This is his statue above and some of his work below.

3* Park Inn by Radisson, Antwerp

4* Golden Tulip Leiden / 3* Tulip Inn 

£859 per person sharing

£240 supp for single room

• Return flights Belfast – Amsterdam

• Hand luggage allowance – See below for details

• Return transportation by train direct to hotel

• 2 nights at 3* Park Inn Antwerp

• 3 nights at the 4* Golden Tulip Hotel Leiden

• Bed & breakfast with three evening meals 

• Afternoon guided walking tour of Antwerp

• Optional half-day excursion to Bruges. (Free for +65’s and £20 for under 65’s)

• Full day excursion by coach to Keukenhof

• Full-day excursion to Amsterdam with guided walking tour (2 hours approx.)

• Canal-cruise

• Escorted throughout by Alan Couser

• Tips to dining staff.

• Full ATOL Protection. No. 11029

Please note that some of the detail may change slightly.

21 April 2020 Easyjet EZY6771    

Dep. Belfast Int’l 09.35am Arr. Amsterdam 12.10pm

26 April 2020 Easyjet EZY6776    

Dep. Amsterdam 9.50pm Arr. Belfast Int’l 10.25pm

Baggage allowance 1 piece hand luggage per person

(Max dims. 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. No weight limit)

See below for details

Just 100m from Antwerp’s magnificent railway station, this is the ideal base to explore Antwerp and its surroundings. The Park Inn by Radisson Antwerp features 59 rooms for business or leisure travellers, complete with free Wi-Fi and in-room coffee and tea facilities. The hotel offers a delicious international breakfast buffet and you have access to our sister hotel's modern health centre, equipped with a sauna and swimming pool—perfect for relaxing after a long day exploring the city. 

A modern, first-class hotel located right in the heart of Leiden, offering speedy transportation to the centre of Amsterdam, the airport and the gardens of Keukenhof.. The restaurant offers a superb breakfast and dinner and you will definitely not be disappointed. There are also various other food outlets just outside the hotel. Each hotel room has air-con / heating and offer tea/coffee facilities and minibar, flat-screen TV and modern bathroom with walk-in shower.

The room is available for check-in from 3.00 pm. Check out time is before 12.00 am. 

On arrival at Amsterdam, we suggest you stop by the supermarket in the airport terminal and stock up for a snack lunch to eat on the train. The journey time is approximately 90 minutes. We travel straight from the airport and arrive early afternoon and check in at the hotel. After a short break we will take you on a guided tour of this amazing city. Often overshadowed by Bruges and Amsterdam, Antwerp is a hidden gem, offering all the facilities a tourist would require, yet lacking in huge crowds. Noted for diamonds, a wonderful zoo, great shopping, dining and many fine buildings, Antwerp is an amazing city to visit and explore. This evening’s meal will be at a local restaurant.

Today is free for you to further explore the city, although we can offer a half-day tour in the afternoon to Bruges. Journey time is around 90 minutes each way. Famous for its canals and its beautiful buildings, chocolate and beer, Bruges offers a wonderful visit. You will have the afternoon and early evening to explore on your own or join one of the many free walking tours which offer history and culture or beer and chocolate. Whichever you choose, you’ll have a great experience. All you need pay is a tip to the guide!

Evening meal is not included this evening.

You have a few hours free this morning. Check out the local shopping or visit some of Antwerps’ museums or its magnificent cathedral. Around midday, we will transfer by train directly to our hotel in Leiden, which is opposite the station. Journey time is around I hour 40 minutes. You have the option to simply rest after your journey and enjoy the locality around the hotel or to join Alan Couser for a walking tour of the city. Hotel check-In does not commence until 3.00pm but you can deposit your luggage at the hotel and then enjoy a light lunch at a local cafe (not included) before checking in. If you wish, you can simply relax for the afternoon.

Dinner at the hotel around 7.00pm (to be confirmed)

Full-day visit to Keukenhof Flower Gardens

Friday is one of the best days to visit Keukenhof, as it gets unbelievably busy over the weekend. We will set off shortly after an early breakfast to beat the crowds, enabling you to enjoy as much time as you wish at the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens. Our journey is by regular shuttle bus from the station opposite direct to Keukenhof. You will spend about four or five hours there to enjoy the park, learning about its history and its current “raison d’etre”. Why not bring a picnic and enjoy it on one of the many benches, set amongst acres of flowers....or you can eat at one of the several cafes and restaurants, which are surprisingly quite well priced. Sit a while and lilt along to the music of the beautiful Amsterdam street organ.....and don’t forget to buy some bulbs! There will be a set time, around 2.00pm to travel back to Amsterdam with your guide, Alan. 

Dinner is not included this evening but you will be free to join Alan, your host at a chosen restaurant or you can eat in the hotel for around €30 p.p.

Full-day excursion to Amsterdam with Canal Cruise

Today we set off around 10.00 for the 35-minute ride by train to the centre of Amsterdam. On arrival, we will embark on a short walking tour lasting around two hours at a leisurely pace. Afterwards, you have several hours free time to explore, shop, visit a museum or just relax at a street-side café or bar and watch the world go by.

We will meet again around 5.00pm outside the Main Station (Centraal) to join a one-hour canal cruise.

After the cruise, Alan will take you to his secret dining venue, loved by locals and hardly known to tourists. Here you will enjoy a two-course evening meal (main and dessert). You can add a starter, if you wish, at your own cost.

After dinner, we will return to our hotel in Leiden.

(Please note: We may swap the order of canal cruise and dinner depending on reservations for both)

Optional excursion to De Zaanse Schans or to Amsterdam on your own.

You have the morning free to enjoy the beautiful city of Leiden. Check-out time has to be confirmed but should be around 11.00am / 12.00 noon. Leave your bags at the hotel and have a bite of lunch.

We depart after lunchtime for the short journey to De Zaanse Schans, a wonderful open-air museum, featuring classic windmills, a clog making exhibition and factory, a cheese-making factory and a number of shops and cafes. We will stop at Amsterdam Airport, en-route, so we can leave our bags at left-luggage. (There is a charge of about €5 per bag). We will spend about three hours at Zaanse Schans before returning to the airport in good time to get a snack or meal (not included) before flying home.

If you would prefer another full day in Amsterdam, this may be an opportunity to visit one of its famous museums, such as Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum. We will need to book this in advance for you. 

Anne Frank House CAN ONLY be booked on their website, two months in advance. We do not make the bookings but you can do so at

www.annefrank.org/en/museum/tickets

As this tour is only for three nights and only casual clothes are required, we have priced this holiday based on “Hand Luggage Only”. We will fly with Easyjet, who have a very generous hand-luggage allowance. Everyone is allowed one piece of luggage, with maximum dimensions of 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. There is no weight limit but you must be able to put all your belongings, including ladies handbags, laptops, etc., into it.

Should you need more space, you can book a “checked bag” at a cost of £16 per bag up to 15kgs, or £20 for up to 23kgs, per journey. You may only need one extra bag between two people, if you need any at all.

Dress Code. This is a very casual tour, so no need to dress up. Evening dining is also casual – smart/casual.

Tipping. Tips for the waiting staff in the hotel and the restaurant staff have been included in the cost of your holiday. It is, however, customary to leave a tip in your room for cleaning staff, approx €3 per person, per day (€9 - €10 for the weekend). This is by no means compulsory and is at your own discretion. It is also customary to leave a small tip 50C/€1 for the captain of the canal cruise boat. If you order a drink or a meal at a café or restaurant, a tip of approximately 5 - 10% is appreciated.

There are more bikes than people in Amsterdam and in the Netherlands, in general! On the cycle-lanes, which are well marked and usually red in colour, they have right of way over pedestriansand cars, etc. If you get knocked down or injured on one of these cycle lanes, it is deemed as your fault and, if the cyclist is injured or his/her bike damaged, you could be held liable. We simply urge extreme caution

Security of valuables. Amsterdam and Holland in general are full of tourists and, where there are tourists, there are pickpockets. We urge you to use the safe in the hotel for all your valuables and only carry the bare essentials. What you carry with you should be kept in an inside pocket or a double-zipped enclosure in your handbag. Once again, we simply urge caution.