in Spring
Revel in the vivid colors of spring in the Netherlands and Belgium during a riverboat cruise through centuries-old inland waterways aboard Swiss Sapphire or Swiss Emerald. View windmills standing sentinel over lush landscapes that stretch as far as the eye can see, and celebrate the season with a visit to Keukenhof Gardens. Ride a canal boat through the medieval town of Bruges, and experience the past at the Zuiderzee Museum. Taste Dutch gin, learn how Belgian chocolate and Dutch cheese are made, and enjoy an exclusive interactive culinary experience at the only terraced castle in the Netherlands. Visit renowned art museums and World War II sites, with city sightseeing in Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Maastricht on this most interesting and colorful of Belgium and Holland cruises.
If you’d like to make your European vacation last a little longer, consider a Paris City Extension before your cruise begins, or a Warsaw / Cracow City Extension after your cruise ends.
Day 1: Welcome to Amsterdam
This most memorable of Belgium and Holland cruises begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Renaisssance Amsterdam Hotel. Upon arrival, a transfer is included from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to the five-star Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel – a perfect place from which to begin your exploration of the Netherlands' capital city. Cap the day with our welcome reception and dinner this evening.
Meals: Dinner
• Day 2: The blooms and art of Amsterdam
Journey to Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse this morning, where millions of blooming tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths create colorful carpets of flowers. Take a luncheon cruise through the city's tree-lined 17th-century canals, then admire works by Rembrandt and other Dutch Masters at the Rijksmuseum. Later, embark MS Swiss Emerald or MS Swiss Sapphire for the start of your springtime cruise, joining us for a pre-dinner toast with Dutch gins.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 3: Historic villages & windmills
Your discovery of Holland cruises to Hoorn, a port town on the IJsselmeer featuring 16th- and 17th-century houses. Choose either a town walking tour, or a journey to the Alkmaar region for visits to the Schermer Museum Windmill and the Zeezicht cheese farm for a cheese-making demonstration. Cruise to the picturesque seafaring town of Enkhuizen to visit the Zuiderzee Museum, a reconstructed 19th-century fishing village featuring costumed guides.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 4: WWII & architecture, or nature & van Gogh
Travel along the picturesque banks of the Lek and Rhine Rivers on this most enjoyable of Holland cruises. In the afternoon, choose between two excursions. You can take a walking tour of the old Hanseatic town of Deventer followed by a visit to the World War II Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek. Alternatively, you can explore De Hoge Veluwe National Park, the country’s largest nature reserve, and then view hundreds of works by Vincent van Gogh at the Kröller-Müller Museum within the park in Arnhem.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 5: Maas River cruising & antiquities
Your journey through Belgium and Holland cruises to Nijmegen, the Netherlands’ oldest city. Explore the ancient ruins of Valkhof, Charlemagne’s 8th-century stronghold, and the artifact-filled Museum Het Valkhof. See Sint-Stevenskerk, a 14th-century church, and the well-preserved Grote Markt before resuming your cruise along the Maas River through the beautiful Dutch countryside.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 6: Magic of Maastricht
Explore the Old Town of Maastricht, Netherlands, including the 16th-century Spanish Government House, and Helpoort, an entry through the medieval town wall built in 1229. Visit 1,000-year-old Sint-Servaasbasiliek (the Basilica of St. Servatius); one of the oldest churches in the Netherlands, it's the latest in a series of churches that have stood near the site of the grave of St. Servatius since the sixth century.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 7: Paying tribute to the past
Drive to Margraten to pay your respects at the Netherlands American Cemetery, final resting place of thousands of U.S. World War II soldiers. As an Exclusive, lunch today is a memorable interactive culinary experience at Château Neercanne, a castle whose terraced gardens are protected by UNESCO; you'll don a chef's hat, visit the kitchen where your meal is being prepared, and dig into an extraordinary lunch served in a Roman grotto within the castle. This afternoon, cruise the Albert Canal from the Netherlands into Belgium, enjoying the views from the riverboat's sun deck or lounge. Arrive in the important port of Antwerp, and savor Belgian specialties at dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Day 8: A day in Antwerp
See Antwerp’s grand 1905 Central Railway Station, opera house, and city park on a sightseeing tour. Visit a museum in the restored home of renowned 17th-century artist Peter Paul Rubens, viewing his works and those of some of his contemporaries (may be subject to closure on some departures), and discover the secrets of Belgian chocolate making at a local chocolatier. After some free time in the city, attend a farewell reception and Captain’s dinner aboard the riverboat, marking the conclusion of this most remarkable of Belgium and Holland cruises.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 9: Bruges beckons
Disembark the riverboat in Antwerp and journey to medieval Bruges, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring many treasures from its heyday between the 12th and 15th centuries. View Bruges' celebrated architecture on a tour through cobbled lanes and a boat cruise along quaint canals and under arched bridges; have lunch on your own in this city renowned as the birthplace of Flemish painting. The final leg of your most delightful of Belgium and Holland cruises takes you to Brussels, where you'll discover the Belgian capital on a walking tour and enjoy dinner on your own tonight. Your five-star hotel is adjacent to Brussels' Grand Place, one of the most beautiful market squares in all of Europe.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 10: Say goodbye to Brussels
Tour ends in Brussels, Belgium. A transfer is included to Brussels Airport. Allow 2 1⁄2 hours for departure flight check-in.
Meals: Breakfast
*****All itineraries are subject to change without notice.
This tour is also offered Northbound
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