Was from

£2,153pp

Now from

£1,653pp

Prices shown exclude flights and transfers

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Overview

This springtime river cruise gets underway in Holland’s colorful capital of Amsterdam. This 700-year-old city offers an abundance of classic architecture, cafés, and restaurants to explore before you embark on your river cruise through Holland and Belgium. For beer enthusiasts, a knowledgeable Beer Expert joins your cruise to host lectures, beer tasting, and food-and-beer-pairings for an authentic Holland and Belgium River cruise experience.

Sail through Rotterdam’s harbor, said to be the world’s busiest port. Garden enthusiasts will delight in a visit to see the breathtaking colors of Keukenhof, also known as the “Garden of Europe.” With 70 acres of parkland and lakes, it’s one of the world’s largest flower gardens with nearly 7 million flowering bulbs bursting with color. Next, sail to Antwerp, Belgium’s second-largest city, known for its centuries-old history in diamond trading amid ancient buildings and monuments combined with modern architecture. Guided sightseeing includes a visit to a local brewery. In Ghent, Belgium, join a local expert for a guided tour of the city, including a visit to St. Baaf’s Cathedral. A canal boat tour with a brewery visit is also included. Your cruise traverses back into Holland, where you’ll explore Middelburg, formerly an important trading city. You’ll still get a sense of its historic wealth today with its impressive structures like the Gothic Town Hall, Abbey Tower, and bustling Market Square. No trip to Holland is complete without a visit to the technical miracle that is the Delta Works, a storm flood barrier almost six miles long, constructed after the floods of 1953. This beautiful and historic springtime river cruise concludes with more time to explore the wonderful city of Amsterdam. See the most fascinating views of the city on a canal cruise along the elegant grachten lined with homes dating back to the city’s “Golden Age.

Book your cruise with or without flights

Cruise prices are shown without flights included in case you wish to book them separately, or aren't ready to return home when you disembark! Or we can book your flights for you from most UK airports, with overseas transfers and ATOL protection included. The choice is yours!

Book your cruise with or without flights

Itinerary

Avalon has designed included activities with a choice of experiences. We invite you to select the tours, activities, and events that interest you most, so you can experience your cruise your way. There are three types of included shore excursion on every Europe cruise:

Your local expert is ready to guide you through the history and heritage of local destinations. You’ll marvel at the legends, lore, and spectacular architecture of iconic and historic sites.

Embark on energetic excursions to keep you in motion and on the go - from a guided jogging tour of Amsterdam, to biking, paddling, and hiking your way through scenic locales.

We’ve found inspiring and interactive activities to speak to your interests - from cooking classes, to painting workshops - to immerse yourself in each culture you explore.

Classic

<p>Embark on energetic excursions to keep you in motion and on the go - from a guided jogging tour of Amsterdam, to biking, paddling, and hiking your way through scenic locales.</p>

Active

Embark on energetic excursions to keep you in motion and on the go - from a guided jogging tour of Amsterdam, to biking, paddling, and hiking your way through scenic locales.

Discovery

We’ve found inspiring and interactive activities to speak to your interests - from cooking classes, to painting workshops - to immerse yourself in each culture you explore.

Day 1 AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (EMBARKATION)

Meals included:
Dinner

Welcome to Holland. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding.
Flights into Amsterdam must arrive by 3:30 pm.
Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.
Your day in Amsterdam is free to explore at your leisure.
You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to beautiful Zaanse Schans where you’ll see a wonderful collection of well-preserved historic windmills and Dutch houses.
Enjoy dinner and explore the ship on your first night on board.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ROTTERDAM

Day 2 ROTTERDAM

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Dutch Treats and Flowers Sweet
Visit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host.

Join a full- or half-day Guided Tour of breathtaking Keukenhof—known as the “Garden of Europe”—for its 70 acres of lush parkland, lakes, and the world’s largest flower gardens—with more than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths as well as other bulbs, planted each year.

Onboard lecture hosted by your Beer Expert

Take some free time to relax on the harbor-side in Rotterdam with an artisan beer, a slice of appeltart (Dutch apple pie), and a koffie verkeerd, a typical Dutch drink with equal parts coffee and milk. Take a bike from your ship to explore Rotterdam and the surrounding area.
Before dinner, enjoy a cruise through Rotterdam harbor.
Later, enjoy live entertainment on board.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ANTWERP

Day 3 ANTWERP, BELGIUM

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Cathedrals, Carats and Crêpes

Take a Guided Tour of this sophisticated city to visit the central Grote Markt, lined with 16th-century guildhall houses. You’ll also see the beautiful city hall, the Cathedral of Our Lady with its stunning altarpiece paintings by Rubens. Your sightseeing will end at a brewery where you will learn something more about the world-famous Belgian beers.

You may otherwise choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to the nearby capital, Brussels—considered home to the European Union, and admire its magnificent palaces and cathedrals.
You might prefer to take time on your own to indulge in Antwerp’s signature Belgian waffles and crêpes—or explore this bike-friendly city from its old wharfs to its legendary diamond district.
Later, enjoy live entertainment on board.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO GHENT

Day 4 GHENT

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Medieval Masterpieces and Flemish Finery

Enjoy a canal boat that will take you through the town of Ghent to one of the very special breweries where you will find how to brew the local Gruut beer.

You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion of Bruges to explore its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings. You’ll see its crisscrossed canals, the 13th-century belfry of Market Square, and charming patrician houses.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MIDDELBURG

Day 5 MIDDELBURG, HOLLAND

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

A Spicy History in Middelburg’s Dutch Harbor Town
Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.

Join a Guided Walking Tour through the winding cobblestone and canals of Middelburg. See the 15th-century gothic Town Hall and learn about its important role in the spice trade and Dutch East India trading.

Spend some free time biking or walking through Middelburg to sample Babbelaar cookies, fries, or beer before cruising to Veere.

VEERE

The Delta Works Stand Strong as a Technical Marvel

Join a Guided Tour of the Delta Works, the largest flood-protection system in the world, and a miracle of modern technology.

This evening, enjoy an onboard food and beer pairing dinner hosted by your Beer Expert

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO WILLEMSTAD

Day 6 WILLEMSTAD

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Willemstad’s Windmills and Historic Harbor

Grab a Nordic walking stick for a hike with your Adventure Host in Willemstad.

Join a Guided Walking Tour of Willemstad and discover its many beautifully restored buildings from the 17th and 18th Century

Later, enjoy a Beer & Cheese Tasting on board as you prepare to sail to Amsterdam

AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO AMSTERDAM

Day 7 AMSTERDAM

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Canals of Colorful Amsterdam

Discover Aalsmeer Flower Auction—the largest in the world, where around 20 million flowers are sold every day. Later enjoy a typical Dutch breakfast, OR:

Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age”, followed by a real Dutch beer experience.

This afternoon choose among the many Guided Optional Excursions available. Take some free time to explore Amsterdam’s colorful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM

Day 8 AMSTERDAM (DISEMBARKATION)

Meals included:
Breakfast

Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning.

Questions? Our travel specialists can help with any queries, quotes or special requirements. Request a callback or email us.

Notes

In the event of technical or water level issues, it may be necessary to operate the itinerary by motorcoach or alter the program, including hotel overnight when necessary.
Guided Tours, Optional Excursions, activities, sailing and docking schedules may be contingent on weather conditions or other issues outside of our control and could therefore be subject to change at any time.
Please check visa requirements with your local consulate(s); responsibility for obtaining visas rests with the traveler.

Start sooner, stay longer

Start sooner, stay longer. Start your vacation earlier or stay longer with destination options before or after your Avalon cruise.

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