FLORIADE 2012 RIVER CRUISE

This travel offer is valid until 30 January 2012 For the latest prices call one of our luxury cruise specialists now on 0845 643 1878.

Once every ten years, the Netherlands hosts Floriade - a World Horticulture Exposition showcasing garden-inspired exhibits from around the globe.

On this 5-star luxury river cruise you will spend a full day visiting Floriade’s "theatre of nature" in Venlo which is a highlight of this luxury river cruise through the inland waterways of Belgium and Holland.

Choose from three luxury river boats:-

• Ms Swiss Sapphire
• Ms Swiss Jewel
• Ms Treasures (new-for-2011)

• Gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors and Tauck Cruise Director
• All private Tauck shore excursions - $756 Value!
• Overnight stay in Brussels at the Conrad Brussels
• Tauck Exclusive: Interactive culinary experience at Château Neercanne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Visits to the Floriade, Keukenhof Gardens or Haarlem, and the Aalsmeer Flower Auction
• A scenic cruise along Amsterdam’s canals
• View world-famous art at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
• A cheese-weighing demonstration in Gouda and porcelain making in Delft
• Visits to the World War II Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek, or Arnhem’s Kröller-Müller Museum
• A visit to the Netherlands American Cemetery
• 25 meals (9 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 9 dinners); wine with dinner on the riverboat
• Service charges, taxes, porterage and applicable fuel surcharges

• Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted

Fares from £2,600 per person, based on low season and subject to currency fluctuations

Full day-by-day Floriade River Cruise itinerary

Enjoy a once-in-a-decade opportunity to become "a part of the theatre in nature" as you spend the entire day in the floral wonderland known as Floriade - held every 10 years in the Netherlands to showcase green-inspired pavilions and garden exhibits created by over a hundred horticultural businesses from more than 25 different nations around the world. Tauck includes a full day at the 2012 Floriade in the Dutch border town of Venlo, celebrating visions of a greener world, on departures between April and October. If you wish, you can also explore the town of Venlo on a walking tour, then take a drive on Tauck’sYellow Roads along the "route of the roses" before returning to the riverboat for dinner.

• April 1,3,6,8,12,13,17,19,22,24,29
• June 24
• July 1
• August 3
• August 10

On some dates the cruise operates in reverse.

1. Arrive Amsterdam Tour begins: 4:00 PM, Amsterdam, Netherlands. A transfer is included from Schiphol Airport to your riverboat. Settle into your cabin and join us for a Dutch Gin tasting this evening that is sure to whet your thirst for a fun-filled Tauck river cruise from Holland to Belgium. You will meet your fellow travellers at our welcome dinner on board the riverboat this evening. Meals D

2. Discover Amsterdam Schedule permitting, start your day with an optional early morning excursion to the Aaslmeer Flower Auction (closed weekends). The largest of its kind in the world, more than 20 million flowers and plants are auctioned here each weekday. Amsterdam is home to storybook canals, gabled mansions and museums of all types; get an overview on a city sightseeing excursion, then view them up close on a canal cruise through 800 years of history and a visit to the Rijksmuseum, one of the world’s most beloved museums. The world-famous art housed here includes Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, as well as paintings by the Old Dutch Masters Jan Vermeer, Frans Hals, and Jan Steen. More than 400 17th-century masterpieces are on display in the museum, along with a wealth of antique Delftware and silver! Meals BLD

3. Keukenhofor Haarlem / Schoonhoven Open only until May, Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse blooms with millions of tulips from hundreds of varieties, narcissi, daffodils, hyacinths, bluebells, crocuses, lilies, amaryllis, and many others every spring. Cruise departures through May will have an opportunity to visit the gardens; other departures will continue on to Haarlem via a scenic flower route. Free time enables you to explore this quaint town as you wish; Amsterdam’s little sister city in history and charm, this is where Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, and Pieter Saenredam painted many of their famous portraits, landscapes, and church interiors. Meet your riverboat in Schoonhaven and have dinner onboard. Meals BLD

4. Gouda, Delft & Dunes in Den Haag Iconic images of Holland come to life today in villages where Dutch cheese, pottery and The Hague take center stage. A walking tour of Gouda introduces you to a pretty little town that takes its name from its home-produced cheese. Visit a cheese weighing facility and taste this traditional food favourite before exploring on your own. After lunch, travel to Delft for a tour of the porcelain factory where this distinctive blue and white tin-glazed pottery is made. This town has changed little since Vermeer painted the View of Delft in 1660. Quintessential sights continue to delight on a drive along the Yellow Roads to coastal Den Haag (known as "The Hague" in English) to see its impressive sand dunes. The Hague, best known as the seat of Dutch government, was a city originally built on the dunes. Your riverboat charts a course to Arnhem late this afternoon. Meals BLD

5. De Hoge Veluwe Nat’l Park/ Arnhem Travel to nearby De Hoge Veluwe National Park this morning. The largest nature reserve in the Netherlands, it is home to the Kröller-Müller Museum (subject to weekly closures). Inside you will find over 275 works by Vincent van Gogh, including the famous Café Terrace in Arles; outside, a sculpture garden hosts works by Rodin and other renowned artists. Arnhem made headlines in World War II when its strategic bridge over the Lower Rhine became the target of a massive airborne assault. A walking tour takes you to the "John Frost Bridge" and the Airborne Museum. Rejoin your riverboat for a classical music concert by La Strada as the ship cruises to Venlo for a full day at the magnificent Floriade. Meals BLD

6. Floral Wonderland at Floriade Nature speaks in a universal language at Floriade, held only once every ten years. You’ll have an opportunity to "be a part of the theatre in nature" as you spend the entire day in this floral wonderland, strolling through green-inspired pavilions and garden exhibits from over 25 different countries. An optional afternoon excursion explores its host town of Venlo on a walking tour, followed by a scenic Yellow Roads drive along the fragrant "route of the roses." Everyone meets back at the riverboat this evening for a discovery briefing and dinner. Meals BLD

7. Cemetery, AChâteau & Canal Drive to Margraten for a poignant visit to the Netherlands American Cemetery, the only World War II cemetery in the country. Lunch today is a Tauck Exclusive - a memorable interactive culinary experience at 17th-century Château Neercanne, the sole terraced castle in the Netherlands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you’ll don a chef’s hat, visit the kitchen and enjoy an extraordinary meal served in the castle’s Roman grottoes. Rejoin your riverboat for a cruise along the entire length of the Albert Canal to Antwerp, one of Europe’s great cultural capitals, bustling with medieval treasures and modern-day life; on-board commentary during your transit makes the experience richer still. Meals BLD

8. Discover Antwerp. Antwerp is a walking city, easily explored on foot. Meet your local guide right on the dock for an orientation tour of the city. Sightseeing includes the majestic Centraal Station, built at the turn of the 20th century, the opera house and Grote Markt, and the fanciful town hall. Visit Antwerp’s historic Jewish quarter, one of Europe’s largest Jewish communities. Return to the ship for lunch, then spend the rest of the afternoon exploring Antwerp as you wish. Your day ends with a farewell reception and Captain’s dinner aboard the riverboat. Meals BLD

9. Disembark Ship/ Bruges or Ghent Disembark ship in Antwerp for a choice of guided sightseeing excursions. Travel with us to Bruges in the heart of Belgium’s Flanders region. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bruges is renowned for its extraordinary medieval Gothic architecture and its reputation as the birthplace of Flemish painting. Enjoy a tour before exploring its flower-rimmed canals, cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and ancient arched bridges on your own. Or visit the Flemish city of Ghent, where a visit to St. Baafskathedral reveals a maze of Gothic architectural details and one of Europe’s most remarkable paintings, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, painted in 1432 by Jan van Eyck. Your destination tonight is the capital city of Brussels where your accommodations at the Conrad Brussels are superbly located and are within walking distance of several historic sites. Enjoy a farewell dinner tonight, savouring a taste of regional fare. Meals BD

10. Journey Home Tour ends: Brussels, Belgium. Fly home anytime; a transfer from the Conrad Brussels to Brussels Airport is included. Allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in. Meals B

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