From Amsterdam to Brussels · Europe (River) · 8 nights
Tauck’s Jewel-class vessels offer spacious suites, a choice of restaurants and comfortable public areas including an expansive sundeck.
Rich woods and plush fabrics give these ships a luxurious feel.
The alternative restaurant with outside seating at the back is an
idyllic place for a relaxed lunch as you cruise to your next call
and the regional cuisine served in the Dining Room is
excellent.
Amsterdam is one of our very favourite cities to visit, as well as also being a perfect base to explore the nearby landscape of windmills and dikes. The Amsterdam canal belt is now officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and from them there are so many neighbourhoods to explore, such as the Jordaan with its higgledy-piggledy streets and its famed garden courtyards (hofjes). There are also a wealth of famous museums and galleries to choose from, such as the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum and the Anne Frank House, not to mention some more, shall we say, quirky options.
The beautifully preserved old town of Bruges is a maze of winding cobbled lanes, narrow canals and gorgeous gabled houses, and it’s no wonder so many visitors throng the streets in summer. Make sure you sample the many sybaritic pleasures on offer, including dangerously drinkable Trappist beer and delectable Belgian chocolate.
One of the great ports of Europe, Rotterdam’s impressive skyline can be seen from far and wide. With great architecture both ancient and modern, fantastic exhibition and concert halls, theatres, pretty galleries and numerous museums, there is so much to do when you stay here.
Ghent is one of Belgium’s most captivating cities, home to pretty canals lined by handsome brick houses and a burgeoning restaurant scene. The architectural highlights of Ghent’s medieval centre include the soaring Gothic tower of St Bavo’s cathedral, and the city also boasts some excellent museums and galleries.
Antwerp is a city bound up with the arts, once home to the likes of Rubens and Van Dyck, and more recently carving out a reputation as the fashion capital of Belgium. It’s also a magnet for shopaholics, with designer boutiques and jewellers galore.
Brussels is a very multicultural city, as you'd expect given its position at the political centre of Europe, and boasts an excellent selection of restaurants, cafés and bars, where you can sample moules-frites, Belgian waffles or dangerously drinkable Trappist beer.