Dutch & Belgian Art Cities
Topic: Art & StudySample Itinerary
DAY 01 - DEPARTURE
Check in at your local airport for the transatlantic flight to Amsterdam.
DAY 02 - HOORN, EERNEWOUDE
Upon arrival in Amsterdam you'll proceed through customs formalities. Then meet your tour manager who will direct you to the waiting motorcoach. Your first stop is north of Amsterdam in Hoorn. You'll see some of the beautiful buildings in this old town and take time to stretch your legs. You'll then continue north crossing the Enclosure Dike into the Province of Friesland and your final destination, Eernewoude, located in the heart of the Frisian lakes.
DAY 03 - LEEUWARDEN, FRISIAN LAKES, EERNEWOUDE
Your morning will begin in Leeuwarden, where you'll visit some of the most important sites of the city, including the Hofplein (Main Square), the 13th-century Jacobin Church and the Fries Museum. After some free time, we'll make an excursion into the surrounding countryside and villages. Stops will be made at some of the villages which have particularly interesting churches. Returning to Leeuwarden you'll have time to relax before tonight's dinner cruise.
DAY 04 - HUNEBED TRAIL, HET LOO, EPE
This morning you'll depart the Province of Friesland and travel through the neighboring Province of Groningen and then into the Province of Drenthe. Here you'll follow the so-called "Hunebed Trail." Stops will be made at some of the hunebeds. Then you'll then continue south to the Province of Gelderland, where you'll spend the next two nights. In the afternoon you'll visit Het Loo Royal Palace and Gardens. You'll then check into the hotel located in the Veluwe, a lovely wooded area.
DAY 05 - ARNHEM, KASTEEL DE HAAR, EPE
Another day of contrasts is in store for you. Your morning visit is to the Netherlands Open-Air Museum. This afternoon you're off to the Province of Utrecht where you'll have a guided tour at Kasteel de Haar. Afterwards, travel through the Loosdrechtse Plassen, a scenic area of lakes and canals, to Hilversum and then on to Epe.
DAY 06 - DE HOGE VELUWE, NUENEN, THORN, HEERLEN
Before leaving this area of the Netherlands, you'll visit the Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller in De Hoge Veluwe National Park. Next travel south to Nuenen, the village where Van Gogh's father was pastor. You'll see the small church depicted several times in Van Gogh's paintings and several of the windmills illustrated in many of his drawings and paintings. From here you'll continue south to the Province of Limburg. A stop is planned in the village of Thorn to visit the church which was started as a women's abbey in the 10th century. Then continue south almost to the point where the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany meet. Your base for the next two nights is the town of Heerlen.
DAY 07 MAASTRICHT, HEERLEN
Today you'll make an excursion to nearby Maastricht, the capital of the Province of Limburg. You'll concentrate on the Vrijthof-the square in the heart of the Old Town. A visit will be made to St. Servaasbasiliek. Then you'll travel outside of Maastricht to the Caves of St. Pietersburg. If time permits, before returning to Heerlen, you may cross over the border into Germany and make a stop in one of the towns there.
DAY 08 BRUSSELS, BRUGGE
Leaving the Netherlands for a few days, you'll cross the border into neighboring Belgium. You'll spend most of the day in the capital city of Brussels. Your first stop is at the Grand Place. No visit to Brussels is complete without a visit to the most famous citizen-the little
Manneke Pies. This afternoon you'll visit to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. In the late afternoon you'll leave Brussels and travel to Brugge, where you'll be spending the next two nights.
DAY 09 - BRUGGE
A full day is devoted to this charming city which has preserved its medieval character and architecture. Your morning visits will include the Church of Our Lady and the Groeninge Museum. The morning visit will end at the Town Hall and Market. In the afternoon, you'll visit the Memling Museum in the Hospital of St. John. The last visit of the afternoon is the picturesque Begijnhof. The remainder of the day is free for your continued exploration of Brugge.
DAY 10 ANTWERP, THE HAGUE
Antwerp, another Belgian art city, is on today's agenda. In the Cathedral of Our Lady, you'll see several of Rubens' masterpieces including Raising of the Cross and the Descent From the Cross. You'll also visit the Rubens House which he had built from 1613 to 1617. Next you'll visit the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Following this visit, we'll cross the border back into the Netherlands and head straight for the Province of South Holland and the city of The Hague. Upon arrival, you'll check into the hotel for our two-night stay.
DAY 11 - SCHEVENINGEN, THE HAGUE
This morning you'll see the exterior of some of the palaces and government buildings including the Peace Palace and the Knights' Hall. Then you'll continue to the popular seaside resort of Scheveningen. While here, you'll visit two important art museums-the Mauritshuis and the Gemeentemuseum.
DAY 12 - DELFT, GOUDA, AMSTERDAM
Today we'll visit two of the loveliest towns in the Province of South Holland-Delft and Gouda. In Delft, you'll visit Royal Delft-the last remaining Delftware factory from the 17th century. Your next stop is Gouda-known for its famous cheese. You'll have a guided tour at St. Janskerk and some free time for independent exploration. Afterwards, continue on to the Province of North Holland and the city of Amsterdam where you'll spend the next three nights.
DAY 13 - AMSTERDAM
Today you'll concentrate on Amsterdam's "Golden Age" of the 17th century. After breakfast, walk to the Rijksmuseum to see its impressive collection of 17th-century Dutch paintings. Next, you'll take a cruise on the canals and then visit the Rembrandthuis which Rembrandt bought in 1639.
DAY 14 - AMSTERDAM
This morning's first stop will be at the Rijksmuseum Vincent Van Gogh. Next, those who wish can visit the neighboring Stedelijk Museum. The remainder of the afternoon is free for independent exploration.
DAY 15 - HAARLEM, RETURN
Travel the short distance to Haarlem this morning. First is a brief visit at the Grote of St. Bavokerk and then visit the Frans Hals Museum. From here, you'll travel to Schiphol Airport to check in for the return flights to the U.S.
