Itinerary
- Day 1
Amsterdam
Your river cruise starts in Amsterdam once you arrive by 3:30 pm and board by 5 pm. Before dinner onboard, you'll pick an optional guided tour - either Keukenhof gardens during tulip season to see millions of blooms, or Zaanse Schans outside that season to check out historic windmills and traditional Dutch houses. After dinner, the ship heads to Middelburg.
- Meals
- Dinner
Optional Activities
- Guided Optional Excursion to Keukenhof gardens (during tulip season) featuring more than seven million tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths
- Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans (outside of tulip season) to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses
Landmarks Keukenhof Zaanse Schans - Day 2
Middelburg
Middelburg gives you three morning options to choose from. Walk through woods and dunes to see Castle Westhove and farmlands, visit a family-run oyster farm for tastings with wine, or take a walking tour through medieval streets past the 15th-century Gothic Town Hall while learning about the spice trade and Dutch East India Company. Lunch and dinner happen onboard before an evening cruise to Ghent.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Guided Walk through woods and dunes to see Castle Westhove and farmlands of the North-Sea area
- Guided Visit to a family-owned Oyster Farm with taste of oysters and lobster accompanied by a glass of wine
- Guided Walking Tour through Middelburg's winding cobblestones and canals, including the 15th-century Gothic Town Hall and learn about its role in the spice trade and Dutch East India Company
Landmarks Castle Westhove Middelburg Town Hall - Day 3
Ghent
Ghent, called the 'Diamond of Flanders,' offers several choices. Try a bike tour of the city's outskirts, join a graffiti street art tour where you'll create your own piece, or take a guided sightseeing tour including St. Bavo's Cathedral. There's also a full-day optional trip to nearby Bruges to wander canals, cobbled streets, and the 13th-century belfry. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are onboard before heading to Brussels.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Guided Bike Tour exploring the outskirts of Ghent and lesser-known sights
- Guided Tour of Graffiti Street with opportunity to create your own street art
- Guided Sightseeing Tour of Ghent including St. Bavo's Cathedral with remarkable Flemish artwork
- Full-day Guided Optional Excursion to Bruges exploring its canals, cobbled streets, medieval buildings, 13th-century belfry of Market Square, charming patrician houses, and ending with an orientation walk of Ghent
Landmarks St. Bavo's Cathedral Belfry of Bruges - Day 4
Brussels
Brussels presents multiple morning activities. Bike through Laken to see royal estates and exotic pavilions, take a Belgian chocolate workshop to craft pralines, or tour the Town Hall, Lower Town Streets, and Atomium. Your afternoon is free to explore on your own. The ship offers live entertainment that evening before departing overnight to Antwerp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Bike Tour to explore the beauty near Brussels, including the Belgian town of Laken with Royal family estates, exotic pavilions from the world expo, and beautiful parks and lanes
- Belgian chocolate-making Workshop to learn how to create delicious candies and enjoy finest hot chocolate while crafting traditional confections of pralines and mendiant from scratch
- Guided Tour of Brussels to see the Town Hall with landmark buildings, discover local bars, cafés, and shops of the Lower Town Streets, and visit the Atomium
Landmarks Atomium Brussels Town Hall - Day 5
Antwerp
Antwerp's options include a bike tour through historic neighborhoods, visiting the Red Star Line Museum to learn about emigrant journeys, or a guided city tour showing the Grote Markt, guildhall houses, and Cathedral of Our Lady with Rubens paintings. Afterward, spend time finding Belgian waffles and crêpes, exploring the bike-friendly streets, old wharfs, or the diamond district. Dinner and an overnight cruise to Rotterdam follow.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Bike Tour to discover centuries of history, unique atmosphere of small neighborhoods and squares in Antwerp
- Guided Tour of the Red Star Line Museum to follow the footsteps of emigrants from their native villages via Antwerp to the new world
- Guided Tour of Antwerp to visit the central Grote Markt with 16th-century guildhall houses, beautiful city hall, and Cathedral of Our Lady with stunning altarpiece paintings by Rubens
Landmarks Cathedral of Our Lady Grote Markt - Day 6
Rotterdam
Rotterdam showcases modern design and innovative architecture. Choose an architecture bike tour covering Cube Houses and Erasmus Bridge, paint a Delft tile in a pottery studio, or take a guided sightseeing tour of the unusual cube houses. Before dinner, you'll cruise through Rotterdam harbor. Evening entertainment continues onboard before your overnight passage back to Amsterdam.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Architecture Bike Tour to see architectural highlights of Rotterdam including Cube Houses, Market Hall, Erasmus Bridge, De Rotterdam, and Central Station
- Pottery Workshop to paint a Delft tile guided by a professional painter in a characteristic painter's room
- Guided Sightseeing Tour of Rotterdam featuring unusual collection of cube houses, innovative architecture, Erasmus Bridge, and fascinating sites
Landmarks Erasmus Bridge Cube Houses Market Hall - Day 7
Amsterdam
Amsterdam's final day offers several ways to explore. Take a kayak tour for a canal perspective, visit the Street Art Museum to see large-scale artworks and create a group mural, walk off-the-beaten-path cobblestone streets, or enjoy a guided canal cruise. Your afternoon is yours to explore optional tours or wander freely through Amsterdam's colorful streets, canal houses, galleries, and shops. The ship docks overnight.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Guided Kayak Tour providing a unique perspective of Amsterdam from the waters of its magnificent canals
- Tour to the Street Art Museum to see nearly 200 large-scale artworks featuring artists from around the world and attend a hands-on workshop to create a group mural
- Off-the-beaten-path Guided Walking Tour through Amsterdam's cobblestone streets
- Guided Canal Cruise to explore the iconic waterways and sites of Amsterdam
Landmarks Amsterdam Canals - Day 8
Amsterdam
Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning in Amsterdam. You'll then disembark and depart the city.
- Meals
- Breakfast
