A European river cruise offers enriching culture and the breathtaking scenery of Holland tulips, combined with the peaceful environment and total relaxation.   For those travelers to Europe who have not yet experienced it once you try it, you will love it and wonder why you didn’t try river cruising sooner.

A floating hotel concept where your 12 hour days of riding in a cramped vehicle are a relic of the past; river cruising the waterways of Holland offers you the opportunity to experience several countries in one program, to stay in the same comfortable cabin every night, to enjoy wonderful local cuisine, to shop for local specialty products and souvenirs, while doing so in a unique format that you will want to experience over and over again.  For your ultimate pleasure in the experience, prepare yourself by doing research on the areas you are going to and be prepared to be “Wowed!”

Most of your sightseeing can be experienced from a comfortable lounge area with large picture windows or from the top deck of the 100+ passenger ships while relaxing in the sunshine, marveling at the scenery and breathing in the fresh air. This is the absolute best way to visit Europe, via legendary rivers like the Rhine, Danube, Rhone, Seine, Po and Douro that are the cradles of transportation, culture and history.

Plus, there is always an opportunity to go on specialized optional sightseeing excursions, city walking tours or just to take a stroll around quaint villages and historic towns after dinner.  Every night, dock in a different location that is nearly always within a few minutes walking distance  of interesting sightseeing, shopping or the local pub, where you can sample the regional spirits.

River Cruises
Call 1 (800) 526 – 8539 or visit the website.  Euro River Cruises is taking early bookings now for the April cruises through Holland.

Tulip Time Cruises
April 4, April 11, April 25 and May 2, 2009
Special pricing on the deluxe MV Heidelberg on 7 night Tulip Time cruises through Holland & Belgium

Upper deck cabin with French balcony: $2,435
Middle deck cabin with French balcony: $2,040
rates are per person and include the cruise, all meals, excursion package, port charges & fuel surcharge.  Airfare can be negotiated and added to cruise packages in most cases.

AMSTERDAM

Embarkation in Amsterdam between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. Time to settle into your cabin. Welcome drink and presentation of the crew in the lounge. Dinner will be served on board and optional visit of the Old Town with an overnight stop.

A breakfast buffet will greet you on board. The morning will be dedicated to an optional guided tour of Amsterdam. Discover Dam Square, the Royal Palace, the Currency Tower, the flower market, the windmill on the River Amstel.  On the road, stop off at a diamond-cutting workshop where you will see how a "pebble" is transformed into a precious stone reflecting the light.  Back on board for lunch.  In the afternoon, free time or departure for the optional excursion to Volendam, an old fishing village on the Ijsselmeer (formerly the South Sea) and Zaanse Schans,  a neighborhood of Zaandam, near Zaandijk in the municipality of Zaanstad in the Netherlands , in the province of North Holland.  It has a collection of well-preserved historic windmills and houses. Zaanse Schans is one of the popular tourist attractions (or the Zanish Redoubt), which is an open-air museum giving an idea of what life was like in Zaan region 150 years ago. See authentic Zanish houses, a clog factory, and the famous windmills. Back on board at about 6:00 pm.  Free evening or optional transfer to the city center for a walk through the Red Light District.

After breakfast, optional visit to the famous Keukenhof Flower Park (open on April and May), the largest bulb flower park in the world. The beds of flowers are laid out in natural surroundings where the tulips, narcissi, hyacinths, and other species are each more beautiful than the last.  After May we offer an optional excursion to Delft, a charming town dating back to the 17th century and known throughout the world for the painter Vermeer and its potteries (visit).  On the way back, there will be an optional visit of Madurodam, a miniature city famous worldwide, and the ideal place to discover all the curiosities of Holland. Here you will find everything that makes Holland famous, reproduced to the last detail on a scale of 1:25. In the meantime the boat will continue along Utrecht where you will join it for lunch. The boat continues on its way to Rotterdam with dinner  and fare-well evening on board. 

ROTTERDAM – ANTWERP:

Departure of the boat early in the morning for Antwerpen passing through Dordrecht where we will enter the Holland Diep (inland sea), then taking the Volkerak and Kreekak locks.  After the Dutch-Belgian border, we will sail up the Escaut to Antwerp, one of the largest ports in the world.  The Old Town has retained the charm of the old Flemish cities with its narrow streets and vast squares lined with houses with stepped and scrolled gables and high glazed facades.   Dinner will be served on board and a free evening in Antwerp or walk around the Old Town guided by our hostess.  Look for an overnight stop. 

ANTWERP – BRUSSELS:

You will leave Antwerp early in the morning.  Breakfast as we cruise.  Morning spent cruising to Brussels.  Lunch on board. We will reach Brussels at about 2:00 pm.  In the afternoon, optional guided tour of the city, capital of Belgium. With its innumerable treasures, Brussels seduces and charms the visitor. Combining its Gothic heritage with the Renaissance, Art Nouveau, not to mention Art Deco and Classicism through to modern glass and steel towers, it is a welcoming and attractive city.  Our last dinner and gala evening will be on board, with an overnight stop.

BRUSSELS
Breakfast on board. Disembarkation begins at 9:00am. Happy Traveling!