Rajah Travel Corporation

This idyllic village is full of thatched roofs, lush greenery, and lawns overflowing with colorful blooms. What it has virtually none of, on the other hand, is roads. Instead, locals live across a multitude of small islands connected by wooden bridges and get around by boat. This morning, you’ll have the chance to sail with your fellow guests through Giethoorn’s canals to get the best view of this pretty town.

To see Giethoorn is to watch a storybook town come to life. The village, whose name literally translates to “Goat Horn” is almost entirely made up of a collection of tiny islands, each with their own houses. Connected by bridges and lacking roads, the only way to get around is by walking or—as is much more fun—by boat ride. Board a little boat just for your fellow young travelers and their families, then start floating your way around the canals of Giethoorn.

Harlingen is an attractive port town on the Wadden Sea—local legend has it that the only reason Harlingen isn’t under the Wadden Sea is because of the actions of a young boy, who plugged up the local dike with one finger and thereby saved the city from sinking. It is, of course, just a fun story, but a statue in his honor can be found near the docks nonetheless.

Today you’ll stroll through Harlingen’s canals and quaint alleyways with a local guide. Many of the buildings here have been around for three or four centuries, giving the town a historic feel. Keep an eye out for the gable stones on older buildings, small plaques with unique carvings used to help people find their way before numerical addresses were popularized.

You will have the opportunity to dive deep into the Frisian area with one of two different experiences:

1. Head to a horse farm where the characteristically large and agile black Friesian horse is raised. After learning about the farm’s work and Frisian culture, you’ll be treated to a horse show.

2. Take a short drive to the city of Franeker, where you’ll find the oldest working planetarium in the world hanging from the ceiling of a beautiful canal house. This accurately moving model of the solar system was built between 1774 and 1781 by the Frisian wool comber, Eise Eisinga, and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will also visit a historic mill, still active today as a grain mill.

Take a drive to the city of Franeker for a look at the world’s oldest planetarium still in operation. You’ll enter a little house once inhabited by the Eisinga family, and stop in a tiny blue room to learn about Eise Eisinga’s pet project: the world’s oldest planetarium, now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Look up at the ceiling to see miniature scale models of the six planets of our solar system that had been discovered by the time it was built in the late 18th century, rotating on a perfectly timed track.

As you join a local guide on a walk through the streets of Nijmegen, you might be surprised by the youthful energy you find in the Netherlands’ oldest city. Discover a history that stretches back to the Romans and learn how this town recovered from World War II devastation to become the lively center it is today. End your visit in Nijmegen’s best shopping district, where you can branch out on your own to browse the small boutiques, popular chains, and local restaurants available there.

Immerse yourself in the history of the Dutch Royal family today as you visit the palace known as “Het Loo.” Built at the behest of William of Orange in the 17th century, it was a summer residence for his family. Now, in the 21st century, the palace serves as a museum, so travelers and locals can marvel at the stunning decorations and gardens that were once reserved for Dutch royalty. The heritage of this building and the House of Orange-Nassau are excellently preserved, all of which you can learn about at your leisure as you admire the beautiful property.

*Masterpiece Collection are optional experiences that go above and beyond our daily selection of included excursions and can be booked for an additional fee. Select Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences can be pre-booked. Please note that requests to pre-book must be made by calling our Reservations Team no later than 6 days prior to departure and are subject to availability. Some venues are limited in the number of guests they can accommodate. Guests can book onboard (space permitting) and pay in Euros. Pre-booked Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are refundable up to 5 days prior to the cruise/tour start date; if inside of 5 days they are non-refundable. Select Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences require a minimum number of participants and are subject to cancellation (with full refund) if minimum is not met. Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are non-commissionable. Prices are subject to change. Masterpiece Collection excursions may not operate if they occur on a holiday or if they require a minimum number of participants and that minimum is not met.

Do you have what it takes to plan a royal party? Find out today on your visit to the Junior Palace at Het Loo, where you’ll help the royal stewards throw a festive reception as part of a fun living history exercise. Along the way, you’ll hear stories about the Dutch monarchy and the beautiful summer palace that was home to members of the House of Orange.

To bike through the rolling green nature surrounding Fort Sabina, you almost wouldn’t realize that one of the best preserved forts in the Netherlands is there. As you bike there from the ship, however, a pentagon-shaped moat cut into the land gives it away. Equal parts active nature excursion and military history tour, this bike ride is a great way to spend your day in Willemstad.

Delft is noteworthy for several reasons: it's the birthplace of world-renowned painter Johannes Vermeer, home to the famous blue Delft pottery and burial place of Dutch royalty. Explore picturesque Old Delft, with its tiny foot-bridges arching over peaceful, water-lily-filled canals, and visit the Royal Delft pottery to see the blue-and-white porcelain being made.

*Masterpiece Collection are optional experiences that go above and beyond our daily selection of included excursions and can be booked for an additional fee. Select Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences can be pre-booked. Please note that requests to pre-book must be made by calling our Reservations Team no later than 6 days prior to departure and are subject to availability. Some venues are limited in the number of guests they can accommodate. Guests can book onboard (space permitting) and pay in Euros. Pre-booked Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are refundable up to 5 days prior to the cruise/tour start date; if inside of 5 days they are non-refundable. Select Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences require a minimum number of participants and are subject to cancellation (with full refund) if minimum is not met. Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are non-commissionable. Prices are subject to change. Masterpiece Collection excursions may not operate if they occur on a holiday or if they require a minimum number of participants and that minimum is not met.

With water levels rising in a country where much of the land is below sea level already, the Netherlands has a particularly vested interest in combating climate change. Learn how the country’s most modern city is also amongst its greenest as you get around town via electric city tram and sustainably-powered water taxis. Along the way, you’ll visit a floating farm, the circular beer brewery that helps feed its cows, and more.

Make your way to The Hague today for a visit to the Mauritshuis, a museum full of works of Dutch Golden Age art. This museum is special because it was once just a house—if a really nice one. This means that you can see some of the world’s most famous works of art displayed naturally on the walls, as if hung up in someone’s living room.

Cruise through Amsterdam’s iconic canals on a classic tour with a unique twist. As you float through the city, taking in its charming architecture in the evening light from onboard a private boat, you’ll be treated to a surprise that will showcase local culture in a way you won’t find anywhere else.

The story of Anne Frank is well known. She was born in Frankfurt 1929 to parents Otto and Edith Frank, who fled Germany with their family a few years later in the hopes of finding safety in the Netherlands. When Amsterdam failed to provide protection from the Nazis, the Franks planned to emigrate once again. This plan ultimately failed, and the Franks went into hiding in a secret household annex. It was in this annex that Anne Frank hid with her family for more than two years during World War II and wrote her diary. Seeing the annex for oneself is another story entirely. The Secret Annex had become a museum, giving context to Anne’s plight and that of many families like hers in WWII. Today, you’ll follow a local guide via public transportation to arrive at the museum and get a firsthand look at this poignant piece of history.

*Masterpiece Collection are optional experiences that go above and beyond our daily selection of included excursions and can be booked for an additional fee. Select Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences can be pre-booked. Please note that requests to pre-book must be made by calling our Reservations Team no later than 6 days prior to departure and are subject to availability. Some venues are limited in the number of guests they can accommodate. Guests can book onboard (space permitting) and pay in Euros. Pre-booked Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are refundable up to 5 days prior to the cruise/tour start date; if inside of 5 days they are non-refundable. Select Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences require a minimum number of participants and are subject to cancellation (with full refund) if minimum is not met. Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are non-commissionable. Prices are subject to change. Masterpiece Collection excursions may not operate if they occur on a holiday or if they require a minimum number of participants and that minimum is not met.

The Netherlands is a major world producer of cheese, making nearly a billion kilograms yearly. Nowadays, most of this cheese is made industrially in factories, which not only produces significantly more waste, but also eschews the more traditional processes that make Dutch cheeses unique.

Embark on a trip through the scenic countryside outside Hoorn on a visit to one of the country’s remaining authentic dairy farms, where Dutch cheese making traditions are being kept alive. The farmer here will tell you all about their sustainable cheese making practices and life on their farm.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience supports Global Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; and Global Goal 15: Life on Land.