7-night Holland and Belgium Upstream Cruise: Medievel History and Scenic Waterways

Cosmopolitan Amsterdam is most famous for its narrow, gabled houses lining the canals. Interesting attractions include the medieval weighhouse, Royal Palace on Dam Square, and New Church. Its most glamorous industry is the diamond trade. Not too far from Amsterdam are the flower centers of Aalsmeer, the picturesque fishing villages of Volendam and Marken, cheese markets at Edam and Gouda, and historic Haarlem, the main center of the bulb-growing industry. Enjoy the city’s sights from a glass-topped sightseeing boat which passes characteristic gabled houses and negotiates picturesque arched bridges. Facing Dam Square, the Royal Palace was built in 1648 and is still officially the royal residence, although the royal family resides in The Hague. The marbled Citizens Hall with inlaid maps of the world is worth seeing. One of Amsterdam’s most visited sites is historic Anne Frank House. Rijksmuseum, the city’s most prestigious museum, houses the largest collection of Dutch paintings in the world. Van Gogh Museum houses a striking collection.

Destination Guide

Excursions

Amsterdam: An Introduction to Amsterdam – 4 hours — Optional Private Excursions
Meet your driver at the Port in Amsterdam for a private transfer to the city centre where your guide is waiting to meet you for a walking tour of this beautiful city. Begin at Dam Square, bordered by the Royal Palace and enjoy wonderful views of the canals and gabled houses of the mercantile quarter before visiting the house in which Anne Frank wrote her celebrated diary during the last war*. After your tour, transfer in the comfort of your own private vehicle back to your ship.

*tickets for the Anne Frank House sell out very quickly and are subject to availability. Guides are not allowed to accompany you into the house itself, but will be waiting for you at the end of your visit (approx. 45-90 mins)

Highlights:

• Tour Anne Frank's house

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 4 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

Amsterdam: Highlights of Amsterdam - 8 Hours — Optional Private Excursions
Spend the day exploring Amsterdam in the hands of your expert guide. You are met at the port and transferred to Dam Square where your morning’s walking tour includes the notable Royal Palace.  Admire the views of the canals and the gabled houses of the Canal Ring district, where you will visit the house in which Anne Frank wrote her celebrated diary during the last war*.

After lunch explore the beautifully-restored Rijksmuseum, to admire the stunning collection of masterpieces from the seventeenth-century Golden Age, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer. No visit to Amsterdam would be complete without seeing the delightful Van Gogh Museum, home to many of his famous works as well as those of other Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.

*tickets for the Anne Frank House sell out very quickly and are subject to availability. Guides are not allowed to accompany you into the house itself, but will be waiting for you at the end of your visit (approx. 45-90 mins)

Highlights:

• Visit Anne Frank's House
• Explore the Van Gogh Museum

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 8 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

Amsterdam: The Three Sisters, Delft & Den Haag - 8 Hours — Optional Private Excursions
You are met at Amsterdam port for a full-day excursion outside of the city. Head south into the countryside for a photo opportunity at the impressive Three Sisters Windmills in Stompwijk. As over a third of the Netherlands lies below sea level, windmills were initially designed to pump vast amount of water out, thus protecting land from flooding. Today, these silent giants draw many visitors every year for their charming appearances.

From here, you travel on to Delft, world-renowned for its famous blue and white pottery and one of the most beautiful towns in the Netherlands. Take in the town’s architectural gems and charming ambience, which are best appreciated by walking along its small canals with their graceful humpbacked bridges.

Following this, enjoy a privately-guided tour at the Royal Delft Experience, where a painter shares the passion behind the production of this stunning 17th-century earthenware during a special demonstration.

After lunch at leisure, you continue to the Hague, the home of the Dutch Royal Family and the administrative capital of the Netherlands; walk the Inner court past the Government buildings and take the opportunity for a photo stop at the International Court of Justice. You may like to visit the Mauritshuis Museum, which holds one of the world's finest collections of paintings, including Rembrandt, Steen, Hals, Rubens and Van Dyck, or you may choose to visit the Panorama Mesdag, which hosts the Panorama, one of the largest canvas paintings in the world (subject to opening times).

On your return journey, stop at Scheveningen beach for some spectacular views before continuing back. (8 hours, driver and guide)


Highlights:

• Witness the majestic windmills known as the Three Sisters
• Delve into Delft's artistic heritage

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 8 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

Cosmopolitan Amsterdam is most famous for its narrow, gabled houses lining the canals. Interesting attractions include the medieval weighhouse, Royal Palace on Dam Square, and New Church. Its most glamorous industry is the diamond trade. Not too far from Amsterdam are the flower centers of Aalsmeer, the picturesque fishing villages of Volendam and Marken, cheese markets at Edam and Gouda, and historic Haarlem, the main center of the bulb-growing industry. Enjoy the city’s sights from a glass-topped sightseeing boat which passes characteristic gabled houses and negotiates picturesque arched bridges. Facing Dam Square, the Royal Palace was built in 1648 and is still officially the royal residence, although the royal family resides in The Hague. The marbled Citizens Hall with inlaid maps of the world is worth seeing. One of Amsterdam’s most visited sites is historic Anne Frank House. Rijksmuseum, the city’s most prestigious museum, houses the largest collection of Dutch paintings in the world. Van Gogh Museum houses a striking collection.

Destination Guide

Excursions

Amsterdam: An Introduction to Amsterdam – 4 hours — Optional Private Excursions
Meet your driver at the Port in Amsterdam for a private transfer to the city centre where your guide is waiting to meet you for a walking tour of this beautiful city. Begin at Dam Square, bordered by the Royal Palace and enjoy wonderful views of the canals and gabled houses of the mercantile quarter before visiting the house in which Anne Frank wrote her celebrated diary during the last war*. After your tour, transfer in the comfort of your own private vehicle back to your ship.

*tickets for the Anne Frank House sell out very quickly and are subject to availability. Guides are not allowed to accompany you into the house itself, but will be waiting for you at the end of your visit (approx. 45-90 mins)

Highlights:

• Tour Anne Frank's house

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 4 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

Amsterdam: Highlights of Amsterdam - 8 Hours — Optional Private Excursions
Spend the day exploring Amsterdam in the hands of your expert guide. You are met at the port and transferred to Dam Square where your morning’s walking tour includes the notable Royal Palace.  Admire the views of the canals and the gabled houses of the Canal Ring district, where you will visit the house in which Anne Frank wrote her celebrated diary during the last war*.

After lunch explore the beautifully-restored Rijksmuseum, to admire the stunning collection of masterpieces from the seventeenth-century Golden Age, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer. No visit to Amsterdam would be complete without seeing the delightful Van Gogh Museum, home to many of his famous works as well as those of other Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.

*tickets for the Anne Frank House sell out very quickly and are subject to availability. Guides are not allowed to accompany you into the house itself, but will be waiting for you at the end of your visit (approx. 45-90 mins)

Highlights:

• Visit Anne Frank's House
• Explore the Van Gogh Museum

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 8 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

Amsterdam: The Three Sisters, Delft & Den Haag - 8 Hours — Optional Private Excursions
You are met at Amsterdam port for a full-day excursion outside of the city. Head south into the countryside for a photo opportunity at the impressive Three Sisters Windmills in Stompwijk. As over a third of the Netherlands lies below sea level, windmills were initially designed to pump vast amount of water out, thus protecting land from flooding. Today, these silent giants draw many visitors every year for their charming appearances.

From here, you travel on to Delft, world-renowned for its famous blue and white pottery and one of the most beautiful towns in the Netherlands. Take in the town’s architectural gems and charming ambience, which are best appreciated by walking along its small canals with their graceful humpbacked bridges.

Following this, enjoy a privately-guided tour at the Royal Delft Experience, where a painter shares the passion behind the production of this stunning 17th-century earthenware during a special demonstration.

After lunch at leisure, you continue to the Hague, the home of the Dutch Royal Family and the administrative capital of the Netherlands; walk the Inner court past the Government buildings and take the opportunity for a photo stop at the International Court of Justice. You may like to visit the Mauritshuis Museum, which holds one of the world's finest collections of paintings, including Rembrandt, Steen, Hals, Rubens and Van Dyck, or you may choose to visit the Panorama Mesdag, which hosts the Panorama, one of the largest canvas paintings in the world (subject to opening times).

On your return journey, stop at Scheveningen beach for some spectacular views before continuing back. (8 hours, driver and guide)


Highlights:

• Witness the majestic windmills known as the Three Sisters
• Delve into Delft's artistic heritage

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 8 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

The city of Kampen is situated along the river IJssel close to the point where it flows into the IJsselmeer (formaly the "Zuiderzee"). Kampen received city rights in 1236. Having been a member of the Hanseatic League it used to be an important port.

The most notable thing about the town of Giethoorn is what you don't see: cars. The preferred mode of transportation is flat-bottomed boats.

Stop for a while and watch farmers taking cows to pasture on them. The spectacle is a popular one, and Giethoorn can get crowded in July and August. Plan to spend a couple of hours seeing the town.

Giethoorn is 65 mi/105 km east of Amsterdam.

Destination Guide

Arnhem is one of the most fascinating cities of Holland and has everything to make your stay unforgettable. Whether you enjoy culture, or walking or cycling, whether you want to visit one of the larger attractions, or just want to shop or go out, then Arnhem is the place for you.

Destination Guide

Rotterdam is the Dutch city with a difference. City on the river Maas, number 1 world port. An architectural and cultural metropolis with many attractions, festivals and museums. A vivacous, young urban culture and a superlative selection of shops, restaurants and cafes.

Destination Guide

The main seat of government for the Netherlands is located in The Hague (Den Haag) and it is the nation's third largest city. Famous in Europe for its beaches and tree lined boulevards, The Hague is also considered an important cultural center.

Destination Guide

Delft is a picturesque small city in the Netherlands. The city has retained many of its old buildings, and many streets have canals running through them which add to the town's charm. This historic town is known for its Delft white and blue tin-glazed pottery, made from the 16th century. East of Delft is the Delftse Hout ("Delft Wood") recreation area, with a lake (suitable for swimming and windsurfing), narrow beaches, and community gardens.

Destination Guide

There are more windmills near Kinderdijk than anywhere else in the world. While in Kinderdijk visitors will want to visit windmill park. It's famous 17th century mill is located in a beautiful green setting, which includes walking paths, and crisscrossing waterways. Other attractions include boat excursions from Rotterdam, Canal cruise, and Frisian horse tour.

Destination Guide

Antwerp is famous for its art treasures, diamond industry, and culture, relaxation and entertainment. Shop at Grote Markt, at the heart of which stands Brabo Fountain. Antwerp’s main attractions include stunning City Hall, one of the most important buildings of the Northern Renaissance; Our Lady’s Cathedral, one of the finest gothic churches in Belgium; and the daintily restored 16th-century guildhouses. Visit Diamond Land or Provincial Diamond Museum. Other sights include The Steen - a waterfront gatehouse of a medieval fortress built on site of a 9th-century fortification from which the town spread that now houses the National Maritime Museum; Mayer van den Berg Art Museum; Royal Art Gallery - which has 2,500 paintings spanning five centuries; and Plantin-Moretus Museum - a 16th-century patrician mansion that was a famous printing house of the Plantin and Moretus families.

Destination Guide

Brussels's Upper and a Lower Town conjure up images of important buildings and long avenues and small, dark streets. Lower Town, the old Flemish quarter, contains the city's most famous sites, including its greatest landmark, Grand Place, and the Manneken Pis. It's also the location of around ten churches relatively close to each other; most of them from the Flemish Renaissance and Baroque periods. In Upper Town, you'll find King's palace, royal squares and various palaces from the eighteenth-century neo-classical Austrian period. The built-up business and residential areas are scrupulously broken up by frequent patches of green parks, which help account for the city's sedate, unfrenzied atmosphere. Around the city center are congregated many small, carefully laid-out parks that provide settings for statues and national monuments.

Destination Guide

Brussels's Upper and a Lower Town conjure up images of important buildings and long avenues and small, dark streets. Lower Town, the old Flemish quarter, contains the city's most famous sites, including its greatest landmark, Grand Place, and the Manneken Pis. It's also the location of around ten churches relatively close to each other; most of them from the Flemish Renaissance and Baroque periods. In Upper Town, you'll find King's palace, royal squares and various palaces from the eighteenth-century neo-classical Austrian period. The built-up business and residential areas are scrupulously broken up by frequent patches of green parks, which help account for the city's sedate, unfrenzied atmosphere. Around the city center are congregated many small, carefully laid-out parks that provide settings for statues and national monuments.

Destination Guide