Arrive at Brussels Airport, where you will be transferred to the ship.

Brussels, the capital of Belgium, offers a treasure trove of historic architecture, along with a rich culinary tradition, chocolate, and a vibrant culinary capital. Food lovers will be lured by the divine aromas drifting from delightful cafés and chocolate shops. After a panoramic tour of Belgium’s historical and contemporary capital city, get an up-close view of the city center with a guided tour on foot. Then, treat yourself to something delicious at Planet Chocolate, or visit Castle Groot-Bijgaarden, a magnificent Renaissance castle just outside of Brussels, where beautiful gardens open to the public for a few months each year–attracting some 50,000 plant lovers annually.

Featured Excursion:
Brussels city tour with Planet Chocolate demonstration and tasting

It may be the diamond capital of the world, but Antwerp is also known for a number of other sought-after cultural gems, including Golden Age art, Belgian beer, waffles, pralines and fries, chocolate and more. Your walking discovery tour of Antwerp complete with Belgian treats features the City Hall, Market Square and the UNESCO-designated Cathedral of Our Lady, which houses four extraordinary works by one of the city’s most beloved sons—Peter Paul Rubens. At the old riverside dock area, there is a 19th-century warehouse that has been transformed into a restaurant and brewery where you can partake in a tasting of Pakhuis’ unfiltered blonde beer.

Featured Excursion:
Antwerp walking discovery tour with Belgian treats (fries, pralines, beer)

Your first stop in the Netherlands— Maastricht—is a city with more than 1,670 national heritage sites, some of which can be seen on your Old Town walking discovery tour. And not only that, but it’s known as one of the most beautiful and romantic cities of Holland and loved for its convivial lifestyle and historic center, which has long played a strategic role in European politics. Or you can choose to make a pilgrimage to the 65-acre Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, the final resting place of 8,301 U.S. soldiers who perished during the Second World War. The cemetery is the only American military center in the Netherlands and sits near the famous Cologne-Boulogne highway that was constructed by the Romans for Caesar to use for his conquests. Choose to explore the beguiling banks of the Muese River, the second oldest river in the world.

Featured Excursion:
Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial visit
Choice of Maastricht’s historic walls, Burgundian culinary hub and chic European lifestyle or “Let’s Go” Maas River biking

Follow in Van Gogh’s footsteps today as you stroll through Nuenen, where the artist once lived and painted The Potato Eaters. After lunch in an old water mill, which was even painted by Van Gogh, view the Hieronymus Bosch exhibit at the Noordbrabants Museum, or choose to walk or cycle through Heusden, where you can observe a working mill, learn to make bread at a local bakery, explore the remnants of a 13th-century fortress, and marvel at the memorial in front of town hall dedicated to the Huesden Town Hall Massacre.

Featured Excursions:
Van Gogh “Village Day” in Nuenen with a country lunch at the old mill
Heusden “Village Day”

Bike around the town of Schoonhoven, best known for its silversmiths, abundant clock makers and quaint shop-lined avenues. Or venture forth to Kinderdijk to see its 19 well-preserved, UNESCO-designated windmills that were originally erected in the 1700s. Learn about the historical significance of these engineering marvels in the Netherlands’ long quest to hold back the sea. If you wish, you’ll have an opportunity to venture inside one of these iconic structures and marvel at Holland’s largest concentration of old windmills.

Featured Excursion:
Choice of Kinderdijk 19 windmills to harness the elements or “Let’s Go” biking the dams and windmills

The Netherlands’ largest city, Amsterdam has been an international port and financial center for 400 years, endowing it with a lively cosmopolitan feeling to match its historic architecture. The famous Keukenhof Gardens is a 70-acre park planted with millions of tulips and other flowers—an extraordinary sight in the spring. Spend the day here or “Do as the Locals Do” in Amsterdam, with a guided stroll through the historic canal district and a look inside the Museum Van Loon, a restored 17th-century canal house.

Featured Excursion:
Full day at Keukenhof Gardens
Choice of Exclusive “Morning with the Masters” at the Amsterdam Hermitage Museum

Disembark the ship and transfer to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for your flight home.