Duration: 8 Days
See your visions of tulip season in Holland and Belgium come into view while cruising from Brussels to Amsterdam, perfect for garden and nature enthusiasts. For flower lovers, an expert botanist will provide lectures onboard, accompanies you on this tulip season cruise, sharing his knowledge about botany and the world of plants!
Take in the quintessential Dutch scenes of windmills, waterways, and seemingly endless rows of blooming colour. Embark in Brussels and sail to Ghent—“The Diamond of Flanders.” Visit St. Bavo’s Cathedral with its stunning Flemish artwork. Sail to Bossuit for moving battlefield remembrances, including In Flanders Fields Museum and the Last Post Ceremony. On to Holland for a visit the former Dutch East India Company trading port. Visit the fascinating Flood Museum to hear and see the stories of the flood of 1953. In Kinderdijk, see 19 windmills built in 1740 for water management and marvel at the Erasmus Bridge in the historic port city of Rotterdam.
Be amazed at the varieties and volume of tulips and other flowering bulbs in the flower farm regions of Zaandam and Haarlem and delight in a visit to see the breathtaking blooming colours of Keukenhof, also known as the “Garden of Europe.” With 70 acres of parkland and lakes, Keukenhof is one of the world’s largest flower gardens with more than 7 million flowering bulbs each year. This beautiful and historic springtime river cruise concludes with two nights in Amsterdam. Take a guided canal cruise past bridges and homes of a golden age.
Welcome to Belgium. Your Suite Ship is Ready for Boarding.
Flights into Brussels must arrive by 2:00 pm.
Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.
Enjoy dinner on board as you sail for Ghent this evening.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO GHENT (D)
Medieval Masterpieces and Flemish Finery
Visit the Adventure Centre for today's activities with your Adventure Host.
ACTIVE Explore a different side of Ghent by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:
DISCOVERY Join us in the Landscape Park Bulskampveld for the ultimate relaxing day in the biggest forest in the west of Flanders, OR:
CLASSIC Explore Ghent-"The Diamond of Flanders"- with a Guided Sightseeing Tour of this showcase of medieval Flemish wealth. You'll visit St. Bavo's Cathedral-with its remarkable Flemish artwork.
Alternatively, you may choose to join a full-day Guided Optional Excursion of Bruges to explore its canals, cobbled streets, and medieval buildings. You'll see its crisscrossed canals, the 13th-century belfry of Market Square, and charming patrician houses.
This evening, enjoy live entertainment onboard.
OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BOSSUIT (B,L,D)
Battlefield Remembrances in Flanders
DISCOVERY Visit the In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres-named for the soldier's famed poem. Learn about the story of the invasion of Belgium, the first months of the mobilization, the four years trench war in the Westhoek, the end of the war, and the lasting remembrance to follow. After your visit, enjoy lunch at the museum's cafe.
DISCOVERY Following the museum, visit battlefields, cemeteries, memorials and private collections.
DISCOVERY Experience the Last Post Ceremony, taking place nightly under the arches of the Menin Gate. Enjoy some free time for dinner before the Ceremony starts.
OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MIDDELBURG (B,L,D)
A Spicy History in Middelburg's Dutch Harbour Town
CLASSIC Join a Guided Walking Tour through the winding cobblestones and canals of Middelburg. See the 15th-century Gothic Town Halland learn about its important role in the spice trade and Dutch East India trading.
Enjoy lunch on board while cruising to Veere.
ACTIVE Alternatively bike from Middelburg to Veere with your Adventure Host.
VEERE
History and Scottish Houses
CLASSIC Explore the town of Veere with an expert local guide.
DISCOVERY While sailing satisfy your curiosity about botany and nature during a lecture hosted by a local expert.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO KINDERDIJK (B,L,D)
Harnessing the Wind for 300 Years
Join your Adventure Host for today's special activities.
ACTIVE See the windmills of Kinderdijk by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:
CLASSIC Join a Guided Tour of Kinderdijk where 19 windmills were built in 1740 as flood prevention and water management. You'll hear about the windmill's vital role in the Netherland's history and why it became a national symbol of Holland.
Enjoy a cruise through Rotterdam harbour.
ACTIVE Experience Rotterdam by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:
DISCOVERY Join a Guided Visit to Floating Farm Rotterdam, the first floating farm in the world and regarded as one of the many examples of green innovation in the Netherlands, OR:
CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Rotterdam featuring innovative architecture, including the marvelous Erasmus Bridge.
Later, enjoy live entertainment onboard.
OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ZAANDAM (B,L,D)
Windmills, Waterways, and Waving Fields of Flowers
CLASSIC Join a half-day Guided Tour of breathtaking Keukenhof-known as the "Garden of Europe"-for its 70 acres of lush parkland, lakes, and the world's largest flower gardens-with more than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths as well as other bulbs, planted each year.
Alternatively spend your time to explore independently the quintessential Dutch town of Zaandam.
Cruise to Haarlem this afternoon while enjoying lunch on board.
HAARLEM
Tulips and North Sea Trading Ports
ACTIVE Enjoy an easy bike ride to the beach with your Adventure Host, OR:
CLASSIC Visit Haarlem, a major flower bulbs growing district outside of Amsterdam. Explore the former North Sea trading port with its medieval features, gabled houses, and leafy courtyards.
DISCOVERY While sailing, discover more about botany and nature joining a lecture hosted by a local expert.
Enjoy dinner on board your ship this evening as you sail to Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM (B,L,D)
Canals of Colourful Amsterdam
ACTIVE Join a Biking Tour through the Dutch countryside past polders, dykes, and quaint centuries-old villages, OR:
CLASSIC Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam's "Golden Age", OR:
DISCOVERY Access Amsterdam's secret gardens hidden behind the brick facades - a unique opportunity as they are normally closed to public.
This afternoon, you may like to join a Guided Optional Excursion.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM (B,L,D)
Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
