OVERVIEW

Settle in for a panoramic drive through Amsterdam that provides a wonderful introduction to the city, which you will also view from a water perspective while cruising the canals. Enlightening commentary will add even more to your understanding of the capital of the Netherlands as it will describe the landmarks along the way in fascinating detail. You can expect to pass by the first Heineken brewery, the Jewish Museum, the ornate 19th-century Tropenmuseum and the Concertgeboux, whose acoustically perfect main concert hall was ironically designed by an architect said to have no musical talent. There are officially 165 canals in Amsterdam and cruising them is essential to gaining a full picture of the city. From the comfort of a glass-topped boat, you will view landmarks such as the original 17th-century town hall, and the National Maritime Museum.

HIGHLIGHTS

• See Amsterdam’s most recognizable landmarks on a panoramic drive through the capital.
• Cruise the iconic canals of Amsterdam in a glass-topped boat.
• Hear enlightening commentary about the history of Amsterdam.

HELPFUL HINTS

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

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).

OVERVIEW

Gain an overview of Amsterdam while driving through its urban landscape to the heart of Old Town, where you will enjoy free time to explore on your own. As an introduction to the historical capital of the Netherlands, you will pause for photos of the iconic Molen Windmill originally constructed in the 16th century, it was later rebuilt in its current form in the early 18th century. The windmill was used for various purposes over the centuries, primarily for milling grain. Then continue to the Rijksmuseum, an architectural gem that features both Gothic and Renaissance styles. You will have leisure time to explore places such as the Van Gogh Museum, the Moco Museum, the 17th-century Canal Ring, an extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage site, surrounds the historic district and many more.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a panoramic drive through Amsterdam to its historical heart.
• Spend free time around Rijksmuseum, an area surrounded by intriguing landmarks.
• See attractions on your own, such as The Van Gogh Museum and the Canal Belt, or simply shop if you wish.

HELPFUL HINTS

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

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

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

Walk through downtown Amsterdam to a popular cheese shop for a sampling that best showcases the city’s most characteristic cheeses. As you proceed through the atmospheric streets, the guide will elaborate on the capital’s history and how cheese-making has long been synonymous with Amsterdam. During the tasting that follows, you will be served five cheeses that demonstrate a wide range of characteristics such as flavor, texture and appearance. You will also hear about the different methods used to produce the various cheeses.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sample a selection of cheeses that demonstrate the great variety of Dutch cheeses.
• Hear enlightening commentary about how each cheese is made to achieve peak flavor.
• Learn how the layout of Amsterdam has evolved over time while walking downtown.

HELPFUL HINTS

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

OVERVIEW

Follow our guide through three striking 21st-century icons that have altered the face of Amsterdam and discover how their design challenges were overcome. The Eye museum pays homage to the film industry and its geometric shape reflects the power of visual images. Like film, the building creates an interplay of reality and illusion. The Eye is particularly impressive in the way it has transformed a riverside area that was once an isolated wasteland. Similarly, The Eastern Docklands & Java Island showcase urban planning and architectural innovation, transforming industrial sites into vibrant, modern spaces blending with history. The Silodam is another architectural triumph as this waterside apartment complex is reminiscent of a fully laden container ship. Your guide will explain the design details such as how the different colors denote different “neighborhoods” within the village-like building.

HELPFUL HINTS

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

OVERVIEW

Browse a museum in the village of Enkhuizen that focuses on the region’s maritime history and flooding, which has been controlled since a barrier dam was built in 1932. It is only fitting that you will transfer to the waterfront museum by boat once you reach Enkhuizen as canals crisscross this entire area. The exhibits begin outdoors with a collection of replica and original buildings such as a dike house, fish-smoking house and windmill. Inside the museum – which occupies several restored 17th-century seed warehouses – you will see traditional fishing boats and sailboats. You may also see exhibits of paintings, furniture and klederdract, the folk costumes of the Netherlands

HIGHLIGHTS

• Browse a regional maritime and cultural museum with a guide and on your own.
• Walk through buildings from different time periods in the outdoor collection.
• See boats, artwork, furniture and costumes that are typical of the region.
• Come away with a remarkably in-depth understanding of North Holland.

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 of 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

Explore Utrecht’s atmospheric medieval district and De Haar Castle, a former private residence that is the largest castle in the Netherlands. Utrecht enjoyed its greatest prosperity in the 11th and 12th centuries and numerous churches founded during that period still remain. As you walk along the city’s labyrinthine cobblestone streets, you can’t help but feel a strong connection to the past. Rising above Domplein Square is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, a soaring landmark with a notorious past that was exposed in 1830. Although a castle has stood on the site of De Haar Castle since the late 1300s, the medieval-style version that stands today dates to 1912. Arguably the most extravagant castle in the Netherlands, it was used mostly as just a holiday retreat for the aristocratic and fabulously wealthy Van Zuylen family. While touring on your own, you may learn why one of the bedrooms is so different architecturally from the others.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Walk through the medieval district of Utrecht, an area that exudes history.
• Hear little-known stories behind the historical landmarks, especially Dom Tower.
• Tour the lavish interior and grounds of De Haar Castle, the country’s largest castle.
• Learn about the wealthy family that built the castle but only stayed there occasionally.

HELPFUL HINTS

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

This tour combines the Dutch countryside with its windmills and the city of Amsterdam.

Leave Amsterdam behind and enjoy a drive through the beautiful countryside to the Dutch village of Broek in Waterland. This utterly charming village is well known for its classic wooden houses and farms. After a leisurely stroll through this fairy-like community, you'll re-join your coach and proceed 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 surely 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 back to Amsterdam and the center of the city. Enjoy nearly 1.5-hours of free time to do some shopping and have a quick lunch on your own. Afterwards, you'll meet up with your coach again for the return drive to the port.

Snap selfies at the most photogenic spots in and around Amsterdam, many of them iconic attractions that define the city. To ensure the best possible results, a selfie tutor will offer tips so you can capture just the right angle, lighting and composition for every shot.

Selfie sticks are available and complemented by a convenient photo frame, enabling you to capture the best pictures.

As you walk and ride through Amsterdam, you will pause at designated selfie stops that include:

Selfie Spots:
• Zaanse Schans windmills.
• Dam Square, which the Royal Palace overlooks.
• 17th-century Canal Ring.
• Bloemenmarkt floating flower market.
• Heineken® brewery.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Take inspiring selfies at the most photogenic attractions in Amsterdam.
• Follow tips from your selfie tutor to ensure the very best pictures.
• Learn the historical significance of the locales while enjoying their dramatic settings.
• Enjoy a beer tasting after an immersive experience in the original Heineken brewery. The Heineken Experience is exclusively for individuals aged 18 years and older.

HELPFUL HINTS

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