Experience the magic of Holland and Belgium during Winterfest, when friendships, fun and holiday cheer are celebrated with heartwarming festivities and colorful cultural traditions in picturesque villages along inland waterways from Brussels to Amsterdam. Ashore, discover daily life on guided walking tours in towns, museums and palaces decked out in their season's best, enjoying special moments on private visits, and music and traditions steeped in yuletide spirit. Onboard, dining and cultural entertainment light up your nights, enriching the warm camaraderie inherent in a Tauck river cruise.

Festive fixes... gluhwein, waffles, Belgian beers, stroopwafels, chocolate lace and cheese... heartwarming carols and concerts joyfully orchestrated... villages dressed in the season's best... Dutch canals, cathedrals and candles aglow with yuletide spirit... Belgian squares and medieval markets making merry... aboard a riverboat cruise all decked out with holiday cheer.

The ribboned waterscapes of Holland and Belgium take on a special glow in December when storybook villages and fairy tale towns celebrate the joys of the season with holiday traditions centuries old. Experience yuletide spirit onboard and ashore on a river cruise that delights day and night... during a visit to a town steeped in 17th-century Holland life and historic windmills... and an illuminating Amsterdam canal cruise... while having cheese and stroopwafels in Gouda... in Delft or Rotterdam, as you choose... on sightseeing excursions in Bruges & Antwerp dressed in their holiday best... in market squares where merry making entices with hot mulled wines, waffles hot off the press, beers locally produced and chocolates laced with care... and at special receptions, dinners and cultural presentations aboard a riverboat decked out with cruising delights that make you feel right at home wherever we roam.

Festive fixes... gluhwein, waffles, Belgian beers, stroopwafels, chocolate lace and cheese... heartwarming carols and concerts joyfully orchestrated... villages dressed in the season's best... Dutch canals, cathedrals and candles aglow with yuletide spirit... Belgian squares and medieval markets making merry... aboard a riverboat cruise all decked out with holiday cheer.

The ribboned waterscapes of Holland and Belgium take on a special glow in December when storybook villages and fairy tale towns celebrate the joys of the season with holiday traditions centuries old. Experience yuletide spirit onboard and ashore on a river cruise that delights day and night... during a visit to a town steeped in 17th-century Holland life and historic windmills... and an illuminating Amsterdam canal cruise... while having cheese and stroopwafels in Gouda... in Delft or Rotterdam, as you choose... on sightseeing excursions in Bruges & Antwerp dressed in their holiday best... in market squares where merry making entices with hot mulled wines, waffles hot off the press, beers locally produced and chocolates laced with care... and at special receptions, dinners and cultural presentations aboard a riverboat decked out with cruising delights that make you feel right at home wherever we roam.

Traveling Well Includes:

A stroopwafel demonstration and tasting in Gouda

An evening canal cruise to view the Amsterdam Light Festival

A walking tour of Rotterdam or a visit to Royal Delft to see pottery making

Gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors and Tauck Cruise Director

Tauck's private shore excursions and distinctive inclusions valued at $1,789

Holiday market fun in annual markets along the waterways with shopping, music, traditional fare and often ice skating and ferris wheel rides

Day 1 - Welcome to Brussels / Embark Riverboat

Tour begins: 4:00 PM, Brussels. A transfer is included from Brussels Airport or Brussels Central Train Station to Tauck's riverboat where embarkation begins at 4:00 PM. Settle into your cabin and join us tonight for a welcome reception followed by dinner.

Lodging: ms Grace

Meals: D

Day 2 - Brussels in Winter

Wake up for a tour of the city that visits the enchanting cobblestoned square, Grand-Place, surrounded by ornately gilded 17th-century guildhouses, and the festive holiday markets of Winterfest, infused with the joys and spirit of the season. Time at leisure this afternoon lets you experience winter's wonders in Brussels as you wish. Your riverboat cruises to Antwerp tonight.

Lodging: ms Grace

Meals: B, L, D

Day 3 - Gems of Antwerp

Sugar and diamond trading put Antwerp on the map in the mid-16th century when it was one of Europe's most important cities. Today it is also famous for being the home of Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, inviting you to walk in the artist's footsteps and see his masterpieces where he painted them. Traditionally held every December, the Antwerp Christmas Market is spread over different squares of the city, within walking distance of the Grote Markt and other landmarks you'll see today. Guided sightseeing showcases the highlights of Antwerp this morning before time at leisure to explore on your own. Return to the riverboat by shuttle at your convenience and enjoy musical entertainment onboard ship tonight after dinner.

Lodging: ms Grace

Meals: B, L, D

Day 4 - City Sightseeing in Bruges

Your riverboat arrives in Bruges this morning where you'll embark on a sightseeing tour. Explore the fortified medieval city, nicknamed The Venice of the North for its countless canals, on foot, meandering past its canals, magnificent squares, and narrow cobblestone lanes. Return to your riverboat for dinner in the Compass Rose this evening.

Lodging: ms Grace

Meals: B, L, D

Day 5 - A Taste of Rotterdam or a Day in Delft

A choice of shore excursions today includes a locally guided walking tour of Rotterdam or a visit to Delft and its porcelain factory. In Rotterdam, view world-class architecture and urban design, along with outdoor sculptures randomly placed, and as you make your way to the city's covered Markthal; topped with sought-after glass-walled apartments, the market is lined with some 96 stalls enticing with a taste of Dutch culinary specialties under an arched fruit-and-vegetable muralled ceiling. Little changed since Golden Age artist Johannes Vermeer lived here in the 17th century, the historic center of Delft is a veritable time capsule of medieval treasures and Golden Age glories. Tour the city's Royal Delft factory to learn more about the distinctive blue and white Delftware pottery first introduced by local artisans in the 17th century. Continue to the royal city of Den Haag for a walking tour that includes a visit to Escher in the Palace; housed in an 18th century palace that was once home to the Dutch royal family and is now a museum, it features a permanent exhibition of works by Dutch graphic artist MC Escher.

Lodging: ms Grace

Meals: B, D

Day 6 - Gouda

A leisurely morning cruise brings you to Schoonhaven in south Holland for a drive to historic Gouda, famous for its namesake cheese, but also inviting with its lesser-known candles - and stroopwafels. Join a local guide for a walking tour of its compact canal-ringed city center and see the pride of the town, the monumental 17th-century Waag, (weighing house) and the Town Hall. Credited with inventing stroopwafels, an iconic waffle sandwich with syrup in the center, Gouda was the only city to make them until 1870. Enjoy a demonstration and a tasting during your visit to Gouda today! Set sail for Amsterdam this afternoon. Tonight, join us for a special chef's signature dinner in the Compass Rose.

Lodging: ms Grace

Meals: B, L, D

Day 7 - Amsterdam, historic windmills & a Light Festival

Arrive early this morning in Amsterdam. Today, you have a choice of excursions. One offers you the opportunity to visit the famed, Rijksmuseum. Housing over one million objects of different arts, crafts and artifacts created the years of 1200 - 2000 A.D. (8,000 of which are displayed publicly), the Rijksmuseum is home to some of the greatest historical and artistic masterpieces in the world, including a collection of paintings from the likes of Dutch Masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals; your other option offers a visit to the Zaanse Schans neighborhood to get an idea of what life was like in 17th- and 18th-century Holland; see the historic windmills and green wooden houses from the period. Nicknamed the Venice of the North for the sheer number of canals (165 to be exact) found throughout the city proper, they'll be on full display this afternoon during some free time to explore Amsterdam as you please. Illuminated artwork and sculptures lining the canals add a special glow to the city's winter landscapes at night, and are a highlight of this evening's festive canal cruise.

Lodging: ms Grace

Meals: B, L, D

Day 8 - Journey Home

Tour ends: Amsterdam. Disembark your riverboat by 9:00 AM this morning and fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the riverboat to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, or Centraal Train. Allow a minimum of three hours for flight check-in at the airport.

Lodging:

Meals: B