If you have the wonderful chance to take part in the Spring Beer Walk (Lentebierwandeling) in Leiden, you’ll visit six pubs (better known in the Netherlands as beer cafés) in the centre of Leiden, each of which will offer you a spring beer from a small Dutch brewery.
Some of the many great things about Dutch beer are the seasonal varieties that are only available for short periods of time per year, such as spring beer, also known as springbok or lentebok. Breweries make a typical fresh, pale beer for the spring season and that's what visitors on the tour can look forward to.
Naturally, the hosts at each establishment do their utmost to pamper you with a nice glass of spring beer and a snack to go with it. Start at 2pm and go with the flow as you’re guided around some of the nicest beer spots in the city.
Embarking on the Spring Beer Walk costs 39,50 euros per person when you book online in advance. You will receive a unique beer glass, a route description, a stamp card and six beer coupons. You get a stamp in every pub and, when you complete the walk, you will receive a certificate and a nice gift on presentation of a full stamp card.
You visit six beer cafés via a fixed route, either the red route or the blue route. Confirmation of the starting place is sent to all participants on the last Thursday afternoon before the event. You'll be visiting a selection from the following locations, depending on your assigned route:
You will receive an e-mail confirming your order, your starting point (until that point it is a surprise which beer café the tour starts at) along with some additional information.
Spring Beer Walk tickets cost 39,50 euros per person when you book online in advance. This gives you access to six beer cafes where you'll sample a beer and a snack in each.
If you decide to take part at the last minute, a limited number of tickets can be purchased from 1.30pm-2.30pm at the Spring Beer Walk stand at Haagweg 8. On the day itself, there is no possibility of buying Spring Beer Walk tickets in the beer cafes, so take note of this final chance for tickets!