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Tour Code: LW
Tour Length: 10 days
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HOLLAND, LUXEMBOURG & BELGIUM AT LEISURE
Day 1 - (Fri.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight. Day 2 - Arrival in Amsterdam, Holland. (Sat.) The day is free to rest or to start exploring the Dutch capital. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D) Day 3 - Amsterdam. (Sun.) Start your discovery of Holland with a morning sightseeing tour of the capital with a Local Guide. Enjoy a CANAL CRUISE along gabled merchant houses and arched drawbridges reminiscent of the Golden Age, and the strikingly modern buildings of a young-at-heart city. Next, visit the fabulous RIJKSMUSEUM with priceless paintings by Rembrandt and other Dutch masters. Then time to explore Dam Square and the city center on your own, or join your Tour Director for an included visit to a major DIAMOND CENTER to appreciate how a rough mineral is transformed into a sparkling jewel. Afternoon at leisure. You may want to join an optional excursion to the fishing village of Volendam at the former Zuiderzee. (BB) Day 4 - Amsterdam. Excursion to Aalsmeer, Delft, The Hague, and Keukenhof. (Mon.) A scenic day. Start with an early visit to the impressive AALSMEER FLOWER AUCTION, where more than 17 million flowers and two million plants are sold each day. Next, continue to the world renowned ROYAL DELFT POTTERY FACTORY with its magnificent collection of hand-painted earthenware pieces, and see skilled craftsmen at work. Next, drive via The Hague, seat of the Dutch government and the International Court of Justice, to the famous bulbfields of South Holland and visit the extraordinary flower park of KEUKENHOF (departures 0412-0510) before returning to Amsterdam. Departures 0517 1004 visit ANNE FRANK HOUSE instead. (BB) Day 5 - Amsterdam - Maastricht - Bastogne, Belgium - Luxembourg. (Tue.) This morning drive south to Maastricht, where the famous treaty for a stronger unified Europe was signed. Learn more about the European Union as you stroll around this delightful city and enjoy lunch in one of the quaint cafés flanking Vrijthof Square. Cross the Belgium border and stop in Bastogne at the AMERICAN MEMORIAL of the Battle of the Bulge. Late afternoon arrival in Luxembourg, the homonymous capital of one of Europe's smallest sovereign states. (BB,D) Day 6 - Luxembourg. (Wed.) Morning sightseeing with your Local Guide covers the city's past and present, from the fortifications and the Old Town, perched high atop a sandstone outcrop with striking views on the Alzette and Pétrusse Gorges, to the modern administrative center of European Institutions. Visit the CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY, view the turreted Grand Ducal Palace, take a stroll along the panoramic cliff path known as "the most beautiful balcony in Europe," and see the GRAVE OF GENERAL PATTON. An optional excursion to Trier in Germany can be arranged. (BB) Day 7 - Luxembourg - Waterloo, Belgium - Brussels. (Thu.) Through the Belgian Ardennes past Namur at the confluence of the Rivers Meuse and Sambre to Waterloo, where Napoleon was defeated and European history changed course. The afternoon is dedicated to cosmopolitan Brussels, the thriving Belgian capital with a proud medieval past. Your orientation tour features the Rue Royale with the monument of Congress, the Parliament buildings, the Royal Palace, and the main cathedral of Brussels, SAINT MICHAEL. Continue on foot to admire the GRAND" PLACE with its baroque guild houses, the gothic Town Hall, and the most famous inhabitant of the city, Manneken Pis. (BB) Day 8 - Brussels. Excursion to Bruges. (Fri.) Most of today is dedicated to Bruges, one of Western Europe's most perfectly preserved medieval cities. Originating during the defense of the Flemish coast from Viking attack, and once an important wool trading port, it now proudly tells the story of art and architecture of the Middle Ages. A CANAL CRUISE (weather permitting) will give you your first feel of this delightful town. Your Local Guide will show you the Church of Our Lady, the MARKET with its belfry, the Basilica of the Holy Blood, and the City Hall. Plenty of time for lunch, souvenir hunting, and exploring on your own before returning to Brussels. (BB) Day 9 - At Leisure in Brussels. (Sat.) Day at leisure to catch up on your postcards, browse through the trendy boutiques, or simply relax. Another possibility: join a half-day optional excursion to Antwerp, the second-largest Belgian city and one of the world's most important ancient seaports. Visit the famous Rockox House, where the art collector and friend of Rubens lived; the Plantin-Moretus Museum, a permanent exhibition dedicated to the early days of book printing in the 16th century; the Grote Markt; and the Church of Our Lady to admire two of the most important triptychs by Rubens. Tonight an included farewell dinner is the perfect way to celebrate the success of your vacation. (BB,D) Day 10 - (Sun.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB) |
