Highlights
- Taste test your way through Amsterdam's historic Den Jordaan neighborhood
- Travel via waterbus to the charming Dutch town of Kinderdijk to visit windmills
- Try different beers in Brussels and explore the churches and caves of Dinant
- Take a chairlift over the charming town of Vianden for views of its famous castle
Brief Itinerary
Day | Highlights | Overnight |
---|---|---|
Day 1 | Arrive in Amsterdam (Netherlands), Virtual Holland Tour & A'DAM Tower | Amsterdam |
Day 2 | Cruise to the Rijksmuseum, Historic Walking Tour & Anne Frank House | Amsterdam |
Day 3 | Visit the Van Gogh Museum, Grand Dutch Food Tour | Amsterdam |
Day 4 | Train to Rotterdam, Rotterdam Cycling Tour | Rotterdam |
Day 5 | Waterbus to Kinderdijk & Dordrecht, Canoeing in Biesbosch National Park | Rotterdam |
Day 6 | Visit the Museums & Markets of Rotterdam, Harbor Boat Tour | Rotterdam |
Day 7 | Train to Brussels (Belgium), Free Time | Brussels |
Day 8 | Explore Brussels' Museums, Self-Guided Beer Tour | Brussels |
Day 9 | Transfer to Dinant via Waterloo & Namur | Dinant |
Day 10 | Explore Dinant, Kayaking on the Lesse River | Dinant |
Day 11 | Train to Luxembourg City, Explore Luxembourg City | Luxembourg City |
Day 12 | Complete the Wenzel Circular Walk, Visit the Pétrusse Casemates | Luxembourg City |
Day 13 | Day Trip to Vianden | Luxembourg City |
Day 14 | Depart Luxembourg |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Amsterdam (Netherlands), Virtual Holland Tour & A'DAM Tower
Welcome to the Netherlands! Upon arrival at Amsterdam airport, take the 15-minute train ride or grab a taxi to your accommodation. Your hotel will be in the city center, a fantastic labyrinth of canals and small streets dotted with historic houses and other buildings. The center of Amsterdam is relatively small, and most places can be easily reached on foot, by bike, or by tram.
After you settle in, it's time to view the Netherlands from above in a virtual flying experience. This afternoon, you'll head to Amsterdam-North to see This Is Holland, which is a memorable experience. Fly over the significant highlights in Holland and see the Dutch landscape. Learn how the Dutch designed and developed dykes, marshlands, and windmills. Using an enormous spherical screen and special effects such as wind, fog, and various scents, it's as if you're floating through the air, traversing the countryside below, and braving thunderstorms. So fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a flight to remember!
After your virtual flight, head to the nearby A'DAM Tower for unrivaled views of the city and surrounding countryside. From the top, the A'DAM LOOKOUT, you can see the famous UNESCO-listed canals, the historical center, and the Dutch landscape. The tower also features Europe's highest swing, Over the Edge, if you're looking for an adrenaline rush, as well as a free audio tour and a panoramic restaurant.
Day 2: Cruise to the Rijksmuseum, Historic Walking Tour & Anne Frank House
This morning, meet your guide canal in the historic center, where you'll board a small private open boat that will take you along the maze of waterways. Relax and enjoy the ride as you take in some of the city's best sites from a different perspective. After about an hour and a half ride, you'll be in front of the Rijksmuseum, with its 8,000 artworks across almost a mile (1.5 km) of galleries. Take a self-guided tour to see world-famous Dutch master paintings such as "The Milkmaid" by Johannes Vermeer and the gigantic "Night Watch" by Rembrandt van Rijn.
Another ideal way to discover Amsterdam is on foot. After your museum stop, join a guided walking tour to learn how this beautiful city has grown and changed in 750 years. Start on the harbor front and follow the Zeedijk, initially built in the 13th century as a seawall, now part of Amsterdam's Chinatown. Follow the canals as you reach the Amstel River, from which the city takes its name. Continue your walk to de Begijnhof, a beautiful courtyard of the Beguines religious order. See the Roman Catholic Church, the English Church, and the oldest wooden house in Amsterdam.
After your tour, end the day with a visit to the Anne Frank House to gain meaningful insight into Amsterdam's World War II and the short life of this famous girl. The museum is built around the secret annex, where Anne and her family hid for over two years before their tragic discovery and capture by the Nazis.
Day 3: Visit the Van Gogh Museum, Grand Dutch Food Tour
After breakfast, head to the Van Gogh Museum and explore the collections at your own pace. Van Gogh famously created over 2,000 paintings in a little over a decade, and the museum houses some of his most famous works. Here, you can see "The Potato Eaters," "Sunflowers," "Almond Blossom," and one of his very last works, "Wheatfield with Crows."
After you've discovered Van Gogh's life and art, meet a local guide for a four-hour Grand Dutch Food Tour through the historic De Jordaan neighborhood. Once home to the working class during the 17th century, the streets are now filled with flowers, idyllic canals, and eateries.
Follow your guide to seven different shops, bruin cafés ("brown" pubs), and restaurants to taste some of the best Dutch specialties, such as homemade apple pie, ossenworst (sausage), herring, stroopwafels (caramel waffles), poffertjes (tiny pancakes), and Gouda cheese. Along the way, you'll learn more about Dutch history and food culture while admiring the old warehouses and merchant canal houses from Amsterdam's Golden Age.
Day 4: Train to Rotterdam, Rotterdam Cycling Tour
A 45-minute train journey inland will deliver you to your next stop: Rotterdam! The Netherlands' second city is a hub of innovation, as seen in its ever-changing skyline and cutting-edge regeneration projects. To explore, it's time to act like a native and hop on a bike! On this easy-going cycling tour, you'll join a guide for two and a half hours to cycle between the city's most remarkable sights.
Check out Rotterdam's Cube Houses—39 tilted yellow cubes, each a single-family home. Then, follow the Nieuwe Maas River, a distributary of the mighty Rhine. At the edge of the harbor is Delfshaven, which looks like a miniature Netherlands with its windmills, canals, and little churches.
A short way west, you'll hit the Merwe-Vierhaven district, once one of the biggest fruit ports in the world. These days, it's reinvented itself as an area for developers, start-ups, sustainable entrepreneurs, and artists, with the brand of Rotterdam Maker's District. Striking icons include the HAKA building, a 1930s factory that's been redeveloped using recycled materials, and a Floating Farm where cows live aboard a raft.
Day 5: Waterbus to Kinderdijk & Dordrecht, Canoe in the Biesbosch National Park
After breakfast, you'll take a day trip outside of Rotterdam. Catch the waterbus (a public boat) to the famous area of Kinderdijk. Have coffee at the charming Grand Café Buena Vista before going on a self-guided walking tour of the area's windmills. Kinderdijk has sixteen 18th-century windmills, and this is one of the best places in the country to view these iconic structures up close.
Then, take another waterbus to Dordrecht, the oldest city in Holland, which is located in a wetland area. Dordrecht was an important merchant city primarily trading wood and wine, and the historic city center is full of monuments repurposed as restaurants, museums, and theaters.
Later in the day, join a boat or canoe tour of the nearby De Biesbosch National Park, the largest freshwater tidal zone in Europe. Here, you'll find a wide variety of bird species, plus a population of around 300 beavers (a symbol of the park). After you cruise back to Dordrecht, catch a short train back to Rotterdam for the night.
Day 6: Visit the Museums & Markets of Rotterdam, Harbor Boat Tour
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Today, you'll explore more of Rotterdam, a city of many faces, known for its rough-and-tumble port history, trendy nightlife, upscale shopping options, and lively art scene. Above all, perhaps, Rotterdam is an architectural highlight of Holland. Enjoy breakfast at a café before departing on a private excursion to the Museumpark. This creatively landscaped outdoor space connects Rotterdam's major museums, including the Kunsthal Rotterdam Modern Art Museum and the Boijmans van Beuningen, which houses Dutch and European art collections from the early Middle Ages to the present.
Continue your explorations of Rotterdam on a self-guided walking tour that takes you to the newly built Central Station. As you walk through the city, stop to admire monuments like the Lijnbaan, a postwar Modernist shopping area, Theater Square, and the Markthal, the first indoor market hall in the Netherlands. Sample fresh bread, locally produced cheese, and the catch of the day in one of the many stalls, then complete your tour near the iconic Erasmus Bridge.
Finish the day with a guided boat tour through the Port of Rotterdam, the largest seaport in Europe, known for its innovation and efficiency. Cruise past historic steamships, massive container ships, and bustling harbors to discover the port that never sleeps.
Day 7: Train to Brussels (Belgium), Free Time
Bid the Netherlands farewell today and take the high-speed train to Brussels Midi Station. You'll have the day free to explore, and Brussels, the capital of Belgium, has many significant historical and architectural sights to discover. Landmarks such as the Louis XVI-style Royal Palace, the medieval Cathedral of Sint-Michel and Sint-Goedele, and the futuristic Atomium building are not to be missed. Curiously enough, a tiny statue of a peeing boy, Manneken Pis, is also a famous landmark.
As Belgium has the reputation of being the world's best chocolate creators, you could also visit some of the many chocolate boutiques in town. If castles and royalty are more your cup of tea, you'll want to visit the Castle of Laeken, one of the royal residences in Belgium. It's surrounded by a 296-acre (120 ha) park containing the Royal Greenhouses. In the evening, try some of Brussels' many local comfort foods, such as moules-frites (mussels and fries), waterzooi (a stew with fish or chicken), or Brussels sprouts.
Day 8: Explore Brussels' Museums, Self-Guided Beer Tour
Your second day in Brussels gives you time to go museum hopping. Get to know this warm, welcoming, and quirky city by visiting one of its 49 museums, which celebrate everything from art history (try the Design Museum, Old Masters Museum, or the Fine Arts Museum) to comic books and cars (head to the Comics Museum or Autoworld). History fanatics should head to the City Museum, Military Museum, or Jewish Museum. Don't forget to look for boutiques selling handmade lace, another craft that makes Belgium famous.
Be sure to visit the Musée Magritte, where you'll find an exceptional ensemble of works by the Belgian surrealist René Magritte. With more than 200 pieces, it's the most extensive Magritte collection in the world. For a pick-me-up along the way, grab a warm Belgian waffle from one of the countless stalls. In the evening, conduct your own Belgium beer-tasting event by stopping at some of the biggest beer hotspots and places popular with locals. Try a range of beers, from witbiers (Belgian-style wheat ale) to dubbels (strong dark beers).
Day 9: Transfer to Dinant via Waterloo & Namur
Today, meet your driver at your hotel for a private transfer into the Belgian countryside. The first stop is the Waterloo Battlefield, the scene of Napoleon's final defeat. A cylindrical oil-on-canvas painting of 360 feet (110 m) in circumference, presented with a soundscape, transports you to the thick of the action at the Memorial Waterloo 1815 museum.
Your next stop is Namur (Namen), a charming city in the Ardennes region, surrounded by rivers and castles. Its citadel and belfry are major draws, but the 200-year-old Annevoie Water Gardens, with their tranquil fountains, waterfalls, and ponds, will make you want to linger.
The last stop is the town of Dinant. Located deep within the countryside of Wallonia on the Meuse River, Dinant is instantly striking, with colorful mansions and a cathedral spire. It's made even more dramatic by the mighty rock and citadel behind it, presiding 328 feet (100 m) over the land and water. In the evening, explore this charming town, have a locally brewed beer, and cozy up at one of the many restaurants lining the river. Tomorrow you have a full day to relax and discover the city.
Day 10: Explore Dinant, Kayaking on the Lesse River
Start today at the foot of the massive rock overlooking the Meuse, where the Church Collégiale Notre-Dame de Dinant sits. The church is recognizable from afar by its spherical bell tower. In 1228, a detached boulder almost destroyed the church, but despite many setbacks over the centuries, it was rebuilt again as the new Gothic church that remains an emblem of Dinant today.
It's just a short walk from here to La Merveilleuse, discovered in 1904 and considered one of the most beautiful caves in Europe. After walking through the tunnels and chambers filled with bright white stalactites, reach the ample space in the cave to admire beautiful waterfalls. Near the cave, you'll find the Maison Leffe. This former abbey is home to the Leffe Beer Museum, which has been producing beer since 1240. Visit and enjoy the incredible views as you discover the beer's rich character and deep roots through a one-hour interactive tour and tasting.
If you're visiting Dinant during the summer, don't miss the chance to kayak down the Lesse River. The route takes you through peaceful woodlands, wild rock formations, and fairy-tale castles looming over the banks. Start in Anseremme, a short walk from Dinant, along the Meuse River. From here, there's a shuttle taking you to your starting point. As you float back toward Anseremme, you'll pass lovely scenery with plenty of places to pull your kayak ashore for a drink or snack.Day 11: Train to Luxembourg City, Explore Luxembourg City
Today, you'll leave Belgium behind and take the two-and-a-half-hour train ride to Luxembourg City. The diminutive country's eponymous capital, a relatively small and lesser-known European city, has some fine museums and restaurants. What might be most impressive is its scenic setting along deep-cut gorges of the rivers Alzette and Pétrusse. This, along with the fortified walls and blockades, ensured the city was well-defended throughout its history.
After you settle in, head out to explore the old city, which is easily explored on foot. Within a mile, you'll see the fortifications known as casemates, the lovely city squares, historic buildings, the impressive Pont Adolphe bridge, the Cathédrale of Notre-Dame, and city parks.
Later in the day, find your way to the Grand Ducal Palace, built in 1572 as Luxembourg's town hall until 1795, after which it was the seat of the Département des Forêts for some years. In 1817, the palace became the headquarters of the government of Luxembourg, and the building became the official residence of the head of state. In 1890, it became the exclusive residence of the Grand Duke and his family. Interestingly, during World War II, the building temporarily served as a concert hall and tavern.
Day 12: Complete the Wenzel Circular Walk, Visit the Pétrusse Casemates
Spend your day exploring more of Luxembourg. Participate in a favorite local pastime by walking along the famous Chemin de la Corniche, a scenic promenade winding atop the 17th-century city ramparts. The walk offers some of the best views of the valley and the river, and it's a great way to experience the city's impressive fortifications from another perspective.
Continue your discovery on foot as you complete the Wenzel Circular Walk to learn the millennial-long history of Luxembourg City. The walk pays tribute to Wenceslas II, Duke of Luxembourg, from 1383 to 1419. The walk takes you through some of the oldest quarters of the city, dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Along the way, you'll see the Bock Promontory (the city's cradle), Grund Gate, built in 1632 by the Spanish, and Castle Bridge, built in 1735, among many other highlights.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the underground tunnels and fortified walls of the Pétrusse Casemates should be on your must-see list for Luxembourg. Called "the most beautiful balcony of Europe," the 14-mile (23 km) galleries were first built in 1644 during the era of Spanish domination. They were enlarged 40 years later and given their present form by Marshal Vauban, the French military engineer.
Day 13: Day Trip to Vianden
Today, you'll take a day trip from the capital to the lovely town of Vianden via free public transport (Luxembourg was the first country to introduce public transport at no cost). About one hour away from Luxembourg City, Vianden is famous for its impressive Château Vianden, the castle towering high above the village. The castle was built from the 11th to the 14th century on the foundations of a Roman fortification and a Carolingian refuge and is now one of Europe's largest and most beautiful feudal residences.
In 1977, the castle was restored to its former glory, and today it's one of the most important monuments in Europe. After you explore the castle, ride on Luxembourg's only chairlift, Chairlift Vianden, which takes you across the scenic Our Valley and provides another view of the famous castle. Hop off at the top to take in the panorama, then either make a 20-minute hike back down or take another ride. Stop in Vianden's Altstadt (Old Town) for a meal, then grab a bus back to the capital for your last night in the country.
Day 14: Depart Luxembourg
Enjoy your final morning in Luxembourg at your leisure. When the time comes, your driver will pick you up at your hotel and take you to Luxembourg's airport in time to catch your departing flight. Safe travels!More Great Netherlands Itineraries
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