Explore with Viking—Tulip Season

Step back in time during a guided walking tour of one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world. Bruges’s city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a cultural and artistic center and home to such important Flemish painters as van Eyck and Memling. Walk with your knowledgeable guide past the homes of prominent former residents. You will also visit the Béguinage and its gardens. Built during the 13th century, this complex was once home to followers of the Beguine religious movement and is currently a monastery for Benedictine sisters. Pass by the Church of Our Lady, whose 400-foot spire is one of the world’s tallest brick structures. Behind the church, see the Gruuthuse palace and gardens, once the medieval home of one of the wealthiest families in Bruges. Enjoy three hours of free time during the tour in which to have lunch on your own.

Explore Brussels, the hub of Belgian culture. Drive to the city with your guide, viewing the Duvel Brewery and Fort Breendonk along the way. After a photo stop at the famed Atomium, you will pass the American pavilion and the Castle of Laeken, home to the royal family. See the Ministry of Finance and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Royal Square, you will begin to explore by foot. Stroll into the Old City and to the Grand Place, where you will see the City Hall and picturesque guild houses. After free time, drive to the Royal Palace and the European Quarter, where you will see the European Parliament. After passing NATO headquarters, you will return to your ship for lunch.

Walk the footpaths of renowned Keukenhof Gardens and the streets of charming Haarlem. Every spring, a vibrant, multihued carpet blankets the 70 acres at Keukenhof Gardens. After a short orientation, enjoy free time to stroll among 100 varieties of tulips that are grown on these 15th-century hunting grounds. Afterward, drive to Haarlem, nicknamed “Flower City” due to its ties the tulip-bulb growing industry. Following lunch, set out on a walk, passing some of the city’s hofjes (almshouses), provided by Dutch cities since the 14th century to house single elderly women. See historic houses and the city’s famed square where five streets meet. During a guided visit of the Frans Hals Museum, admire the work of Haarlem’s Old Masters of the Golden Age. Finish with free time at the eclectic Warmoesstraat shopping district before returning to your ship.

See the picturesque Dutch countryside as you explore The Netherlands’ world-famous cheeses and windmills. Visiting a cheese farm, get an in-depth look at how one of The Netherlands’ top products is made. Upon arrival, enjoy a walk around the farm with your hosts, busy farmers making their living off the earth. Later, meet the cheese makers who patiently create their product from fresh milk and learn the craft, process and history of cheese making, which dates back to pre-Christian times. By lesson’s end, there will be plenty of cheese for sampling. You will also visit Kinderdijk’s 19 historic windmills, the largest group in The Netherlands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In South Holland’s polder lands, these windmills stand like sentinels. Learn why the mills were built and how they operate, even stepping into a working windmill to observe its mechanics and living quarters.

Peruse the work of the Dutch Masters, cruise Amsterdam’s charming waterways and visit a patrician museum. Meet your guide and drive to the city’s picturesque Museumplein, or Museum Square. Visit the galleries of the world-renowned Rijksmuseum, home of Rembrandt’s most famous masterpiece, The Night Watch. After time to explore the museum’s collection, some of it commissioned by the wealthy merchant class of the Dutch Golden Age, board a boat for a relaxing cruise through the city’s endless network of canals. After lunch, continue on foot to one of the city’s patrician canal house museums. Here, gain insight into the lives of Amsterdam’s 17th-century elite. View period furnishings, artwork and elegant rooms and gardens that look much as they did when the wealthy filled their coffers with profits from the burgeoning overseas spice trade. Note: This tour involves significant walking and may not be suitable for guests with mobility issues.