SAIL INTO SPRING WITH TULIP TIME RIVER CRUISE
One of my favourite river cruise itineraries is one that most people don’t know exists.
Everyone knows about the grand voyages that travel from Amsterdam to Budapest, and to be sure, they’re wonderful.
But not to be overlooked are the spring Tulip Time cruises that set sail from Amsterdam and traverse the heart of the Netherlands and Belgium in search of the region’s most iconic flower.
Nearly every river cruise line offers these Tulip Time voyages, but AmaWaterways (cruise. center/AMA) offers a particularly great one. Its ships are classy and beautifully designed, but won’t set you back as much as the all-inclusive lines. Service is topnotch, and the food is universally well done, relying on local ingredients and specialties whenever possible. And I like that the ships offer complimentary on-board bicycles for guests to use ashore.
Cruising round-trip from Amsterdam, AmaWaterways’ weeklong Tulip Time cruises only operate during March and April, to coincide with the tulip season in the Netherlands. Because of that, you’ll get to visit attractions such as the massive Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport that are only open for a handful of weeks out of the year.
Besides the tulips, there are plenty of other reasons to enjoy this springtime itinerary. In nearly every port of call, AmaWaterways offers guests a choice of excursions.
In Arnhem, for example, guests can visit the moving Arnhem Bridge and Airborne Museum, the Kroller Muller Museum, or go on a guided tour of the city by bicycle. In Amsterdam, guests can visit the Keukenhof Gardens, take a ride through the city’s famous canals by boat, or walk through the Jordaan district, known for its markets, art studios and, of course, the historic Anne Frank House at Prinsengracht.
These Tulip Time river cruises call on Amsterdam, Hoorn, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Antwerp, Ghent, Rotterdam, Schoonhoven, and the small village of Kinderdijk, famous for its iconic 18th-century windmills that were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Two of AmaWaterways’ newest ships sail this itinerary this year: the 164-guest AmaCerto and her sister, AmaPrima. Both of these ships are beautifully designed, and most of the staterooms offer Ama’s trademark “dual balcony” feature that includes both a traditional French balcony and a full, step-out balcony within the same room.
Of course, AmaWaterways offers more than just tulip-time cruises. The line has a host of European river cruises along the Danube, the Main, and the Rhine throughout the year, along with voyages through France and Portugal. The company also cruises the Mekong River between Cambodia and Vietnam and Myanmar’s Irrawaddy. And it’s one of the only companies to offer cruisetours that explore Africa’s Chobe River.
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