Tour begins: 4:00 PM, Brussels. A transfer is included from Brussels Airport or Brussels Central Train Station to Tauck's riverboat where embarkation begins at 4:00 PM. Settle into your cabin and join us tonight for a welcome reception followed by dinner.

Wake up for a tour of the city that visits the enchanting cobblestoned square, Grand-Place, surrounded by ornately gilded 17th-century guildhouses, and the festive holiday markets of Winterfest, infused with the joys and spirit of the season. Time at leisure this afternoon lets you experience winter's wonders in Brussels as you wish. Your riverboat cruises to Antwerp tonight.

Sugar and diamond trading put Antwerp on the map in the mid-16th century when it was one of Europe's most important cities. Today it is also famous for being the home of Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, inviting you to walk in the artist's footsteps and see his masterpieces where he painted them. Traditionally held every December, the Antwerp Christmas Market is spread over different squares of the city, within walking distance of the Grote Markt and other landmarks you'll see today. Guided sightseeing showcases the highlights of Antwerp this morning before time at leisure to explore on your own. Return to the riverboat by shuttle at your convenience and enjoy musical entertainment onboard ship tonight after dinner.

Explore Antwerp, Belgium's second city. Known for its diamond cutting industry, fashion and the many great artists that lived in its vicinity, Antwerp is a city focused on art and culture.

Your riverboat arrives in Bruges this morning where you'll embark on a sightseeing tour. Explore the fortified medieval city, nicknamed "The Venice of the North" for its countless canals, on foot, meandering past its canals, magnificent squares, and narrow cobblestone lanes. Return to your riverboat for dinner in the Compass Rose this evening.

A choice of shore excursions today includes a locally guided walking tour of Rotterdam or a visit to Delft and its porcelain factory. In Rotterdam, view world-class architecture and urban design, along with outdoor sculptures randomly placed, and as you make your way to the city's covered Markthal; topped with sought-after glass-walled apartments, the market is lined with some 96 stalls enticing with a taste of Dutch culinary specialties under an arched fruit-and-vegetable muralled ceiling. Little changed since Golden Age artist Johannes Vermeer lived here in the 17th century, the historic center of Delft is a veritable time capsule of medieval treasures and Golden Age glories. Tour the city's Royal Delft factory to learn more about the distinctive blue and white Delftware pottery first introduced by local artisans in the 17th century. Continue to the royal city of Den Haag for a walking tour that includes a visit to Escher in the Palace; housed in an 18th century palace that was once home to the Dutch royal family and is now a museum, it features a permanent exhibition of works by Dutch graphic artist MC Escher.

Rotterdam is a city that's a long way removed from most people's stereotypical notion of the Netherlands. There are few, if any, canals to be found here nor are there any quaint windmills. There is, however, a thriving modern city which is one of the busiest ports in the entire world.

A leisurely morning cruise brings you to Schoonhaven in south Holland for a drive to historic Gouda, famous for its namesake cheese, but also inviting with its lesser-known candles – and stroopwafels. Join a local guide for a walking tour of its compact canal-ringed city center and see the pride of the town, the monumental 17th-century Waag, (weighing house) and the Town Hall. Credited with inventing stroopwafels, an iconic waffle sandwich with syrup in the center, Gouda was the only city to make them until 1870. Enjoy a demonstration and a tasting during your visit to Gouda today! Set sail for Amsterdam this afternoon. Tonight, join us for a special chef's signature dinner in the Compass Rose.

Arrive early this morning in Amsterdam. Today, you have a choice of excursions. One offers you the opportunity to visit the famed, Rijksmuseum. Housing over one million objects of different arts, crafts and artifacts created the years of 1200 – 2000 A.D. (8,000 of which are displayed publicly), the Rijksmuseum is home to some of the greatest historical and artistic masterpieces in the world, including a collection of paintings from the likes of Dutch Masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals; your other option offers a visit to the Zaanse Schans neighborhood to get an idea of what life was like in 17th- and 18th-century Holland; see the historic windmills and green wooden houses from the period. Nicknamed the "Venice of the North" for the sheer number of canals (165 to be exact) found throughout the city proper, they'll be on full display this afternoon during some free time to explore Amsterdam as you please. Illuminated artwork and sculptures lining the canals add a special glow to the city's winter landscapes at night, and are a highlight of this evening's festive canal cruise.

Amsterdam combines the unrivaled beauty of the 17th-century Golden Age city center with plenty of museums and art of the highest order, not to mention a remarkably laid-back atmosphere. It all comes together to make this one of the world's most appealing and offbeat metropolises in the world. Built on a latticework of concentric canals like an aquatic rainbow, Amsterdam is known as the City of Canals—but it's no Venice, content to live on moonlight serenades and former glory. Quite the contrary: on nearly every street here you'll find old and new side by side—quiet corners where time seems to be holding its breath next to streets like neon-lit Kalverstraat, and Red Light ladies strutting by the city's oldest church. Indeed, Amsterdam has as many lovely facets as a 40-carat diamond polished by one of the city's gem cutters. It's certainly a metropolis, but a rather small and very accessible one. Locals tend to refer to it as a big village, albeit one that happens to pack the cultural wallop of a major world destination. There are scores of concerts every day, numerous museums, summertime festivals, and, of course, a legendary year-round party scene. It's pretty much impossible to resist Amsterdam's charms. With 7,000 registered monuments, most of which began as the residences and warehouses of humble merchants, set on 160 man-made canals, and traversed by 1,500 or so bridges, Amsterdam has the largest historical inner city in Europe. Its famous circle of waterways, the grachtengordel, was a 17th-century urban expansion plan for the rich and is a lasting testament to the city’s Golden Age. This town is endearing because of its kinder, gentler nature—but a reputation for championing sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll does not alone account for Amsterdam's being one of the most popular destinations in Europe: consider that within a single square mile the city harbors some of the greatest achievements in Western art, from Rembrandt to Van Gogh. Not to mention that this is one of Europe's great walking cities, with so many of its treasures in the untouted details: tiny alleyways barely visible on the map, hidden garden courtyards, shop windows, floating houseboats, hidden hofjes(courtyards with almshouses), sudden vistas of church spires, and gabled roofs that look like so many unframed paintings. And don’t forget that the joy lies in details: elaborate gables and witty gable stones denoting the trade of a previous owner. Keep in mind that those XXX symbols you see all over town are not a mark of the city's triple-X reputation. They're part of Amsterdam's official coat of arms—three St. Andrew's crosses, believed to represent the three dangers that have traditionally plagued the city: flood, fire, and pestilence. The coat's motto ("Valiant, determined, compassionate") was introduced in 1947 by Queen Wilhelmina in remembrance of the 1941 February Strike in Amsterdam—the first time in Europe that non-Jewish people protested against the persecution of Jews by the Nazi regime.

Tour ends: Amsterdam. Disembark your riverboat by 9:00 AM this morning and fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the riverboat to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, or Centraal Train. Allow a minimum of three hours for flight check-in at the airport.

Amsterdam combines the unrivaled beauty of the 17th-century Golden Age city center with plenty of museums and art of the highest order, not to mention a remarkably laid-back atmosphere. It all comes together to make this one of the world's most appealing and offbeat metropolises in the world. Built on a latticework of concentric canals like an aquatic rainbow, Amsterdam is known as the City of Canals—but it's no Venice, content to live on moonlight serenades and former glory. Quite the contrary: on nearly every street here you'll find old and new side by side—quiet corners where time seems to be holding its breath next to streets like neon-lit Kalverstraat, and Red Light ladies strutting by the city's oldest church. Indeed, Amsterdam has as many lovely facets as a 40-carat diamond polished by one of the city's gem cutters. It's certainly a metropolis, but a rather small and very accessible one. Locals tend to refer to it as a big village, albeit one that happens to pack the cultural wallop of a major world destination. There are scores of concerts every day, numerous museums, summertime festivals, and, of course, a legendary year-round party scene. It's pretty much impossible to resist Amsterdam's charms. With 7,000 registered monuments, most of which began as the residences and warehouses of humble merchants, set on 160 man-made canals, and traversed by 1,500 or so bridges, Amsterdam has the largest historical inner city in Europe. Its famous circle of waterways, the grachtengordel, was a 17th-century urban expansion plan for the rich and is a lasting testament to the city’s Golden Age. This town is endearing because of its kinder, gentler nature—but a reputation for championing sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll does not alone account for Amsterdam's being one of the most popular destinations in Europe: consider that within a single square mile the city harbors some of the greatest achievements in Western art, from Rembrandt to Van Gogh. Not to mention that this is one of Europe's great walking cities, with so many of its treasures in the untouted details: tiny alleyways barely visible on the map, hidden garden courtyards, shop windows, floating houseboats, hidden hofjes(courtyards with almshouses), sudden vistas of church spires, and gabled roofs that look like so many unframed paintings. And don’t forget that the joy lies in details: elaborate gables and witty gable stones denoting the trade of a previous owner. Keep in mind that those XXX symbols you see all over town are not a mark of the city's triple-X reputation. They're part of Amsterdam's official coat of arms—three St. Andrew's crosses, believed to represent the three dangers that have traditionally plagued the city: flood, fire, and pestilence. The coat's motto ("Valiant, determined, compassionate") was introduced in 1947 by Queen Wilhelmina in remembrance of the 1941 February Strike in Amsterdam—the first time in Europe that non-Jewish people protested against the persecution of Jews by the Nazi regime.