Netherlands

The Old Masters: Art Treasures of Holland by River

Program No. 19504RJ
Discover the cultural heights of Holland’s Low Lands as you join experts to learn about artistic masterworks, renowned museums, historic architecture and an iconic earthenware factory.

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

At a Glance

Voyage through the provinces of North and South Holland on a private barge and discover the landscapes that inspired Old Masters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, Flinck, Hals and Bol. In museums, professional art experts introduce the great artists of the Low Lands, while field trips explore churches, medieval towns and Holland’s oldest earthenware factory.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
These programs get you on your feet and include activities such as walking at a leisurely pace with plenty of stops through a city and standing in a museum for a few hours; uneven terrain, stairs and cobblestones are common. Embark/disembark barge via ramp. Cabins located on lower deck. Barge does not move at night and only motors during the day.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

What You'll Learn

  • Admire the extensive Vincent van Gogh collection at the Kröller-Müller Museum.
  • Take in lectures by art historians before you marvel the works of Vermeer, Rembrandt and others.
  • Visit and learn about the fine art of Dutch pottery at the oldest surviving porcelain factory in Delft.

General Notes

While you are taken by bus to the various sites outlined in the program’s itinerary, the barge makes its way to the next port, and meets you there at the end of the day. (No barging during the night.)
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Profile Image
Kees Grandia
Kees Grandia was born and raised in the city of Rotterdam. He received a teaching certificate in Dutch and English at the teachers training college in Delft and studied history at the University of Leiden and the University of Texas in Austin. In 1999, he returned to education at the Albeda College as a teacher of Dutch to immigrants. Kees currently works as an educational manager with Albeda College in Rotterdam. He enjoys a game of tennis, loves opera, and is interested in American politics.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Kees Grandia
Kees Grandia View biography
Kees Grandia was born and raised in the city of Rotterdam. He received a teaching certificate in Dutch and English at the teachers training college in Delft and studied history at the University of Leiden and the University of Texas in Austin. In 1999, he returned to education at the Albeda College as a teacher of Dutch to immigrants. Kees currently works as an educational manager with Albeda College in Rotterdam. He enjoys a game of tennis, loves opera, and is interested in American politics.
Profile Image of Jane Choy-Thurlow
Jane E Choy-Thurlow View biography
Jane Choy-Thurlow earned a B.S. from Salem State University and an M.Ed. from Trinity College Dublin, and studied history and art history at Leiden University, the Haagse Hogeschool, and the Volks University. She is a docent at the Mauritshuis, and enjoys sharing the treasures of this museum. Jane is chair of the Mainland Europe National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies, and has worked for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Center of Educational Research and Innovation in Paris.
Profile Image of Jan Vijftigschild
Jan Vijftigschild View biography
Jan Vijftigschild is a certified leader with an M.A. from the Academy for Teachers in Art. Before working in marketing and public relations, Jan taught art at the university level. Combining his experience, he became an informer in the field of natural stone for 10 years. Eventually, he returned to school and received his English Language Certificate Academic Level. Having returned to teaching, he lectures about art and water issues in the Netherlands on ships with visitors coming to the Netherlands.
Profile Image of Tosca van Diest
Tosca van Diest View biography
Tosca van Diest decided at the age of 32, after years of studying languages, to apply to an art academy. She graduated in 1996 with a focus on ceramics and graphic arts. Since then, she has been working in her studio in conjunction with other occupations. In 2001, she started leading groups at the Kröller-Müller Museum where she gets to share her passion for art and introduce art to those who might not be familiar with it. Tosca speaks fluent Dutch and English.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Year
2025
  • 2024
  • 2025
Date
Sep 30 - Oct 10
  • May 13 - May 23
  • Jun 10 - Jun 20
  • Sep 16 - Sep 26
  • Sep 30 - Oct 10
Please Note: The program differs on certain dates.
Please Note: The program differs on certain dates.
Select trip year and date
2025
  • 2024
  • 2025
Sep 30 - Oct 10
  • May 13 - May 23
  • Jun 10 - Jun 20
  • Sep 16 - Sep 26
  • Sep 30 - Oct 10
All itineraries and excursions are subject to change. Weather and water conditions may affect the progress of the ship, and we may miss ports if it is not safe to dock. The operators reserve the right to change the content and duration of excursions without prior notice and so the cruise itinerary should always be regarded as provisional. Whenever possible, Road Scholar’s published daily schedule will indicate port arrival and departure times. Prior to departure, if there is a major change, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Print All
Map details are not available for this location.
11 days
10 nights
23 meals
9 B 5 L 9 D
DAY
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
DAY
2
Arrive Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Amsterdam
L,D
Conscious Hotel Vondelpark

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 40 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Walking over 1/2 mile, standing for approximately 1 hour.

Morning: After arrival, we will join the Group Leader and board the motorcoach for a field trip to the picturesque village of de Zaanse Schans, just north of Amsterdam. We will visit a windmill that has been refitted to grind coloring materials for paint making.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy an authentic taste of the Netherlands at a village restaurant located in an 18th-century grain barn. The restaurant specializes in Dutch-style pancakes, savory or sweet treats, which can measure almost a foot in diameter, and are often eaten as a main course.

Afternoon: We’ll proceed to Amsterdam by motorcoach and check in to our hotel. Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This program is staffed with an experienced and knowledgeable Group Leader who will provide local history and culture, and we will learn from a series of local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. We will have meals in the dining room aboard the barge and at local restaurants. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. The remainder of the afternoon is free for you to settle into your room and relax or explore independently.

Dinner: For our welcome dinner at a local restaurant, we’ll enjoy an authentic rijsttafel (rice table), a bountiful assortment of tasty dishes served with rice. The rijsttafel came out of the colonial era in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia), based on the traditional Nasi Padang feast.

Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

DAY
3
Rijksmuseum, Canal Cruise, Free Time
Amsterdam
B,D
Conscious Hotel Vondelpark

Activity note: Motorcoach time: 1 hour (6 miles); walking or standing for approx 2 hours

Breakfast: In hotel.

Morning: This morning, we we depart by motorcoach with our local art historian who will introduce you to the history of the Rijksmuseum. Once inside, our expert will lecture about the most impressive works of the Old Masters living in the museum as you view Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and others in person. After the museum, we will board a canal boat for a unique architectural discovery of the city of Amsterdam with a local expert.

Lunch: On your own in Amsterdam.

Afternoon: You will have Free Time this afternoon to continue your exploration of Amsterdam. You may return back to the hotel at your leisure. Your Group Leader will provide assistance on the best way to spend the afternoon.

Dinner: At a local fish restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. Tomorrow morning we will check out of the hotel.

DAY
4
Kröller-Müller Museum, Transfer to Barge in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
B,D
Lena Maria

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 125 miles, approximately 2.5 hours riding time. Embarking the barge; please note that the barge does not move at night and only motors during the day.

Breakfast: In the hotel dining room.

Morning: After hotel check-out, we’ll bring our luggage to the lobby and staff will load the motorcoach. We will then embark on a field trip to the remarkable Kröller-Müller Museum to join a museum docent. This magnificent art museum is home to the world’s second-largest collection of van Gogh paintings as well as works by other artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Situated in a national park with woodlands, heath, and plains, the museum is a testament to one of Europe’s most significant art patrons, Helene Kröller-Müller (1869-1939), who collected more than 11,000 art objects that formed the core of the institution bearing her name. The museum has continued to grow and today has one of the largest sculpture gardens in Europe.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy the food of your choice in the museum cafeteria. The Kröller-Müller Museum cafeteria offers sandwiches, salads, soups, and hot and cold beverages.

Afternoon: We will return to Amsterdam and board the barge that will be our home for the next seven nights. We will have some time to settle in to your cabin before meeting the captain and crew during a barge safety orientation.

Dinner: Aboard the barge.

Evening: At leisure. Your evenings are free to spend time with new Road Scholar friends, relax, or go exploring on your own.

DAY
5
Barge to Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum, Dutch History & Economy
Haarlem
B,L,D
Lena Maria

Activity note: Barging approximately 4.5 hours. Walking and standing for approximately 1.5 hours in museum.

Breakfast: Aboard the barge.

Morning: While barging to Haarlem, we will see locks, bridges, and lots of traffic on rivers and canals. The Dutch are passionate about the water, and all kinds of crafts will pass us from sailboats to yachts. Heavy cargoes such as stone and steel are still transported by barge. When arriving in Haarlem, look to your left for a large building with a glass dome. It’s a prison! The panoptic design was originally conceived by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1785, allowing one prison guard to observe any of the inmates without them knowing.

Lunch: Aboard the barge.

Afternoon: Haarlem dates back to before the medieval era and was granted city status in 1245. One of its cultural jewels is the Frans Hals Museum, located in an impressive building that was once an Oude Mannenhuis (old men’s house). Frans Hals (1581-1666) was the most famous painter of the 17th-century “Golden Age” when Haarlem was a prosperous and powerful center of culture and the arts. He specialized in portraits – of individuals and groups – depicting people from all walks of life. To introduce this great Dutch artist, an expert will give a lecture before leading us on a walk through the museum. After the presentation, we will have free time to continue exploring this fine museum on your own. On our way back to the barge, we will stop at the statue of Laurens Janszoon Coster, who is said to have discovered printing with movable type before Johannes Gutenberg. After boarding the barge, we will hear a lecture on the history and economy of the Netherlands by a local educator.

Dinner: Aboard the barge.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
6
Aalsmeer Flower Auction, Cruquius, Leiden, Free Time
Leiden
B,L,D
Lena Maria

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 45 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Walking about 1.5 miles throughout the day. Walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.

Breakfast: Aboard the barge.

Morning: We will start the day very early with a field trip to the Aalsmeer flower auction, the largest in the country. Flowers are trucked in early in the morning and auctioned off. Buyers bid on each lot by watching a large clock; the person who bids first not only gets the flowers but also pays the highest price. This goes on all morning, nonstop. As soon as the flowers are sold, they are loaded on trucks to make their way to destinations all over Europe. Flowers destined for the U.S. are taken to the nearby airport and are likely for sale in your flower shop the next day. Our next visit is the Cruquius Museum, where a museum docent will present the history of this former steam-powered pumping station, operational from 1850-1933. We will learn about the technology used to drain the area around Amsterdam that was threatened with flooding in the past.

Lunch: Lunch at Cruquius.

Afternoon: Back aboard the motorcoach, we will transfer to Leiden, Rembrandt’s birthplace. Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in Leiden. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.

Dinner: Aboard the barge.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
7
Vermeer, Barge to Drievliet, Mauritshuis, Delft Porcelain
Delft
B,D
Lena Maria

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 40 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Boarding/deboarding the barge; approximately 3 hours riding time.

Breakfast: Aboard the barge.

Morning: We’ll begin the day with a lecture by an art historian about the 17th-century artist Johannes Vermeer. We’ll then barge to Drievliet, where we will get off the vessel and take a motorcoach to The Hague, the seat of Dutch government and the International Court of Justice. Here we will explore the Mauritshuis. Accompanied by a docent, we’ll marvel at works by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter, Frans Hals, Hans Holbein the Younger, and more.

Lunch: Enjoy lunch in The Hague on your own. You will find many restaurants close to the museum.

Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll board a motorcoach to Delft where we visit the Porceleyne Fles, the oldest surviving porcelain factory in the Netherlands, producing Delftware since 1653. After an expert lecture, we will explore the factory before walking back to our floating home for dinner.

Dinner: Aboard the barge.

Evening: We’ll head out with the Group Leader for a walking field trip in the city center to admire the magnificent Renaissance architecture of the Delft City Hall.

DAY
8
Barge to Rotterdam, Pilgrim's Church, Dordrecht Museum
Gouda
B,L,D
Lena Maria

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 20 miles, under 1 hour riding time. Walking about 1.5 miles throughout the day.

Breakfast: Aboard the barge.

Morning: We will barge this morning to Rotterdam, where we’ll disembark for a field trip to the Pilgrim Fathers’ Church. It was here in 1620 that the Pilgrims said their last prayers before sailing for England, where they boarded the Mayflower to the New World. During a presentation by a church docent, we’ll learn little known facts about these events that led to our celebration of Thanksgiving before walking back to the barge. To set the stage for our afternoon field trip, an art historian will present a lecture on board to familiarize us with the various schools of Dutch painting from early Renaissance to Baroque, including the Old Masters.

Lunch: Aboard the barge.

Afternoon: Boarding the motorcoach after lunch, we’ll embark on our field trip to Dordrecht, where in the museum, a knowledgeable docent will discuss the museum’s masterpieces by Dutch and other European artists. After the field trip, we will transfer via motorcoach to the barge that will be docked in Gouda for the night.

Dinner: Aboard the barge.

Evening: After dinner, we’ll join the Group Leader for a walking field trip to the 15th-century Market Square and view the Old City Hall, one of the oldest Gothic municipal buildings in the Netherlands.

DAY
9
Sint Janskerk, Museum Gouda, Cheese Shop, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
B,L,D
Lena Maria

Activity note: Barging approximately 4.5 hours.

Breakfast: Aboard the barge.

Morning: Our field trip this morning is to Sint Janskerk (St. John’s Church), a treasure of the late Gothic, where a local expert will provide background on the famous Goudse Glazen – Gouda stained glass – with 71 panels depicting Biblical and historical scenes, some dating back to the 16th century. Our exploration continues at the Catharina Gasthuis that once sheltered the sick and homeless, also serving as chapel and library. It is now the home of Museum Gouda. Among its exceptional holdings are altar pieces from the Golden Age painted by Dirck Barendsz, Antonie Blocklandt, Pieter Pourdus, and Jan Steen. Having sated our quest for knowledge, we'll visit a cheese shop to sample the renowned local cheese that takes its name from the city.

Lunch: Aboard the barge.

Afternoon: Relax as we barge towards Amsterdam. Weather permitting, enjoy ever-changing vistas from the deck.

Dinner: Aboard the barge.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
10
Amsterdam, City Walk, Free Time
Amsterdam
B,D
Lena Maria

Activity note: Walking about 2 miles; standing for up to 2 hours on uneven terrain, stairs. Walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.

Breakfast: Aboard the barge.

Morning: We’ll leave the barge with our Group Leader on a field trip to the center of Amsterdam to view Rembrandt Square, the Bloemenmarkt (flower market) and finally the Begijnhof (Béguinage). This tranquil courtyard dates back to the 14th century, when it was built for the Béguines, pious women who chose to live like nuns but without taking formal vows. From there, embark on your own independent exploration.

Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like in Amsterdam.

Afternoon: Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in Amsterdam. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions. If you haven’t already been there, venture to the Anne Frank House or the Rijksmuseum. If you want to relax, seek out one of the local cafés to sip a Heineken or cup of coffee while watching the locals.

Dinner: Aboard the barge. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for disembarkation and departure in the morning.

DAY
11
Disembarkation, Program Concludes
In Flight
B

Activity note: Barge disembarkation by 9:00 a.m. See your program’s “Getting There” information regarding transfers. Transfer from the barge by private taxis to the airport is about 20 miles, approximately 1/2 hour riding time.

Breakfast: Aboard the barge, which we will disembark by 9:00 a.m. This concludes our program.

Morning: Morning transfer to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for departures. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!






Recommended For You

loading spinner