Active & Discovery in Holland & Belgium

Amsterdam's UNESCO-listed canal ring — a concentric web of seventeenth-century merchant houses and arching stone bridges — remains one of the Western world's most perfectly preserved Golden Age cityscapes, best explored by bicycle or canal boat at a pace that lets the city's genius reveal itself slowly. The Rijksmuseum's collection of Rembrandt and Vermeer masterpieces is essential, while the Anne Frank House offers one of Europe's most profoundly moving historical encounters. Spring brings the iconic tulip season; summer fills the terraces of the Jordaan district. Schiphol Airport makes Amsterdam a seamless gateway to the entire European continent.

Middelburg is the elegant capital of the Netherlands' Zeeland province, built around a medieval abbey complex and concentric Golden Age canals. Visitors must climb the 207 steps of Lange Jan tower for sweeping views, sample Oosterschelde oysters and Zeeuwse bolus pastries, and explore the Gothic Stadhuis on the magnificent Markt square. April through September is best, when outdoor markets and canal-side terraces bring this beautifully preserved city to life.

The port of Ghent, a historic trade hub with medieval architecture, is a vibrant gateway to Belgian culture. Don't miss savoring local dishes like "stoverij" and "waterzooi," or wandering the picturesque canals. The best time to visit is during the summer months, particularly during the lively ‘Gentse Feesten’ festival.

Brussels, the cosmopolitan capital of Belgium, enchants with its UNESCO-listed Grand-Place, extraordinary Art Nouveau architecture, and a culinary tradition that rivals any European capital — from hand-peeled shrimp croquettes to artisan pralines on the Sablon. Visitors should not miss exploring the Royal Museums of Fine Arts and taking a day trip to medieval Bruges or art-rich Ghent. The city is at its finest from April through October, when café terraces spill onto sunlit squares and the temperate climate invites long afternoons of wandering between chocolate ateliers and neighbourhood brasseries.

Antwerp has been one of Europe's great mercantile capitals since the fifteenth century, when it commanded the world's first commodity exchange and Peter Paul Rubens made it the artistic capital of the Baroque world — a legacy preserved in the magnificent Rubenshuis studio and the soaring Cathedral of Our Lady, whose nave houses four of the master's greatest altarpieces. Today the city leads global fashion from the acclaimed Antwerp Six design school and remains the diamond capital of the world, with 84% of the world's rough diamonds trading through its storied district. Visit in spring or autumn; Brussels and Bruges are each under an hour away by train.

Rotterdam, Europe's largest port, is a city that rebuilt itself from wartime ruin into one of the continent's most exhilarating architectural laboratories — a skyline of Cube Houses, the pencil-thin Westerkade skyscrapers, and the breathtaking Markthal arching over an indoor food market of extraordinary abundance. The Boijmans Van Beuningen collection ranks among Europe's finest, while the art district of Witte de With pulses with galleries and design studios. Day-trip to Kinderdijk's nineteen iconic windmills, a UNESCO World Heritage site rising from the polders just south of the city. Spring and early summer offer the finest conditions.

Amsterdam's UNESCO-listed canal ring — a concentric web of seventeenth-century merchant houses and arching stone bridges — remains one of the Western world's most perfectly preserved Golden Age cityscapes, best explored by bicycle or canal boat at a pace that lets the city's genius reveal itself slowly. The Rijksmuseum's collection of Rembrandt and Vermeer masterpieces is essential, while the Anne Frank House offers one of Europe's most profoundly moving historical encounters. Spring brings the iconic tulip season; summer fills the terraces of the Jordaan district. Schiphol Airport makes Amsterdam a seamless gateway to the entire European continent.