Tulips of Northern Holland

Day 1 Amsterdam (Embarkation)
Meals included: Dinner

Travel to Amsterdam where you will met and transferred to your cruise ship. Before dinner, meet your crew at a welcome reception.

Day 2 Hoorn – Enkhuizen
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Included today: Tulip Fields Excursion or guided visit to Zuiderzee Museum. Enjoy a free morning to explore Hoorn at your own pace. Re-join your ship for lunch and sail to Enkhuizen, situated at the most easterly point of North Holland. Enkhuizen is a quintessential fishing town with cobblestone streets, a quaint town centre, and one of the largest marinas in the Netherlands. This afternoon, visit the Zuiderzee Museum, which focuses on the past and present of the IJsselmeer, and features living history, heritage, and crafts combining works from the past with works from the present. Tulip fields abound in this part of the country, as an alternatively you may prefer to join an excursion which takes you along the growing areas that look from afar like carpets of colour. Learn more about these flowers and how they were introduced into Holland from the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century.

Day 3 Enkhuizen – Sneek
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Included today: Choice of guided walk of Enkhuizen or ‘Dutch Experience’ outing or Friesland excursion, visit the Planetarium. This morning you have a choice between an included guided walk of Enkhuizen or a Dutch Experience tour, to meet some locals. Later, cruise across the IJsselmeer to southwest Friesland, a province rich in history and legends. As you sail, enjoy the scenic rural landscape along the river. Dock in Lemmer, from where our Friesland excursion departs. Primarily an agricultural region with a long history, Friesland is best known internationally for its famous black and white Friesian cattle and black Friesian horses. Visit the 18th-century Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium, which has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rejoin your ship in Sneek, where you dock overnight.

Day 4 Lelystad – Kampen
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Included today: Visit the Batavia shipyard and the Batavia in Lelystad; Cheese and genever (gin) tasting Today, enjoy a peaceful morning of cruising through this delightful area of Friesland. After docking in Lelystad, visit the Batavia Shipyard, where ships that were important to the Netherlands maritime industry during the Golden Age are faithfully reconstructed by hand. Then, board the Batavia itself. Originally built in 1628 to sail to and from the East Indies, the Batavia was wrecked on its maiden voyage on June 4, 1629 off the coast of Western Australia. It took 10 years, from 1985 to 1995, for a crew to reconstruct the ship using traditional construction materials. Back on board, well introduce you to local cheese and Genever, traditionally drunk neat from a shot glass, as you sail to Kampen, where you dock overnight.

Day 5 Gelderse Ijssel – Arnhem
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Included today: Visit Airbourne Museum. Another relaxing morning on board as you sail along the IJssel River, also known as the Gelderse IJssel, which is a branch of the Rhine River. Learn more about Holland at an on board lecture and taste a sweet local speciality. After lunch, visit the Airborne Museum Hartenstein, dedicated to the Battle of Arnhem, one of the major tragedies of World War II. Alternatively, you may prefer to visit the Kroller-Muller Museum. Later, re-join your ship in Arnhem.

Day 6 Rotterdam
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Included today: Harbour cruise; choice of excursion to Keukenhof Gardens or to the city of Gouda. This morning, sail through Rotterdam Harbour, said to be the worlds busiest port. Levelled by German bombs in World War II, Rotterdam now has a modern, high-tech look. After an early lunch choose either a guided excursion to Gouda, famous for its gouda cheese, syrup waffles, clay pipes, and elaborate city hall. It is a typical Dutch city with many old buildings and pretty canals, or, you may wish to visit the gardens of Keukenhof near Lisse, that covers over 70 acres of parkland with lakes, sculpture gardens, greenhouses, and a windmill to explore. Every year, 7 million flower bulbs are planted, and you have the opportunity to see the spectacular display of colours not only from the tulips, but also from hyacinths, daffodils, and more. If youre a garden enthusiast, you may opt for an extended visit to Keukenhof, with lunch on your own in the gardens.

Day 7 Amsterdam
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Included today: Canal cruise in Amsterdam. After breakfast, arrive in Amsterdam where guided sightseeing is by canal boat. Cruise along elegant grachten, lined by stately homes dating back to Amsterdam’s Golden Age. This afternoon is at leisure to explore on your own or choose from a selection of optional excursions.

Day 8 Amsterdam (Disembarkation)
Meals included: Breakfast

Transfer to the airport or station for your journey to the UK.