Final-year school trip to Amsterdam and the Netherlands: canals, Anne Frank, Zaanse Schans, Haarlem and Rotterdam (6 days)

Day 1: Departure from your school and arrival in Amsterdam

• Departure from your school early in the morning, at the agreed time, and daytime drive to the Netherlands (about 3 hours, excluding breaks).
• Our drivers drive for a maximum of 3 hours, then take a 30-minute break, day and night.
• Arrival in Amsterdam in the late morning and canal cruise: the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, lined with Golden Age merchants’ houses.
• Free lunch, then a walk from Dam Square to the Begijnhof and the floating flower market (Bloemenmarkt) on the Singel.
• Check-in at the accommodation for five nights, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 2: Zaanse Schans and Volendam

• Drive to Zaanse Schans (about 30 min): its working windmills, green wooden houses and clog and cheese workshops.
• On to Volendam, a former fishing port on the IJsselmeer: the dyke, the traditional houses and fried fish to taste at the harbour.
• Supervised free time in Volendam.
• Return to Amsterdam, dinner and a supervised evening.

Day 3: Anne Frank, the Jordaan and the Rijksmuseum

• Visit to the Anne Frank House, where she wrote her diary in the Secret Annex during the occupation (on request).
• Walk through the Jordaan, a former working-class district of canals, hidden courtyards and small markets.
• Visit to the Rijksmuseum and Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” (on request).
• Dinner and a supervised evening.

Day 4: Haarlem and Zandvoort beach

• Drive to Haarlem (about 30 min) and discovery of the Grote Markt, the Great Church of St Bavo and the hofjes, its flower-filled almshouse courtyards.
• Free lunch in the centre of Haarlem.
• On to Zandvoort (about 20 min) and a walk along the wide North Sea beach.
• Return to Amsterdam, dinner and a supervised evening.

Day 5: Amsterdam by bike, Van Gogh and Amsterdam-Noord

• Group bike ride with a guide, the Dutch way (on request).
• Walk in the Vondelpark, then visit to the Van Gogh Museum (on request).
• Crossing of the IJ on the free ferry from Central Station to Amsterdam-Noord.
• Trip up the A’DAM Lookout tower, with its panoramic terrace and its swing over the edge (on request).
• Dinner and last evening in Amsterdam.

Day 6: Rotterdam and return to your school

• Rooms vacated after breakfast and drive to Rotterdam (about 1 hour).
• Discovery of the modern architecture: the Markthal, the Cube Houses and the Erasmus Bridge.
• Harbour cruise in the port of Rotterdam, one of the largest in the world (on request).
• Free lunch, then daytime drive back to Belgium (about 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on your school) with regular breaks.
• Arrival at your school in the late afternoon or evening.