The Rhine & Holland‘s old fishing villages II

Introduction

The 32 kilometres long "Afsluitdijk" (Dutch for closure dike) separates since 1932 the IJsselmeer from the open North Sea and makes the once wild Zuiderzee to a calm and diversified fairway. Around the IJsselmeer youll find pictureque harbour villages which had their golden era during the time of trade with the Dutch East India Company. There are lots of buildings from that era which show the former wealth.

Day 1 Embarkation in Amsterdam in the late afternoon. The ship stays overnight in the city.

Day 2 In the morning a *trip to the fishing town of Volendam and the cheese town of Edam is scheduled. In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to *visit Amsterdam and its canals.

Day 3 After the arrival in Kampen in the morning, you will discover the pretty harbour town, where the IJssel flows into the IJsselmeer, on a *walking tour. Kampen has had city rights since 1236, and proves itself to be a lively university city that has not lost any of its historical allure despite all its modern features. Subsequently, there will be a coach excursion to the interesting canal village of *Giethoorn, the “Venice of the North”. On a boat trip through the canals, the idyllic Giethoorn shows all its charms. Reembarkation is in Urk. After lunch on board, you will go on a *walking tour through the old fishing village of Urk, which has a wellpreserved, compact centre with a pleasant fishing harbour and many old houses.

Day 4 Today, you will use Urk as the starting point for a *coach excursion to picturesque Hindeloopen. Old houses with extraordinary facades, small wooden bridges and the peaceful canals give the village a charming character. Afterwards your coach will take you across the impressive *Afsluitdijk dam to Enkhuizen on the western shores of the IJsselmeer. In Enkhuizen, you will board the ship again and enjoy lunch. Like Hindeloopen, Enkhuizen also had its heyday in the 17th century as an important sea-port of the Dutch East India Company – to which some historical buildings still bear witness today. During a *walking tour you will experience the city highlights of Enkhuizen.

Day 5 Arrival in Düsseldorf this morning. In the morning the bus excursion to Cologne starts, which is explored on a tour. This tour leads to the Gothic Cologne Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the third highest church in the world. The reembarkation in Cologne is followed by a leisurely afternoon on board.

Day 6 Disembarkation in Amsterdam after breakfast.