Visit Claude Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny, where the Impressionist painter lived and worked from 1883 until 1926. Explore the colourful flower garden and spend time beside the water-lily pond that inspired some of his best-known paintings.

Monet shaped the garden as both a living composition and a source of artistic study. Its paths, planting and reflections offer a direct connection to the changing light and colour he returned to throughout his work.

• 4 Dinner with Wine (DW)
• 9 Breakfast (B)

• Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

• London: Experience the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show, an inspiring and enjoyable showcase of fabulous floral displays and cutting-edge garden design. Immerse yourself in colour and ingenuity as you enjoy the very best show gardens, flowers, and gardening from around the world.
• Monnickendam: Journey through the polder landscape to visit Monnickendam. Along the way, visit a rustic cheese workshop to learn the secrets of the dairy industry and witness the ancient art of clog making.

Insight Vacations

• 4 & 5-star stays
• Top-rated dining, from farm-to-table to local restaurants
• Business class coach with extended leg room

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over a welcome drink in London, with a briefing on the journey ahead. The gathering offers a chance to get acquainted and ask questions in a relaxed setting.

Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant as the group settles into the city. Rather than a routine hotel meal, this hosted evening brings everyone together at the start of the holiday.

Explore the Chelsea Flower Show in London, with a full day to admire show gardens, floral displays and inventive planting from designers and growers around the world. Look closely at the garden structures, tools and details that turn each display into a distinctive space.

Held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, this renowned show is a showcase for horticultural craft and contemporary garden design. Its abundance of colour and ideas makes it rewarding for keen gardeners and curious visitors alike.

Visit a rustic cheese workshop near Monnickendam to learn about the dairy traditions rooted in the Dutch countryside. Watch a demonstration of traditional clog making and see how a practical wooden shoe takes shape.

The journey through the polder landscape provides a fitting setting for both crafts: land reclaimed from water has long supported farming communities. This hands-on cultural stop connects familiar Dutch products with the skills and landscape behind them.

Cruise Amsterdam’s canal district while enjoying a meal onboard. From the water, admire narrow gabled facades, churches, elegant merchant houses and the Magere Brug, or Skinny Bridge, without the bustle of the streets.

The canal ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site shaped by Amsterdam’s 17th-century Golden Age. Its waterways reveal how trade and urban planning gave the city its distinctive pattern of canals and grand waterside homes.

Watch the flower trade in action from a purpose-built viewing gallery at the Aalsmeer Flower Auction. See vast quantities of cut flowers and plants move through the complex as buyers bid against the clock.

Near Amsterdam, Aalsmeer is a major hub for the international flower industry. The scale, pace and shifting colour of the auction offer a striking contrast to a garden visit: here, blooms are part of a precisely coordinated global marketplace.

Walk Ghent’s historic streets with a Local Expert, exploring its quays, squares and churches. See the imposing Castle of the Counts and St Bavo’s Cathedral as you discover a city where medieval buildings remain part of everyday urban life.

Ghent grew wealthy through trade and cloth production, a history still visible along its waterside facades. The guided stroll brings context to its architecture while leaving room to appreciate the lively character of this Flemish city.

Explore Bruges with a Local Expert along cobbled streets lined with steep-gabled houses. Visit Market Square to see the medieval Belfry of Bruges, and discover Burg Square, its Gothic town hall and the Chapel of the Holy Blood.

A canal cruise offers another view of the city’s bridges and waterside buildings. Together, the walk and boat ride reveal the richly preserved setting of a medieval Flemish trading centre.

Explore the Château de Fontainebleau with a Local Expert and stroll through its formal gardens. The palace’s rooms and grounds offer a view of French royal life beyond Versailles, set close to the surrounding Fontainebleau forest.

Successive monarchs used and altered Fontainebleau from the Middle Ages into the 19th century, leaving layers of architectural and decorative history. The visit reveals why it became a long-standing royal residence rather than the creation of a single reign.

Visit the Château de Versailles, the former royal residence renowned for its grand architecture and expansive gardens. Explore a palace conceived to project the power and ceremony of the French monarchy.

Closely associated with Louis XIV, Versailles became the centre of royal court life and an enduring expression of French art and design. Its formal grounds extend that sense of scale outdoors, with carefully ordered paths and vistas that complement the palace.

Discover Paris with a Local Expert on a combination of sightseeing and walking. See the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Louvre’s facades, stroll beside the River Seine and admire the bridges that link its historic banks.

A drive along the Champs-Élysées towards the Arc de Triomphe adds another perspective on the capital. The experience brings together monumental Paris and the smaller details of its streets, with expert context for the landmarks in view.

Share a Celebration Dinner in Paris featuring French cuisine and wine. This hosted meal offers time to gather with fellow travellers over food and conversation in the capital.

French dining places value on the pleasure of a meal shared at an unhurried pace. As a dedicated group occasion rather than a routine dinner stop, the evening provides a fitting chance to reflect on the gardens, waterways and historic cities explored during the journey.

Experience a Paris cabaret show for an evening of staged music, dance and theatrical spectacle. It is a chance to see a different side of the city’s nightlife beyond its illuminated streets and monuments.

Cabaret has a long association with Parisian entertainment, combining performance, costume and a lively audience atmosphere. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the specific show and arrangements are confirmed during the journey.

Cruise the River Seine and enjoy a Paris illuminations tour, viewing the city’s landmarks in the evening light. From the water, its bridges and riverside facades form a striking panorama.

The Seine runs through the historic heart of Paris, offering a different perspective on the capital from a daytime street walk. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with arrangements confirmed during the journey.