Dutch Delight

This idyllic village is full of thatched roofs, lush greenery, and lawns overflowing with colorful blooms. What it has virtually none of, on the other hand, is roads. Instead, locals live across a multitude of small islands connected by wooden bridges and get around by boat. This morning, you’ll have the chance to sail with your fellow guests through Giethoorn’s canals to get the best view of this pretty town.

To see Giethoorn is to watch a storybook town come to life. The village, whose name literally translates to “Goat Horn” is almost entirely made up of a collection of tiny islands, each with their own houses. Connected by bridges and lacking roads, the only way to get around is by walking or—as is much more fun—by boat ride. Board a little boat just for your fellow young travelers and their families, then start floating your way around the canals of Giethoorn.

Harlingen is an attractive port town on the Wadden Sea—local legend has it that the only reason Harlingen isn’t under the Wadden Sea is because of the actions of a young boy, who plugged up the local dike with one finger and thereby saved the city from sinking. It is, of course, just a fun story, but a statue in his honor can be found near the docks nonetheless.

Today you’ll stroll through Harlingen’s canals and quaint alleyways with a local guide. Many of the buildings here have been around for three or four centuries, giving the town a historic feel. Keep an eye out for the gable stones on older buildings, small plaques with unique carvings used to help people find their way before numerical addresses were popularized.

You will have the opportunity to dive deep into the Frisian area with one of two different experiences:

1. Head to a horse farm where the characteristically large and agile black Friesian horse is raised. After learning about the farm’s work and Frisian culture, you’ll be treated to a horse show.

2. Take a short drive to the city of Franeker, where you’ll find the oldest working planetarium in the world hanging from the ceiling of a beautiful canal house. This accurately moving model of the solar system was built between 1774 and 1781 by the Frisian wool comber, Eise Eisinga, and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will also visit a historic mill, still active today as a grain mill.

Take a drive to the city of Franeker for a look at the world’s oldest planetarium still in operation. You’ll enter a little house once inhabited by the Eisinga family, and stop in a tiny blue room to learn about Eise Eisinga’s pet project: the world’s oldest planetarium, now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Look up at the ceiling to see miniature scale models of the six planets of our solar system that had been discovered by the time it was built in the late 18th century, rotating on a perfectly timed track.

As you join a local guide on a walk through the streets of Nijmegen, you might be surprised by the youthful energy you find in the Netherlands’ oldest city. Discover a history that stretches back to the Romans and learn how this town recovered from World War II devastation to become the lively center it is today. End your visit in Nijmegen’s best shopping district, where you can branch out on your own to browse the small boutiques, popular chains, and local restaurants available there.

Do you have what it takes to plan a royal party? Find out today on your visit to the Junior Palace at Het Loo, where you’ll help the royal stewards throw a festive reception as part of a fun living history exercise. Along the way, you’ll hear stories about the Dutch monarchy and the beautiful summer palace that was home to members of the House of Orange.

Stepping into Oudenbosch, you may feel as if you’ve left the Netherlands entirely, particularly around the town’s Basilica. The area abounds with Roman style architecture, and the facade of the Basilica itself was designed to be a smaller replica of St. Peter’s in Rome. Marvel at the Basilica, inside and out, on your visit to Oudenbosch today with a local guide.

Known as “The Green Fort,” the excellently preserved Fort Sabina is built in the earthen style, with buildings disguised by a series of dikes and polders. Between this, and the pentagonal moat surrounding it, Fort Sabina makes for a surprisingly pretty bicycle ride in the Willemstad countryside.

To bike through the rolling green nature surrounding Fort Sabina, you almost wouldn’t realize that one of the best preserved forts in the Netherlands is there. As you bike there from the ship, however, a pentagon-shaped moat cut into the land gives it away. Equal parts active nature excursion and military history tour, this bike ride is a great way to spend your day in Willemstad.

With water levels rising in a country where much of the land is below sea level already, the Netherlands has a particularly vested interest in combating climate change. Learn how the country’s most modern city is also amongst its greenest as you get around town via electric city tram and sustainably-powered water taxis. Along the way, you’ll visit a floating farm, the circular beer brewery that helps feed its cows, and more.

Though Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, The Hague is the seat of the country’s government and a fantastic place to visit in its own right. A favorite local highlight of ours, and your destination on this tour, is the Mauritshuis. This museum houses a significant collection of Dutch Golden Age masterpieces—an array of stunning still lifes and portraits, including Vermeer’s famous Girl with a Pearl Earring. Besides its remarkable collection, what makes this museum so special is its setting. The Mauritshuis itself was once a city palace, allowing the works of art inside to be presented in the manner they were originally intended, hanging on the walls of stately houses.

Rotterdam’s bustling market hall epitomizes the city’s penchant for innovative architecture. The massive tunnel-shaped building—the walls containing hundreds of apartments—is an awe-inducing sight. Inside, you’ll find the towering walls and ceiling entirely covered in a colorful nature scene, and rows upon rows of vendors selling local and international cuisine. As you weave your way around with your guide, we’ll treat you to a taste of Dutch favorites along the way.

With water levels rising in a country where much of the land is below sea level already, the Netherlands has a particularly vested interest in combating climate change. Learn how the country’s most modern city is also amongst its greenest as you get around town via electric city tram and sustainably-powered water taxis. Along the way, you’ll visit a floating farm, the circular beer brewery that helps feed its cows, and more.

Make your way to The Hague today for a visit to the Mauritshuis, a museum full of works of Dutch Golden Age art. This museum is special because it was once just a house—if a really nice one. This means that you can see some of the world’s most famous works of art displayed naturally on the walls, as if hung up in someone’s living room.

There's an old saying: “God created the world, but the Dutch created their own land.” Today, as you head off to Zaanse Schans, a wonderful living-history village, you'll get a close-up look at the land the Dutch created. Zaanse Schans stands on the banks of the Zaan River, amid the Kalverpolder—land reclaimed from the sea 500 years ago and put to work supplying the needs of booming Amsterdam in the 17th century. Though the water was pumped away from the land via windmills, the windmills you see in Zaanse Schans were early industrial mills, dedicated to grinding spices, oil, flour—whatever the city growing nearby needed. Some 600 windmills operated here, forming the country’s earliest industrial zone; today six working mills stand atop the dike on the banks of the Zaan.

The Netherlands is a major world producer of cheese, making nearly a billion kilograms yearly. Nowadays, most of this cheese is made industrially in factories, which not only produces significantly more waste, but also eschews the more traditional processes that make Dutch cheeses unique.

Embark on a trip through the scenic countryside outside Hoorn on a visit to one of the country’s remaining authentic dairy farms, where Dutch cheese making traditions are being kept alive. The farmer here will tell you all about their sustainable cheese making practices and life on their farm.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience supports Global Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; and Global Goal 15: Life on Land.

This Generations excursion is also a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences excursion.

No, you’re not being asked to smile for the camera. You’re headed to a family farm to get a taste for eco-friendly Dutch cheeses! While the adults are off learning about cheesemaking at the same farm, you’ll be treated to a special tour that will take you to pet the animals—cows, horses, chickens, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, pigeons, sheep, calves, and more!—sip on lemonade while decorating cakes, and maybe even have some time for trampoline jumping, go-karts, or pedal boating.

Cruise through Amsterdam’s iconic canals on a classic tour with a unique twist. As you float through the city, taking in its charming architecture in the evening light from onboard a private boat, you’ll be treated to a surprise that will showcase local culture in a way you won’t find anywhere else.

The Netherlands is a major world producer of cheese, making nearly a billion kilograms yearly. Nowadays, most of this cheese is made industrially in factories, which not only produces significantly more waste, but also eschews the more traditional processes that make Dutch cheeses unique.

Embark on a trip through the scenic countryside outside Hoorn on a visit to one of the country’s remaining authentic dairy farms, where Dutch cheese making traditions are being kept alive. The farmer here will tell you all about their sustainable cheese making practices and life on their farm.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience supports Global Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; and Global Goal 15: Life on Land.

This Generations excursion is also a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences excursion.

No, you’re not being asked to smile for the camera. You’re headed to a family farm to get a taste for eco-friendly Dutch cheeses! While the adults are off learning about cheesemaking at the same farm, you’ll be treated to a special tour that will take you to pet the animals—cows, horses, chickens, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, pigeons, sheep, calves, and more!—sip on lemonade while decorating cakes, and maybe even have some time for trampoline jumping, go-karts, or pedal boating.