Early Booking Offer
Springtime Tulips and Keukenhof Gardens (Rail & Cruise)
8 Days from £1,495per
person
person
Save £100pp on selected cabin upgrades when you book on or before 15th October 2019
The Award Winning Leader in Escorted Worldwide Rail Holidays
Save £100pp on selected cabin upgrades when you book on or before 15th October 2019
Spectacular floral displays, poignant battlefield tours and fairytale cities await on this scenic cruise along the waterways of Belgium and the Netherlands.
From the decks of a luxurious river cruise ship, get to the heart of what makes these two charming countries so special as you are joined for on board talks from gardening television celebrity Charlie Dimmock, and World War I specialist Col. Piers Storie-Pugh
Meet your Tour Manager at London St Pancras today, where you board the Eurostar Service to Amsterdam, where you'll be escorted you to the ship.
Once on board your, take some time to settle into your comfortable cabin and relax in your new surroundings. We enjoy a welcome drink in the lounge before a sumptuous 5-course dinner in the panoramic restaurant, followed by live music.
After waking up to our first morning and breakfast on board, you have a choice between 2 fascinating excursions. Your first option is a guided sightseeing tour of Amsterdam, taking in all the sights which make this enigmatic port city one of the most loved in Europe. Discover the Royal Palace, Dam Square and the pretty canals for which Amsterdam is famous. Your second option is a visit to the town of Hoorn where you embark on a nostalgic steam train trip aboard the wonderful Medemblik Steam Railway.
Our vessel arrives in Ghent, in Flemish Belgium. This morning, Colonel Piers Storie-Pugh will come aboard to deliver a fascinating talk about the battlefields in the region, using his expertise in the field to take us back in time. In the afternoon, our excursion takes us to the infamous Ypres Battlefields, a key battlefront in the First World War. We are accompanied by experts who take us through some of the most poignant sites, including Tyne Cot Cemetery where many of the combatants were buried. We return to the ship later for dinner.
Discover the attractive town of Ghent this morning, as we venture into the narrow streets and pretty boulevards for a guided tour. Built in an instantly identifiable style, the architecture lends an elegant grandeur to the buildings here, and we discover some of the finest examples on our tour, which includes the ever impressive St Bavo's Cathedral and the Belfry.
After lunch, your time is your own to explore more of Ghent.
Today we pay a visit to the fairytale city of Bruges. An exceptional example of a medieval town which takes great pride in its history, Bruges is a truly an enchanting city. With winding streets opening up to large squares, often filled with locals enjoying the cafés that serve up plenty of Belgian delicacies. Here we discover the canals, churches and noble old townhouses famous across Europe. Later, after our day in Bruges, we enjoy another delicious dinner on board.
We arrive into Arnhem this morning. After some free time, you have another choice of 2 excursions. Your first option is to visit the excellent Hartenstein Airborne Museum, in nearby Oosterbeek, for a guided tour. This institution focuses on the fierce Battle of Arnhem in WWII, and was the setting of the war film 'A Bridge too Far'. The museum features a collection of various artefacts from the battle itself.
Alternatively, you may wish to visit the interactive Netherlands' Open Air Museum, recounting the storied history of this proud European country. Tonight, we sit down to an elegant gala dinner with our captain.
This morning we arrive back in Amsterdam. We are joined on board by the wonderful Charlie Dimmock, star of BBC's Ground Force.
We enjoy a presentation as well as a question and answer session with her, learning about her time at the BBC and her tips on horticulture and garden care.
Afterwards, we experience a true highlight of our cruise, visiting the colourful and enjoyable Keukenhof Gardens. Filled with all manner of glorious tulip displays, this is one of the best floral displays in Europe. Following dinner this evening, we're serenaded by a traditional Dutch sea shanty choir.
After a buffet breakfast, your cruise comes to an end and you disembark your ship in Amsterdam. Here you are escorted by your Tour Manager by rail back to London.
Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We write to all booked customers approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advise the exact departure and return time for their particular group.
Please note: This tour may be suitable for reduced mobility passengers, please call for further information.
We returned from our tour on 25th April. The trip was very well organised, the boat was superb and our Tour Manager was the best we have ever had. Her name was Bettina, she was Dutch and absolutely brilliant. The food was really good and the staff on the boat could not do enough for us.
We would like to do another cruise next year, maybe on the Rhine.
The three of us had a terrific tour and a Great Rail Journey to
remember. The travel arrangements were exemplary, the itinerary had
been well put together, the passengers' cabins on the ship were
luxurious, the food was plentiful, and the weather was excellent.
Great Rail Journeys chose a first-class Tour Manager for our
holiday. Nothing was too much trouble for her.
God willing we shall travel with GRJ again. We have not travelled
much in Southern France and have never visited Spain, so would
welcome details of any tours you offer with itineraries including
these countries.
Perhaps in your publicity you could say thank you to passengers
who help their fellow travellers handle luggage on your holidays.
We were very fortunate in this regard as some kind members of our
group took it upon themselves to put on and stow/take off luggage
for folk, like ourselves, less able physically.
Of course, the Tour Manager also helped them.
Enjoy a wonderful waterways cruise
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We have had a great holiday and were well looked after by AmaWaterways and our Tour Manager, Bettina.
We booked early for this trip and so were unaware that Floriade could have been an option; therefore, it was really good to discover that a visit here was included at no extra cost.
For us, the rail journey to and from the ship was part of the holiday and although it saves no time was preferable to worrying about getting to an airport and all the hanging around that accompanies air travel.
Over several years we have traveled with any number of companies, but have come back to Great Rail Journeys many more times than to any other.