Depart from USA, evening flight to Amsterdam.

Arrival in Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam. Meet and greet at Sheraton Airport Hotel at 9:30 hours. Transport to Amsterdam city center for canal boat tour and lunch. City walk to Amsterdam Historical Museum. Return to hotel.

Evening free.

Departure by morning train (20 minutes) to the old university city of Leiden. The town center contains many historical buildings associated with the University founded in 1575 by Prince William of Orange. The Royal House of Orange and Leiden University still have a close relationship: Queens Juliana and Beatrix and the current Prince of Orange, Willem Alexander, studied here. We will pass the old Academie building on our way to Leiden’s Hortus Botanicus
(Botanical Garden), one of the oldest in the world. We will walk through the town in the footsteps of the American Pilgrim Fathers, including St. Peter’s Church where special Thanksgiving Day services are held each year in honor of the little band of Pilgrim families who lived here in the early 17C. The walk will also take us past the old Alms houses in which they lived until July 21, 1620 when they set sail from Leiden, landing ultimately in Plymouth, Mass. Lunch in town.
Transport back by train to Sheraton Hotel. Afternoon and evening free in Amsterdam.

Travel by coach to Zuylestein, a privately owned country estate with its Renaissance Garden and contemporary Manor House. Reception and tour by owner, Alain de Brauwere dit de Steelant who inherited the house from his mother Countess Van Aldenburg Bentinck. We will also visit Amerongen, a nearby castle owned by the same family. Lunch at Huis te Maarn, country house of the Van Notten family whose forefathers arranged a loan to the United States which was ratified and confirmed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in Philadelphia on September 1, 1791. Free time in the old town of Zutphen situated on the IJssel river. Check-in and dinner at nearby Castle-Hotel Engelenburg.

The day will begin with a visit to Het Loo. This former royal residence near Apeldoorn was built starting in 1684 for Stadtholder William III and his consort, Mary II of England, founders of the College of William & Mary. For over three hundred years, Het Loo was the summer residence of the House of Orange-Nassau, which became the Dutch royal family. Transport by coach to Heeze Castle. This moated castle consists of
two parts: the medieval fortress Eymerick and a 17C portion, each with its own courtyard. Since 1760 Heeze Castle has been owned by the Barons Van Tuyll van Serooskerken. Lunch at the castle. After lunch transport to the old town of Maastricht for guided tour and some free time. Check-in and dinner at nearby Hotel Chateau St. Gerlach.

Scenic route to Belgium followed by a visit to Hex Castle and reception by the owner Count Chislain d’Ursel. The castle was built between 1772 and 1779, with interesting interiors of wood and cast iron and decorated ceilings. The castle is surrounded by an English-style landscape garden and is famous for its 17C roses from China. Lunch at the castle. Transport to the charming old town of Namur for a guided walk and visit to the Groesbeeck De Croix Museum. At the end of the afternoon we will travel to Spa, situated in the heart of the Belgium Ardenne region. Check-in at
Radisson SAS Palace Hotel. Evening free.

Morning visit to the Castle of Sélys Longchamps with a reception by the owner Baroness Sélys de Lonchamps. This is one of the few Empire castles in Belgium, with its interesting billiard room in the form of Napoleon Boneparte’s tent. The current Crown Prince of Japan stayed here as a young man to learn French. Visit and lunch at the Aigremont Castle where, legend says, the son of Charlemagne was killed in 805. The castle was
restored in 1715 and has not been altered since. After lunch, we will visit Warfusee Castle owned by the Count d’Oultremont. The castle was built in the 18C and much of the interior dates from that time, including decorative works in plaster, marble and wood, elegant staircases,
and an impressive library. Return to Spa. Evening free.

The day begins with a reception by members of the
baronial family Kervyn de Lettenhove at Hodoumont
Castle. The oldest part of this castle is a fortified tower
from the 14C. Six other towers date from the 16-18C containing elegant drawing rooms from the same period. Lunch will be at Duras Castle built in 1787 and owned by count D’Oultremont and count De iedekerke. Return to the Netherlands via the famous windmills at Kinderdijk to the city of Rotterdam. Harbour tour by
boat. Check-in at Westin Hotel. Evening free.

Visit to Delft, town of Johannes Vermeer whose paintings can be seen in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Mauritshuis in the Hague. In Delft we will travel by canal-hopper to visit the Museum Het Prinsenhof, located in the former residence of William of Orange, founder of the Dutch nation, who was assassinated there in 1584. We will also visit Royal Delft, the only remaining factory of the 32 earthenware factories that were established in the 17C. Guided tour through the inner garden and the historical exposition rooms. Farewell lunch in the Hague in the famous Kurhaus Hotel overlooking the North Sea. After lunch, we will make a brief tour
of the city by coach along the famous Peace Palace commissioned by Andrew Carnegy. We will walk through the ‘Binnenhof’ where the Dutch Houses of Parliament are located on our way to the Mauritshuis. The collection of this museum includes paintings by Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt. Return to Sheraton Hotel at Schiphol Airport. Evening free in Amsterdam.