Holland & Belgium Along the Dutch Waterways

U.S./Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Depart for Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Please check your bags from your gateway city to your arrival city. Be sure to attach the provided luggage tags for each piece of luggage, including carry-ons. Your claim checks should have the following airport code: AMS.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands/Embark

Arrive at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). Proceed through the immigration checkpoint to the baggage claim area and retrieve your luggage. After completing a customs screening, meet a Gohagan & Company representative.

Transfer into the city, where those arriving early may enjoy a panoramic sightseeing tour on the way to the port. From there, you will embark the Amadeus riverboat. Enjoy a light lunch on board before disembarking for a private cruise through Amsterdam’s world-famous UNESCO-inscribed canals, which have been connecting the city since the early 17th century. Cruise under iconic bridges and past brightly colored houses, stately stone buildings and hundreds of cyclists!

Return to the riverboat to settle in to your cabin and attend a safety briefing and lifeboat drill.

Welcome Reception: Join your fellow travelers for a Welcome Reception followed by a Welcome Dinner on board this evening. Raise a glass to your upcoming adventure along the Dutch waterways!

Nijmegen for Kröller-Müller Museum

Wake this morning to breakfast on board as we arrive in Nijmegen, a vibrant Dutch city layered with more than 2,000 years of history. Disembark for a visit to the Kröller-Müller Museum, considered one of the best in the Netherlands.

Kröller-Müller Museum. In 1938, avid art collector Helene Kröller-Müller generously bequeathed her private collection of Vincent van Gogh works, the second largest in the world, to create the Kröller-Müller Museum. It became one of the first modern art museums of the 20th century and today has a world-class collection that includes masterpieces by Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian and many others. (Mild Activity Level)

After the museum tour, return to the riverboat to savor a delicious lunch on board. Afterward, disembark for a walking tour of Nijmegen.

Nijmegen. Artifacts have been found in Nijmegen — the oldest city in the Netherlands — dating back to the Stone Age. It is believed that a population of hunter-gatherers settled in this area during the Mesolithic period. While remains of flint tools that are at least tens of thousands of years old have been found in Nijmegen, the city was not recorded in history until the Romans built a military camp here in the first century B.C. Centuries later, it was occupied by the Germans during World War II, which set the scene for an Allied bombing in 1944 that destroyed much of its city center. Today Nijmegen is home to a lively university culture with many traces of its storied past intact.

Stroll through the historic city center to see ancient Roman ruins of chapels and other structures in Valkhof Park, as well as a bunker from World War II. You will also see the Dutch Renaissance De Waag building—the Weigh House that served as a gateway to the city in the early 17th century. (Moderate)

Return to the boat and attend a forum to learn about modern life and the cultural heritage of the Netherlands as we depart Nijmegen. Enjoy dinner on board this evening.

Kinderdijk/Willemstad/Delta Works

After breakfast on board this morning, disembark for an excursion to see the famous windmills of Kinderdijk.

Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout. For more than 700 years, the canals, windmills and pumping stations at Kinderdijk have drained the land for agriculture and protected it from flooding. Today this network of 19 authentic windmills built between 1722 and 1761 to keep water out of the polder is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is the largest assembly of windmills in the Netherlands, and these finely preserved structures are now considered national monuments. Visit one of the windmills and learn more about the importance of water handling in this region. Construction of hydraulic works for land drainage began in the Middle Ages and continues to this day. (Mild)

After the tour, return to the riverboat for lunch as we cruise to Willemstad. Here, you will have two choices for your afternoon excursion.

Traveler’s Choice | Choose ONE of the following included excursions:

• Delta Works. The flood-control project known as Delta Works, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, is credited to Dutch hydraulic engineer Johan van Veen, who began devising ways to manage river run-off, storm surges and flooding in the Delta region of the Netherlands as early as 1937. It would not be until the catastrophic North Sea flood of 1953 killed more than 1,800 people that the threat was taken seriously, and his vision was brought to life. From soon after that through 1986, a total of 13 dams were built to close inlets that have been exposed to the destructive forces of the North Sea for centuries. Today, in addition to being the largest flood protection system in the world, Delta Works attracts visitors to its beaches and nature preserves. (Mild)
• Veere city tour. From the 16th to 18th centuries, the tiny harbor town of Veere was the staple port for Scotland, meaning it was the entry port into Europe for Scottish wool and other items being brought to the European mainland. Learn about the town’s unique relationship with Scotland as you view the Schotse Huizen, or Scottish houses. Stroll the city center, passing historic buildings dating to the 15th and 16th centuries, including the town hall. See the enormous Grote Kerk, a late-gothic church founded in 1342. Nowadays, yachts have replaced the fishing boats and trading boats that once filled the harbor in this charming seaside town. (Moderate)

While you are touring, the riverboat will sail to the fishing village of Bruinisse, where you will re-embark for dinner on board this evening as we cruise to Belgium.

Ghent, Belgium/Bruges

Wake this morning to breakfast on board as the boat arrives in Ghent. Disembark for a walking tour of Ghent, one of Belgium’s oldest cities.

Ghent. Explore the medieval heart of Ghent and see the UNESCO-inscribed Belfry of Ghent, the tallest belfry in Belgium. Admire the windows and Gothic steeples of St. Bavo’s Cathedral and see Hubert and Jan van Eyck’s magnificent altarpiece “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” — the most frequently stolen artwork of all time. (Moderate)

After lunch, take a scenic drive through the Flemish countryside to Bruges, the capital of West Flanders.

Bruges. The Romans settled in what is now the city of Bruges, building a modest harbor as early as the third century. By the time the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century, largely due to Germanic invasions, Bruges faded into obscurity. It was rediscovered as a Viking settlement during the Middle Ages and flourished during the Renaissance, contributing to the burgeoning art and culture of the time. The medieval center, featuring an abundance of original Gothic architecture, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Your immersion into historic Bruges features a stroll by the Gothic Hall, seat of city government for more than 600 years, and past the city’s UNESCO-designated belfry and tower. You will also visit the Church of Our Lady to see Michelangelo’s Virgin and Child marble sculpture. Conclude your tour with a walk past the historic Market Square in the old city center—cradled on both sides by the river Reie. (Mild)

Enjoy dinner on board this evening.

Antwerp

This morning we arrive in Antwerp, where after breakfast, you will embark on a walking tour.

Antwerp. Known as Belgium’s “second city,” Antwerp is among the five largest seaports in the world. Famous for its diamond trade and fine arts legacy, the old city evolved within 16th-century fortifications. It is home to four of the world’s 18 diamond exchanges and an abundance of Flemish Renaissance treasures.

Stroll through narrow, winding streets to see the Cathedral of Our Lady, a 14th-century icon that was restored some 500 years later. The largest cathedral in Belgium, the cathedral contains an impressive collection of art — including such works by Peter Paul Rubens as “The Assumption of the Virgin Mary,” “The Raising of the Cross” and “The Descent from the Cross.” Its belfry is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, as is the nearby 16th-century Belfry of Antwerp City Hall, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city. (Moderate)

Return to the riverboat for lunch on board and an afternoon at leisure as we sail toward Rotterdam.

Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for Delft/ Keukenhof Gardens

After breakfast on board, you will depart this morning for an excursion to Delft, hometown to the painter Johannes Vermeer and the legendary Delftware pottery.

Royal Porceleyne Fles workshop. Discover the history of the iconic blue and white earthenware that has been made at these factories since the Dutch East India Company brought Chinese porcelain to Holland in the 17th century. Enjoy a visit to the Royal Porceleyne Fles workshop, where you will see delftware being hand-crafted and get the opportunity to try making it yourself. Our tour continues to the perfectly preserved, medieval old town of Delft, which flourished during the Golden Age as a center for art, science and culture. (Mild)

From there you will travel to Keukenhof Gardens, known as the “Garden of Europe,” for a tour of the gardens.

Keukenhof Gardens. A breathtaking tapestry of color and fragrance when its more than 1,000 floral varieties reach full bloom between mid-April and early May, the Keukenhof is truly a sight to behold. Meticulously landscaped with tranquil ponds, placid streams and winding, tree-shaded paths, this vibrantly hued oasis originally formed part of the Teylingen Castle estate, where, in the early 15th century, Countess Jacoba of Bavaria tended an herb and vegetable garden. The gardens of Keukenhof (translating to “kitchen garden”) were re-designed in 1857 by Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher, paving the way for the gardens we know today. In 1949, leading flower bulb growers and exporters created a plan to use the estate to exhibit spring-flowering tulips. When the park opened to the public in 1950, it was an immediate success—drawing 236,000 people during the first year alone. The nearly 500-acre Keukenhof has since developed into a display of bulbs adored by visitors from around the world. (Mild)

Travel to Utrecht later this afternoon, where the riverboat will be waiting.

Farewell Reception: Join your fellow travelers for a Farewell Reception followed by a Farewell Dinner on board this evening.

Hoorn/Amsterdam

Enjoy breakfast on board as the river boat arrives in Hoorn.

Hoorn. Named for its horn-shaped harbor, the city of Hoorn was chartered in 1357 and was a lively port throughout the medieval era. But it wasn’t until the Dutch Golden Age in the late 16th century that it would truly flourish and prosper. Hoorn was one of six headquarters for the Dutch East India Company, and their ships sailed across the world and brought back such exotic spices as pepper, nutmeg and cloves to sell at a large profit — wealth that simultaneously ushered in an age of fine art and innovations in science.

Disembark for a walking tour in this charming city to experience the ambiance of its historic harbor and admire the Hoofdtoren—an early 16th-century tower and one of the last city defenses still standing. (Moderate)

Return to the boat for lunch on board and an afternoon at leisure as we cruise back to Amsterdam.

Savor your final dinner on board tonight.

Amsterdam/Disembark ship/ Return to the U.S.

Following breakfast on board, disembark and transfer to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) for your return flight home.