JULY 22 - 30, 2026
THE MOTHERLAND OF BEER
TOUR OVERVIEW
When most people think of German beer culture, they picture southern Bavaria, and Munich. But for us, nirvana is found several hours to the north: Franconia, and Bamberg. If we make one beer pilgrimage per year, this is where we go. Franconia boasts more artisanal breweries per mile or capita than any place in the world. Farmhouse, tavern, and monastery brew houses dot the landscape, as they have for centuries. Medieval alleys and trails lead to ancient beer halls, kellers, and summer festivals. And true craft brewers — some carrying on centuries-old family traditions — secretly conjure up authentic old-world lager, via time-honored methods.
There’s Germany, and then there’s Franconia. Other Germans come here to rekindle their love for traditional beer culture; international craft brewers come for brewing inspiration. We’ll show you why as we bus, hike, train and swim our way through the world’s Motherland of Beer.
**Special Pre-Tour Option** (Coming soon!)
DAY 1
WEDNESDAY JULY 22, 2026
Welcome to Bamberg - try the RAUCHbIer
Early-birds can kick off their week with various brewery and pub visits and a possible tour of the Weyermann maltery. But our journey officially begins on the evening of July 22nd with a full-group dinner at Bamberg’s famed rauchbier mecca Schlenkerla, which has been pouring beer onsite since the 15th-century. 6th-generation brewmaster/patriarch Matthias Trum will give a fascinating historical talk directly preceding the dinner. Hearty local fare, classic smoked lagers and a great summer night in one of Germany’s most beautiful small cities round out this memorable introduction to Franconian beer culture.
DAY 2
THURSDAY JULY 23, 2026
WOODLANDS, FARMHOUSES &
SLOW FOOD
Today the group is off on its first road trip, rolling through the placid Franconian countryside west of Bamberg before arriving at our favorite German farmhouse brewery, Zehendner. Here we’ll drink the amazing Mönchsambacher Lagerbier, tapped and poured (often by the house matriarch) straight from the cask. We’ll tour the small brewery, have at least one more beer and shoot some hoops in the biergarten before heading into the forest to commune with flora and fauna at the winding, wooden observation tower Baumwipfelpfad Steigerwald.
Having worked up our second thirst of the day, we’ll then head to roadside-village brewery Bayer, where we’ll quaff the sublime, unfiltered Landbier and savor the family restaurant’s Slow Food-approved seasonal Franconian cuisine. We return in the evening for another optional late night out in Bamberg.
DAY 3
FRIDAY JULY 24, 2026
Exploring Fränkische Schweiz
This is our big hike day. Heading south from Bamberg, we enter the scenic, wooded and hilly Fränkische Schweiz (“Franconian Switzerland”) region, stopping first at GenussHof Pingold, a beautiful family hop farm and one of the world’s largest organic hop growers.
After a farm tour and liqueur tasting it’s a quick ride to the magnificent Klosterbrauerei Weissenohe, the world’s second oldest brewery! Here we’ll tap a special rare keg selected for our group before sitting down to a fairly epic and beer-heavy casual meal, or “brozeit.”. And this is just the starting point for the Fünf-Seidla-Steig (“Five ½ Liters Trail”), a six mile, day-long ramble that leads to three more local breweries before finishing with a bang at Thuisbrunner Elchbräu, whose biergarten has the feel of a botanical paradise. Speaking of botanicals, those with an interest in German kräuterlikor may get a private tour of the brewer’s onsite distillery.
DAY 4
SATURDAY JULY 25, 2026
Only In Franconia
This is a day of exclusives. After a late morning of rest or Bamberg sightseeing, we’ll board the bus and head once again to the countryside, with special American-expat guest Jim “Bocky” Barnes aboard. We’ll visit the small village of Schlüsselfeld, where we’ll taste beers at Bocky’s two adopted breweries, Hertl (the tiniest and “craziest” in Franconia) and Scheubel, the very epitome of a classic Franconian small-town brewery/gasthaus/garten.
Then we’re off to a very special, hidden gem: the Brullikeller, a centuries-old private woodland hideaway where a secret society of beer enthusiasts taps its own cave-fermented lager just for us. Guests will have the option of draining the keg or going for a swim in the nearby lake. Or they can do both, as beer steins are allowed in the water! In the evening we return to Bamberg and an array of free-night options: dinner and beer at a scenic hilltop keller, craft cocktails, late night café drinking on the river…
DAY 5
SUNDAY JULY 26, 2026
KELLER Pilgrimage
In the morning and early afternoon guests will have a free half day to rest or further explore Bamberg. An abundance of unspoiled historical and architectural features in its various old town neighborhoods make plain why this world beer capital is also an UNESCO Heritage Site.
In the late afternoon we’ll make a short train ride from Bamberg to Forchheim, scene of the sprawling, mountainside-forest spectacle Annafest. This massive summer celebration features the world’s longest beer caves, multiple bandstands, carnival amusements and a cast of thousands whooping it up in the local-brewery-run biergartens. As good-natured chaos generally ensues here, we’ll plan set meeting places and return times for the short train journey back to Bamberg.
DAY 6
MONDAY JULY 27, 2026
The "Secret" Capital Of Beer
In the morning we depart our Bamberg hotel for the last time, making the trip towards Kulmbach, where we’ll set up for a couple of days. On our way there. we’ll make a special detour to either Brandholz or Huppendorfer brewery for a tour, tasting and lunch. Franconia is so thick with world-class lager producers that in fact you could pull over into half of the villages in the region and come across something special without even pre-planning. But sometime in the beginning of 2026 we will update our schedule with details on the brewery to be visited. Wherever we stop, it will be followed by a very short drive to the “secret” capital of beer, Kulmbach, which will be smack in the middle of its busiest week of the year.
The afternoon is free, but there will be plenty of options: a shopping spree for dirndls and lederhosen, a fun dip in the town pool, maybe even a side trip to the historical (and brewing) town of Bayreuth. In the evening there will be the possibility of grabbing spots one night early at the Kulmbacher Bierwoche festival, or, for those who want to wait for the main event the next day, a bar and food crawl in the old town.
DAY 7
TUESDAY JULY 28, 2026
HISTORY AND 'HOSEN
Today guests have a tough choice to make in the morning: an exclusive, immersive tour and at Kulmbach’s famed Brewery, Bakery and Spice museums, or a colorful guided tour through the region’s most imposing and impressive landmark, the Plassenburg Castle. At the former Moenchshof Brewery’s museum visitors can discover rare vintage brewing gear, as well as Europe’s oldest surviving brewing vessel. More beered-out sightseers may instead opt to scale the small mountain looming over the town of Kulmbach for an inside look at Franconia’s largest and best-preserved fortress, and its impressive military artifacts collection.
Whatever is chosen, in the early afternoon there will be time for some last-minute souvenir shopping, or to rest up for our tour’s main event: Kulmbacher Bierwoche. We’ll arrive at the fest site at 4:00, optionally decked out in our traditional Bavarian garb, to take over several coveted VIP tables. We’ll then proceed to stomp, sing, eat, drink and whoop the night away, to the thumping sound of an energetic German party band and the unison singing of thousands of happy Franconians.
DAY 8
WEDNESDAY JULY 29, 2026
Escape From Franconia
After going at it this hard in the provincial motherland of beer for seven days, it’s time to make a clean break, get back to the cosmopolitan city of Frankfurt and begin to return to some semblance of a normal life. Or maybe to take in one last night of Teutonic debauchery? Your call.
Having arrived in the early afternoon at our hotel, guests will have the option of laying low in preparation for early morning flights or hopping over to Frankfurt’s old party-neighborhood of Sachsenhausen to partake in the city’s gift to the beverage gods, apfelwein. While totally optional, this excursion will include an apfelwein tasting, dinner, and maybe more apfelwein, or beer, or cocktails. Sachsenhausen’s abundance of late-night international fast-food options offers the perfect close-out to our journey.
DAY 9
THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026
Auf Wiedersehen
Frankfurt being a world transit hub, guests will be perfectly situated this morning to either catch their flights home or continue on to other German, European or intercontinental destinations by air, rail, bus or rental car. ICBT staff will be on hand for anyone needing assistance, ensuring that a great trip ends with a non-stressful departure day.
FRANCONIA 2026 TOUR PRICING
$2200
PER PERSON, BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
(ADD $300 FOR SINGLE OCCUPANCY)
**Tour prices are per person and do not include airfare.
*Single occupancy rooms are limited.
More information about the destinations
we'll visit on our Franconia Tour
**Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented on this webpage. Inner Circle Beer Tours (ICBT) is not responsible for errors in or damages resulting from use of the information contained herein. Information contained on this webpage is subject to change without notice.**
