Robert’s Travel Emporium – Discover the world with Minerva Travel, your full-service agency specializing in leisure and group tourism for children, young adults, and individuals with disabilities.

Tour Netherlands Antwerp Avalon Illumination Avalon Impression Avalon Vista Aw_Amsterdam Aw_Antwerp Aw_Artistryii Aw_Belgium + 20 More Aw_France Aw_Garden Aw_Holland Aw_Impression Aw_Panorama Aw_Paris Aw_Rhine River Aw_Tranquilityii Aw_View Belgium Europe France Ghent Holland Middelburg Rotterdam Veere Willemstad Avalon Waterways 11 Day River Cruise Amsterdam to Paris

Your scenic river cruise through Holland and Belgium begins in the colorful capital of the Netherlands—Amsterdam. Visit the world’s largest flower garden at Keukenhof—with more than seven million bulbs, including tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths planted across 70 acres in Lisse.

Next, sail to Antwerp, Belgium’s second-largest city, combining ancient buildings and monuments with modern architecture. Join a guided tour of Ghent, including a visit to St. Bavo’s Cathedral and back to Holland to visit Middelburg, Veere, and Willemstad. No trip to Holland is complete without a visit to the technical miracle that is the Delta Works, a storm flood barrier almost six miles long.

Return to Amsterdam to see the most fascinating areas of the city on a canal cruise along the elegant Grachten. You’ll then continue your European vacation with a high-speed train transfer to spend 3 nights in Paris—“The City of Light.” Enjoy guided sightseeing of this iconic city, and spend another full day at your own pace to experience the wonderful cafés, museums, and legendary cityscape in the most romantic city in the world. Your Local Host® is available with recommendations and assistance in making the most of your free time in Paris—as part of your Monograms Paris vacation package.

Your Tulip Time cruise and visit to Paris will bloom in your memory for many seasons to come. You’ll want to return again or add more beautiful journeys to your future travel wishes.

Day 1: AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (EMBARKATION)

Welcome to Holland. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding. Flights into Amsterdam must arrive by 3:30 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.Your day in Amsterdam is free to explore at your leisure. You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to beautiful Zaanse Schans where you’ll see a wonderful collection of well-preserved historic windmills and Dutch houses. Enjoy dinner and explore the ship on your first night on board. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ROTTERDAM(D)

Day 2: ROTTERDAM

Dutch Treats and Flowers SweetVisit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host.CLASSIC Join a full- or half-day Guided Tour of breathtaking Keukenhof—known as the “Garden of Europe”—for its 70 acres of lush parkland, lakes, and the world’s largest flower gardens—with more than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths as well as other bulbs, planted each yearTake some free time to relax on the harbor-side in Rotterdam with an artisan beer, a slice of appeltart (Dutch apple pie), and a koffie verkeerd, a typical Dutch drink with equal parts coffee and milk. Take a bike from your ship to explore Rotterdam and the surrounding area. Before dinner, enjoy a cruise through Rotterdam harbor.Later, enjoy live entertainment on board. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ANTWERP(B,L,D)

Day 3: ANTWERP, BELGIUM

Cathedrals, Carats and CrêpesDISCOVERY Visit a Botanical Garden, where you will admire an amazing variety of plants, tree and flowersCLASSIC Take a Guided Tour of this sophisticated city to visit the central Grote Markt, lined with 16th-century guildhall houses. You’ll also see the beautiful city hall, the Cathedral of Our Lady with its stunning altarpiece paintings by RubensYou may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to the nearby capital, Brussels—considered home to the European Union, and admire its magnificent palaces and cathedrals. You might prefer to take time on your own to indulge in Antwerp’s signature Belgian waffles and crêpes—or explore this bike-friendly city from its old wharfs to its legendary diamond district. DISCOVERY Join your garden expert for a botany lecture onboardLater, enjoy live entertainment on board. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO GHENT(B,L,D)

Day 4: GHENT

Medieval Masterpieces and Flemish Finery 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 artworkYou may choose to join a 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. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MIDDELBURG(B,L,D)

Day 5: MIDDELBURG, HOLLAND

A Spicy History in Middelburg’s Dutch Harbor TownJoin your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.CLASSIC Join a Guided Walking Tour through the winding cobblestones and canals of Middelburg See the 15th-century Gothic Town Hall and learn its important role in the spice trade and Dutch East India tradingSpend some free time biking or walking through Middelburg to sample Babbelaar cookies, fries, or beer before cruising to Veere.VEEREThe Delta Works Stand Strong as a Technical MarvelDISCOVERY Join a Guided Tour of the Delta Works, the largest flood-protection system in the world, and a miracle of modern technologyEVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO WILLEMSTAD(B,L,D)

Day 6: WILLEMSTAD

Willemstad’s Windmills and Historic Harbor ACTIVE Grab a Nordic walking stick for a hike with your Adventure Host in WillemstadCLASSIC Join a Guided Walking Tour of Willemstad and discover its many beautifully restored buildings from the 17th and 18th CenturyDISCOVERY Later, enjoy a Cheese Tasting on board as you prepare to sail to Amsterdam.DISCOVERY Join a lecture to learn about the importance of botany and nature in the country you are visitingAFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO AMSTERDAM(B,L,D)

Day 7: AMSTERDAM

Canals of Colorful AmsterdamDISCOVERY Discover Aalsmeer Flower Auction—the largest in the world, where around 20 million flowers are sold every dayCLASSIC Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age.”, OR:DISCOVERY Access Amsterdam’s secret gardens hidden behind the brick façades – a unique opportunity as they are normally closed to publicThis afternoon choose among the many Guided Optional Excursions available. Take some free time to explore Amsterdam’s colorful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM(B,L,D)

Day 8: AMSTERDAM (DISEMBARKATION)-PARIS, FRANCE

Transfer from your Avalon ship to the train station, to begin your Monograms package. Travel to Paris by high-speed train (First class). (B)

Day 9: PARIS

Morning guided sightseeing includes a drive past the Latin Quarter, Les Invalides, Place de la Concorde, the Arc de Triomphe and a stop to take photos of the Eiffel Tower from one of the best panoramic viewing points. Also admire the heart of the city from a different perspective on a Seine River cruise. Embark your comfortable boat near the Eiffel Tower and spend a relaxing hour gliding by many of the city's important landmarks such as the L'Institut de France; Notre Dame Cathedral; Hôtel de Ville, the city's municipal headquarters; the Conciergerie, formerly a notorious prison where Marie-Antoinette spent the last days of her life; famous Louvre Palace and museum; and much more. (B)

Day 10: PARIS

Spend a full day at your own pace to experience the wonderful cafés, museums, and legendary cityscape in the most romantic city in the world. Your Local Host® is available with recommendations and assistance in making the most of your free time in Paris. (B)

Day 11: PARIS

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)

Details

Tour Operator: Avalon
Duration (Days): 11

Itinerary ▼

Day 1: AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (EMBARKATION)
Welcome to Holland. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding. Flights into Amsterdam must arrive by 3:30 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.Your day in Amsterdam is free to explore at your leisure. You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to beautiful Zaanse Schans where you’ll see a wonderful collection of well-preserved historic windmills and Dutch houses. Enjoy dinner and explore the ship on your first night on board. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ROTTERDAM(D)
Day 2: ROTTERDAM
Dutch Treats and Flowers SweetVisit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host.CLASSIC Join a full- or half-day Guided Tour of breathtaking Keukenhof—known as the “Garden of Europe”—for its 70 acres of lush parkland, lakes, and the world’s largest flower gardens—with more than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths as well as other bulbs, planted each yearTake some free time to relax on the harbor-side in Rotterdam with an artisan beer, a slice of appeltart (Dutch apple pie), and a koffie verkeerd, a typical Dutch drink with equal parts coffee and milk. Take a bike from your ship to explore Rotterdam and the surrounding area. Before dinner, enjoy a cruise through Rotterdam harbor.Later, enjoy live entertainment on board. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ANTWERP(B,L,D)
Day 3: ANTWERP, BELGIUM
Cathedrals, Carats and CrêpesDISCOVERY Visit a Botanical Garden, where you will admire an amazing variety of plants, tree and flowersCLASSIC Take a Guided Tour of this sophisticated city to visit the central Grote Markt, lined with 16th-century guildhall houses. You’ll also see the beautiful city hall, the Cathedral of Our Lady with its stunning altarpiece paintings by RubensYou may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to the nearby capital, Brussels—considered home to the European Union, and admire its magnificent palaces and cathedrals. You might prefer to take time on your own to indulge in Antwerp’s signature Belgian waffles and crêpes—or explore this bike-friendly city from its old wharfs to its legendary diamond district. DISCOVERY Join your garden expert for a botany lecture onboardLater, enjoy live entertainment on board. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO GHENT(B,L,D)
Day 4: GHENT
Medieval Masterpieces and Flemish Finery 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 artworkYou may choose to join a 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. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MIDDELBURG(B,L,D)
Day 5: MIDDELBURG, HOLLAND
A Spicy History in Middelburg’s Dutch Harbor TownJoin your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.CLASSIC Join a Guided Walking Tour through the winding cobblestones and canals of Middelburg See the 15th-century Gothic Town Hall and learn its important role in the spice trade and Dutch East India tradingSpend some free time biking or walking through Middelburg to sample Babbelaar cookies, fries, or beer before cruising to Veere.VEEREThe Delta Works Stand Strong as a Technical MarvelDISCOVERY Join a Guided Tour of the Delta Works, the largest flood-protection system in the world, and a miracle of modern technologyEVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO WILLEMSTAD(B,L,D)
Day 6: WILLEMSTAD
Willemstad’s Windmills and Historic Harbor ACTIVE Grab a Nordic walking stick for a hike with your Adventure Host in WillemstadCLASSIC Join a Guided Walking Tour of Willemstad and discover its many beautifully restored buildings from the 17th and 18th CenturyDISCOVERY Later, enjoy a Cheese Tasting on board as you prepare to sail to Amsterdam.DISCOVERY Join a lecture to learn about the importance of botany and nature in the country you are visitingAFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO AMSTERDAM(B,L,D)
Day 7: AMSTERDAM
Canals of Colorful AmsterdamDISCOVERY Discover Aalsmeer Flower Auction—the largest in the world, where around 20 million flowers are sold every dayCLASSIC Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age.”, OR:DISCOVERY Access Amsterdam’s secret gardens hidden behind the brick façades – a unique opportunity as they are normally closed to publicThis afternoon choose among the many Guided Optional Excursions available. Take some free time to explore Amsterdam’s colorful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM(B,L,D)
Day 8: AMSTERDAM (DISEMBARKATION)-PARIS, FRANCE
Transfer from your Avalon ship to the train station, to begin your Monograms package. Travel to Paris by high-speed train (First class). (B)
Day 9: PARIS
Morning guided sightseeing includes a drive past the Latin Quarter, Les Invalides, Place de la Concorde, the Arc de Triomphe and a stop to take photos of the Eiffel Tower from one of the best panoramic viewing points. Also admire the heart of the city from a different perspective on a Seine River cruise. Embark your comfortable boat near the Eiffel Tower and spend a relaxing hour gliding by many of the city's important landmarks such as the L'Institut de France; Notre Dame Cathedral; Hôtel de Ville, the city's municipal headquarters; the Conciergerie, formerly a notorious prison where Marie-Antoinette spent the last days of her life; famous Louvre Palace and museum; and much more. (B)
Day 10: PARIS
Spend a full day at your own pace to experience the wonderful cafés, museums, and legendary cityscape in the most romantic city in the world. Your Local Host® is available with recommendations and assistance in making the most of your free time in Paris. (B)
Day 11: PARIS
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)

TULIP TIME CRUISE WITH 3 NIG HTS PARIS