MS Victor Hugo, 5 Night The Best of The Netherlands ex Amsterdam, Rivers Return

Vacation in the Netherlands on an unforgettable cruise across the Markermeer and Dutch canals. Visit all the must-see sites, including Edam, Volendam, Gouda, the windmills of Kinderdijk, The Hague and the Mauritshuis, Haarlem, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Day 1
Passengers are welcome to board our ship at 6 p.m. After you’ve comfortably settled into your cabins, we’ll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail. We'll enjoy dinner on board. The rest of the evening is yours to do as you please.

Day 2
We’ll spend the morning cruising Lake Markermeer. This afternoon, join us for an excursion to Edam and Volendam. This evening, enjoy some free time to explore Hoorn on your own. While you sleep, our ship will begin to cruise to Gouda.

Day 3
We’ll spend the morning cruising.In the afternoon, we’ll set off for a tour of Gouda and enjoy a tasting of its famous cheese. Our ship will cruise to Rotterdam, and it will remain in port overnight.

Day 4
This morning’s excursion is a trip to the Windmills of Kinderdijk—listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the only place in the world with so many windmills together.This afternoon, we’ll head to The Hague for a visit to the Mauritshuis. The Mauritshuis is an art museum that houses works by many renowned Dutch and Flemish artists.Tonight is our festive gala evening. Our ship will cruise to Amsterdam overnight.

Day 5
This morning’s tour will take us through Amsterdam on a tourist tramway to the Jordaan district. We’ll visit the city on an old-fashioned tram, which includes a stop at the Westerkerk, the biggest church in Amsterdam.In the afternoon, we’ll enjoy an audio tour of the Rijksmuseum, home to acclaimed works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Hals. This evening, enjoy some free time to explore Amsterdam on your own.

Day 6
Enjoy breakfast on board this morning before disembarking at 9:00 a.m.

The MS Victor Hugo is named after one of the most famous figures in French literature. This attractive standard ship sails on the Tisza, Sava, Elbe, Rhine and Danube, rivers with a vast history and culture. Completely refitted in 2019, the MS Victor Hugo is an intimate-sized standard ship, measuring 82 m long and 9,50 m wide. It can accommodate 90 passengers, in 45 comfortable and spacious cabins spread over two decks, offering amenities and providing guests with all the comforts they need during their stay. The decoration is a contribution to romanticism. Mineral and bluish colors refer to the Channel Islands where the writer was exiled, while touches of brass and some art-deco elements evoke the characteristic style of the period. Located on the upper deck, the restaurant offers a delicate cuisine in a refined setting, where large bay windows allow guests to fully enjoy the panorama. The lounge bar with a dance floor is located on the same deck, while on the sun deck, an ideal place to relax and admire the landscapes, passengers can enjoy comfortable sun loungers, as well as a large shaded area.

CroisiEurope has a fleet of Prestige category boats with cabins, which ply the most beautiful rivers in Europe. Spacious and light, they offer a welcoming and refined setting. Accommodation capacity varies from 100 to 180 passengers depending on the boat's design. At the cutting edge of technology, their facilities offer comfort and safety.

Carefully maintained and partially renovated each year, the CroisiEurope fleet is largely made up of recently built vessels, less than five years old, all with Veritas certification. The leading European river tour operator, our company owes its international reputation to its seriousness, its dynamism, its sense of innovation and its recognised value for money of long standing.

Vessels are rated four-star and food is superb – as you’d expect on a French-owned cruise line, staffed by French chefs and with top French and German wines aboard. One cruise of the Rhone and Saone Rivers in France concentrates on gastronomy and traditional French cusine, visiting Collonges Abbey, renowned for its great French chef, Paul Bocuse.

CroisiEurope is a family-owned and operated firm, with brothers and sisters running different aspects of the company and keeping a close eye on all operations to ensure excellence.

River cruising offers much free fun. Wake in the morning and observe the passing riverside scenery through your cabin window – perhaps from your bed. Gaze upon village churches or a patchwork of fields sparkling in the morning sun.

CroisiEurope’s network traverses a phenomenal number of European rivers and waterways. They range from the Guadalquivir and Guadiana (flowing through Spain and Portugal respectively); the Douro in Portugal, the Po and Venice Lagoon in Italy; the Rhone in Provence, plus the Seine from Paris to the Normandy Coast. And there’s more: the Moselle, the Neckar, the Saar, the Oder, the Havel, the Baltic Sea, the Camarge, the Rhine, the Main and the mighty Danube; the Tisza and the Black Sea; the Belgian and Dutch waterways. Everything from tulip time in Holland to Christmas Markets in Germany.

Drinks included with on board meals: mineral water, house wine, beer, fruit juice, and tea or coffee.