Country Roads Of Belgium, Luxembourg & The Netherlands

Airport transfers depart Brussels airport for your centrally-located hotel. After checking in, the afternoon is yours to relax. Join your travel director for a visit to the cheeky Manneken Pis statue and a leisurely stroll around the Grand Place, voted the most beautiful square in Europe. Your delightful first evening also includes a welcome dinner with wine at a local restaurant in the heart of the Old Town, with an opportunity to mingle with your fellow travelers.

Explore Brussels. Learn about Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo or alternatively, join your local expert for a walking tour through the streets of Brussels visiting its Chocolate Museum for a private lesson with a master chocolatier. Return to Brussels, where the remainder of the day is at your leisure. Perhaps join an optional experience to visit the historic town of Antwerp. In the evening, choose from a selection of hand-picked local restaurants on your dine-around evening.

In the morning, admire the contrast of the Chinese and Japanese Pavilions and the impressive, metallic spheres of the Atomium. Your journey then crosses the pasture lands of Belgian Flanders to reach Ghent, the City of Flowers, offering a fascinating cultural mix of medieval heritage and modern urban life. With a local expert, take a stroll through the historical streets and be mesmerized by the outstanding beauty of its quays, churches and squares. Visit St. Bavo's Cathedral, former home of the Eyck masterpiece, and see the Castle of the Counts. We continue to Bruges, where you'll stay for the next two nights.

Meet your local expert in Bruges for a stroll along cobbled streets, lined with high-gabled houses from the 16th century. Visit the Market Square dominated by the 83-meter medieval bell tower, The Belfry of Bruges. Explore Burg Square with its ornate Gothic town hall and glorious frescoes on the walls of the Holy Blood Chapel. With your free afternoon, perhaps join an optional experience to visit the historic town of Ypres. Explore the market square and attend the famous Last Post Ceremony, commemorating the fallen Allied Forces on the surrounding Flanders Fields.

Travel into the French-speaking region of Wallonia, where picturesque country roads lead you to the late 19th century Scourmont Abbey. The surrounding plateau on which it is built was once considered wild and barren land, but the Trappist monks have toiled for over 100 years to create a successful farm, brewery and cheese plant. Visit the Chimay Experience to learn about the production secrets of Chimay Trappist beers. Your visit concludes with a sample of freshly brewed beer and a taste of golden-crusted cheese. Continue on to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to arrive at your 18th century château home for two nights. In the evening, you will be served a fresh and delicious farm-to-table dinner at restaurant L'Écurie du Parc. See the 12th century Clervaux Castle illuminated on your stroll after dinner.

Your travels continue to Luxembourg City for sightseeing with your local expert. Visit the grave of U.S. General George S. Patton, laid to rest alongside the men who fought and died in his great Third Army. Admire the view over the Petrusse Ravine from the Pont Adolphe and stroll through the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see the cathedral and the Palace of the Grand Duke. With the afternoon free for you to explore at your leisure, perhaps join an optional experience to the ancient Roman city of Trier, home town of Karl Marx, to explore with a local expert.

Head for Bastogne to visit the Mardasson Monument, a star-shaped memorial dedicated to the U.S. troops who died during Battle of the Bulge in World War II. You may choose to climb to the top for a perspective of what it might have been like during the winter of 1944. Visit the Bastogne War Museum, a fascinating modern and interactive memorial center highlighting the causes, events and consequences of WWII. Travel through the center of Belgium as your journey continues to Rotterdam, the world's largest port rebuilt after wartime devastation. During your orientation with your travel director, see the impressive market hall and its radical modern design and the Erasmus Bridge.

Visit one of the manufacturers of original Delft blue pottery before moving on to the Hague, the elegant governmental center of the Netherlands. See the Binnenhof courtyards where the Parliament is situated and the impressive Peace Palace. Select departures visit Keukenhof Gardens one of the world's largest flower gardens, an unforgettable experience not to be missed. Pass through picturesque villages and windmills of the Dutch countryside to Amsterdam for three fabulous nights.

Today you explore Amsterdam, a living museum of the 17th century, yet still a vibrant metropolis and port. The best way to see this remarkable city is from the water as you cruise through the canal district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire the elegant merchant houses from the 16th and 17th centuries, their facades are a reflection of when trade flourished during Amsterdam's Golden Age. Relax as you pass stunning gables, beautiful churches and the iconic Magere Brug, better known as the Skinny Bridge. Disembark your cruise to wander the city and see the floating flower market, Dam Square and the Royal Palace. The rest of the day is at your leisure. With your free time, perhaps venture out to the Dutch Countryside to the village of Marken.

If you choose, you could start the morning by visiting the world's largest flower auction at Aalsmeer. Later, in Amsterdam, visit the newly refurbished Rijksmuseum with a local expert, Amsterdam's famed treasure trove of Dutch art, housing Rembrandt's "Night Watch." Journey to the village of Monnikendam, learn the secrets of the Cheese Maker's craft, from milk to the finished product. Then witness a traditional Shoemaker turn a block of wood into clogs. In the evening, join your newfound friends and travel director at a beautiful restaurant in Monnikendam to enjoy your celebration dinner.

You will depart from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.