23-Day Battlefields with Netherlands & Belgium
Departure Date: 22 March 2028
Tour Code: EUTCSB23
Route: Paris to Amsterdam
Pricing: From $12,995 per person, twin share (Save up to $5,600 per couple)
Host: Fully escorted by Narelle Melhuish & Hosted by Holiday World Nelson Bay
Tour Overview
Join Narelle Melhuish and Holiday World on a deeply moving, 23-day journey through the historic heartland of Europe. Combining an 8-night land journey across France and Belgium with a 14-night luxury river cruise from Amsterdam, this fully escorted tour offers an unforgettable blend of historical remembrance, iconic sights, and stunning landscapes.
Walk in the footsteps of heroes as expert military historian Hugh Dolan guides you through WWII Normandy D-Day beaches and ANZAC WWI battlefields of the Somme and Ypres. Then, board your Travelmarvel river ship to glide through the waterways of the Netherlands and Belgium, visiting vibrant cities, historic windmills, and the world-famous Keukenhof Tulip Gardens in full spring bloom!
Key Highlights & Insider Experiences
🇫🇷 Normandy D-Day Sites: Explore Arromanches, Mulberry Harbour, Omaha Beach, and the Normandy American Cemetery.
🇦🇺 Somme & Western Front Battlefields: Tour Villers-Bretonneux, Sir John Monash Centre, the 1st & 2nd Australian Division Memorials, and Fromelles with historian Hugh Dolan.
🇧🇪 Ypres & Last Post Ceremony: Visit Flanders Fields, Passchendaele Museum, Tyne Cot Cemetery, and witness the moving Last Post ceremony at Menin Gate.
🚢 14-Night Travelmarvel River Cruise: Sail in comfort through 15 historic towns, villages, and cities across Belgium and the Netherlands.
🌷 Keukenhof Gardens: Stroll through 32 hectares of vibrant, world-renowned blooming tulips on our exclusive March spring departure!
🇳🇱 Dutch Engineering & History: Discover the world's largest flood protection system at the Delta Works and visit the UNESCO World Heritage windmills of Kinderdijk.
What’s Included?
Accommodations: 8 nights in premium land hotels + 14 nights aboard a Travelmarvel river ship.
Meals: 53 meals included—22 Breakfasts (B), 13 Lunches (L), 18 Dinners (D).
Drinks on Cruise: Complimented beer, local wine, and soft drinks with lunch and dinner aboard your river cruise.
Guiding: Expert services of a Travelmarvel Tour Director, Cruise Director, local city guides, and special historian Hugh Dolan.
Hassle-Free Travel: Transfers, port charges, luggage porterage, and all land/cruise tipping included!
Days 1–2: Arrive in Paris – City tour, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Welcome Reception.
Days 3–4: Bayeux & Normandy Beaches – Bayeux War Cemetery, Arromanches 360, Omaha Beach & Normandy American Cemetery.
Days 5–6: Honfleur, Amiens & Villers-Bretonneux – Thiepval Memorial, Somme Battlefields, Australian National Memorial & Sir John Monash Centre.
Days 7–8: Fromelles Battlefields & Ypres – Bullecourt, Cobbers Sculpture, In Flanders Fields Museum, Passchendaele & Last Post at Menin Gate.
Day 9: Ypres to Amsterdam – Embark your 14-night Travelmarvel river ship.
Days 10–13: Dutch & Belgian History – Glass-top canal cruise in Amsterdam, Airborne Museum in Arnhem, historic Nijmegen, and Maastricht.
Days 14–18: Highlights of Belgium – Guided explorations of Antwerp, historic Ghent canal cruise, and free time to explore Bruges.
Days 19–21: Coastal Wonders & Windmills – Marvel at Delta Works engineering, historic Willemstad, UNESCO windmills of Kinderdijk, and optional tour to The Hague.
Day 22: Keukenhof Gardens, Amsterdam – Walk through 32 hectares of breathtaking, colorful spring tulips!
Day 23: Disembark in Amsterdam – Farewell shipmates and transfer to airport for onward flights.
