Yuletide Spirit: Amsterdam to Brussels - Southbound 2023

8 days
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4.2/5 Great
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USTOA

River Cruise
Experience the magic of Holland and Belgium during Winterfest, when friendships, fun and holiday cheer are celebrated with heartwarming festivities and colorful cultural traditions in picturesque villages along inland waterways from Brussels to Amsterdam. Ashore, discover daily life on guided walking tours in towns, museums and palaces decked out in their sea...
From$3,290
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Overview

Trip type
River Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy

Highlights

    • Festive fixes… glühwein
    • waffles
    • Belgian beers
    • stroopwafels
    • chocolate lace and cheese… heartwarming carols and concerts joyfully orchestrated… villages dressed in the season's best… Dutch canals
    • cathedrals and candles aglow with yuletide spirit… Belgian squares and medieval markets making merry… aboard a riverboat cruise all decked out with holiday cheer. The ribboned waterscapes of Holland and Belgium take on a special glow in December when storybook villages and fairy tale towns celebrate the joys of the season with holiday traditions centuries old. Experience yuletide spirit onboard and ashore on a river cruise that delights day and night… during a visit to a town steeped in 17th-century Holland life and historic windmills... and an illuminating Amsterdam canal cruise… while having cheese andstroopwafelsin Gouda… in Delft or Rotterdam
    • as you choose… on sightseeing excursions in Ghent
    • Bruges
    • Antwerp dressed in their holiday best… in market squares where merry making entices with hot mulled wines
    • waffles hot off the press

What's this trip about?

    Experience the magic of Holland and Belgium during Winterfest, when friendships, fun and holiday cheer are celebrated with heartwarming festivities and colorful cultural traditions in picturesque villages along inland waterways from Brussels to Amsterdam. Ashore, discover daily life on guided walking tours in towns, museums and palaces decked out in their season's best, enjoying special moments on private visits, and music and traditions steeped in yuletide spirit. Onboard, dining and cultural entertainment light up your nights, enriching the warm camaraderie inherent in a Tauck river cruise.

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Details

Itinerary focusOperator does not provide
Group sizeStandard Group - 25 + people
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportN/A
Start City Amsterdam, Netherlands
End CityBrussels

Travel Themes

  • Small Ship Cruise

Destinations

  • Europe
  • Belgium
  • Netherlands

Attractions

  • Amsterdam
  • Antwerp
  • Bruges
  • Brussels

Activities

  • Culture

Trip includes

    • A stroopwafel demonstration and tasting in Gouda An evening canal cruise to view the Amsterdam Light Festival A walking tour of Rotterdam or a visit to Royal Delft to see pottery making Gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors and Tauck Cruise Director Tauck's private shore excursions and distinctive inclusions valued at $1,758 Holiday market fun in annual markets along the waterways with shopping, music, traditional fare and often ice skating and ferris wheel rides

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Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1 Welcome to Amsterdam / Embark Riverboat

Tour begins: 4:00 PM, Amsterdam.
A transfer is included from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport or Centraal Train Station to Tauck's riverboat where embarkation begins at 4:00 PM. Settle into your cabin and join us tonight for a welcome reception followed by dinner.

MEALS : D

LODGING : ms Grace

PORTOFCALL : Amsterdam, Netherlands

Day 2 Amsterdam, historic windmills & a Light Festival

Travel to the Zaanse Schans neighborhood to get an idea of what life was like in 17th- and 18th-century Holland; you'll see the historic windmills and green wooden houses from the period. After lunch onboard ship, the afternoon is f...

Day 3 Gouda & Den Haag

A leisurely morning cruise brings you to Schoonhaven in south Holland for a drive to historic Gouda, famous for its namesake cheese, but also inviting with its lesser-known candles – and stroopwafels. Join a local guide for a walkin...

Day 4 A Taste of Rotterdam or a Day in Delft

A choice of shore excursions today includes a locally guided walking tour of Rotterdam or a visit to Delft and its porcelain factory. In Rotterdam, view world-class architecture and urban design, along with outdoor sculptures random...

Day 5 City Sightseeing in Ghent & Bruges

Your riverboat arrives in Ghent this morning, one of Belgium's oldest cities. Drive to the fortified medieval city of Bruges for a guided exploration along its meandering canals, magnificent squares, and narrow cobblestone lanes. Af...

Day 6 Gems of Antwerp

Sugar and diamond trading put Antwerp on the map in the mid-16th century when it was one of Europe's most important cities. Today it is also famous for being the home of Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, inviting you to walk in the...

Day 7 Brussels in Winter

Wake up in Brussels this morning, disembarking after breakfast for a tour of the city that visits the enchanting cobblestoned square, Grand-Place, surrounded by ornately gilded 17th-century guildhouses, and the festive holiday marke...

Day 8 Journey Home

Tour ends: Brussels.
Disembark your riverboat by 9:00 AM this morning and fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the riverboat to Brussels Airport, Centraal Train Station or Brussels Midi Station. Allow a minimum of three hours for flight check-in at the airport.

MEALS : B

PORTOFCALL : Brussels, Belgium

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Dates & Availability

Price From $3,290
Price per day$411
Last Updated: 10/24/2023

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Tauck.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

Tauck Reviews & Ratings

4.2/5  Great
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Other Tauck Reviews

S

Susan

Jun 2023

Written on

Nine Tours and Done

Sad to see a once good tour company stumble and fall into mediocrity. That’s Tauck post-Covid. My May 2023 tour of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley was done o...

C

Cougess

Jan 2023

Written on

Skip this cruise - not worth it

My husband and I went on the Treasures of the Mediterranean Isles Trip jn October 2022. This was our third Tauck cruise with Ponnant but our first post covid and the...

H

Harry

Sep 2022

Written on

Tauck/Aon terrible travel insurance

Tauck partners with Aon for travel insurance. We bought this insurance through Tauck specifically to cover us in case of a positive for test for Covid and could not ...

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Travelers also viewed

Tour Operator

Tauck

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It's easy to see the world's sights. To stand in long lines, push through the crowds, and generally have the same standard-issue vacation as everyone else. But that's not good enough for us, and it's not good enough for you. We believe that travel should be easy. It should be fun. It should be worth your time and the price you paid. It should re-energize and transform. And above all else, it should be beyond the ordinary. Because how you see the world matters.

In 1882, Herman Tauck arrived in New York City from Germany in search of the American dream. His determination and values were passed on to his son, Arthur Tauck, who would realize that dream. With ingenuity and an innovative spirit, Arthur started Tauck Motor Tours, a travel company that would give birth to a new industry. The first tour, through the back roads of New England, was created by this 27-year-old in 1925. It embodied the same successful formula used by Tauck today: do the right thing. Craft a life-enriching travel experience; provide it at a single all-inclusive price; ensure there is great value for money; and rely on recommendations of satisfied customers to build a following and grow the business.

Two elements that did change over the next 90+ years – and three generations of Taucks – were the scope of destinations served and the variety of modes of travel used. Today Tauck delivers life-enriching travel experiences to every corner of the globe, incorporating small cruise ships, premium riverboats, trains, helicopters and more. What started as a New England motor coach tour company has truly evolved into an extraordinary global travel company. The fourth generation of Taucks is now involved in the company. While remarkable in any business, this seamless continuity across generations speaks to shared vision and values.

Throughout its history, the concept of “family” at Tauck has gone far beyond those sharing the surname to include hundreds of valued employees, and hundreds of thousands of loyal guests. The story of Tauck is the story of a unique American family company celebrating a passion for travel – a story that will continue to inspire generations to come.

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What they’re known for
Fun group tours and cruises that are culturally-focused and great for families and seniors on vacation.

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Logistics

Ship & cabin information
MS GRACE
MS GRACE Maintaining Tauck’s high standards for quality and comfort, ms Grace cruises exclusively for Tauck on the Rhine River as part of our Destination Fleet. With a maximum of 130 guests, the 443-foot riverboat and her sister ships continue our tradition of providing more space per guest on Europe’s inland waterways, transporting fewer passengers than most longships (135 meters). Her deck plan is innovative; with a total of 67 cabins, our most popular cabins tend to be our largest... so we have used the added ship length to offer twenty-two 300-square-foot Tauck Suites – the most of any river cruise ship on any European river. To increase the amount of natural sunlight on the lower deck, we’ve created 8 loft cabins that extend from the first to the second decks, providing guests with an additional view; all windows in these loft cabins open.
MS GRACE
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Age Requirements
No age restrictions
ALL_AGES
Trip ID
tauck-RYY2023

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