Amsterdam and London
8 Days
This vacation itinerary allows your group to experience two distinctly different European capital cities and their respective charms. The Netherlands welcomes visitors with picturesque canals, colorful flower markets and a laidback atmosphere. Its history centers on the merchants and fishermen who leveraged the city’s location and waterways. As the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, London oozes culture, cosmopolitanism and fascinating history. Home to some of the world’s best museums, a fantastic theatre scene, and beautiful city parks – some of history’s best characters called London home – including Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Queen Elizabeth I, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Keats, Lord Byron, Thomas Becket and Virginia Wolff to name a few.
Highlights
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Tour Keukenhof Gardens' seventy-nine acres of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths in Lisse
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Guided city tour of Brussels including brewery visit
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Excursions to Ghent & Bruges
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Guided tour of the remarkable Anne Frank House
Itinerary Details
International Arrival
Travel by private coach to the hotel
4 Nights
Amsterdam
Included activities
DAY 1: Arrive in Amsterdam
Arrival in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. After exiting customs, meet your local assistant in the terminal's arrivals hall. Your group will then travel by private coach to the hotel. Even though your group will arrive before the hotel's check-in time, feel free to store your luggage with the reception staff. There will be free time until this evening to begin exploring Amsterdam. Consider visiting one of its excellent museums like the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh Museum. Tonight join your fellow group members for a welcome dinner of Dutch specialties in the hotel's restaurant.
DAY 2:
After breakfast in the hotel, your group will meet a local guide in the lobby for an exciting tour of this scenic city. Approximately 800 years ago, the Amstel River was dammed, giving the town its name. Where medieval fishing boats once docked, your group will see 17th century houses, street performers and some of the city's most luxurious stores. Here in Dam Square lies the historic heart of Amsterdam. See the Royal Palace, which was originally constructed as the Town Hall. Pass the Mint Tower, with its clock and bells that still seem to echo Amsterdam's Golden Age. Also of particular interest is the 16th-century Weeping Tower, which according to legend derived its name from the sailors' wives who used to bid their husbands an emotional farewell from here. Then we'll pass the Floating Flower Market on Singel Canal, which is a stunning mass of flowers strung along the canal on permanently-moored barges. After free time for lunch, the group will proceed to the Anne Frank House, where eight people from three separate families lived together in near total silence for more than 2 years during World War II. It was here that Anne wrote her famous diary as a way to deal with the boredom and her youthful jumble of thoughts, which had as much to do with personal relationships as with the war and the Nazi terror raging outside her hiding place. The tour will finish in the city center, and the rest of the day is free to shop, to wander alongside Amsterdam's canals and to sample more of this country's cuisine.
DAY 3:
After breakfast in the hotel your group will depart on a full-day excursion of windmills and tulips. The first stop today will be in Zaanse Schans, a neighborhood in the town of Zaandam, to admire its collection of historic windmills and its traditional craft shops. Afterwards, the group will travel south to the lovely city Haarlem, where it will have free time for lunch. The group will then continue traveling south to the city of Lisse to tour the legendary Keukenhof Gardens where vast numbers of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths create dazzling patches of color. Blooms here – at their peak- have a short but glorious season. The park is said to be the greatest flower show on earth, and it's Holland's annual spring gift to the world. (Note: Keukenhof is only open from March to May. For groups traveling outside of that time, a guided tour of Haarlem is highly recommended with a possible inside visit of the Corrie ten Boom Museum. Alternative ideas include a visit to Delft to tour one of its famous pottery workshops or a tour of Volendam to visit a cheese farm).
DAY 4:
This morning is free to relax, sleep in, shop or sightsee. For those wanting to relax, consider heading to one of Amsterdam's many parks. Lunch is on your own. This afternoon's guided tour will consist of a fun boat tour of Amsterdam. This is undoubtedly the best way to appreciate this city of canals. Afterwards, the group will undergo the Heineken Experience, a self-guided tour at its former brewery. Learn all about one of the Netherlands' best exports. The group will go straight to a local restaurant for a farewell-to-The-Netherlands dinner (included). After dinner group members can walk back to the hotel or stay in the center.
Group transfer by private coach to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport
Flight from Amsterdam to London
Board a private coach for a panoramic city tour of London en route to the hotel
3 Nights
London
Included activities
DAY 5: Arrive in London
After breakfast the group will check out and transfer by private coach to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport for its short flight to London. Upon arrival meet a local guide in the terminal's arrivals hall and board a private coach for a panoramic city tour of London's best sites en route to the hotel. See St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and more. The group will dine together in the hotel this evening.
DAY 6:
After breakfast in the hotel, the group will travel by private coach with a local guide to the fascinating Tower of London for a guided tour. The Tower's origins date back to the 11th century, and today it is an official UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the Crown Jewels, which have been on display here since the 17th century. The Tower was the site of the executions of Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Margaret Pole and many others. After the tour, the group will have free time for lunch. Consider fish & chips or a steak & kidney pie at a local pub. After lunch, the group will walk down to the Tower Pier on the River Thames. (This is how prisoners were traditionally bought into the Tower) for a cruise down to Westminster Pier. The private coach will pick the group up at the pier and return it to the hotel. The remainder of the afternoon is free. London has an excellent theatre scene, and this evening the group will attend a theatre performance.
DAY 7:
After breakfast in the hotel, the group will have a guided tour of one of London's terrific museums. Choose for example between the Victoria & Albert Museum (art & design), the British Museum (antiquities), Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition, the National Portrait Gallery or the Tate Modern (contemporary art). (Note: Group will need to decide on selected museum before departing the US). Once the museum tour has finished, the group has free time to have lunch, shop and relax. This afternoon your group will enjoy a traditional afternoon tea. Your last evening in London is free.
DAY 8:
After an early breakfast, the group will drive by private coach to a London Airport for its return departure flight to the USA.
Private coach transfer to the airport
International Departure
Inclusions
Includes
- Guided city tour of Amsterdam
- Canal cruise in Bruges
- Accommodations: Amsterdam 4 nights, London 3 nights
- Meals: Continental breakfast daily. Lunch and dinner as noted in itinerary
- Ground transportation via air conditioned luxury coach
- English speaking assistants and guides
- Admission tickets as outlined in itinerary