Amsterdam & Van Gogh Museum

En route, you'll pass lowland countryside dotted with farms, canals and windmills, the perfect symbol of Holland's past. Keep your camera ready, as photo opportunities present themselves at every turn. Upon arriving in Amsterdam, drive past some of the city’s landmark sites. See Dam Square and the Baroque Royal Palace, and make your way to Nieuwe Kerk ("New Church"), a 15th-century, late-Gothic cathedral built on an artificial island. See the Central Railway Station, a bustling building with imposing twin towers. The Munttoren ("Mint Tower"). You'll also witness the Bloemenmarkt floating flower market and the graceful Weeper's Tower, the site where wives came to say goodbye to their husbands as they embarked on long voyages. A bronze plaque commemorates the English navigator, Henry Hudson, who sailed from here in 1609.

Next, you’ll visit the Van Gogh Museum, housing the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and tracing the artist’s life from his early years to his suicide in Arles, with an emphasis on Van Gogh’s development into a great master. You’ll have approximately one and a half hours to visit this impressive museum independently. Afterwards, take a stroll to Dam Square where you'll have free time to have lunch on your own, browse and or shop before returning to the ship.