Netherlands/Belgium
Art History in Belgium and Holland
Program No. 3544RJ
Find inspiration as you celebrate the achievements of great European artists, gaining a deeper appreciation of their works through scholar-led excursions.
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Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES
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PRICES
DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
Apr 25 - May 8, 2025
Starting at
7,599May 16 - May 29, 2025
Starting at
7,599Sep 12 - Sep 25, 2025
Starting at
7,599Sep 26 - Oct 9, 2025
Starting at
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14 days
13 nights
24 meals
12B 4L 8D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
3
Brussels
Brussels
8
Delft, Birthplace of Vermeer
Amsterdam
11
Rijksmuseum, 18th-Century Art
Amsterdam
12
Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum
Amsterdam
13
Kröller-Müller Museum, Free Time
Amsterdam
14
Program Concludes
Amsterdam
At a Glance
As you stroll through the sculpture garden, you realize that most of these art lovers are speaking Dutch and admiring the works of their own beloved artists. In this comprehensive exploration, learn why even local residents hold artists such as Vermeer and van Gogh so dear. Expert artists guide a study of the history, architecture, genres and artists that comprise the rich artistic traditions.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up between 3-4 miles per day; cobblestones and many unavoidable stairs. Public transportation and motor coaches used throughout the program.
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.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Receive expert insight into three centuries of art by Brueghel, Bosch, Vermeer, De Wit, Mondrian and many more.
- Spend a day at the Kroller Muller Museum, located in a national park, with 90 van Gogh paintings and a magnificent sculpture garden.
- Discover the collections of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and the Museum of Ancient Art in Brussels.
General Notes
Select dates are designated for small groups and are limited to 24 participants or less.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Max Put
After studying painting and graphic art and working as an artist, Max Put attended Leiden University and earned a master’s in art history. In 1995, while still at university, he started giving talks on Dutch art and culture. He has been a charismatic figure leading Road Scholar groups for more than 15 years.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Max Put
View biography
After studying painting and graphic art and working as an artist, Max Put attended Leiden University and earned a master’s in art history. In 1995, while still at university, he started giving talks on Dutch art and culture. He has been a charismatic figure leading Road Scholar groups for more than 15 years.
Ronald Groenendyk
View biography
Ronald Groenendyk, originally from the Netherlands, lives in New York and has been working as a group leader there since 2019. For 18 years before that, he was the director of the travel emergency assistance office of ERGO Travel and International Health Insurance, supporting travelers and expatriates in North America and eventually South America as well. He first started working as a group leader in the Netherlands and in Southeast Asia immediately after finishing his degree at the University of Amsterdam.
Suggested Reading List
(26 books)
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.
Art History in Belgium and Holland
Program Number: 3544
The Undutchables
A laugh-out-loud, irreverent guide to Dutch character and habits, including how to drink coffee and why you shouldn't even think about haggling over prices.
The Embarrassment of Riches
An engaging cultural history and much more, this book is a study of the Dutch in the 17th century and their surprising challenge to Spanish rule.
The Autumn of the Middle Ages
A pioneering work of social and cultural history, this well translated classic is a richly detailed portrait of life, thought and art in 14th- and 15th-century France and the Netherlands.
Why the Dutch are Different
Mingling history with travelogue, Coates speaks to why the Netherlands is such fascinating country. He explains the significance of milk, beer and the color orange in the lives of the Dutch, their world-famous culture of tolerance and much more.
The Netherlands in a Nutshell
With information on the Dutch East India Company, Huygens, Spinoza, Van Gogh, the Great Flood, the Dutch overseas colonies and much more, Van Oostrom's popular primer covers the essential highlights of Dutch history.
Benelux Map
Covering the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg at a scale of 1:400,000.
Rubens
Belkin chronicles the 17th century artist Peter Paul Rubens from his early family life to his influential interactions with the Italian Renaissance masters and finally to Antwerp, where he rose to fame as a renowned painter and diplomat to the royal courts of Europe.
Eyewitness Guide Brussels, Bruges, Ghent & Antwerp
This superbly illustrated guide features color photos and maps of city neighborhoods, with information on history, culture and sightseeing.
Headlong, A Novel
A Bruegel canvas claims a central role in Frayn's hilarious tale of an art heist gone awry. Frayn weaves detailed research about the Old Master with a philosopher's foiled plot to appropriate the valuable masterpiece from a boor he feels is unworthy of it.
Amsterdam, A History of the World's Most Liberal City
Russell Shorto opens this delightful ode to an adopted city with his daily journey, by bike of course, through his neighborhood to drop off his toddler son. He spins a tale of a diverse city wrestled from the sea, its coffee shops, canals and its personalities and politics, with panache.
A Tall Man in a Low Land
Pearson, a British travel writer, journalist and comic, is an entertaining guide to Belgium and its traditions, culture, beer and chocolate.
Amsterdam, A Traveler's Literary Companion
Organized by district, these 17 contemporary short stories by modern Dutch writers, including Cees Nooteboom and Geert Mak, are set amid the canals, cafes and neighborhoods of Amsterdam.
Girl With a Pearl Earring
Chevalier's richly drawn novel imagines the story behind Vermeer's mysterious portrait of a turbaned girl with a pearl earring.
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
This finely-crafted novel tells the story of the girl in an imagined, undiscovered portrait by Vermeer. Created in the 17th century, the painting passes through a number of people's hands, providing a series of tales that reflect the history and character of Holland and Europe through the years.
A Worldly Art
This appreciative analysis of Dutch art in its Golden Age (1585-1718) features 100 exemplary illustrations by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Pieter de Hooch, Frans Hals and other Old Masters.
Tulip Fever
In this surprise bestseller, set in 1630s Amsterdam, a man contracts the talented painter Jan Van Loos to paint a portrait of him and his beautiful wife, Sophia. A vivid drama unfolds as a mutual attraction develops between Van Loos and Sophia.
Tulipomania
The story of the world's most coveted flower and the extraordinary passion it aroused, this vivid history traces the tulip from its origins on the Turkish steppes to its status as an absurdly desired object in Europe and its key role in the financial follies of 17th-century Holland.
Bruegel
A volume in the excellent "World of Art" series, Gibson's book dispels the myth of Bruegel the simpleton artist and replaces it with a portrait of a man who understood the needs of his patrons. With many black-and-white and color reproductions of the paintings.
Travels in Vermeer, A Memoir
In the wake of a vengeful divorce, an American poet travels to Amsterdam, The Hague, Delft, London, Washington and New York to find solace and inspiration in the paintings of Johannes Vermeer.
Eyewitness Guide The Netherlands
Gorgeously illustrated and filled with excellent maps, this compact book covers Holland, its history, traditions, cultures and sights. With hundreds of color photographs and illustrations.
The Diary of a Young Girl, The Definitive Edition
The classic story of an adolescent Jewish girl's life and thoughts while in hiding with her family in Nazi-occupied Holland. A new edition with added material.
Master of Shadows, The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens
Ranging from his home in Antwerp to London, Madrid, Paris and Rome, Lamster uncovers the gripping tale behind one of the world’s most famous painters and his double life as a secret agent, diplomat and political operative in 17th century Europe.
Eyewitness Guide Amsterdam
A wonderful guide to Amsterdam, filled with detailed drawings, photographs and thumbnail sketches.
The Professor
Bronte's first novel, published posthumously, is based on her experiences with Emily as a language student in Brussels in 1842.
Culture Smart! Belgium
A concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture.
Niccolo Rising
From the reigning queen of historical fiction comes this fast-paced, thoroughly-researched novel of ambition and worldly goods in 15th-century Bruges. This is the first volume in her House of Niccolo series.
Program No.
3544
Duration
14 days
Program Begins
Brussels
Program Concludes
Amsterdam
Group Type
Small Group
Activity Level
At a Glance
As you stroll through the sculpture garden, you realize that most of these art lovers are speaking Dutch and admiring the works of their own beloved artists. In this comprehensive exploration, learn why even local residents hold artists such as Vermeer and van Gogh so dear. Expert artists guide a study of the history, architecture, genres and artists that comprise the rich artistic traditions.
Best of all, you'll...
- Receive expert insight into three centuries of art by Brueghel, Bosch, Vermeer, De Wit, Mondrian and many more.
- Spend a day at the Kroller Muller Museum, located in a national park, with 90 van Gogh paintings and a magnificent sculpture garden.
- Discover the collections of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and the Museum of Ancient Art in Brussels.
General Notes
Select dates are designated for small groups and are limited to 24 participants or less.
Featured Expert
Max Put
After studying painting and graphic art and working as an artist, Max Put attended Leiden University and earned a master’s in art history. In 1995, while still at university, he started giving talks on Dutch art and culture. He has been a charismatic figure leading Road Scholar groups for more than 15 years.
Please Note:
This expert may not be available for every date of the program
Ronald Groenendyk
Ronald Groenendyk, originally from the Netherlands, lives in New York and has been working as a group leader there since 2019. For 18 years before that, he was the director of the travel emergency assistance office of ERGO Travel and International Health Insurance, supporting travelers and expatriates in North America and eventually South America as well. He first started working as a group leader in the Netherlands and in Southeast Asia immediately after finishing his degree at the University of Amsterdam.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up between 3-4 miles per day; cobblestones and many unavoidable stairs. Public transportation and motor coaches used throughout the program.
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.
Suggested Reading List
View Full List: 26 Books
You can also find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone?
We can help. Give us a call, and we can answer all of your questions!
Call
800-454-5768
