Netherlands & Belgium 2025

It had been a while since Greg and I traveled together, so celebrating his big 5-0 felt like the perfect excuse for a trip – even if it was a little late. The flight to Montreal was uneventful, and after some lounge time and a quick bite, we were off to the Netherlands.

We got lucky at immigration at Schipol, getting re-routed to a less crowded hall, so we breezed through (it just meant a longer walk to grab our bags, which is totally ok after sitting for a long while). Since we hadn’t slept yet and wanted to avoid the full-on King’s Day chaos in Amsterdam, I’d booked us a night in Haarlem.

We stayed at the Carlton Square Hotel – huge room, super clean, great little bar/café – and best of all, our room was ready when we arrived that morning. After a quick rest, we wandered into the city centre for what I called “King’s Day Lite.” We strolled around, grabbed a bite at Restaurant Parck, and headed back for another rest. In the evening, we ventured out again to soak up some of the King’s Day energy, had a drink back at the hotel, and then finally called it a night.

After getting some sleep and having breakfast at the hotel, we did some more wandering around Haarlem and stopped by Jopen Brewery. It’s housed in an old church, and with the gorgeous weather, it was the perfect spot to hang out for a bit. Then it was time to head into Amsterdam. Since we were only staying a couple of days, I’d booked the DoubleTree right near Centraal Station – super convenient and, luckily, our room was ready when we arrived. Another win!

Next up, it was time to meet up with fellow travel advisor and friend, Mike, and his wife, Nancy. We grabbed a bite, did a little canal tour (great to catch up, Mike, and nice to meet you, Nancy!), and then headed back to the hotel. We had dinner at We Are Edn, the hotel’s restaurant, and wrapped up the night with a stroll along the water.

Monday morning, we grabbed some breakfast at the train station and took the free ferry across the IJ to This Is Holland, where we caught our ride to Keukenhof Gardens. The gardens are incredible – 7 million flower bulbs spread over 30+ hectares – but since it’s only open for a couple of months, it was packed. This was my second time visiting, and there had to be at least 150 tour buses in the parking lot, plus a full car park. Definitely worth seeing, but you’ll need to pack some patience. After we’d had our fill of flowers and crowds, we headed back to the city. More exploring on foot (we love walking), dinner at Vegan Junk Food Bar, and more wandering to wrap up the day.

We didn't have to be onboard our ship until late afternoon on Tuesday, so we did a food tour with Devour. Our guide Sebastien was fantastic and it was a great tour - it's always a small group, but we were only 7 people. Stops included Hans Egstorf for stroopwafel, Cafe de Zwart for apple pie, Jonk Volendammer Haringhandel for some fish, VleminckX for fries with tasty sauce, Peppernuts Amsterdam Bloemenmarkt for tasty peppernuts, and then wrapping up at Sonneveld Eetcafe for bitterballen and veg. Admittedly, I didn't try all the things, but I'm always game for trying out food tours.

Then it was time to move from our hotel over to our new home for the week - the river ship Amadeus Riva. We were docked beside the Movenpick hotel, so it gave us a chance to walk off some of our food tour eats. If you've never sailed on a river cruise before, the check-in process is incredibly easy. Essentially, you leave your suitcases at the entrance outside and walk onto the ship. If check-in has started, you show your passport and get your room key. If it hasn't started quite yet, you just wait in the lounge (where there is bar service and often snacks). We wrapped up the day enjoying the view from our room, attending the info and welcome session, having a lovely dinner, and doing a walk around the upper deck.

Our cabin was on deck 2 and had a large window that could slide down like a balcony – an option I love for river cruising. The room itself was spacious for a river ship, with tons of closet space and other storage (we couldn’t fill it all), a great-sized bathroom and shower, and plenty of room under the bed to tuck away our suitcases.

For our first stop of the cruise, we docked in Nijmegen. It's the oldest city in the Netherlands, known for its rich Roman history and charming riverside setting. It’s a great place to wander through historic parks dotted with ancient ruins, soak up the café culture, and enjoy the lively vibe along the Waal River - especially when it's 25C in April! We made the most of the sunshine, explored some beautiful parks, and had a fantastic lunch at De Waagh (with the biggest sandwich ever!). After lunch, we took one of the ship tours (the only one we did) to the Kröller-Müller Museum, home to my favourite painting - Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night. I cannot put into words how excited I was to see that painting in person and it did not disappoint. The museum has a great collection, including a large outdoor sculpture garden - highly recommend. For me it was worth the hour on the bus each way. Wrapping up our day with the info session (they do these daily to tell you about what's happening the next day), dinner, and our walk on the upper deck.

Next up: Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland, which is known for its historic architecture and lively market scene. The outdoor market was packed with vendors selling everything from fresh produce to local specialties – perfect for a casual stroll and a little shopping. We couldn't resist the fresh strawberries (months before they are available here). We stopped for lunch at Locaal 39, browsed some local shops, and picked up some craft beer to enjoy back onboard (since the selection on the ship wasn’t quite our style – but they’re totally fine with guests bringing their own).

Stop number three, Ghent Belgium. In Ghent, we were docked a bit farther out than in other ports – about a 30-minute walk (at a brisk pace) to the historic centre. You could easily arrange transportation, but we decided to stretch our legs and walk it. Once in the heart of Ghent, we started with a visit to Gravensteen Castle, followed by a canal cruise that gave us a different view of the city’s stunning architecture. Lunch was at a casual burger spot before we set off on a ‘craft beer crawl’ back to the ship, stopping at Gruut and Dok Brewing Co. along the way. Ghent is unbelievably charming – all cobblestone streets, medieval buildings, and vibrant canal views. The ship’s tour combined Ghent in the morning and Bruges in the afternoon, but with the gorgeous weather and plenty to see, we easily spent the whole day exploring in Ghent.

Antwerp, Belgium - another stunning spot with so many beautiful buildings! Antwerp completely surprised us with one of the best outdoor markets we’ve ever seen – packed with everything from ready-to-eat street food to incredible local produce. We’d just had breakfast, so we only grabbed a couple of treats for later, but it was absolutely worth wandering through. We covered a lot of ground, starting with a walk around Het Steen (Antwerp’s medieval fortress), the town square, Cathedral of Our Lady (and saw a wedding exiting there lady in the day), to the beautiful Antwerpen-Centraal train station, and then making our way to Seef Brewery for a beer stop. Wolf Foodhall (in a former factory) was another highlight – a cool spot with tons of food options under one roof.

After a delightful time in Belgium, it was time to head back to the Netherlands and our next stop was in Rotterdam. Rotterdam was such a contrast to the other cities we visited – sleek, modern, and filled with bold architecture. The Cube Houses were a definite highlight – we even went inside one to see how people actually live in those tilted, angular spaces. We spent the day wandering around, spotting some cool street art, and grabbing lunch at the bustling Markt Foodhall (mmm ramen). Afterward, we headed to Noordt Brewery for a tasty beverage before wrapping up at Boijmans, an art storage facility turned museum packed with everything from classic art to contemporary pieces. It was a totally different vibe from the historic feel of places like Ghent and Antwerp – but Rotterdam definitely has its own unique charm.

And then it was time to return to Amsterdam for one more day. For our last day in Amsterdam, we took the ferry over to NDSM – a gritty, industrial area that’s become a hub for street art and creativity. We wandered through the open-air murals and spent some time at the Straat Museum, which was packed with massive, eye-catching pieces - absolutely amazing! Lunch was at IJver, a great spot with a laid-back vibe and solid food.

Back across the river, we stopped at Homeland Brewery’s restaurant for a final drink and then we picked up a few things to bring home on the walk back to the ship.

This was a fantastic trip and I would absolutely cruise with Amadeus again. The ship is lovely (Riva is only 2 years old), the service was amazing, and I love that excursions aren't included. I love exploring on my own, but the option is there to add excursions in every stop (sometimes more than one) if I want to. I love both of these countries and would happily return any time. Wine and beer were included with lunch and dinner and you could pay as you go beyond that. River ships are small (they always have to stick to specific measurements to be able to pass through locks and under bridges). This ship has about 80 rooms and can accommodate about 160 guests when full. There's two indoor lounges - a large one at the front where any event takes place and a smaller one at the back (where there is also always coffee, tea, and water available). On the upper deck, there's likely more seating than guests, in a variety of configurations. There's a small gym (very small, just a couple of pieces of equipment), a large dining room, and a small massage room (there is one massage therapist onboard). There is an elevator that goes between the main decks, but it does not go to the top deck (everything on the top deck needs to be able to compact down based on bridge clearance and water levels).

Lastly, how about some food? Admittedly, these aren't necessarily what I ate because I have some restrictions, but it's a good sampling of what is available on board. They do their best with dietary restrictions and they did a good job, but they only have one galley and have to feed everyone from there all at the same time. We didn't ever come back to the ship for lunch, but I'm sure whatever they had was great. I could never get through all of the courses at dinner (I didn't even try). We definitely did not starve. Our waiter Ali from Egypt was fantastic and all of the staff really took great care of us.

The usual shameless plug... I make my living as a travel advisor, so if you need help planning a shiny river cruise of your own, don't hesitate to reach out.

Ange out.