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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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.
What You'll Learn
- 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.
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 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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
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14 days
13 nights
24 meals
12 B 4 L 8 D
Activity Note
Driving transfer to is about 11.5 miles, approximately 45 minutes riding time. Hotel check-in available from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon:
Hotel check-in is available at 3:00 PM. We may store our luggage with the front desk while we explore the area on our own while we wait for our rooms to be available. After checking in to the hotel and getting your room, take some time to freshen up and relax before our Orientation session. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. 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. We will learn from the Group Leader and a series of local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach, tram, and other public transportation where noted. Periods in the 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.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Activity Note
Walking about 3 miles total throughout the day; uneven pavement, unavoidable stairs, cobblestones in the city center; periods of standing. Extent/duration of walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll set out on foot from our hotel on an expert-led walk into the city center to soak in the sights.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in Brussels. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Dinner:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 75 miles, approximately 2.5 hours total riding time with stops. Walking, stairs without railings and periods of standing in the museum. Extent/duration of walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Once checked out of the hotel, we will board the motorcoach and transfer to Antwerp where we will enjoy an expert-led visit to the Royal Museum of Fine Art. After 11 years of renovations, the KMSKA reopened its doors and has expanded its rich collection of artwork spanning Rubens to Tuymans.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in Antwerp. We will meet at a predetermined time and location to board the motorcoach and continue on to Ghent. Upon arrival, we will check in to the hotel and get our rooms. Take some time to freshen up before we meet for dinner.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off public transportation, approximately 1/2 hour total. Walking about 3 miles, approximately 3 hours; paved terrain; periods of standing in the museum; unavoidable stairs and cobblestones in the city. Extent/duration of walking and other activities during independent time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Arriving via public transit, we will join a museum staff member for an expert-led field trip at the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent. While here, we will learn about Flemish and Dutch art from the Middle Ages, and its development through the middle of the 20th century.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in Ghent. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Walking up to 4 miles total throughout the day; cobblestones and uneven pavement, some stairs without railings; occasionally crowded places.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After breakfast, we will gather in our meeting room for a lecture from an art historian about the painters Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) and Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569), and track their evolution from the 15th to 17th centuries. Setting out from the hotel, we will take an expert-led walk through the city center of Ghent, a medieval city where the Industrial Revolution began in the 19th century. A local expert will provide us with the history of the city as we walk along the canals, through the historical center with its many squares (Vrijdagsmarkt, Groentenmarkt, and Koorenmarkt), and to see such sites as the medieval fortress of Gravensteen and the meat market.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
The afternoon is free to see and do what interests you most. We will gather in the early evening to transfer to dinner.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off motorcoach; driving about 70 miles total (110 km); approximately 2 hours, with stops. Walking up to 4 miles total throughout the day; cobblestones and uneven pavement, sometimes in very crowded places; stairs without railings; periods of standing in the museum. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during independent time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Arriving in Bruges via motorcoach this morning, we will have an expert-led walk in the beautiful, fairytale city of Bruges. This field trip will take us along the Minnewater Park, the Begijnhof (courtyard of the Beguins – secular nuns), the city's medieval street, and finishing at the Belfry of Bruges.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
This afternoon is free for independent exploration. You may enjoy visiting the Museum of Flemish Primitives (also known as the Groeninge Museum). The group leader will also be happy to make suggestions. We’ll then return to Ghent via motorcoach.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 140 miles total; approximately 3 hours, with stops for field trips throughout the day. Walking about 3 miles throughout the day; cobblestones and uneven pavement, stairs without railings.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Once checked out of the hotel, we will board the motorcoach and begin our transfer to Amsterdam. On our way, we will drive through Rotterdam to admire the architecture. We will stop in Delft, the birthplace of Vermeer, for an expert led walk to learn about the history of this charming city and its influence on the Dutch master himself.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Enjoy some free time to explore on your own before we meet at a predetermined time and location to continue our transfer to Amsterdam. After check-in, take some time to freshen up and relax before we gather for dinner.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off public transportation; less than 1/2 hour during group activities. Walking about 3 miles, approximately 3 hours; uneven pavement, unavoidable stairs and cobblestones in the city. Extent/duration of walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After setting out from the hotel via tram, we’ll begin with a relaxing canal cruise to soak in Amsterdam’s historical city center from the water. Then we will enjoy an expert-led city walk to admire and learn about the architecture of Amsterdam. We’ll see the National Monument, the Royal Palace, the New Church, and the many different styles of houses that the city is famous for.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your 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. You might like to visit the Amsterdam Historical Museum or the Anne Frank House.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 70 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Walking up to 3 miles total throughout the day; cobblestones and uneven pavement; unavoidable stairs, some without railings; periods of standing in museum.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will start the day with an expert-led bus field trip to The Hague, the legal capital of the world, with its many legal institutions and the seat of the Dutch Parliament. On our journey, we will pass the Peace Palais, which houses the International Court of Justice, and the Parliament buildings. We will stop at the Museum Panorama Mesdag to see the “Panorama of Scheveningen” by Hendrik Willem Mesdag.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Carrying on, we will go on an expert-led field trip through the Maurits House Museum to see famous Dutch paintings from Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. This museum is the home of such famous Dutch paintings as Vermeer's “View of Delft” and “Girl with a Pearl Earring.”
Dinner:
At a local restaurant in The Hague.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off public transportation; less than 1/2 hour during group activities. Walking about 3 miles, approximately 3 hours; uneven pavement, unavoidable stairs, and cobblestones; periods of standing in museum. Extent/duration of walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
An art historian will join us at the hotel and give a lecture on art in the Golden Age. Afterwards, they will lead us on a field trip to the Rijksmuseum, a wonderful representation of Dutch history and art. We’ll see some of the art that was discussed in the morning lecture, such as Rembrandt and Vermeer. The rest of the morning is free time for independent exploration. You may continue exploring the museum on your own. The tickets are valid for the day, but re-entry is not allowed. Or, if you are interested in visiting the Van Gogh Museum, this would be a good opportunity to do so. Tickets must be booked in advance for a specific time slot.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
Time for independent exploration through the early afternoon. In the late afternoon, we’ll meet back at the hotel and gather in our meeting room to listen to an art historian give a lecture about art in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 30 miles, approximately 1 hour riding time. Walking about 3 miles throughout the day; uneven pavement, unavoidable stairs and cobblestones; periods of standing in museum.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Arriving via motorcoach, a local expert will introduce us to the city of Haarlem during a walking field trip. We will walk to the Frans Hals Museum where we will discover the paintings of Frans Hals, and other Old Masters from the Golden Age, with a staff member.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
Enjoy some free time in Haarlem before we gather at a predetermined time and location to board our motorcoach and return to Amsterdam. Later in the afternoon at the hotel, we will settle in for a lecture on modern art from the 19th and 20th centuries given by an art historian.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 112 miles, approximately 2 hours total riding time. Walking about 3 miles throughout the day; pavement, some unavoidable stairs; periods of standing in museum. Extent/duration of walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Transferring via motorcoach, we’ll take a field trip to the Kröller-Müller Museum to see the Van Gogh and Mondrian exhibit. While here, we will be led by a staff member through the museum, which owns the second largest collection of Van Gogh paintings in the world, as well as many French impressionist paintings.
Lunch:
On your own at the Kröller-Müller Museum.
Afternoon:
Free time. You might like to view the Garden of Statues of The Kröller-Müller Museum.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m. See your program’s “Getting There” information regarding transfers.
Breakfast:
At the hotel. This concludes our program.
Morning:
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!