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Delightful Holland and the Floriade
Join us for this celebration of colour as we experience one of the Netherlands most famed floral events. On this seven-day river cruise, we will see the best of Dutch springtime as we view the vibrant displays from Amsterdam to Kampen. The focal point of the cruise will be the fabulous Floriade Expo. Held in Almere, on the outskirts of Amsterdam, the theme will be the important one of ‘growing green cities’, and here you will be treated to a cornucopia of trees, shrubs, perennials, creepers and flower bulbs. There is also the opportunity to visit to Het Loo Palace and De Kruidhof Botanical Garden and more - making this the ultimate spring escape!
Your Tour Includes
- Six nights cruise on a full board basis
- Six visits included to Amsterdam, Hoorn, Den Helder, Harlingen, Kampen, Lelystad
- Excursions: Floriade
- Welcome drink and Captain’s Gala Dinner
- Morning and afternoon tea/coffee and a late evening snack
- On board entertainment every evening
- Services of a Cruise Manager
- Visit the once-in-a-decade Floriade Expo
- Enjoy the unique setting of Zaandam
- Spend time in the traditional cheese town of Alkmaar
- Experience and enjoy free time in Hoorn, Den Helder, Harlingen, Kampen & Lelystad
Itinerary
To use our NEW itinerary, simply click a day below and a detailed overview will appear.
Overview
We travel to Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, and enjoy a relaxing evening onboard our ship.
Overview
This morning, there’s the opportunity to join our optional excursion to the Van Loon Museum in Amsterdam. In the heart of the Amsterdam canal district lies the Museum Van Loon, a magnificent private residence built in 1672 by the architect Adriaen Dortsman. The first resident was the painter Ferdinand Bol, a pupil of Rembrandt. The interior of the house has remained largely intact during the last centuries and still evokes the splendour of the 17th century. In 1602 Willem van Loon co-founded the Dutch East-India Company and since 1973, the family has opened their home and garden to the public so you can get a glimpse of the life of the family in one of the finest canal house in the city. In the rooms, you’ll see a large collection of paintings, fine furniture, precious silver and porcelain from different centuries on display. Behind the house is a beautiful garden, an oasis of quiet in the modern inner city. The garden is laid out in formal style and is bordered on the far side by the classical façade of the coach house. This original unity of canal house, garden and coach house is nowhere else to be seen. If you want a glimpse of the world behind the façades of the world-famous canals, a visit to Museum Van Loon is a must! We return to ship for lunch onboard and this afternoon cruise onwards to Hoorn. We arrive into the atmospheric city of Hoorn later this afternoon and have free time to explore this wonderful little city full of history and interesting architecture.
Overview
We arrive in the unique town of Den Helder this morning which is situated at the northernmost tip of the province of North Holland. After lunch, why not join our optional excursion to the Medemblik Bakery, a quaint two-story museum where you’ll see how traditional Dutch specialities are made, including ‘gevulde koek’, which is an almond paste cookie and ‘speculaas’ which are delicious gingerbread cookies. We return to the ship in Den Helder for a relaxing evening on board as we cruise towards Harlingen.
Overview
This morning you can join our optional excursion to De Kruidhof Botanical Garden which is the largest botanical garden in the Netherlands. It features seventeen themed gardens each with their own plant collections. Themed gardens that can be visited include: medicinal herbs, cloister garden, butterfly garden, rose garden, woodland garden, fruit garden, ferns, paint and dye plants, garden with plants mentioned in the Bible, wildflowers and a garden for meditation. The Ice Age Museum is also housed in the gardens which illustrates the prehistory of the Frisian Woodlands. We return to the ship at lunchtime and sail onwards to Kampen arriving later this evening.
Overview
This morning you can join our optional excursion to Het Loo Palace. Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn is a Dutch Baroque palace built for William, Prince of Orange and later King of England, Scotland and Ireland. Members of the House of Oranje-Nassau lived and worked at Het Loo Palace for more than 300 years. What began as a hunting lodge for a stadtholder became a palace for a king, as William ascended to the English throne as William III. There were refurbishments and modernisations, art was being collected and a garden designed. The gardens were used for strolls and to enjoy exotic flowers and plants; royal dinners took place, with food served on beautiful china. This rich and generous past is still to admire here.We return to the ship at lunchtime and sail onwards to Lelystad where there’s time to explore this lively little port as we are berthed here overnight.
Overview
After breakfast, we are taken by coach to the Floriade World Horticultural Expo in the town of Almere where you will have plenty of time to enjoy this horticultural delight. Floriade Expo 2022 will be an extraordinary expo. For six months the attention to the theme ‘Growing Green Cities’ will be focused on the cities of the future. Visitors will have a unique and meaningful experience: while visiting the expo they will be invited to ‘explore, touch and change’.This expo will also be the start of a new city district close to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Almost everything that will be built for the exhibition will become part of the legacy of Almere and the structures will remain and become part of the community. The expo site will be developed as a Green City Arboretum, serving as a model for green structure development in cities. This arboretum will consist of a variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, creepers, hydrophytes and flower bulbs, all of which contribute to a green, healthy and sustainable city. Around 3000 species have been selected that contribute to the green city in terms of biodiversity, air purification, food production and city climate management. We return to the ship in Lelystad and enjoy our last night on board as we sail onwards to Amsterdam.
Overview
We bid farewell to our captain and crew after breakfast and set off on the return journey.
Accommodation
Our new 4-star ship has all the ingredients of an unforgettable river cruise; comfort, style and the crew’s unfaltering attention to detail is everything.
MS Arena is completely deserving of its place in our premier cruise collection! Whether you’re cruising the Dutch Waterways, the rivers Rhine, Moselle or Danube, all the way to the Black Sea, this elegant, 4-star ship promises everything you’d wish for – and more – making for an unforgettable river cruising experience.
Travel Options
When it comes to getting you to your destination. Leger Holidays make it easy, with a selection of travel options for you to choose from
Meet us at the ship
For complete flexibility, make your own transport arrangements to and from the ship. We will provide you with times and locations as well as some useful information for you to make your own arrangements to join your cruise.
If you require any further information to assist with your travel plans, please contact our Holiday Advisors who will be happy to help.
Meet your Coach at Dover
Travel down to Dover and jump onboard your coach for your ferry crossing.
Alternatively, travel the day before your departure and enjoy an overnight stay, with complimentary parking for the duration of your cruise, before being collected after breakfast the following morning.
Travel by Eurostar
Step aboard Eurostar at London St Pancras for a fast and comfortable journey to mainland Europe. You can even upgrade your reserved seat to Standard Premier – speak to our Holiday Advisors for more information. On arrival in Paris, Lille or Brussels, you will then join connecting services for your onward journey.
Travel by Air
Return flights from London Heathrow with transfers to and from the ship are included in our package on our specific arrival and departure dates. We also include one item of checked in luggage per person.
If our included flights are not suitable, alternative flights may also be available from other airports on our arrival and departure dates. These may have an additional supplement and are subject to availability at the time of booking.
More flexible travel options
Travelling by Eurostar?
Why not stay overnight in London?
For those travelling from further afield, you can also book overnight accommodation in London, before and after your holiday. Speak to our Holiday Advisors for more information.
Stay overnight near the port
For an even more relaxed start to your European holiday, why not stay overnight in Dover or nearby Ashford the night before your cruise from only £65pp? All our quoted prices include car parking for one vehicle for the duration of your cruise and cooked breakfast the following morning. Our coach will collect you and return you to the hotel on its way to/from the port of Dover. And if you don’t want that holiday feeling to end, why not do the same on your return journey?