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Art & culture tour Holland (6 days)

Enjoy Dutch art and culture during this 6 days private tour in the Netherlands/Holland. This tour includes a 3-nights stay in Amsterdam and a 2-nights stay in Utrecht. First you will become familiar with the absolute highlights of Amsterdam, the capitol of the Netherlands and a city with a long history. During your stay in Amsterdam you will see the beautiful canals, which are declared as UNESCO world heritage, in an unique way from your canal boat. Also you will visit the famous Rijksmuseum, where you can enjoy an extensive collection of the work of Rembrandt. Other highlights of your stay in Amsterdam includes a visit to the Hermitage, the Royal Palace, the Amstel river and the opera house. Utrecht is a charming city with many hidden treasures. In Utrecht you will visit the van Gogh Museum, an unique experience because it contains the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world. Another highlight of your stay in Utrecht includes a visit to the Catharijneconvent museum, here you can learn more about the present and past of Christianity in the Netherlands. The tour will end at the Dom Tower which is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands (95 mtrs-312 ft.) On top you will enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of the city of and its surroundings. See the itinerary below for more information about this tour.

Itinerary

Day 1) Highlight: a welcome dinner to meet your fellow travelers

In the afternoon, arrival at Schiphol Airport or Central Railway Station Amsterdam. Meet and greet your tour director and other members of the group. During your panoramic transfer to your comfortable hotel in Amsterdam, you will pass several interesting sights and get your bearings of this compact town. Upon arrival check in and relax. At 18:00 hours you are expected in the lobby of your hotel. A welcome drink will be served and you can become acquainted with your fellow travelers. At 18:45 it is time to move to the restaurant and enjoy dinner together as a group. A three course meal will be served and you can make new friends. We wish you an enjoyable evening and a good night.

Day 2) Highlight: the work of Rembrandt and tour d’ Amour

Today you will become familiar with Amsterdam, the capital of Holland. Which is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city with much history and a must for a genuine art lover. Every participants will receive an ‘I Amsterdam City Card’ which is truly your key to the city. This card is your public transport pass (valid for 72 hours), your ticket to Amsterdam’s top attractions (e.g. museums) and your voucher for great discounts and free surprises. The best way to move around in Amsterdam is on foot, by bicycle or tram (streetcar). You will feel like a local when you travel by tram to the Leidseplein. Upon arrival your tour director will show you several interesting sights, will share information with you and tell you stories that will really bring the destination to life for you.

In the morning you will see the city from the water, while you are sitting in your canal boat and you are floating through the canals of Amsterdam.  During this tour you will see many sights and learn more about the wonderful buildings and their gabble stones façades.

After the tour, you will walk to the famous Rijksmuseum, where you can enjoy an extensive collection of the work of Rembrandt. A special guide working for the Rijksmuseum will show you the museum with a special theme ‘tour d’ Amour’ about love and marriage in the 17^th century because ‘Love is in the air’.

Day 2) (continue): Highlight private tour of a wonderful gallery in Amsterdam

Now it’s time for lunch and your tour director will walk you to the Leidseplein (a lively square with many pubs and lunchrooms). On the way you will pass the PC Hooftstraat, the most high-end shopping street in the Netherlands. From 13-14 hours you are free to enjoy lunch. At 14:00 hours the group will meet at the fountain in front of the American Hotel Amsterdam.

From there you will stroll along the canals and you will be impressed by the architecture and feel of this charming city. Since 2010 the UNESCO has included the area around Amsterdam’s three main canals: the Herengracht or Patricians’ Canal, the Keizersgracht or Emperor’s Canal, and the Prinsengracht or Prince’s Canal on the list of World Heritage Sites. The three waterways run parallel to each other in a crescent shape, giving the city centre its characteristic semi-circular shape when viewed from the air. Many of the canal houses were built in the Golden Age, a period of great progress and prosperity in 17th-century Amsterdam.

First you will walk through the art and antique area of town called the ‘Spiegelkwartier’. In and around the Spiegelstraat over seventy specialized art and antique dealers offer a wide variety of objects, ranging from archeological finds to 17th century furniture, glass and Dutch Delftware, from oriental art to Art Nouveau, from tribal art to contemporary art, from old medical instruments and clocks to jewellery and, last but not least, icons, paintings and old master prints. You will have the opportunity to step into a modern gallery, where the owner will give you a special tour and talk to you about his passion collecting works of art.

The rest of the afternoon you will visit the beautiful Willet-Holthuysen museum, so you are able to see how the rich Dutch lived in the olden days. In 1895 Mrs. Willet-Holthuysen left a will saying that after her death this 17th century canal house was to become the property of the city of Amsterdam. Together with all that stood in the canal house, which also included the art collection of her late husband, Abraham Willet. Her last will has been faithfully observed for more than a century: the canal house has been turned into an impressive canal house museum that keeps the name of her family alive. A special guide will show you the museum and talk to you about the residents, their wealth and unhappy marriage. Around 16:30 the tour is finished and you are free to enjoy the rest of the day. Your tour director will be pleased to give you advice where you can have dinner that evening or go out that night.

Day 3) Highlight: Flemish paintings from the Hermitage

After breakfast the tour director will show you an other part of the city. Today you will travel by tram to the Rembrandtplein. After you had a chance to take pictures of the monument* of this famous painter you will walk to the river from where you have a stunning view of the Amstel and we can tell you why the capital of Holland is named Amsterdam.  Then we will stroll to a wonderful museum the Hermitage Amsterdam. Here you will see a stunning selection from the Flemish art collection of the St. Petersburg Hermitage. With 75 paintings and about 20 drawings, this definitive survey will include many masterpieces by the three giants of the Antwerp School, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens, supplemented by the work of well-known contemporaries. One of the highlights will be Rubens’s famous Descent from the Cross. This will be the first exhibition of this superb collection in the Netherlands. Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) will be a special focus of the exhibition, represented by 17 paintings and many drawings. Rubens was the most accomplished and influential Flemish painter of the seventeenth century.

Around noon, you are free for lunch. The tour director will walk you to the Rembrandtplein, a square with many restaurants where you can have a soup, a sandwich or a salad. At 14:00 hrs all participants of the group will meet in front of the monument* of Rembrandt.

Then it’s time to explore Amsterdam during your city tour on foot. You will see house boats, the city hall, the opera house, het Waterlooplein (a flea market), the quaint streets along the canals, shops, a wonderful courtyard, the Royal Palace and more. In the late afternoon the tour ends at Dam Square from where you can go shopping or sightseeing.

Your ‘I Amsterdam Card’ offers you free admission to The Nieuwe Kerk situated next to the Royal Palace. The monumental church building is well worth visiting. The church is also known as the place where the coronation of the Head of State as well of the national Remembrance Day service on 4 May takes place. In 1980, Queen Beatrix was officially inaugurated in De Nieuwe Kerk. On 2 February 2002 the wedding between the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima took place at this location.

An other option is to visit is the Amsterdam Historical Museum for free. The rich collection of works of art, objects and archaeological finds brings to life the fortunes of Amsterdammers of days gone by and today. A lively, international city like Amsterdam deserves an exciting museum. So the most modern forms of multimedia are used. Discover the surprising objects that make the past seem real.

Remember it is your last night in cosmopolitan Amsterdam, have a nice meal and a drink or a coffee in one of the many cafes and restaurants. If you like spicy food you can try an Indonesian Rijsttafel, which is very good and authentic in Holland.

Day 4) Highlight: van Gogh and ‘Bedroom secrets’

Today you will check out of your hotel because you are traveling to Utrecht. You can leave your luggage at the reception till we leave the hotel and a motor coach will bring you to your new destination in the late afternoon.

After breakfast your tour director will bring you to the Van Gogh Museum by tram. A visit of this museum is a unique experience because it contains the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world. During your guided tour, you will learn more about the restoration of the painting The bedroom, dating from 1888. This is one of Vincent van Gogh's best loved works. It was painted in Arles where the artist lived. He selected his composition and the colours extremely carefully and his letters show that he was very pleased with the result. But right from the start, The bedroom had a great deal to endure. Even while Van Gogh was still alive, the painting was damaged. After the restoration the colours have gained a new intensity and the painting looks a lot clearer. It is now a much better reflection of the artist's original intentions and can once more be admired by the public. The rest of the early afternoon you are free to enjoy lunch and do your last shopping or sightseeing in Amsterdam. At 16:00 hours, please be ready to leave for Utrecht. Your tour director will be waiting for you at the lobby of the hotel and as soon as the luggage is in the motor coach you will drive for about an hour to your new destination.

Upon arrival check into your hotel and relax. At 19:00 hrs meet at the lobby of the hotel.  Your tour director will walk with you to the centre of town. Together you will have a short walking tour to become familiar with charming Utrecht. Of all the Dutch cities Utrecht has the largest number of cultural treasures per square kilometer, functions as the central shopping city, is a true culinary paradise and is home to the largest and best university in the country. Utrecht is also home to icons such as Dick Bruna and his Miffy, architect and furniture maker Gerrit Rietveld and the design brand Pastoe. The old yet innovative city is ready to be explored by anyone! Enjoy your evening and have a nice meal. If you need tips, where to have dinner? Talk to your tour director.

Day 5) Highlight: visit of the Museum Catharijnecovent and ‘Love & passion for God’

Today you will experience the charm of Utrecht, a wonderful city with many hidden treasures. In the morning your tour director will walk with you to monumental ‘Stadskasteel Oudaen’ from where you will have a special city tour on foot. Your local tour guide will show you the most attractive sights and will talk to you about legends and facts & figures. The tour will end at the Dom Tower which is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands (95 mtrs-312 ft.). If you are willing and able you can climb the tower that afternoon when you are free to enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of the city of and its surroundings.

The rest of the morning you will visit the unique Catharijneconvent museum housed in a beautiful medieval monastery.  Here you can learn more about the present and past of Christianity in the Netherlands.  At that time there will be a special themed exhibition that illustrates the experience of a pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostela, Questions like, why engage in a pilgrimage and what can you expect when you are traveling to Santiago?,will be asked and answered. Your special tour guide working for the museum will enlighten you during your visit. The rest of the afternoon you are free to become familiar with the city of Utrecht. 

At 19:00 hour meet in the hotel lobby to have a nice farewell dinner. During the meal you can exchange your experiences of this tour with your fellow travelers and talk about the next trip you want to make. After dinner at 21:45 we have a special treat for you. We would like to introduce you to an unique art project in Utrecht. This project is called ‘Trajectum Lumen’ and is an exploration of the city after dark. The route follows artistically lit locations throughout Utrecht’s historical city centre. These works of art, illuminate this city’s past and present in a spectacular fashion from sunset to midnight. Have fun in the dark.

Day 6) Highlight: visit of the most cheerful museum in Holland and Love songs

In the morning at 9:00 hours, your tour director will bring you to the most cheerful venue in Holland. Museum Speelklok, displays a variety of mechanical musical instruments and trivia like Carillon clocks, musical boxes, Flötenuhren, pianolas, the singing nightingale, orchestrions including the famous Violina, street, fairground and dance organs. During your guided tours the instruments will be playing their repertoire varying from Viennese waltzes and tangos to tear-jerkers and love songs. At noon you will leave Utrecht in a good mood as we drive you by motor coach to Schiphol airport or Amsterdam CS.

Enjoy your stay and Goodbye (Tot Ziens).