Best of Holland

Visit Netherlands

Day 1

Welcome to Amsterdam

What better place to start your jaunt through the Netherlands than Amsterdam! Spend your day strolling through its pretty streets beside tree-lined canals, stopping to enjoy coffee and speculaas along the way.

Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers this evening on a scenic canal cruise, including a light meal and welcome drinks, admiring the centuries-old gabled façades of canal houses.

Day 2

Explore Amsterdam’s Art and Architecture Dive Into Culture

Delve into the Dutch Golden Age and its extraordinary art, architecture and history.

Dive Into Culture and enjoy a Small Group Sightseeing tour of the Rijksmuseum, featuring the works of great Dutch masters, including Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch'. Spend the rest of the day exploring the city your way. Visit the floating flower market or stroll along the canals to admire Amsterdam's pretty gabled façades. This evening perhaps join an Optional Experience to enjoy a meal in the Dutch countryside.

Day 3

Journey to Aalsmeer/Keukenhof, The Hague and Rotterdam Dive Into Culture

We rise with the birds this morning to visit Aalsmeer and its vibrant flower auction, filled with the vividly-hued blooms for which Holland is so famous.

Alternatively, during the flowering season (late March until mid-May), we'll enjoy an included visit to the tulip gardens of Keukenhof. The mesmerising sight of millions of flowering bulbs planted across 32 hectares will leave you awestruck. This afternoon, we travel via The Hague to the historic town of Delft and Dive Into Culture at the Royal Delft Pottery workshop where we'll gain insights into the production of this delicate hand-painted blue and white porcelain. We continue to edgy Rotterdam, which was rebuilt from the ground up after being destroyed during World War II. Your orientation tour will reveal an innovative city with architectural treasures worth capturing on camera and a vibrant multicultural scene around every turn.

Day 4

Onwards to Arnhem and Zutphen

Enjoy a morning at leisure, or perhaps consider joining an Optional Experience to visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed village of Kinderdijk, famous for its 19 monumental windmills.

Later we travel east to Arnhem to see the John Frost Bridge, so named as a tribute to the commander of the British forces that held the bridge for four days with a mere 750 soldiers, during the World War II Battle of Arnhem. Learn about this famous battle, inspiration behind the film 'A Bridge Too Far', on an included visit to the Airborne Museum at Oosterbeek.

Day 5

Off to Stunning Zwolle and Leeuwarden

Today we head north to the beautiful Hanseatic city of Zwolle, where we'll join our Local Specialist for a walking tour through its historic centre.

Later we continue to Groningen, where the rich history and peculiar dialect will certainly be a highlight for culture and history buffs alike. Dive Into Culture and explore this university city the way the locals do on a guided walk with a Local Specialist along its medieval canals and streets.

Day 6

Venture to Volendam and Return to Amsterdam Dive Into Culture Make Travel Matter

Embark on a beautiful drive through Friesland en route to Volendam, a former fishing port on the edge of IJsselmeer.

Dive Into Culture and learn about the craft of wooden clog making and Dutch cheese. Then meet Tom, miller of Katwoude, for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Visit the mill and learn about the important role the mill plays in managing rising water levels. This evening, enjoy a celebratory Be My Guest Farewell Dinner with the Pauw family as you connect with locals over a traditional Dutch meal.

Day 7

Farewell Amsterdam

For now we say a fond tot ziens to Amsterdam and our newfound friends, closing the door on a memorable Dutch experience.

Dining Summary

4 Dinner (D)

6 Breakfast (B)

Be My Guest

Amsterdam: Go Dutch and share a gezellig Be My Guest dinner, savouring delicious local cheeses, with the Pauw family on their dairy farm near Amsterdam.

Dive Into Culture

Amsterdam: Visit the Rijksmuseum, the national art gallery of the Netherlands, where you'll enjoy its exceptional collection of works by the Dutch masters.

Delft: Visit the Delft Pottery factory to see how this delicate porcelain is created.

Amsterdam: The charming countryside of North Holland reveals its secrets behind perfecting Dutch cheese and crafting the traditional clog.

Iconic Experience

Amsterdam: Cruise along the old waterways with your Travel Director and fellow travellers. Discover the architectural gems of the old city, including mansions dating from the Golden Age of the 17th Century.

Rotterdam: Witness the impressive market hall and Erasmus Bridge on your orientation of this modern city.

Aalsmeer: The colossal Aalsmeer Flower Auction is the size of 200 football pitches and even has its own fire brigade, hairdresser and bicycle repairperson! Over 30,000 varieties are featured, the most popular of which are roses, tulips and chrysanthemums.

Arnhem: See the John Frost Bridge, historic site of the 1944 Battle of Arnhem.

Zwolle: Experience the medieval centre of Zwolle on an in-depth walking tour with a Local Specialist.

Leeuwarden: With your Local Specialist, walk the historic centre of Leeuwarden and learn about its iconic monuments.

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®

Katwoude: Visit a mill in Katwoude and learn about the important role the mill plays in managing rising water levels.

Must-see Highlights

: Explore the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Zwolle and Groningen with a Local Specialist

: Discover Amsterdam and Rotterdam

: Visit Aalsmeer or Keukenhof (when open), Royal Delft Pottery, the Airborne Museum in Arnhem and a cheese and clog factory in Volendam

: View the John Frost Bridge in Arnhem

: Tickets for Keukenhof Tulip Bulb gardens are included during the flowering season (end of March until mid-May)

Whats Included

: An expert Travel Director and professional Driver

: Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted

: All porterage and restaurant gratuities

: All hotel tips, charges and local taxes

: Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals

: Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras

: Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing

: Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)

: Optional Experiences and free time

: On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilised.

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