Netherlands
The Old Masters: Art Treasures of Holland by River
Program No. 19504RJ
Discover the cultural heights of Holland’s Low Lands as you join experts to learn about artistic masterworks, renowned museums, historic architecture and an iconic earthenware factory.
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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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All itineraries and excursions are subject to change. Weather and water conditions may affect the progress of the ship, and we may miss ports if it is not safe to dock. The operators reserve the right to change the content and duration of excursions without prior notice and so the cruise itinerary should always be regarded as provisional. Whenever possible, Road Scholar’s published daily schedule will indicate port arrival and departure times. Prior to departure, if there is a major change, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
11 days
10 nights
What's Included
23 meals (
9B, 5L, 9D
)
12 expert-led lectures
13 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
9 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
In Transit to Program
Location:
In Flight
Day
2
Arrive Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Location:
Amsterdam
Meals:
L,D
Stay:
Leonardo Boutique Museumhotel
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 40 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Walking over 1/2 mile, standing for approximately 1 hour.
Morning:
After arrival, we will join the Group Leaders and board the motorcoach for a field trip to the picturesque historical windmill village of de Zaanse Schans, just north of Amsterdam. We will visit a windmill that has been refitted to grind coloring materials for paint making.
Lunch:
We’ll enjoy an authentic taste of the Netherlands at a village restaurant located in an 18th-century grain barn. The restaurant specializes in Dutch-style pancakes, savory or sweet treats, which can measure almost a foot in diameter, and are often eaten as a main course.
Afternoon:
We’ll proceed to Amsterdam by motorcoach and check in to our hotel. Orientation: The Group Leaders will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This program is staffed with two experienced and knowledgeable Group Leaders who will provide local history and culture, and we will learn from a series of local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. We will have meals in the dining room aboard the barge and at local restaurants. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leaders will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. The remainder of the afternoon is free for you to settle into your room and relax or explore independently.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Day
3
Rijksmuseum, Canal Cruise, Free Time
Location:
Amsterdam
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
Leonardo Boutique Museumhotel
Activity Note
Walking or standing for approximately 3 hours
Breakfast:
In hotel.
Morning:
This morning, we will walk 10 minutes to the Rijksmuseum where our local art historian will introduce you to the history of the museum. Once inside, our expert will lecture about the most impressive works of the Old Masters living in the museum as you view Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and others in person. Afterwards, you will have time on your own to explore the museum and get lunch in Amsterdam.
Lunch:
On your own in Amsterdam.
Afternoon:
You will have Free Time this afternoon to continue your exploration of Amsterdam. You may return to the hotel at your leisure. Your Group Leaders will provide assistance on the best way to spend the afternoon. If you make reservations ahead of time, you may want to explore the van Gough Museum. Alternatively, you can take a stroll along the Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat near the hotel. Before dinner you will meet your Group Leaders and board a canal boat for a unique architectural discovery of the city of Amsterdam with a local expert.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure. Tomorrow morning we will check out of the hotel.
Day
4
Kröller-Müller Museum, Transfer to Barge in Amsterdam
Location:
Amsterdam
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
Lena Maria
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 125 miles, approximately 2.5 hours riding time. Embarking the barge; please note that the barge does not move at night and only motors during the day.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
After hotel check-out, we’ll bring our luggage to the lobby and the staff will load the motorcoach. We will then embark on a field trip to the remarkable Kröller-Müller Museum to join a museum docent. This magnificent art museum is home to the world’s second-largest collection of van Gogh paintings as well as works by other artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Situated in a national park with woodlands, heath, and plains, the museum is a testament to one of Europe’s most significant art patrons, Helene Kröller-Müller (1869-1939), who collected more than 11,000 art objects that formed the core of the institution bearing her name. The museum has continued to grow and today has one of the largest sculpture gardens in Europe.
Lunch:
On your own to enjoy in the museum cafe.
Afternoon:
We will return to Amsterdam and board the barge that will be our home for the next seven nights. We will have some time to settle into your cabin before meeting the captain and crew during a barge safety orientation.
Dinner:
Aboard the barge.
Evening:
This evening, we will learn about the history of the Netherlands by a local educator.
Day
5
Barge to Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum, Dutch History & Economy
Location:
Haarlem
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Lena Maria
Activity Note
Barging approximately 4.5 hours. Walking and standing for approximately 1.5 hours in museum.
Breakfast:
Aboard the barge.
Morning:
While barging to Haarlem, we will see locks, bridges, and lots of traffic on rivers and canals. The Dutch are passionate about the water, and all kinds of crafts will pass us from sailboats to yachts. Heavy cargoes such as stone and steel are still transported by barge. When arriving in Haarlem, look to your left for a large building with a glass dome. It’s a prison! The panoptic design was originally conceived by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1785, allowing one prison guard to observe any of the inmates without them knowing.
Lunch:
Early lunch aboard the barge.
Afternoon:
Haarlem dates to before the medieval era and was granted city status in 1245. We will walk through Haarlem's market square to one of its cultural jewels, the Frans Hals Museum, located in an impressive building that was once an Oude Mannenhuis (old men’s house). Frans Hals (1581-1666) was the most famous painter of the 17th-century “Golden Age” when Haarlem was a prosperous and powerful center of culture and the arts. He specialized in portraits – of individuals and groups – depicting people from all walks of life. To introduce this great Dutch artist, an expert will give a lecture before leading us on a walk through the museum. After the presentation, we will have free time to continue exploring this fine museum. On our way back to the barge, we will stop at the statue of Laurens Janszoon Coster, who is said to have discovered printing with movable type before Johannes Gutenberg.
Dinner:
Aboard the barge.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
6
Aalsmeer Flower Auction, Cruquius, Leiden, Free Time
Location:
Leiden
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Lena Maria
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 45 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Walking about 1.5 miles throughout the day. Walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
Aboard the barge.
Morning:
We will start the day very early with a field trip to the Aalsmeer flower auction hall. The largest marketplace for flowers and plants in the world. You will see a steady stream of flower-filled carts passing by. Flowers are trucked in early in the morning and auctioned off electronically. As soon as the flowers are sold, they are loaded on trucks to make their way to destinations all over Europe. Flowers destined for the U.S. are taken to the nearby airport and are likely for sale in your flower shop the next day. Our next visit is the Cruquius Museum, where a museum docent will present the history of this former steam-powered pumping station, operational from 1850-1933. We will learn about the technology used to drain the area around Amsterdam that was threatened with flooding in the past.
Lunch:
Lunch at Cruquius,Theehuis
Afternoon:
Back aboard the motorcoach, we will transfer to Leiden, Rembrandt’s birthplace. Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to perhaps visit the botanical garden or St. Peter's church. The Group Leaders will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.
Dinner:
Aboard the barge.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
7
Vermeer, Barge to Drievliet, Mauritshuis, Delft Porcelain
Location:
Delft
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
Lena Maria
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 40 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Boarding/deboarding the barge. Walking approximately 2 hours.
Breakfast:
Aboard the barge.
Morning:
Enjoy a beautiful sail while eating breakfast as we arrive late morning in Drievliet, where we will get off the vessel and take a motorcoach to The Hague, the seat of Dutch government and the International Court of Justice. Here we will explore the Mauritshuis a small world-class museum full of 17th century Dutch and Flemish paintings. Accompanied by a docent, we’ll marvel at works by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter, Frans Hals, Hans Holbein the Younger, and more.
Lunch:
Enjoy lunch in The Hague on your own.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we’ll board a motorcoach to Delft where we visit the Porceleyne Fles, the oldest surviving porcelain factory in the Netherlands, producing Delftware since 1653. After an expert lecture, we will explore the factory before walking back to the barge. After a relaxing break, we will walk to Delft to enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
After dinner, the Group Leaders will walk us through the city center to admire the magnificent Renaissance architecture of the Delft City Hall.
Day
8
Barge to Rotterdam, Pilgrim's Church, Dordrecht Museum
Location:
Gouda
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Lena Maria
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 20 miles, under 1 hour riding time. Walking about 1.5 miles throughout the day.
Breakfast:
Aboard the barge.
Morning:
We will barge this morning to Rotterdam, where we’ll disembark for a field trip to the Pilgrim Fathers’ Church. It was here in 1620 that the Pilgrims said their last prayers before sailing for England, where they boarded the Mayflower to the New World. During a presentation by a church docent, we’ll learn little known facts about these events that led to our celebration of Thanksgiving before walking back to the barge.
Lunch:
Aboard the barge.
Afternoon:
Boarding the motorcoach after lunch, we’ll embark on our field trip to Dordrecht, where in the museum, a knowledgeable docent will discuss the museum’s masterpieces by Dutch and other European artists. After the field trip, we will transfer via motorcoach to the barge that will be docked in Gouda for the night.
Dinner:
Aboard the barge.
Evening:
At leisure
Day
9
Sint Janskerk, Museum Gouda, Cheese Shop, Amsterdam
Location:
Amsterdam
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Lena Maria
Activity Note
Barging approximately 4.5 hours.
Breakfast:
Aboard the barge.
Morning:
Our field trip this morning is to Sint Janskerk (St. John’s Church), a treasure of the late Gothic, where a local expert will provide background on the famous Goudse Glazen – Gouda stained glass – with 71 panels depicting Biblical and historical scenes, some dating back to the 16th century. Our exploration continues at the Catharina Gasthuis that once sheltered the sick and homeless, also serving as chapel and library. It is now the home of Museum Gouda. Among its exceptional holdings are altar pieces from the Golden Age painted by Dirck Barendsz, Antonie Blocklandt, Pieter Pourdus, and Jan Steen. Having sated our quest for knowledge, we'll visit a cheese shop to sample the renowned local cheese that takes its name from the city.
Lunch:
Aboard the barge.
Afternoon:
Relax as we barge towards Amsterdam. Weather permitting, enjoy ever-changing vistas from the deck.
Dinner:
Aboard the barge.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
10
Amsterdam, City Walk, Free Time
Location:
Amsterdam
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
Lena Maria
Activity Note
Walking about .5 mile; standing for up to 1 hour on uneven terrain, stairs. Walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
Aboard the barge.
Morning:
This morning, we will take a walk to the center of Amsterdam to get you oriented for Free Time to explore independently. We recommend making your museum reservations to start from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to have enough time.
Lunch:
On your own to enjoy what you like in Amsterdam.
Afternoon:
Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in Amsterdam. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leaders will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions. If you want to relax, seek out one of the local cafés to sip a Heineken or cup of coffee while watching the locals.
Dinner:
Aboard the barge. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for disembarkation and departure in the morning.
Day
11
Disembarkation, Program Concludes
Location:
In Flight
Meals:
B
Activity Note
Barge disembarkation by 9:00 a.m. See your program’s “Getting There” information regarding transfers. Transfer from the barge by private taxis to the airport is about 20 miles, approximately 1/2 hour riding time.
Breakfast:
Aboard the barge, which we will disembark by 9:00 a.m. This concludes our program.
Morning:
Morning transfer to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for departures. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
