Travel Society

Holland & Belgium: Along the Dutch Waterways

Name: Holland & Belgium: Along the Dutch Waterways
Start: 2025-04-08T00:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-04-16T23:59:59-04:00
Location: Amsterdam

Celebrate the beauty of Holland and Flanders in springtime, when the tulip fields are in full bloom. Join alumni and friends from April 8 to 16, 2025 for a river cruise aboard the deluxe Viva Enjoy, and discover the true essence of River Life® in the Low Countries.

Enjoy expert-guided tours as you explore four UNESCO World Heritage sites — the tree-lined canals of Amsterdam, the legendary 18th‑century windmills of Kinderdijk, the medieval Flemish jewel of Bruges and the historic belfries of Belgium. Experience this region’s pastoral idyll and fascinating history with visits to the world‑famous Keukenhof Gardens, the mercantile town of Antwerp and medieval Ghent. Watch traditional craftspeople create the iconic “Delft Blue” porcelain and discover the world‑class Kröller‑Müller Museum. Learn more about the modern life and cultural heritage of the Netherlands during an exclusive River Life® forum with local residents and encounter the rich history of the region of Flanders in its main cultural centers.

Unpack just once and delight in specially arranged cultural enrichments, including a privately chartered canal cruise. Enjoy an included, guided excursion in every port, deluxe accommodations, and all meals—an excellent value. Shared with participants from cosponsoring associations, space is sure to fill quickly. Request a reservation today, or please contact the Georgetown Travel Society at 866-525-8664 or GeorgetownTravelSociety@Georgetown.edu for more details.

Dates and Rates:

Trip Dates: April 8 – 16, 2025

Rates: $3,795 – $6,495 per person based on double occupancy. Taxes are an additional $195 per person.

Traveling solo? Any available Emerald cabin may be reserved by single travelers at 125% of the per person double price (per person rate x 1.25), all others at 2x the per person rate, or please contact us to inquire about any possible roommate options

Deposit: $1,000 per person (https://www.gohagantravel.com/terms for complete terms and conditions) .

Early Booking Savings of $1000 are available when you book by 9/10/24 and pay in full at time of booking. If you pay only your deposit by early booking date, you still save $500 per person.

Trip Type: River Cruise

Trip Status: Fully subscribed. Please contact us for more info, to join the waiting list for space or Request a reservation today!

Itinerary:

Days 1 and 2 U.S. or Canada / Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Depart for Amsterdam on independently arranged flights. Arrive at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). Transfer into the city, where those arriving early may enjoy a panoramic sightseeing tour on the way to the port. From there, you will embark the Viva Enjoy.

Enjoy a light lunch on board the river boat before disembarking for a private cruise through Amsterdam’s world-famous UNESCO-inscribed canals, which have been connecting the city since the early 17th century. Cruise under iconic bridges and past brightly colored houses, stately stone buildings and hundreds of cyclists!

Return to the river boat to settle in to your cabin and attend a Welcome Briefing and lifeboat drill. Tonight, join your fellow travelers for a Captain’s Welcome Reception, followed by a Welcome Dinner on board this evening. Raise a glass to your upcoming Dutch adventure!

Day 3 Nijmegen for Kröller-Müller Museum

Wake this morning to breakfast on board as we arrive in Nijmegen, a vibrant Dutch city layered with more than 2,000 years of history. Disembark for a visit to the Kröller-Müller Museum, considered one of the best in the Netherlands. Its world-class collection includes masterpieces by Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian and many others.

After the museum tour, return to the river boat to savor a delicious lunch on board. Afterward, disembark for a walking tour of Nijmegen. Stroll through the historic city center to see ancient Roman ruins of chapels and other structures in Valkhof Park, as well as a bunker from World War II. You will also see the Dutch Renaissance De Waag building—the Weigh House that served as a gateway to the city in the early 17th century.

Return to the boat and attend a forum to learn about modern life and the cultural heritage of the Netherlands as we depart Nijmegen. Enjoy dinner on board this evening.

Day 4, Morning Kinderdijk / Delta Works

After breakfast on board this morning, disembark for an excursion to see the famous windmills of Kinderdijk. For more than 700 years, the canals, windmills and pumping stations here have drained the land for agriculture and protected it from flooding. Today this network of 19 authentic windmills built between 1722 and 1761 to keep water out of the polder is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the largest assembly of windmills in the Netherlands, and these finely preserved structures are now considered national monuments.

After the tour, return to the river boat for lunch as we cruise to Willemstad. Here, you will have two choices for your afternoon excursion.

Delta Works. The flood-control project known as Delta Works, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, manages river run-off, storm surges and flooding in the Delta region of the Netherlands. In addition to being the largest flood protection system in the world, Delta Works attracts visitors to its beaches and nature preserves.

Veere City tour. Stroll the city center, passing historic buildings dating to the 15th and 16th centuries, including the town hall. See the enormous Grote Kerk, a late-gothic church founded in 1342. Learn about the town’s unique relationship with Scotland as you view the Schotse Huizen, or Scottish houses. Nowadays, yachts have replaced the fishing boats and trading boats that once filled the harbor in this charming seaside town.

While you are touring, the river boat will sail to the fishing village of Bruinisse, where you will re-embark for dinner on board this evening as we cruise to Belgium.

Day 5, Morning Ghent, Belgium / Bruges

Wake this morning to breakfast on board as the boat arrives in Ghent. Disembark for a scenic drive through the Flemish countryside to Bruges, the capital of West Flanders. Your immersion into historic Bruges features a stroll by the Gothic Hall, seat of city government for more than 600 years, and past the city’s UNESCO-designated belfry and tower. You will also visit the Church of Our Lady to see Michelangelo’s “Virgin and Child” marble sculpture. Conclude your tour with a walk past the historic Market Square in the old city center—cradled on both sides by the river Reie.

Return to the boat for lunch on board, followed by a walking tour of Ghent, one of Belgium’s oldest cities.

Explore the medieval heart of Ghent, where you will admire the windows and Gothic steeples of St. Bavo’s Cathedral and see Hubert and Jan van Eyck’s magnificent altarpiece “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb”—the most frequently stolen artwork of all time. See the UNESCO-inscribed Belfry of Ghent, the tallest belfry in Belgium.

Enjoy dinner on board this evening.

Day 6 Antwerp

This morning we arrive in Antwerp, where after breakfast, you will embark on a walking tour.

Known as Belgium’s “second city,” Antwerp is among the five largest seaports in the world. Famous for its diamond trade and fine arts legacy, the old city evolved within 16th-century fortifications. It is home to four of the world’s 18 diamond exchanges and an abundance of Flemish Renaissance treasures.

Stroll through narrow, winding streets to see the Cathedral of Our Lady, a 14th-century icon that was restored some 500 years later. One of the finest Gothic buildings in the Netherlands and the largest cathedral in Belgium, the cathedral contains an impressive collection of art—including such works by Peter Paul Rubens as “The Assumption of the Virgin Mary,” “The Raising of the Cross” and “The Descent from the Cross.” Its UNESCO-inscribed belfry is the tallest in Belgium. From there, walk by the 16th-century Belfry of Antwerp City Hall, another UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city.

Return to the boat for lunch on board and an afternoon at leisure as we sail toward Rotterdam.

Day 7, Morning Rotterdam for Delft and Keukenhof Gardens

After breakfast on board, you will depart this morning for an excursion to Delft, hometown to the painter Johannes Vermeer and the legendary Delftware pottery.Discover the history of the iconic blue and white earthenware that has been made at these factories since the Dutch East India Company brought Chinese porcelain to Holland in the 17th century.

From there you will travel to Keukenhof Gardens, known as the “Garden of Europe,” for lunch and a tour of the gardens.

A breathtaking tapestry of color and fragrance when its more than 1,000 floral varieties reach full bloom between mid-April and early May, the Keukenhof is truly a sight to behold. Meticulously landscaped with tranquil ponds, placid streams and winding, tree-shaded paths, this vibrantly hued oasis originally formed part of the Teylingen Castle estate, where, in the early 15th century, Countess Jacoba of Bavaria tended an herb and vegetable garden. The gardens of Keukenhof (translating to “kitchen garden”) were re-designed in 1857 by Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher, paving the way for the gardens we know today. In 1949, leading flower bulb growers and exporters created a plan to use the estate to exhibit spring-flowering tulips. When the park opened to the public in 1950, it was an immediate success—drawing 236,000 people during the first year alone. The nearly 500-acre Keukenhof has since developed into a display of bulbs adored by visitors from around the world.

Tonight, join your fellow travelers for a Captain’s Farewell Reception, followed by a Farewell Dinner on board this evening.

Day 8 Hoorn / Amsterdam

Enjoy breakfast on board as the river boat arrives in Hoorn. Named for its horn-shaped harbor, the city was chartered in 1357 and was a lively port throughout the medieval era. But it wasn’t until the Dutch Golden Age in the late 16th century that it would truly flourish and prosper. Hoorn was one of six headquarters for the Dutch East India Company, and their ships sailed across the world and brought back such exotic spices as pepper, nutmeg and cloves to sell at a large profit—wealth that simultaneously ushered in an age of fine art and innovations in science.

Disembark for a walking tour in this charming city to experience the ambiance of its historic harbor and admire the Hoofdtoren—an early 16th-century tower and one of the last city defenses still standing.

Return to the boat for lunch on board and an afternoon at leisure as we cruise back to Amsterdam.
Savor your final dinner on board tonight.

Day 9 Amsterdam / Return to U.S. or Canada

Continue on to The Hague Post-Program Option or transfer to the airport for your return flight to the U.S. or Canada.

The Golden Age of Amsterdam Pre-Program Option

Immerse yourself in historical Amsterdam on a two-night itinerary that includes opportunities to view the Rijksmuseum’s Dutch Master collection and a visit to the exquisite 17th century Our Lord in the Attic museum. Enjoy accommodations in the five-star Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel.

The Hague Post-Program Option

Conclude your journey with a two-night tour of The Hague showcasing stately municipal buildings. Visit the Mauritshuis, a 17th-century Neoclassical mansion featuring a world‑renowned Dutch and Flemish art collection, including Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Enjoy accommodations in the deluxe Hotel Des Indes.

The Pre-Program and Post-Program Options are available at additional cost. Details will be provided with your reservation confirmation.

Highlights:

Comprehensive, multifaceted and luxurious seven-night cruise aboard the specially chartered, deluxe small river boat, Viva Enjoy.
Visit to world-famous Keukenhof, the “Garden of Europe,” at the peak of tulip season to see the world’s largest and most colorful display of spring flowers.
Guided tour of the wonderful Kröller-Müller Museum, with its amazing Van Gogh collection and stunning sculpture garden.
Viewing of three of Peter Paul Rubens’ masterpieces in Antwerp’s Cathedral of Our Lady.
Tour of Ghent’s St. Bavo’s Cathedral, whose chapel houses the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. Explore the medieval Flemish jewel of Bruges, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Golden Age trading town of Hoorn.
Exclusive River Life® forum with local residents.
Complimentary wine and beer served with lunch and dinner aboard the river boat.
Complimentary Wi-Fi aboard the boat (conditions permitting).
An exceptional value for an all-inclusive, deluxe program.
Amsterdam Pre-Program and/or The Hague Post-Program Options.

Not included:
Airfare; Taxes; passport fees; visas and fees for obtaining visas if applicable; personal expenses such as laundry, internet access and telephone calls; accident/sickness, trip cancellation, and baggage insurance (“Travel Insurance”), Gratuities to ship and hotel personnel; optional sightseeing excursions; excess baggage charges on aircraft; local departure air taxes; airfare and associated local taxes*, airport facility taxes and federal inspection fees not listed in the “included features” section of the program brochure; transfers and baggage handling to/from airport/hotel if you are arriving earlier or later and/or departing earlier or later that scheduled group transfer(s); meals and and alcoholic beverages not listed in the “Included Features” section of the program brochure; and all other services not specifically mentioned in the “Terms & Conditions” for the trip. www.gohagantravel.com/terms for complete terms and conditions for this trip.