Availability Search

+/-

Know your tour name?

View a complete list of tours

Tour Images

6 days from £735
See all prices

Average Customer Ratings

Overall Rating8.1/10based on 26 reviews

Steam Trains & Tulips in Holland 2014

Highlights of Holland by train

From our base in the beautiful town of Delft, we enjoy fantastic excursions visiting the superb Royal Delft Porcelain factory, the renowned Keukenhof Gardens and the charming city of Amsterdam. We also take a wonderful journey across the countryside in a restored steam train, and enjoy time to explore Delft itself.

Book Now Tailor make this tour Add to shortlist Print Tour

Click to Verify - This site has chosen a thawte SSL Certificate to improve Web site security

Tour highlights

Amsterdam including a guided walking tour
Keukenhof Gardens
Journey on a steam train from Hoorn to Medemblik
Zaanse Schans open air museum
Royal Delft Porcelain
Delft

Day 1 - By train to Delft
Our holiday begins at St Pancras International, where we board the Eurostar to Brussels in Belgium. Here we change trains and travel across the Dutch border to the city of Rotterdam, where we join a private coach for the final leg of our journey to the town of Delft. Famous for its pottery, the town is one of the prettiest in the Netherlands. Tree lined canals and cobbled streets wind away from Markt, Delft's large, open central square. We spend five nights at the Johannes Vermeer Hotel - named after the famous artist who spent his life in Delft. On the quieter streets and canals, you get an impression of the original town that inspired Vermeer's lifetime of work. After checking in to the hotel, we enjoy dinner together this evening. (D)
Day 2 - Royal Delft porcelain factory
Today we visit the Royal Delft porcelain factory, which produces the famous 'Delft Blue'. Here we enjoy a guided tour. Delft has long been associated with intricate blue and white tin-glazed pottery, and during the tour we see a painting demonstration and visit the factory museum. Following the informative tour, your day is at leisure - giving you chance to explore the town, its charming canals, the 17th century merchants' houses and the Renaissance Town Hall. A great way to get around Delft is to use the water taxis, affectionately known as 'canal hoppers'. Popular options for today include the Medieval Old Church with its leaning tower, and the Prinsenhof Museum, which details Delft's close connection with the Dutch Royal family and is well worth visiting. Another popular option is to visit the excellent Johannes Vermeer Museum. Vermeer is undoubtedly one of the best known Dutch artists, from the 'Dutch Golden Age'. He lived his whole life in Delft and dedicated himself almost completely to his work. Although only 34 works have been attributed to him, they are renowned for their masterly use of light. The museum details his life in Delft and the stories behind his impressive paintings. (B)
Day 3 - Keukenhof Gardens
This morning we enjoy an excursion to the famous Keukenhof Gardens, where we can admire the fantastic floral displays. About seven million tulip bulbs are planted here each year along with crocuses, daffodils, orchids and other flowers, creating an explosion of brilliant colour. The gardens only open in the spring, to ensure the best possible seasonal display of the beautiful flowering plants. Across 80 acres of parkland, Keukenhof also has tranquil ponds, sculpture gardens, greenhouses, a windmill open to the public, and several cafés. After time to explore the magnificent gardens and grounds, we return to Delft, where the rest of your day is free for you to explore. (B)
Day 4 - A steam train and historic Holland
Today we travel by coach to the picturesque village of Hoorn. Here we have time for a quick visit to the fascinating Steam Train Museum. The museum restores old steam locomotives, running them on a preserved line; a journey which we take. We travel through the beautiful Westfrisian countryside in vintage carriages, passing through numerous idyllic villages on our journey to Medemblik. Later we continue by coach to Zaanse Schans, a fascinating open air museum depicting Dutch life in the 17th and 18th centuries. This delightful old hamlet on the banks of the River Zaan boasts characteristic green wooden houses, charming stylised gardens, small humpbacked bridges, tradesmen's workshops, historic windmills and engaging little shops. This enchanting settlement gives an excellent impression of what a typical Zaanse village must have looked like centuries ago. (B,D)
Day 5 - Amsterdam
Today we enjoy a fascinating excursion to Amsterdam. Leaving Delft we travel by rail to the Dutch capital, where we spend the day. We begin our time in Amsterdam with a guided walking tour of the charming city. We visit Dam Square, where we learn of the history of the Royal Palace and National Monument. During the walk we pass the Begijnhof, one of the oldest and prettiest inner courts in the city, and Kalverstraat - the famous shopping street. We also take in the flea market and the Skinny Bridge (Magere Brug), which is regarded as the prettiest in Amsterdam, a city with more than 1,200 bridges. After our guided tour you have time to explore at leisure. The city is built on a myriad of canals, which neatly divide the city into easily navigable districts and give each area a lovely small town ambience. There seems to be a canal around every corner in Amsterdam - not too surprising considering that the city is home to a staggering 165 canals; more than in Venice. Amsterdam is also home to some fascinating museums, such as the Rijksmuseum, Rembrandt House, the Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum. (B,D)
Day 6 - By train to London

We check out of the hotel this morning to begin our journey home. We transfer by coach to Rotterdam station, where we board the train to Brussels. On arrival in the Belgian capital we connect with the Eurostar service back to London St Pancras International. (B)

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner
These meals, where shown are included in the price of your holiday