Amsterdam & Festival of Light Cruise

We catch the ferry to Calais and continue on to the hotel.

Amsterdam & Festival of Light Cruise

We visit Amsterdam, the city of canals, bridges, bicycles and cafés, with free time to explore this wonderful city. Culture lovers may like to visit one of the world-famous museums, such as the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh Museum (at your own expense), while those interested in history might choose to visit Anne Frank’s House. Alternatively, you may wish to wander through the charming independent boutiques of the ‘Nine Streets’ district, or simply soak up the atmosphere in one of the city’s many cafés.

Next, we take to the water for a scenic canal cruise which takes in a selection of spectacular illuminated artworks from Amsterdam’s Festival of Light. There is then time to find somewhere for dinner at one of the many restaurants in Amsterdam (at your leisure) before we return to our hotel.

Amsterdam & Festival of Light Cruise

This morning, we step into the world of traditional Dutch life at the Irene Hoeve Cheese Farm & Clog Factory, where we see how cheese is made and watch clogs being crafted by hand. We then visit the picture-perfect fishing village of Volendam, with its colourful harbour, charming streets, and postcard-ready views, allowing time to wander, browse for souvenirs, or simply enjoy the atmosphere.

In the afternoon, we visit either Leiden or Utrecht*. Leiden is the Netherlands’ oldest university city and the birthplace of Rembrandt, known for its canals and historic centre. Utrecht offers a beautiful medieval heart, crowned by the Dom Tower and its distinctive two-tiered canals lined with waterside cafés. Whichever we visit, there’s free time to explore and perhaps enjoy an early dinner before returning to the hotel.

Please note: guests staying at NH Noordwijk will visit Leiden, while guests staying at Fletcher De Klepperman will visit Utrecht.

Amsterdam & Festival of Light Cruise

We check out of our hotel and head back to Calais for our return ferry home.

Walk the harborfront of Volendam, where gabled wooden houses and bobbing boats line the dyke along the Markermeer shoreline. Cafés and seafood stalls create an inviting pause as you pause for photos and reflection amid colorful facades, church spires, and narrow lanes.

This former Zuiderzee fishing port preserved its tight-knit character after the Afsluitdijk reshaped the bay in 1932. Explore quaint streets, browse small museums, and walk the harbourfront to feel the rhythm of a community long tied to the water.

Explore either Leiden — the Netherlands’ oldest university city and birthplace of Rembrandt — or Utrecht, crowned by Utrecht’s Dom Tower and known for its two-tiered canals. Both cities unfold easily on foot, with handsome brick facades, waterside cafés, and intimate courtyards.

In Leiden, stroll the Rapenburg and spot museums clustered around historic colleges; in Utrecht, follow the Oudegracht’s split-level quays where former warehouses became lively restaurants. The specific city visited varies by hotel allocation on this tour, offering equally rich slices of Dutch urban heritage.

Experience Amsterdam’s historic heart in the UNESCO-listed Canal Ring, where graceful bridges frame stepped-gable houses and lively squares like Dam Square connect to the Jordaan and the ‘Nine Streets’. Bicycles hum past shopfronts as you soak in the canalside atmosphere and linger in characterful brown cafés.

The city’s Golden Age story is written in merchant homes, warehouses, and quays that still border the water. Browse boutiques, explore scenic alleyways, or simply admire the rhythm of boats and bells in a setting that embodies Amsterdam’s enduring trading spirit.

Visit a family-run polder farm near Volendam to see Dutch cheesemaking from fresh curds to finished wheels. Sample regional styles as you taste farm-made Gouda and Edam, comparing creamy young cheeses with firmer, aged varieties that develop a nutty depth and long finish.

Step into the clog atelier to watch clogs being crafted by hand, a practical tradition shaped by marshy fields and peatlands. The scent of wood shavings and the rasp of tools reveal how everyday Dutch life forged durable footwear and time-honored rural skills.

Cruise the winter waterways of Amsterdam on a comfortable, heated boat to admire a curated trail of illuminated artworks created for the Festival of Light. As you cruise the canals, striking installations transform bridges and facades, their colors and patterns casting reflections rippling across the Amstel and the elegant curve of the Herengracht.

Learn the stories behind selected pieces by international artists while gliding past 17th-century canal houses. The route evolves each season, pairing Golden Age architecture with contemporary light art to create a glide under 17th-century bridges unlike any other winter evening in the city.