Highlights of the Netherlands: Amsterdam, Windmills & Old Cities

Today you immerse yourself in Amsterdam's world-class art. With your guide you visit the magnificent Rijksmuseum, a palace of Dutch history and the Golden Age, standing before Rembrandt's colossal 'The Night Watch', Vermeer's luminous 'The Milkmaid' and masterpieces by Frans Hals and Jan Steen, amid Delftware, ship models and dolls' houses. After time to pause on the Museumplein, you continue to the Van Gogh Museum, following the whole arc of the artist's short, brilliant life, from the sombre 'Potato Eaters' to blazing sunflowers and swirling skies, the largest collection of his work anywhere. The richness of beauty is overwhelming. As the day ends, you return to your hotel through the elegant Museum Quarter. This evening, savour Amsterdam's cosmopolitan dining. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore the canals, the Anne Frank House and the Jordaan.

Today you discover the soul of Amsterdam on and beside the water. You take a classic canal cruise along the UNESCO ring of the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, gliding past tilting merchant houses, houseboats, cafe terraces and countless bridges, the loveliest way to feel the city's rhythm. You visit the moving Anne Frank House, where the young diarist and her family hid during the war, a deeply affecting and unforgettable experience (booked in advance). You then wander the intimate Jordaan quarter, with its hidden almshouse courtyards, independent boutiques, flower-lined lanes and welcoming brown cafes, the most charming corner of the city. The beauty and emotion of the day are captivating. As the day ends, you settle into a canal-side cafe. Rest well, for tomorrow you visit windmills and cheese towns.

Today you make a beautiful excursion into the countryside just north of Amsterdam. At Zaanse Schans, a wonderfully preserved village of green wooden houses beside the river, you watch historic windmills still sawing wood, grinding spices and pressing oil, their great sails turning in the wind, and see traditional cheese-making and clog-carving demonstrations. You continue to the pretty harbour town of Volendam, on the shore of the former Zuiderzee, with its wooden houses and fishing boats, and to nearby Edam, whose name graces one of the world's most famous cheeses, tasting the rich, mild Dutch cheeses as you go. The windmills, water and heritage are captivating. As the day ends, you return to Amsterdam. This evening, perhaps enjoy a relaxed dinner. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey south to Kinderdijk and Rotterdam.

Today you journey south, swapping the historic north for a bold, modern city. You stop first at Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site where nineteen stately eighteenth-century windmills stand in a long row along the polders and canals, once keeping this low-lying land dry, an unforgettable and quintessentially Dutch sight you explore on foot and by small boat. You continue to Rotterdam, a city rebuilt daringly after the war into a showcase of cutting-edge architecture, from the tumbling yellow Cube Houses and the vast, curving Markthal to the swan-like Erasmus Bridge and a skyline of glass towers above Europe's largest port. The contrast is exhilarating. As the day ends, you check into your Rotterdam hotel. This evening, savour the buzzing waterfront dining. Rest well amid the energy of modern Rotterdam.

Today you explore two very different jewels between Rotterdam and Utrecht. In The Hague, the elegant, stately seat of Dutch government, you visit the jewel-box Mauritshuis, coming face to face with Vermeer's exquisite 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' and serene 'View of Delft', alongside Rembrandt and Fabritius's 'The Goldfinch', and take in the grand Binnenhof parliament and nearby seaside at Scheveningen. You continue to tiny, serene Delft, with its tranquil canals, handsome market square between two great churches, Vermeer connections and the historic Royal Delft workshop, where the famous blue-and-white pottery is still hand-painted. The art and charm are captivating. As the day ends, you continue to Utrecht and check in. This evening, explore its canal-wharf cafes. Rest well in lively, historic Utrecht.

Today you enjoy the charm of Utrecht and a classic cheese town. Utrecht, one of the oldest and most delightful cities in the Netherlands, is famous for its unique two-level canals, whose old wharves sit right at the water's edge and now brim with lively cafe terraces; you climb (or admire) the soaring Dom Tower, the tallest church tower in the country, and wander the medieval lanes and characterful streets. You make a short trip to Gouda, whose broad market square, historic weigh-house and traditional cheese market give their name to the world's most beloved Dutch cheese, tasting as you go. The canals, towers and flavours are delightful. As the day ends, you return to Utrecht. This evening, savour a farewell dinner on the wharf. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final morning in the Netherlands, perhaps a last canal-side coffee and stroll, you are transferred to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for your onward international departure. You leave having experienced the very best of the Netherlands, the glittering canals and world-class art of Amsterdam, the turning windmills of Zaanse Schans and Kinderdijk, the cheese towns of Edam and Gouda, bold modern Rotterdam, Vermeer at The Hague, blue-tiled Delft and canal-wharf Utrecht, all warmed by the openness and friendliness of the Dutch. The images stay vivid long after you land, the tilting gabled houses reflected in the canals, Rembrandt and Van Gogh, the great row of windmills at Kinderdijk, and the 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'. The Netherlands offers beauty, art, charm and ease in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return.