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Holland & Belgium in Spring
2008 Itinerary featuring 10 days from $3,290    Best Sellers  River Cruising  Single  Two Week  Value Season  
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Revel in the vivid colors of spring in the Netherlands and Belgium during a riverboat cruise through centuries-old inland waterways aboard Swiss Sapphire or Swiss Emerald. View windmills standing sentinel over lush landscapes that stretch as far as the eye can see, and celebrate the season with a visit to Keukenhof Gardens. Take a canal ride through the medieval town of Bruges, and experience the past at the Zuiderzee Museum. Taste Dutch gin, learn how Belgian chocolate and Dutch cheese are made, and dine at a castle. Visit renowned art museums and World War II sites, with city sightseeing in Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Maastricht on this most interesting and colorful of Belgium and Holland cruises.

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2008 Southbound Itinerary

Click here for Northbound, starting in Brussels.

• Indicates day of cruising

Day 1: Welcome to Amsterdam
Your Belgium and Holland cruise begins at 6:00 p.m. at Hotel Pulitzer, A Luxury Collection Hotel. Upon arrival, a transfer is included from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to the Hotel Pulitzer, a Luxury Collection Hotel – a perfect place from which to begin your exploration of the Netherlands' capital city. Cap the day with our welcome reception and dinner this evening.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Hotel Pulitzer, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Day 2: The blooms and art of Amsterdam
Journey to Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse this morning, where millions of blooming tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths create colorful carpets of flowers. Take a luncheon canal cruise through the city's tree-lined 17th-century canals, then admire works by Rembrandt and other Dutch Masters at the Rijksmuseum. Embark the riverboat for the start of your Holland and Belgium cruise, joining us for a pre-dinner toast with Dutch gins.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 3: Historic villages & windmills
Your discovery of Holland cruises to Hoorn, a port town featuring 16th- and 17th-century houses. Choose either a town walking tour, or a journey to the Alkmaar region for visits to the Schermer Museum Windmill and the Zeezicht cheese farm for a cheese-making demonstration. Cruise to the picturesque seafaring town of Enkhuizen to visit the Zuiderzee Museum, a reconstructed 19th-century fishing village featuring costumed guides.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 4: WWII & architecture, or nature & Van Gogh
Travel along the picturesque banks of the Lek and Rhine Rivers on this most enjoyable of Holland cruises. In the afternoon, choose between two excursions. You can take a walking tour of the old Hanseatic town of Deventer followed by a visit to the World War II Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek. Alternatively, you can explore De Hoge Veluwe National Park, the country’s largest nature reserve, and then view hundreds of works by Vincent Van Gogh at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Arnhem. Note: Cruise of 4/11 will not visit the Kröller-Müller Museum due to weekly closures.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 5: Maas River cruising & antiquities
Your journey through Belgium and Holland cruises to Nijmegen, the Netherlands’ oldest city. Explore the ancient ruins of Valkhof, Charlemagne’s 8th-century stronghold, and the artifact-filled Museum Het Valkhof. See Sint-Stevenskerk, a 14th-century church, and the Grote Markt before resuming your cruise along the Maas River through the beautiful Dutch countryside.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 6: Magic of Maastricht
Explore the Old Town of Maastricht, Netherlands, including the 16th-century Spanish Government House, and Helpoort, an entry through the medieval town wall built in 1229. View the Basilica of Our Lady and Sint-Servaasbasiliek, one of the oldest churches in the Netherlands.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 7: Paying tribute to the past
Drive to Margraten to pay your respects at the Netherlands American Cemetery, final resting place of thousands of U.S. World War II soldiers. As a Tauck exclusive, have lunch at Château Neercanne, a castle whose terraced gardens are protected by UNESCO. Cruise the Albert Canal from the Netherlands into Belgium, enjoying the riverboat views from the sun deck or lounge. Arrive in the important port of Antwerp, and savor Belgian specialties at dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 8: A day in Antwerp
See Antwerp’s grand railway station, opera house, and city park. Visit a museum in the restored home of renowned 17th-century artist Peter Paul Rubens, and discover the secrets of Belgian chocolate making at a local chocolatier. After some free time in the city, attend a farewell reception and Captain’s dinner aboard the riverboat, marking the conclusion of this most remarkable of Belgium and Holland cruises.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat

Day 9: Bruges beckons
Disembark the riverboat, and journey to medieval Bruges, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. View Bruges' celebrated architecture on a tour through cobbled lanes and a boat cruise along quaint canals and under arched bridges. Enjoy lunch on your own, then travel to Brussels, where you'll discover the Belgian capital on a walking tour. Attend our farewell dinner at your five-star hotel adjacent to Grand Place, one of the most beautiful market squares in Europe.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Hotel Amigo, Brussels, Belgium

Day 10: Say goodbye to Brussels
Tour ends in Brussels, Belgium. A transfer is included from the Hotel Amigo to Brussels Airport. Allow 2 1⁄2 hours for departure flight check-in.
Meals: Breakfast

Celebrate spring in the land of tulips and windmills – book this most colorful of Belgium and Holland cruises today!



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