Tulip Time Highlights 2025 - 8 Day River Cruise Brussels to Amsterdam

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Tulip Time Highlights 2025

8 Day River Cruise Brussels to Amsterdam



Tour Description:

See your visions of tulip season in Holland and Belgium come into view while cruising from Brussels to Amsterdam. Take in the quintessential Dutch scenes of windmills, waterways, and seemingly endless rows of blooming color. Embark in Brussels and sail to Ghent—“The Diamond of Flanders.” Visit St. Bavo’s Cathedral with its stunning Flemish artwork. Transfer to Ypres for moving battlefield remembrances, including In Flanders Fields Museum and the Last Post Ceremony. On to Holland for a visit the former Dutch East India Company trading port. Visit the fascinating Flood Museum to hear and see the stories of the flood of 1953. In Kinderdijk, see 19 windmills built in 1740 for water management and marvel at the Erasmus Bridge in the historic port city of Rotterdam.

Take in the tulips and other flowering bulbs in the flower farm regions of Zaandam and Haarlem, and conclude your river cruise through Belgium and Holland with a visit to Amsterdam. Take a guided canal cruise past bridges and homes of a golden age.

Map for Tulip Time Highlights 2025 - 8 Day River Cruise Brussels to Amsterdam
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Dates & Pricing

Saturday 12 Apr 25 — Sunday 20 Apr 25Starting at $2,849Check Mark Icon SPECIALGet a Quote
Check Mark Icon Disclaimer: Prices listed are per person, based on double occupancy, and in USD. All promotions are valid for new bookings only, capacity controlled and valid on select dates and departures. Individual Terms and Conditions will apply to all promotions. Any promotion can be withdrawn at any time without notice. Please speak with your Pavlus Travel Planner for complete vendor terms and conditions, including eligible tour and cruise dates.


Destination & Sightseeing

Day 1 Brussels (Embarkation): Onboard welcome reception
Day 2 Ghent: Choice of guided tour or bike with your Adventure Host
Day 3 Ghent: Visit to Flanders Field Museum in Ypres; visit to the battlefields; Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate
Day 4 Middelburg–Veere: Guided tour in Middelburg; biking from Middelburg to Veere with your Adventure Host;guided walking tour of Veere
Day 5 Kinderdijk–Rotterdam: Choice of guided tour in Kinderdijk or bike with your Adventure Host; harbor cruise in Rotterdam; choice of guided tour in Rotterdam or bike with your Adventure Host
Day 6 Zaandam–Haarlem: Free time in Zaandam; choice of guided tour in Haarlem or bike with your Adventure Host
Day 7 Amsterdam: Choice of canal cruise, or biking tour or off-the-beaten path walking tour
Day 8 Amsterdam (Disembarkation): Your cruise ends this morning
Notes:
  • In the event of technical or water level issues, it may be necessary to operate the itinerary by motorcoach or alter the program, including hotel overnight when necessary.
  • Guided Tours, Optional Excursions, activities, sailing and docking schedules may be contingent on weather conditions or other issues outside of our control and could therefore be subject to change at any time.
  • Please check visa requirements with your local consulate(s); responsibility for obtaining visas rests with the traveler.

ITINERARY

Day 1
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (EMBARKATION) Welcome to Belgium. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding. Flights into Brussels must arrive by 2:00 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm. Enjoy dinner on board as you sail for Ghent this evening. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO GHENT BRUSSELS-GRAND-PLACE.jpg

Day 2
GHENT Medieval Masterpieces and Flemish Finery Visit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host. ACTIVE Explore a different side of Ghent by bike with your Adventure Host, OR: 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 artwork. Alternatively, you may choose to join a full-day 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. This evening, enjoy live entertainment onboard. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN GHENT GHENT.jpg
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Day 3
GHENT Battlefield Remembrances in Flanders DISCOVERY Visit the In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres—named for the soldier’s famed poem. Learn about the story of the invasion of Belgium, the first months of the mobilization, the four years trench war in the Westhoek, the end of the war, and the lasting remembrance to follow. After your visit, enjoy lunch at the museum’s café. DISCOVERY Following the museum, visit battlefields, cemeteries, memorials and private collections. DISCOVERY Experience the Last Post Ceremony, taking place nightly under the arches of the Menin Gate. Enjoy some free time for dinner before the Ceremony starts. OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MIDDELBURG YPRES.jpg
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Day 4
MIDDELBURG, HOLLAND A Spicy History in Middelburg’s Dutch Harbor Town CLASSIC Join a Guided Walking Tour through the winding cobblestones and canals of Middelburg. See the 15th-century Gothic Town Halland learn about its important role in the spice trade and Dutch East India trading. Enjoy lunch on board while cruising to Veere. ACTIVE Alternatively, bike from Middelburg to Veere with your Adventure Host. VEERE History and Scottish Houses CLASSIC Explore the town of Veere with an expert local guide. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO KINDERDIJK MIDDELBURG-DETAIL.jpg
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Day 5
KINDERDIJK–ROTTERDAM Harnessing the Wind for 300 Years Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities. ACTIVE See the windmills of Kinderdijk by bike with your Adventure Host, OR: CLASSIC Join a Guided Tour of Kinderdijk where 19 windmills were built in 1740 as flood prevention and water management. You’ll hear about the windmill’s vital role in the Netherland’s history and why it became a national symbol of Holland. Enjoy a cruise through Rotterdam harbor. ACTIVE Experience Rotterdam by bike with your Adventure Host, OR: CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Rotterdam featuring innovative architecture, including the marvelous Erasmus Bridge. Later, enjoy live entertainment onboard. OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ZAANDAM KINDERDIJK.jpg
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Day 6
ZAANDAM Windmills, Waterways, and Waving Fields of Flowers Arrive in Zaandam this morning with free time to explore this quintessential Dutch town. During tulip season, you may take a Guided Optional Excursion to Keukenhof gardens. Outside of tulip season, join a Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses. Cruise to Haarlem this afternoon while enjoying lunch onboard. HAARLEM Tulips and North Sea Trading Ports ACTIVE Enjoy an easy bike ride to the beach with your Adventure Host, OR: CLASSIC Visit Haarlem, a major flower bulbs growing district outside of Amsterdam. Explore the former North Sea trading port with its medieval features, gabled houses, and leafy courtyards. Enjoy dinner on board your ship this evening as you sail to Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM ZAANDAM.jpg
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Day 7
AMSTERDAM Canals of Colorful Amsterdam ACTIVE Join a Biking Tour through the Dutch countryside past polders, dykes, and quaint centuries-old villages, OR: DISCOVERY Discover the true beauty of Amsterdam with an off-the-beaten-path Guided Walking Tour through its cobblestone streets for a captivating look at this legendary city, OR: CLASSIC Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age”. This afternoon, you might consider joining one of the Optional Excursions available. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM AMSTERDAM-CANAL-CRUISE.jpg
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Day 8
AMSTERDAM (DISEMBARKATION) Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning. AMSTERDAM-SUNRISE.jpg

Accommodations

Amsterdam
Movenpick Amsterdam City
Superior First-Class

Hotel as shown or similar

Piet Heinkade 11 Amsterdam Netherlands

A stylish 408-room hotel in the perfect location, this waterfront property offers Free Wi-Fi internet access throughout. The chic restaurant serves creative international cuisine and there is a fabulous bar serving drinks and light snacks which is also a great spot for a nightcap. For relaxation there is a Lifestyle Studio featuring a gym, Finnish sauna, bio sauna & ice fountain.
Check Mark Disclaimer: Prices listed are per person, based on double occupancy, and in USD. All promotions are valid for new bookings only, capacity controlled and valid on select dates and departures. Individual Terms and Conditions will apply to all promotions. Any promotion can be withdrawn at any time without notice. Please speak with your Pavlus Travel Planner for complete vendor terms and conditions, including eligible tour and cruise dates.

FAQ Avalon Cruises Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

Pavlus Travel tells you there's a wide World out there just waiting to be explored on river cruises by you, and Avalon Waterways like Pavlus Travel knows there is more than a river cruise for you and your family to see it all. Why not experience local cities, villages, and countrysides your way with a wide selection of active excursions and activities brought to you by Avalon River Cruises that put you right in the middle of it all. Borrow a bike to ride through the streets of Amsterdam, grab a Nordic walking stick to capture the castle with a hike up the vineyard off the Rhine River, or paddle a canoe along Austria’s river shores. Pavlus makes it easy to turn sightseeing into doing your adventure in real time. You’ll find all the guidance and gear you from Avalon Waterways staff to embark on an expedition of your own. From a complimentary yoga class aboard your Avalon River Cruise to a jogging tour of Vienna or an optional kayaking excursion. Know that Pavlus Travel discounts Avalon River Cruises be they in Europe or the Far East. You'll enjoy every Avalon River Cruises Ship.