Dutch Bulbfields in Spring

After breakfast we have a leisurely day on board ship, as we cruise from Antwerp to Rotterdam, crossing the Oosterschelde and Westerschelde, two sheltered inlets off the North Sea. Lunch is served on board.

On arrival in Rotterdam there will be an opportunity to go ashore and explore at leisure or choose to join the optional walking tour of the city. Rotterdam combines innovative architecture and a stormy history. First founded as a small fishing village some 800 years ago, the city has grown to significantly important in industry due to its strategic location along some of Europe’s largest rivers. During World War II the city centre was almost completely destroyed by German bombing but has arisen from its ashes to become a cultural hub. Some of the standout architectural wonders include the De Rotterdam Tower designed by Rem Kollhaas, the redeveloped Centraal Station and the iconic Eramus Bridge.   

This morning we cruise from Rotterdam to Utrecht. After lunch on board, we will depart by coach for a visit to one of the most famous gardens in the world - Keukenhof. Over seven million bulbs are planted annually and around one million visitors pass through it from mid-March to mid-May - it is truly breathtaking.

We re-join the ship in Amsterdam and following dinner this evening you are free to explore, alternatively, there will be an optional canal cruise to give you the opportunity to view this spectacular city in its nighttime splendour. Journeying through the canals at night is an exhilarating experience and this tour will allow you to see the best of the city). We overnight here in Amsterdam.

After a short drive out of the city we find Kasteel Museum Sypesteyn, which was built in the early 20^th-century in the 17^th century style by Jonkheer Catharinus Henricus Cornelis Ascanius of Sypesteyn as a tribute to his family as the last descendant of the Van Sypesteyn line. The castle is surrounded by stunning gardens with hedges, moats and decorative wrought-iron gates. Paths and bridges allow for a leisurely stroll through the orchards, the park and the castle garden, featuring both indigenous and exotic planting.

This afternoon we visit De Haar Castle in Utrecht. which has equally splendid grounds including a Roman garden, ponds and canals, romantic vistas and impressive avenues. As was the fashion when the garden was reconstructed around 1895, the garden closest to the castle was in the French style while the surrounding parkland was in a Romantic English landscape style, with fanciful ponds and picturesque little bridges.

We once again overnight in Amsterdam.

After breakfast on board, we disembark the ship and spend the morning in Amsterdam, beginning with a visit to the Museum Van Loon, a magnificent canal-side private residence from the Dutch ‘Golden Age’, with a large collection of paintings, fine porcelain and silver. The formal gardens perfectly complement the Classical style of the house.

In the afternoon, we catch the train from Amsterdam Centraal railway station to Brussels, where we board the Eurostar service to London St Pancras, where we expect to arrive late evening.