Avalon Waterways Tulip Time Highlights (WXA)

8 Day River Cruise Brussels to Amsterdam

Make your visions of tulip season in Holland and Belgium come into view! Cruise from Brussels to Amsterdam for quintessential scenes of windmills, waterways, and rows of blooming color. Embark in Brussels and sail to Ghent—“The Diamond of Flanders.” Visit St. Bavo’s Cathedral with its stunning Flemish artwork. Sail to Bossuit for moving battlefield remembrances, including In Flanders Fields Museum and the Last Post Ceremony. On to Holland for a visit the former Dutch East India Company trading port. You’ll tour the Delta Works in Veere—a marvel of flood-protection. In Kinderdijk, see 19 windmills built in 1740 for water management, and in Rotterdam the Erasmus Bridge. You’ll see why windmills are a symbol of Holland!

Take in the tulips and other flowering bulbs in the flower farm regions of Zaandam and Haarlem, and conclude your river cruise through Belgium and Holland with a visit to Amsterdam. Take a guided canal cruise past bridges and homes of a golden age.

Ships: Tranquility II - Imagery II
Special Offer/Promotion

Avalon Waterways Promotions & Special Offers

Single supplement waived on the cruise portion of select 2023 Avalon Waterways Europe river cruises.*

Restrictions May Apply

Avalon Highlights & Sightseeing

Day 1 Brussels (Embarkation): Onboard welcome reception

Day 2 Ghent: Choice of guided tour or walk with your Adventure Host

Day 3 Bossuit: Visit to Flanders Field Museum in Ypres; visit to the battlefields; Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate

Day 4 Middelburg–Veere: Choice of guided tour in Middelburg or bike with your Adventure Host; choice of guided tour of the Delta Works or bike with your Adventure Host

Day 5 Kinderdijk–Rotterdam: Choice of guided tour in Kinderdijk or bike with your Adventure Host; harbor cruise in Rotterdam; choice of guided tour in and Rotterdam or bike with your Adventure Host; harbor cruise in Rotterdam

Day 6 Zaandam–Haarlem: Free time in Zaandam; choice of guided tour in Haarlem or bike with your Adventure Host

Day 7 Amsterdam: Choice of canal cruise, or biking tour

Day 8 Amsterdam (Disembarkation): Your cruise ends this morning

Special Interest Departures

04/14/2024 - Tulip Time Highlights for Garden and Nature Lovers
04/20/2025 - Tulip Time Highlights for Garden and Nature Lovers

Related Avalon Tours

WXA - Tulip Time Highlights
WXAQ - With 1 Night in Brussels
WAX - Tulip Time in Holland & Belgium

Itinerary (2024)

Day 1	BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (EMBARKATION)
	Welcome to Belgium. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding. Flights into Brussels must arrive by 2:00 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm. Enjoy dinner on board as you sail for Ghent this evening. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO GHENT (D)
Day 2	GHENT
	Medieval Masterpieces and Flemish Finery Visit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host. ACTIVE Explore a different side of Ghent by foot with your Adventure Host, OR: CLASSIC Explore Ghent—“The Diamond of Flanders”— with a Guided Sightseeing Tour of this showcase of medieval Flemish wealth. You’ll visit St. Bavo’s Cathedral—with its remarkable Flemish artwork. Alternatively, you may choose to join a full-day 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. This evening, enjoy live entertainment onboard. OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BOSSUIT (B,L,D)
Day 3	BOSSUIT
	Battlefield Remembrances in Flanders DISCOVERY Visit the In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres—named for the soldier’s famed poem. Learn about the story of the invasion of Belgium, the first months of the mobilization, the four years trench war in the Westhoek, the end of the war, and the lasting remembrance to follow. After your visit, enjoy lunch at the museum’s café. DISCOVERY Following the museum, visit battlefields, cemeteries, memorials and private collections. DISCOVERY Experience the Last Post Ceremony, taking place nightly under the arches of the Menin Gate. Enjoy some free time for dinner before the Ceremony starts. OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MIDDELBURG (B,L,D)
Day 4	MIDDELBURG, HOLLAND
	A Spicy History in Middelburg’s Dutch Harbor Town ACTIVE Explore Middelburg by bike with your Adventure Host, OR: CLASSIC Join a Guided Walking Tour through the winding cobblestones and canals of Middelburg. See the 15th-century Gothic Town Halland learn about its important role in the spice trade and Dutch East India trading. Enjoy lunch on board while cruising to Veere. VEERE The Delta Works Stand Strong as a Technical Marvel ACTIVE Bike your way to the beach from Veere with your Adventure Host, OR: DISCOVERY Join a Guided Tour of the Delta Works, the largest flood-protection system in the world, and a miracle of modern technology. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO KINDERDIJK (B,L,D)
Day 5	KINDERDIJK–ROTTERDAM
	Harnessing the Wind for 300 Years Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities. ACTIVE See the windmills of Kinderdijk by bike with your Adventure Host, OR: CLASSIC Join a Guided Tour of Kinderdijk where 19 windmills were built in 1740 as flood prevention and water management. You’ll hear about the windmill’s vital role in the Netherland’s history and why it became a national symbol of Holland. Enjoy a cruise through Rotterdam harbor. ACTIVE Experience Rotterdam by bike with your Adventure Host, OR: CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Rotterdam featuring innovative architecture, including the marvelous Erasmus Bridge. Later, enjoy live entertainment onboard. OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ZAANDAM (B,L,D)
Day 6	ZAANDAM
	Windmills, Waterways, and Waving Fields of Flowers Arrive in Zaandam this morning with free time to explore this quintessential Dutch town. During tulip season, you may take a Guided Optional Excursion to Keukenhof gardens. Outside of tulip season, join a Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses. Cruise to Haarlem this afternoon while enjoying lunch onboard. HAARLEM Tulips and North Sea Trading Ports ACTIVE Enjoy an easy bike ride to the beach with your Adventure Host, OR: CLASSIC Visit Haarlem, a major flower bulbs growing district outside of Amsterdam. Explore the former North Sea trading port with its medieval features, gabled houses, and leafy courtyards. Enjoy dinner on board your ship this evening as you sail to Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM (B,L,D)
Day 7	AMSTERDAM
	Canals of Colorful Amsterdam ACTIVE Join a Biking Tour through the Dutch countryside past polders, dykes, and quaint centuries-old villages, OR: CLASSIC Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age”. This afternoon, you might consider joining one of the Optional Excursions available. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM (B,L,D)
Day 8	AMSTERDAM (DISEMBARKATION)
	Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning. (B)

Avalon Pricing Details

Port charges:
$210

Gratuities to Local Guides & Excursion Drivers are included on Avalon portion only.

Avalon offers the opportunity for solo travelers to sail with no single supplement (subject to availability).

Please call for single accommodation price. Triples not available.

Avalon 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.