Hey everyone, looking for some local help in mapping out a road trip from Paris to Brussels. I will be driving from Paris to Brussels and back in October and am looking for some good places to stop along the way. On the way from Paris to Brussels we will be stopping for a day in Reims to check out the town and countryside and drink come Champagne. My plan is to leave from Reims on the morning of Wednesday October 23rd and take our time in driving to Brussels, stopping a few places along the way. While I am very familiar with both Paris and Brussels, I do not know anything about the region between the Reims up to Halle. I would like to stop at a Trappist brewery or two, but do not have very high expectations for the visit to the actual breweries themselves as I have heard they don’t have much to provide in terms of experience. As of now, I think our route from Reims will go through Chimay, Charleroi, Beersel and then into Brussels. On the return trip on Saturday October 26th, I am thinking we will take the route through Mons so that we can make a stop at St-Feuillien. From there we will be passing through Valenciennes and Cambrai in France and taking the A1 into Paris. If anyone knows of any breweries, bars, countryside cafes, wineries, restaurants, or scenic places that shouldn’t be missed along these routes, please let me know. Or if I should be taking an entirely different route, I am open to any and all suggestions. Thanks, Andy
Around Beersel, there's Oud Beersel and 3F Restaurant. Nearby is the 3F Lambik-o-droom in Lot, Den Herberg and Cafe De Kluis in Buizingen, and further out near Halle i'd recommend Cafe De Bascule. I don't have any experience in Wallonia, but Taverne Saint-Géry in Aubechies-Beloeil looks like a promising stop on the return trip. Brasserie Au Baron in Gussignies, FR is another one i've heard good things about. Hope this is helpful!
Lots of evocative places in/around Hainaut province, an insufficiently sung corner of Belgium. Some nice breweries to visit include Brasserie à Vapeur — looks like you'll be passing by for the last-Saturday-of-the-month open brewing day, which is great fun and a nice lunch! — Caracole, Abbaye des Rocs, de Blaugies (really good restaurant on site), Silly, and a bit into the next province Tilquin. I'm sure I'm leaving out some, unsure who does visits. But all those places are distinctive, interesting(or at least quirky) to look at as well as to drink. Some of these places might require some booking (and perhaps a group) to visit. ... Trappists indeed generally not visitable but Orval is the exception, you can see the grounds and visit the cafe — I'm sure plenty of people have posted more details somewhere on this site.
I agree with Bierman, a short distance to the west is a Belgium/France beer mecca. A one night base camp at The Brouwehuis in Watou w/ stops at Struuise, (Sat only), St Bernard Brewery & stops in France at Cassel & Esquelbecq, (Brasserie Thiriez) would make for a nice little detour. Enjoy your travels!
