Treasures of Belgium & Holland with 1 Night in Brussels

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.

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.

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.

Veere is a perfectly preserved Dutch harbour village in Zeeland province that once served as Scotland's official trading port for over 250 years. Must-dos include exploring the grand Grote Kerk and Scottish Houses, feasting on Eastern Scheldt mussels and oysters, and cycling the flat dike paths to the Delta Works. Visit between May and September for golden-lit evenings and lively waterfront café culture.

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.

Zaandam is the Dutch town where Golden Age windmill-powered industry lives on at the Zaanse Schans — a working mill village where mustard is ground, wood is sawn, and Peter the Great's tiny shipbuilding-study house is preserved with appropriate reverence. Visit April through October via Uniworld or Avalon Waterways for operating windmill demonstrations, green-painted wooden architecture, and the authentic Dutch experience that Amsterdam's crowds have long since obscured.

Haarlem is a golden-age Dutch masterpiece just 20 kilometers from Amsterdam, featuring the magnificent Grote Kerk with its Mozart-played organ, the Frans Hals Museum in a seventeenth-century almshouse, and exceptional canal-side dining. Must-dos include the Saturday market on the Grote Markt, cycling to Bloemendaal beach, and spring visits during Keukenhof tulip season. April through October is ideal, with tulip season (mid-March–May) the peak attraction.

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.