SAMPLE ITINERARY

Amsterdam is a delightful city of canals, lined with narrow gabled houses and crossed by picturesque small bridges and cycle paths. There is no better way to explore this lovely city than on a glass-topped boat, wending your way through the canals that infuse every aspect of life here. Amsterdam is also an art lover’s dream. The Rijksmuseum is an architectural marvel itself, but it holds a magnificent collection of works by Dutch masters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer. Other top sights include the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House.

After exploring Amsterdam, we sail towards the IJsselmeer, an enormous inland lake created when the Zuiderzee was cut off from the North Sea by a series of dykes and dams. The boat-filled port of Hoorn was once a prosperous Dutch East India Company base, with a charming mix of imposing 15th century buildings, warehouses, cobbled squares and twisting alleys. The harbour is dominated by the 16th century Head Tower (Hoofdtoren).

As we cruise through the heart of Holland, we sail past flower-decked houseboats, flocks of wildfowl and many windmills. In Oosterbeek we visit the Airborne Museum Hartenstein dedicated to the Battle of Arnhem, an ill-fated 1944 aerial assault depicted in the film ‘A Bridge Too Far’, and the Commonwealth War Cemetery.

We continue along the mighty River Rhine, one of Europe’s most important waterways, and cross into Belgium as we approach Antwerp on the busy River Scheldt. Once part of the Spanish Empire, this city grew wealthy during the 16th century Golden Age, with profits invested in Flemish art and architecture. Later it became a leading diamond trading centre. The main square (Grote Markt) is surrounded by ornately gabled guildhouses, the Renaissance town hall and opulent Brabo Fountain. The extravagant Rubens House displays works by the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, in a period setting. The Gothic cathedral is also magnificent, as is the painstakingly restored train station, which is now called the ‘Railway Cathedral’.

Bruges is another beautiful town with a remarkable medieval legacy, visited on a full day excursion. The entire historic centre of this compact city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site made up of serene canals, narrow cobbled streets, romantic gabled houses, exquisite churches and numerous shops selling artisan goods – including its legendary chocolate. The main square is dominated by a soaring belfry with 47 bells. It’s a 366 step climb to the top, but the views are well worth it. You can also view the City Hall, the Basilica of the Holy Blood (home to a venerated relic – a phial of Jesus’s blood reputedly brought back from the Crusades) and the Church of Our Lady, where you can see Michelangelo’s ‘Madonna and Child’ carved in white marble.

Picturesque Ghent was once Western Europe’s second largest city after Paris. Highlights of this lesser-known medieval centre include the 12th century Gravensteen Fortress towering above the river, a skyline of soaring belfries and an unspoiled waterfront. You can view one of the world’s foremost art treasures here – the van Eyck brothers’ ‘Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ which adorns the altar of Saint Bavo’s Cathedral.

You can also take a day tour to Ypres, which was almost completely destroyed during the Great War. Flanders Fields Museum, located in the Cloth Hall in the heart of the beautifully restored town centre, tells the haunting story of this conflict and its nearby battlefields that are synonymous with the horrors of trench warfare, including Passchendaele, where around 600,000 perished. Tyne Cot is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world. Ypres is also the home of the Menin Gate, a deeply moving memorial to the missing where the ‘Last Post’ is played every evening.

Our last stop is Keukenhof in the heart of the glorious Dutch bulb fields and the one of the largest flower gardens in the world. Enjoy this seasonal dazzling display of colours, with more than seven million tulips, daffodils and other blooms set among a beautiful landscape of nearly 80 acres of shimmering lakes, ancient trees, flowering shrubs and water gardens.

At the end of your cruise return to Amsterdam, where there is the option of adding on a few extra nights before returning home.

PRICING

Price is based on two adults sharing a twin cabin on a full board basis, including morning and afternoon tea. An optional drinks package is available on request. Airport and port transfers are included but not Eurostar train tickets or flights to Amsterdam, which can be arranged on request.

We offer a choice of river cruises at different prices, so please discuss your requirements with us. All cruises and cabin classes are subject to availability.

It is essential that you have personal holiday insurance. The FCO should also be consulted.