itinerary when issued;
Copies of Podge’s City Bar Guides and Maps for the town where we stay or spend some time;
Still and sparkling water on the coach;
Pick up from one of our agreed joining points on the way to Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel.
Courier Services from Siobhan McGinn, your Tour Guide.
Travellers are responsible for the costs of all food and drink apart from items marked with an asterisk on the detailed itinerary plus all passport and insurance costs.
All itinerary times are local and approximate.
Personal insurance is not included in the Tour price but is required to be taken out by Travellers on Podge's Belgian Beer Tours, as is carrying the free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) which is the 2021 replacement for the old EHIC. You can still use your EHIC card so long as it is in date, then you need to apply for the GHIC replacement online.
All Tours are subject to our Terms and Conditions.
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