SHORE EXCURSIONS

This tour is geared toward those who like to explore a destination at their own pace and discretion.

Leaving the pier by coach with your escort, you will travel approximately 1-hour to reach the center of Amsterdam. Upon arrival, you will disembark your coach and have nearly 6-hours to discover all the delights of Amsterdam. Although this is a non-guided tour, your escort will be at your disposal for 1-hour after arrival to answer any questions you may have and provide you with a city map for your convenience.

Spend your day in this exciting city doing exactly what you like, how you like. Meals and entrance fees to any attractions are not included and local currency will be required in many places; therefore, it is suggested that you exchange your money at a local currency exchange in Amsterdam upon arrival.

At the appointed time and location, you will re-join your coach for the return transfer to the pier. Those who fail to be on time for the return transfer will be responsible for making their own way back to the ship, at their own expense.

Glide through the Venice of the North in a fitting manner, via glass-roofed canal boat. It’s an incomparable way to experience this cosmopolitan city that stretches over some 70 islands and boasts 60 miles of canals and 1,000 bridges. An obscure port mostly visited by fisherman back in the 13th century, Amsterdam steadily grew in trade importance – blossoming into one of the world’s most important ports as the Dutch Golden Age gained steam. On this relaxed waterway tour, you’ll traverse some of the four concentric canal rings that define the old city center while learning much of the history behind this watery network from your guide. Along the way, expect to pass countless variations on the signature gabled canal house design the city is so famous for. Just as colorful are the procession of houseboats and tiny skiffs tied up in organized randomness along the stone canal banks. The designated route brings you by such major monuments as the National Maritime Museum, magnificent Town Hall (once considered Europe’s largest administrative building).

Leave Ijmuiden behind and enjoy a drive through the beautiful countryside to the authentic Dutch village of Broek in Waterland. This charming village is well known for its classic wooden houses and farms. After a leisurely stroll through this fairy-like community, you'll continue your scenic drive to Beemster Polder, the oldest area of reclaimed land in the Netherlands. In 1999, this well-preserved and historic area was registered on UNESCO's World Heritage Site list. The highlight of your time here will be the visit to an original 17th century windmill where you will learn how the Dutch have managed to successfully live below sea level.

A scenic drive through the lush lowlands will bring you to Amsterdam and the center of the city. You’ll have approximately 1.5-hours of free time for a quick lunch on your own and a little exploration.

OVERVIEW

See the inner workings of a functioning windmill within an open-air museum that recreates a Dutch industrial community in the 1700s. In its heyday, the area around the neighborhood of Zaanse Schans boasted as many as 600 windmills and Het Jonge Schaap – which means The Young Sheep – is an exact replica of one that was demolished in 1942. It relies on wind power to operate the sawmill inside to rough-saw beams and planks. Other windmills were used for industrial purposes such as grinding grains and spices and making paint pigments, oils and paper. Windmills also drained low-lying land knowns as polders. During free time at the Zaanse Schans museum, you will see a number of other windmills and craftspeople practicing trades such as wooden-shoe carving and cheesemaking. Zaanse Schans was considered the first industrial area in Europe and few experiences rival walking through this replica Dutch Golden Age community.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Explore the inside of a replica windmill from the 18th century.
• Come away with an understanding of how windmills grind grains and saw wood.
• Browse an open-air museum with other windmills and workshops for artisans.
• Get a feel for what daily life was like in Europe’s first industrial area.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Spend hours browsing the iconic cheese market in Alkmaar, the oldest and largest such marketplace in the Netherlands. The city was granted its first official cheese scale in 1365 and locally sourced cheese is still weighed there and distributed in great quantities from Alkmaar. Over the centuries, the cheese market became so popular that buildings around it were leveled to accommodate more vendors. Because of its size and importance, the market must run like clockwork. The cheeses arrive at a certain time or the carriers will be fined, a bell rings at 10AM sharp to announce the opening of the market and the cheeses are still weighed in a traditional manner and stamped for accuracy. The market will be abuzz with activity, and you will likely see farmers and traders negotiating prices and carriers transporting hundreds of pounds cheese in barrows. It is a spectacle that you will not soon forget.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Explore the oldest and largest cheese market in the Netherlands on your own.
• Be awed by the spectacle and sheer size of the bustling cheese market.
• Sample a variety of cheeses, which the vendors typically offer.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Spend hours independently exploring Haarlem with no schedule to follow other than your own, which allows you the freedom to visit the attractions that sound most intriguing. You will be dropped off in the heart of Haarlem with easy access to most everything imaginable. If historical landmarks are of interest, head straight for Market Square, home to the 13th-century town hall and the Dutch Renaissance-style De Vleeshal – the only place fresh meat could be purchased for centuries as indicated by the sculpted ox heads on the front of the building. Nearby stands St. Bavo’s Church, an icon with one of the world’s largest and most famous organs. This rare musical instrument is gilded, decorated with statues and covers the entire west wall of the church. If you wish to dine while sightseeing, try a restaurant that specializes in Dutch dishes such as stamppot, a traditional comfort food made with sausage, kale and mashed potatoes.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Explore Haarlem on your own and focus on the attractions that sound most interesting.
• Enjoy the freedom of wandering about at your own pace with no schedule to follow.
• Be dropped off in the city center near the best shopping and dining.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Your tour begins with a drive through the distinctive Dutch countryside from Ijmuiden to the village of Marken. Enjoy a guided walk through this quaint fishing hamlet on the shores of the former Zuider Zee, an area that dates back to the 13th century when monks constructed dikes for protection from the sea. The characteristic green and white clapboard houses of Marken have remained unchanged for centuries and, many of the local residents still wear colorful ancestral costumes, adding to the special atmosphere of this beautiful place. Continue on to Volendam, where a guided tour will introduce you to some of the town's special treasures, some dating back to the 14th century. You'll find narrow canals, quaint drawbridges; and a charming little harbor.

White and blue pottery is traditional to Holland, and today, you will have the opportunity to visit the factory where famous Delft Blue is made and spend time in the beautiful city of Delft.

Begin with a scenic drive through the Dutch countryside to Delft, where you’ll visit the Delft Porceleyne Fles, manufacturer of the world-famous Delft Blue ceramics. While touring the factory you'll have a chance to observe the production process.

A short drive takes you to the city center for a short guided walk, followed by nearly 2 hours of free time for lunch on your own and independent exploration or shopping.

Then, your tour continues with a panoramic drive through The Hague where you will see the Dutch government buildings, the spectacular Peace Palace, where the International Court of Justice is situated, and numerous other interesting buildings and sights.

OVERVIEW

Gain a historical perspective of Edam – a city renowned for its eponymous cheese – before traveling into the countryside to a dairy farm that makes it. During an enlightening walk downtown, you can expect to see Edam’s landmark St. Nicholas Church, which was rebuilt following lightning fires in 1602 and 1699. Although those blazes significantly reduced the church’s tower, the building remains a dominant architectural treasure. Still, cheese is always top of mind when visiting Edam and has been since the 17th century when Edam cheese first became popular, especially among sailors that appreciated its long shelf life. While visiting a nearby dairy farm, you will watch the cheese-making process and sample the famed product, which has a mild nutty flavor that becomes tangier as the cheese ages. Incredibly, more than a quarter of the cheese produced in the Netherlands is Edam, a soft cheese made with less milk fat than most other cheeses.

HIGHLIGHTS

• See some of Edam’s most historical landmarks while walking through downtown.
• Stop at a dairy farm that produces Edam’s soft namesake cheese.
• Sample Edam cheese, whose mild nutty flavor changes as it ages.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Transfer to Museum Square where the famous Van Gogh Museum is located. The museum houses the world’s largest collection of the 19th century master's paintings and drawings. The collection is as unique as Van Gogh himself, who is as famous for lopping off his own earlobe as he is for his amazing, colorful, post-Impressionist renditions of sunflowers, potato-eaters and tortured self-portraits. Upon arrival, your guide will brief you before you enter and then you will have approximately 2-hours to explore the museum on your own, assisted by an audio guide. Experience the painter's life and strangely somber work as you browse among the numerous paintings and drawings on display.

OVERVIEW

Wish you were here in the 17th century, when the creak of wooden windmills and the rhythm of trade along the water defined everyday life. This wish you were here – Amsterdam experience lets you step into those eras first, and then see what the city has become today. In the traditional residential area of Zaanse Schans, you will walk among historic windmills and wooden houses that recreate the atmosphere of the Dutch Golden Age, when merchants, shipbuilders and millers powered the growing republic. Back in Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum, opened in 1885, shows how the nation redefined its identity in the 19th century; masterpieces like Rembrandt’s self-portrait at 22 capture a changing society in a changing city. You will also learn about the Wereldmuseum, an ethnographic museum that tells a similar story of urban evolution but through moving human experiences. Finally, you arrive at the Eye Film Museum on the IJ waterfront, a bold contemporary landmark built in what was once an industrial port zone. Standing here, facing this 21st-century icon where warehouses once stood, feels like time travel for the soul—linking the Amsterdam you wish you could have seen in the past with the one you see today.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Step into the atmosphere of the 17th century at Zaanse Schans, surrounded by working windmills and traditional wooden houses.
• See how the 19th century reshaped Dutch identity as you explore the exterior of the Rijksmuseum and hear the stories behind its masterpieces.
• Get a glimpse of Amsterdam’s vision for the future at the Eye Film Museum, a striking 21st-century landmark that shows how an old port landscape became the Amsterdam you wish you were here to experience now.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Become immersed in the world of diamonds at the House of Gasson, followed by a canal cruise through a historical district where the diamond industry once flourished. While touring the Gasson factory, you will observe diamond polishers at work, turning rough diamonds into dazzling gemstones with optimal brilliance and sparkle. The guide will explain how the diamonds are sourced and how they are rated by considering the 4 Cs: cut, color, clarity and carat weight. You will also have the opportunity to browse the showroom. Everything from diamond necklaces to Montblanc accessories will be on display. As early as the 1600s, Jews that were excluded from the trade guilds cut and polished many of the diamonds in Amsterdam. This spirit is also known as Dutch gin as it is juniper-based like all gins.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Watch diamonds being polished in the prestigious House of Gasson diamond factory.
• Gain an understanding of how diamonds are sourced and refined to increase their value.
• Browse the selection of exquisite jewelry in the House of Gasson showroom.
• Cruise Amsterdam’s canals, many of which are within a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Sample several signature Dutch gins or jenevers while cruising.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.