9 DAYS CHARMS OF NETHERLANDS

Arriving in Amsterdam or Brussel’s airport, you will be transferred to Maastricht. Enjoy an afternoon 2-hour private Maastricht tour with its historical structures, squares and the famed ‘het Vrijthof’ which has attracted pilgrims since Medieval times to the grave of Saint Servatius. Conclude with 1-hour evening Maastricht cruise (shared), passing the Bonnefantan Museum, Gouvernement and St Pietersburg.

Start with Saint Peter’s cave, excavated through centuries beneath Saint Peter’s Mount. Drive 110 km or about 1.5 hours for a 2-hour Antwerp walking tour, exploring its guild houses, churches, Brabo-Fountain, the giants who lived at Citadel Steen, as well as delicious Belgium chocolates and waffles. Thereafter, we drive 100 km or about 1.5 hours to Rotterdam.

Greet the morning from Euromast Tower, boasting panoramic city and port views. Explore Rotterdam’s funky modern architectures by foot, such as Erasmus Bridge, building ‘Rotterdam’, Cube Houses and Market Hall. Drive 30 mins to the 19 windmills of Kinderdijk (UNESCO), served to drain excess water from the reclaimed land. After visiting the Kinderdijk village and the windmill interior, you have an optional activity to bike across the windmills in proper Dutch style.

We devote the day to explore ‘s Hertogenbosch, home to renowned medieval artist Jheronimus Bosch, for a Bossche Bollen decoration workshop. Set off to WW2 Nazi Concentration camp or the Efteling fairy-tale theme park before we driving 110km or about 1.5 hours to Deventer.

After Deventer’s city walking tour, we drive 35km or about 30 mins to Hoge veluwe. Visit the Kröller-Müller Museum inside the National Park Hoge Veluwe, home to the world’s largest private Van Gogh collection and one of Europe’s largest sculpture gardens. Conclude with the cozy, ornate Canneburgh castle.

Drive 70km, about 1 hour for half day Giethoorn walking tour. Giethoorn was nicknamed ‘Venice of the North’ with its wooden bridges, thatched farmhouses and canals. After lunch, we drive 60km, about 1 hour to Orvelte museum village to understand local saw mills, blacksmiths and wooden shoe industries.

Visit the old planetarium in Franeker and the historic Hindeloopen fishing village at the northernmost province of Friesland. Continue 116km, about 1.5 hours to Edam and Marken, surrounded by fertile towns adorned with of canals and lakes. Transfer to the picture-perfect capital – Amsterdam.

Start with a city tour through the cobblestone streets and tree-lined Amsterdam canals (UNESCO). Visit the harbor, historic Jordan quarter, Vondel Park, “Skinny Bridge” and Red Light district. Explore the the Anne Frank House, a writer’s house and biographical museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. This afternoon, come face-to-face with Dutch masterpieces at Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum before relaxingly traversing the inner labyrinths of 17th century canal houses on a 1-hour canal cruise.

Rise early to visit the world-famous Flower Auction (closed on Sat & Sun). Experience the hustle and bustle of the auction floor, traders and the quantity of beautiful flowers traded. After lunch, you will be transferred to Amsterdam International Airport for your flight home.