Tulips & Windmills – Amsterdam to Antwerp

Delve into the glories of Amsterdam’s golden age: the doors to the Van Gogh museum open early just for you and your fellow passengers, and an art expert guides you through this remarkable collection (The Potato Eaters and Sunflowers are just two of its highlights), followed by one of two ways to experience the historic city. You may cruise the 400-year-old canals or stroll through the medieval Begijnhof, home to Amsterdam’s oldest wood houses, and visit the elegant 17th-century Van Loon mansion.

Delve into the glories of Amsterdam’s golden age: the doors to the Van Gogh museum open early just for you and your fellow passengers, and an art expert guides you through this remarkable collection (The Potato Eaters and Sunflowers are just two of its highlights), followed by one of two ways to experience the historic city. You may cruise the 400-year-old canals or stroll through the medieval Begijnhof, home to Amsterdam’s oldest wood houses, and visit the elegant 17th-century Van Loon mansion.

Haarlem is a city outside of Amsterdam in the northwest Netherlands. Once a major North Sea trading port surrounded by a defensive wall, it retains its medieval character of cobblestone streets and gabled houses.

Enkhuizen is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia.

Hoorn is a town and a former Dutch East India Company base in the Dutch province of North Holland. It lies on the IJsselmeer, a lake north of Amsterdam. Shops and cafes dot its 17th-century town center, which is anchored by the Roode Steen, the main square.

Nijmegen is a city in the Netherlands’ province of Gelderland, on the Waal river close to the German border. Nijmegen is the oldest city in the Netherlands, the second to be recognized as such in Roman times, and in 2005 celebrated 2,000 years of existence.

Rotterdam is a major port city in the Dutch province of South Holland. The Maritime Museum’s vintage ships and exhibits trace the city’s seafaring history. The 17th-century Delfshaven neighborhood is home to canalside shopping and Pilgrim Fathers Church, where pilgrims worshiped before sailing to America. After being almost completely reconstructed following WWII, the city is now known for bold, modern architecture.

Dordrecht, historically known in English as Dordt or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province’s fifth-largest city after Rotterdam, The Hague, Zoetermeer and Leiden, with a population of 118,654.

Veere is a municipality with a population of 22,000 and a town with a population of 1,500 in the southwestern Netherlands, in the region of Walcheren in the province of Zeeland.

Ghent is a port city in northwest Belgium, at the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers. During the Middle Ages it was a prominent city-state. Today it’s a university town and cultural hub. Its pedestrianized center is known for medieval architecture such as 12th-century Gravensteen castle and the Graslei, a row of guildhalls beside the Leie river harbor.

Antwerp is a port city on Belgium’s River Scheldt, with history dating to the Middle Ages. In its center, the centuries-old Diamond District houses thousands of diamond traders, cutters and polishers. Antwerp’s Flemish Renaissance architecture is typified by the Grote Markt, a central square in the old town. At the 17th-century Rubens House, period rooms display works by the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens.

Antwerp is a port city on Belgium’s River Scheldt, with history dating to the Middle Ages. In its center, the centuries-old Diamond District houses thousands of diamond traders, cutters and polishers. Antwerp’s Flemish Renaissance architecture is typified by the Grote Markt, a central square in the old town. At the 17th-century Rubens House, period rooms display works by the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens.