The best time to visit Holland is in the spring, when the flowers are in full bloom, making Panache's 7-day cruise to the Netherlands the most delightful. The cheese farm, windmills, and houses at Zaanse Schans are a must-see when on a Dutch tour. You can visit the world-famous Keukenhof Garden in Haarlem, referred to as the "Garden of Europe" for its stunning floral displays. Ride a bicycle around the canals of Leiden, a city with a rich history and a beautiful tree-lined canal system. Appreciate the very best of the region while enjoying gourmet meals and fine wines, either alfresco or in the spacious dining area.
Highlights
Stroll the historic city of Leiden on a bicycle with your private group of up to 12 guests
Visit the world famous Keukenhof Gardens
Explore the Royal Delft pottery to see earthenware being hand-made and painted
Discover Aalsmeer's flower auction where 17 million cut flowers are traded
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Guests are met in Amsterdam and transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Panache. Once onboard, enjoy a champagne welcome and an introduction to your crew and hotel barge.
Enjoy a walking tour of Alkmaar before your first cruise to Zaanse Schans near Amsterdam, a place renowned for its wooden windmills, barns, and houses built in the traditional Dutch style. After lunch on board, we take a tour of Zaanse Schans, an open-air conservation area and museum, giving you a vivid impression of the Dutch way of life in the 17th and 18th centuries. This historical area consists of authentic houses and windmills, a historic shipyard, a pewter factory, a cheese and dairy farm, and an antique grocery store dating back to the 1900s. Dinner served on board.
Enjoy an early morning cruise to the historic city of Haarlem, dating back to the 13th century. After lunch on board, this afternoon marks a highlight of the week with a visit to the world-famous Keukenhof Gardens, known as the ‘Garden of Europe.’ There are more than 100 acres filled with over 7 million flowering bulbs and stroll through a breath-taking backdrop of colors on this unforgettable half-day excursion. Dinner ashore this evening at a local restaurant.
An optional very early morning tour to the Aalsmeer flower auction, where some 17 million cut flowers from all over the world are traded each day. You then return to the hotel barge for breakfast, then enjoy a tour of Haarlem. The city is home to the Frans Hals Museum, founded in 1862 with its vast collection of Old Masters. Other highlights include St. Bavo’s Cathedral on the main square, where Handel and Mozart played the magnificent Muller organ. Or you can opt for some free time to visit a fine selection of boutique shops. After lunch on board, cruise to your mooring at Oude Wetering, where there is time to walk or cycle along the towpaths around the lake. Dinner on board.
After breakfast, cruise to Leiden. Home to one of the oldest universities in the country and the birthplace of Rembrandt. Leiden is a historical city full of charm and character, a perfect place to explore on a bicycle or stroll the banks of the pretty tree-lined canals. This afternoon take a tour of the city and a private boat trip, with your tour leader explaining the history that dates back to Roman times and more recent sites such as the church, St. Pieterskerk, from which the pilgrims departed for America. Free time to explore the many local cafes, boutique shops, markets, and antique dealers.
Morning cruise arriving in Delft by lunchtime, your final mooring. Delft is renowned for its pottery ceramic products, styled on the imported Chinese porcelain of the 17th century. This beautiful, unspoiled town is more than 750 years old and began as the home port of the Dutch East India Company. Following lunch, visit the Royal Delft factory, just a 5 minutes’ walk from the mooring, to learn how this world-famous porcelain is made. During the afternoon, explore Delft further. Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.
Day 7: Delft | Disembark
1 Breakfast
After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to their choice of location in Amsterdam.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
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Junior Suite
150 sq ft including en suite facilities including TV/DVD, Double sink in bathroom and air conditioning/ heating, WiFi (subject to location)
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by Credit card, check, and bank transfer. All final payments by credit card subject to a surcharge of 2.5% and maximum of $20,000 charge
The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
Jack Charney
TrustScore 4.8 | 144 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 144 reviews on
5 hours ago
We have used Adventure Life Travel before and we where impressed with the outcome of their handling of our travel arrangements. So we are using them again on this vacation. Tilly has been very helpful and we put our complete confidence in her! We feel very comfortable using Adventure Life.
Jerry Hatley
7 hours ago
Erin was responsive, knowledgeable, helpful, and ran through a few different choices with us. She got us a fabulous price on a trip, and made everything easy to do. And QUICK!!
Tina
1 day ago
Excellent trip saw much more than would have seen with out Adventure Life's help.
Anonymous traveler
3 days ago
Erin made things easier than I thought possible. So good at answering questions in a timely manner and explaining all. I feel she looks out for me.
Fran Folkman
3 days ago
Very personable and knowledgeable! Able to answer questions and provide advice based on personal experiences.