Northbound
* Indicates cruise day
Day 1 - Brussels highlights
Tour begins at 6:45 PM at Hotel Amigo. Upon arrival, a transfer is included from Brussels Airport to the Hotel Amigo, your five-star center-city hotel adjacent to Grand Place, among the most beautiful market squares in Europe. Tonight, join us for a welcome reception and dinner to kick off one of our enjoyable European River cruises. Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Hotel Amigo, Brussels, Belgium
* Day 2 - Bruges beckons and your cruise begins
Journey to historic Bruges, one of Europe's best-preserved medieval cities, the birthplace of Flemish painting and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. View its celebrated architecture on a walking tour through cobbled lanes, along quaint canals and over arched bridges. After free time in this fascinating city, travel to Antwerp, where you'll board your riverboat and sample Belgian beer and cuisine at a buffet dinner of regional delights. Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
* Day 3 - Antwerp & the Albert Canal
See Antwerp's grand railway station, opera house, and city park on this most enjoyable of European river cruises. Visit the Rubenshuis, a museum in the reconstructed home of renowned 17th-century artist Peter Paul Rubens (may be subject to weekly closures), and discover the secrets of Belgian chocolate making with a tasting at a local chocolatier. Enjoy the views from the sun deck or lounge as you cruise the Albert Canal from Belgium to the Netherlands, arriving in Maastricht. Join your riverboat's Captain for a welcome reception followed by dinner aboard ship. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
* Day 4 - Magic of Maastricht & Chateau Neercane
Maastricht entices with more than 1,000 historic buildings and monuments. On a walking tour, explore its Old Town, including the 16th-century Spanish Government House, Vrijthof Square, and Helpoort, an entry through the medieval town wall built in 1229. Visit the 1,000-year-old Sint-Servaasbasiliek (Basilica of St. Servatius), one of the oldest churches in the Netherlands. Pay respects at the Netherlands American Cemetery, final resting place of thousands of U.S. World War II soldiers. For lunch today, enjoy a Tauck Exclusive - an interactive culinary experience at Chateau Neercanne, a castle whose garden terraces are protected by UNESCO. You'll don a chef's hat and visit the kitchen before an extraordinary meal is served to you in a grotto of the castle! Later, spend some free time in historic Maastricht, then return to the riverboat for dinner and your cruise on the Maas River. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
* Day 5 - Maas River cruising & antiquities of Nijmegen
Sail through the beautiful Dutch countryside along the Maas River this morning, arriving in Nijmegen, the Netherlands' oldest town. Explore the ancient ruins of the Valkhof, Charlemagne's 8th-century stronghold, and the artifact-filled Museum Het Valkhof; Sint-Stevenskerk, a 14th-century church; and the Grote Markt. Continue this most extraordinary of European river cruises to Arnhem; local performers come aboard the riverboat to entertain you after dinner tonight. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
* Day 6 - WWII history & or nature & van Gogh
Choose between two excursions today. You can explore sites associated with the World War II airborne assault on Arnhem, and the Airborne Museum in a former Allied headquarters in Oosterbeek. Alternatively, you can visit De Hoge Veluwe National Park, the country's largest nature reserve, and then peruse works by Vincent van Gogh and others at the Kroller-Muller Museum within the park. This most delightful of European river cruises continues as you rejoin your ship at Deventer and travel along the picturesque Lek and Rhine Rivers, enjoying a performance of classical music as you go. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
* Day 7 - Historic villages & windmills
Dock in Enkhuizen, a picturesque seaside town laced with canals and historic buildings. A walking tour includes a visit to the Zuiderzee Museum, a reconstructed 19th-century fishing village with costumed guides, recreating 'south sea' life as it was over a century ago. Continue on to the centuries-old port of Hoorn, where you'll choose between shore excursions - either a walking tour of Hoorn, with its intact 16th- and 17th-century houses and rich maritime legacy, or a trip to the Alkmaar region for visits to the Schermer Museum Windmill and the Zeezicht cheese farm, including a cheese-making demonstration. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
* Day 8 - The blooms of Amsterdam
After arriving in the amazing Dutch city of Amsterdam, journey to Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse where millions of blooming tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths create colorful carpets of flowers. Explore the treasures of Amsterdam on your own in the afternoon, from historic sites within its medieval core to the gabled houses lining its 17th-century canals. Enjoy lunch and dinner aboard the riverboat today. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
* Day 9 - The Rijksmuseum & Amsterdam's historic canals
More of Amsterdam's wonders await as one of Tauck's unique European river cruises draws to a close. Admire masterpieces by Rembrandt and other Old Dutch Masters at the world-renowned Rijksmuseum, and take a luncheon canal cruise through the city's picturesque Renaissance-era canals. Back on the riverboat for the final night of your cruise, we invite you to join us for the Captain's festive farewell reception and dinner. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard the Riverboat
Day 10 - Disembark for your journey home
Your most memorable of European river cruises ends in Amsterdam, Netherlands. After disembarking and bidding your Captain and crew adieu, a transfer is included from the riverboat to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Allow 2 1/2 hours for departure flight check-in. Meals: Breakfast
Note: Cruise of Apr 17 will not visit the Peter Paul Rubens House in Antwerp due to weekly closures; cruise of Apr 27 will not visit the Airborne Museum or Kroller-Muller Museum in Arnhem. |
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