Visit the Diamond Factory to hear about the process of making diamonds.

After this you may continue to the Van Gogh Museum. A visit to the Van Gogh museum is an unique experience. The museum contains the largest collection of van Gogh’s paintings in the world. The displays provide the opportunity to compare his work with other artists of the 19th century, and also holds and exclusive offer of exhibitions on various 19th century art subjects.
Don't miss a boat ride through the canals of Amsterdam.

Walk through the old town section surrounding the Marketplace, which consists of the Town Hall, gabled guild houses, cafes and Brabo statue.

Then you may continue one block to the Vlaaikensgang (“Pie Alley”), an alley that is typical of medieval Antwerp and further to Our Lady’s Cathedral for an inside visit. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in Belgium and a major landmark of Antwerp. The interior contains some of the world's greatest Rubens paintings.

From there you may walk by the Groenplaats with statue of the famous Belgian painter P.P. Rubens and on to the Rubens House. In 1611 Rubens bought the building on the Wapper and enlarged it to provide a home and studio which had all the trappings of a palazzo. It was here that he received scores of distinguished guests and where he built his dazzling career. The house is today named the “Rubens’ House”.

Stroll through Bergen, an international city with small-town charm. Enjoy the famous sites like Bryggen, Håkon’s Hall and Rosenkrantz Tower.

Bergen is the starting point for Hurtigruten's northbound cruises.

Bordeaux has been officially included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

This distinction recognizes the beauty and unity of style of Bordeaux's architectural heritage. See the WWII German submarine base, the Chartrons river front where the wine trade started, the 18th century Place de la Bourse, the Cailhau Gate and the Big Bell.

You may stop at the Palais Rohan, and walk to the 13th-century Cathedral of St Andrew, where Alienor d'Aquitaine married Louis VII. Continue by coach through the Gambetta and Tourny squares. Then visit the monument to the Girondins of the French Revolution at the Quinconces square. From here you may walk to the closeby Grand Theatre. The theatre was built by Victor Louis in 1773, and is one of the most beautiful in Europe - a pure work of art from the 18th century.

After this you may stroll through the Old Bordeaux area with the Parlament and St Pierre squares.

In Bordeux it is possible to visit some of the vineyards and châteaux. The city itself is attractive and boasts wide avenues, neoclassical architecture and
beautiful parks.

In Brussels, you may start with a panoramic tour leading to the center of the city passing the Chinese pavilion, the Japanese Tower and the Royal Castle of Laeken.

Then you may want to start a walking tour through the old Town area to admire first the St Hubert Arcades and its Arcade of shops and the Butchers' Street with its plethora of restaurants and cafes.

A few blocks away from the Butchers' Street, you may be astonished by the beauty of the Grand Place. With its Baroque houses and Town Hall, the Brussels Grand Place is often called the most beautiful market square in the World. 

Not far from the market square you'll meet Manneken Pis Brussels best known little boy.

Around the Grand place you can search for your perfect Belgian souvenir (Belgian chocolates, lace, tapestries etc.) or sit down at a café and enjoy one of the many kinds of Belgian beers.

After a one hour drive on the highway passing the typical Flemish countryside, you arrive at the medieval city of Ghent.

It was weavers from Ghent, joined by others from Bruges, who took up arms to defeat the French in 1302.

Your guided walking tour starts at the bottom of St Michael’s bridge. On top of St Michael’s bridge
you will have an impressive view on the historical city centre; you can see the Old Port with gabled guild houses, the 1000-years old castle of the Counts and the famous ‘row of the 3 towers’. 

From here there is a 3 blocks walk to pass the Belfry Tower onto St Bavo's Cathedral. You will have some free time for shopping to find the perfect souvenir before we walk on to a Belgian chocolatier. You will have a live presentation of how the raw chocolate bars are made into the fine Belgian chocolates using only the finest, freshest and carefully selected ingredients. Tasting is allowed! At the end, there is time to purchase some Belgian chocolates, before we set course back to Antwerp and the ship.

Giverny owes its fame to the great painter Claude Monet.

Monet lived in a nice house in the middle of the village, from 1883 until his death in 1926. The painter’s house in attracted many artists and today the place is the favourite site for impressionalist lovers. You may visit Claude Monet’s house, which is now a museum showing his collection of Japanese prints, and enjoy wandering in the gardens that he made famous through his paintings, with the Japanese bridge, bamboo trees and the often painted water-lilies.

Guernsey is a green, beautiful island belonging to the British Crown situated within sight of the Normandy coast of France. Its French influence is everywhere - in street names, its Patois, which is a mixture of Norman-French and English, and its love of fine cuisine. We will cross the centre of the Island, where we see large areas of the countryside with greenhouses.

On the way to the West Coast we see a contrast of cliffs and stretches of beautiful sandy beaches. We will travel along almost the entire length of the west coast before turning inland again along the narrow country lanes to arrive for a visit to the Gold and Silversmiths, situated in an attractively converted barn which dates back to 1582.

You can watch the work being carried out at close quarters. Their exquisite craftsmanship is on display in the showroom where you have time to browse and maybe purchase that special gift. You will also visit the Little Chapel - a church in miniature. Made of simple materials, it is beautifully decorated with pebbles, shells and myriad pieces of coloured broken china. As you climb the steps around the Chapel, and perhaps enter the tiny interior, you enjoy a sense of appreciation of the dedication shown in creating this unique religious symbol.

Guimarães is the cradle of Portugal. The first capital of Portugal has a wealth of magnificent buildings and history to discover.

Visit the medieval King's Castle and Palace of the Dukes of Braganca, which houses a museum and art gallery with portraits, tapestries, fine furniture and porcelain. A walking tour through the old city reveals quiet corners and narrow streets, a former manor house situated in the square and a 10th century church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Browse the local shops for treasures or relax in the square. See the Customs Tower emblazoned with the slogan "Portugal was born here." 

Hamburg is a lively and interesting city. See the City Hall; Germany’s oldest Stock Exchange; the Speicherstadt, the century old warehouse quarter;  Jungfernstieg one of the elegant and luxury shopping areas; the Aussen-Alster, one of the top addresses in Hamburg with numerous consulates and renowned business; St. Pauli Landungsbruecken, where the old sailing vessels used to dock; Reeperbahn, referred to as “the mile of sin” and St. Michael’s church, Hamburg’s main landmark.

Helsinki is laid out with spacious streets interspersed with many gardens and parks. The senate square with its neo classical buildings, Uspensky Cathedral and the church in the rock are just a few of the many sights worth visiting.

Take the tour to the heart of Normandy will take you to the charming fishing port of Honfleur, where you might feel like you are in a miniaturised village.

Nestled in the green hills of the Pays d’Auge, famous for its meadows, orchards and its production of Calvados apple alcohol, Honfleur has kept its charm of the old days.

The Vieux Bassin is lined up with varied fine stone houses on one side, narrow slate-faced houses reflecting in the water on the other side. The entrance of the port and its locks are guarded by the Lieutenance.
Nearby, you will see St Catherine’s Church, with an inside looking like in a turned-over ship. This church was entirely built of wood by marine carpenters, and the bell-tower stands on the other side of the square.

The city of Le Havre at the mouth of the river Seine is a rare contemporary World Heritage Site due to its exceptional architecture.

Visit the Belem Monumental area and stop by the Belém Tower, an elegant Manueline structure, built in the middle of the Tagus River.  It was from this superb tower that Portuguese explorers were given a rousing send-off.

The Monument to the Discoveries, erected in 1960 on the banks of the Tagus, stands nearby.

Continue to the Jerónimos Monastery, considered to be the jewel of Manueline art. The Monastery was begun in 1502, not long after the return of Vasco da Gama. It is situated near Restelo Harbour in Belem, from where the explorer’s ships sailed, to benefit from the wealth pouring into Lisbon. Visit the church and the beautiful cloisters of the monastery.

Continue by coach to the city centre for a panoramic drive before stopping in Rossio Square, where you can shop.

Embark on a river-boat for the journey along London’s great waterway - the River Thames, travelling upstream towards Westminster. We enjoy fine panoramic views from the glass enclosed river-boat as we make our way towards Waterloo Pier and the London Eye, the world’s highest observation wheel, offering guests amazing views of Britain’s capital city. 

London Eye will take us on a 30 minute flight, rising 450 feet above the River Thames, in high-tech fully enclosed glass capsules. Built as a Millennium project, the London Eye represents the turning of time, celebrating London’s past and looking forward to its future.

Our flight on the London Eye gives us the opportunity to enjoy one of the world’s major cities from a totally new angle offering a unique perspective of London.  On a clear day, the views extend for 25 miles - as far as Heathrow Airport and Windsor Castle.

Take a circular journey around the capital where you can view the highlights from the comfort of the coach; Westminster, Whitehall and St. James’s section of London, crossing Westminster Bridge, and passing by the neo-Gothic Parliament buildings presiding over the banks of the River Thames and its adjacent 320 foot clock tower of Big Ben.

Continue to Westminster Abbey for a guided visit. The Abbey is world famous as the resting place of Britain’s monarchs, and as the setting for coronations and other great pageants. Within its walls can be seen some of the most glorious examples of medieval architecture in London. 

Westminster Abbey also contains one of the most impressive collections of tombs and monuments in the world. Half national church, half national museum, the abbey occupies a unique place in the British national consciousness.

Today, as it has done for the last 900 years, Westminster Abbey plays a central role in the life of the United Kingdom. Every year, with dignity and ceremony, the abbey continues to bear witness to Britain’s unfolding history.

Oporto dates from the 18th century. Stop to view the facade of the church of Clerigos, a Baroque and Rococo building from the 18th century and also at the cathedral, a 12th century Baroque building that began first as a Gothic structure.

At the banks of the Duoro River, you may embark a riverboat to view Oporto from the riverside. Clinging to the opposite bank of the Douro and nestled between impressive bridges sits the city of Vila Nova de Gaia - the port wine capital of the world. Pay a visit to one of the port wine cellars and learn more about the wine-making process. Here you can also sample this regional specialty before we return to the ship.

The visit of the city of Art and History, also known as the ‘Town of the Hundred Spires’ may start with a drive to St Catherine’s Hill. From this point, you will be given a great panoramic view of Rouen.

Visit Rouen on foot through the lively pedestrian paved streets, lined with colourful timber framed houses.

Amongst the numerous monuments, you will see Notre Dame Cathedral - constructed over several centuries and made famous through the paintings of Claude Monet.

You can also see the Church of St Maclou, St Maclou cloister and the Old Market Square with the modern church built at the place where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake in 1431. After the walking tour of Rouen, you will have time at leisure to enjoy an independent visit of the town, make photos, or simply have a rest on a café terrace and enjoy life as it goes.

Lying close to the north coast of France and bathed by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, the Channel Islands are the perfect holiday destination.

Nearby, the island of Sark offers stunning coastal views and a picturesque rural interior.

A visit to Sark, the smallest independent feudal state in Europe, is a step back in time. There are no cars, no metal roads, no high-rise developments; only superb scenery giving Sark an enchantment which is unique; unspoiled by motor cars, and all the noise and bustle of modern day life.

The slow and graceful lifestyle of Sark is evident as you climb aboard a horse-drawn carriage for a tour of the island. As we set out from the village, we see the small Post Office, the Island's prison (a small stone structure with just two cells), and Sark's parish church.

Our carriage journey continues with more scenic sightseeing as we move towards the Island's west coast and along the Rue de la Moinerie to a vantage point overlooking the cliffs and coastline. Sark’s extraordinary degree of independence, and its rigorous attachment to laws and institutions which have long since been abandoned by other countries of the western world certainly seems to justify the title 'A Feudal State in Modern Times'.

Join the tour that begins with a panoramic drive through Sevilla, passing amongst others the Colón Avenue, the Bullring and the Golden Tower.

The 15th century Gothic Cathedral and Giralda tower is the absolute highlight of the city with its interior treasures and history, and it is the third largest in the world after St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London.

After exploring this beautiful Cathedral, you may continue to the Moorish Palace – Alcazar. Built in the mid 1300’s, the Alcazar was the palace of the Spanish kings for almost 700 years. Its fanciful colours, ceilings and walls are intricate works of art and together with well manicured gardens it gives an overall sense of peace and detachment to the outside world.

Sintra is considered one of the most beautiful places in Portugal.

It was once the summer residence of early Portuguese kings and aristocrats. By the 18th and 19th centuries, it became widely known to English travellers, poets, and writers, including Lord Byron.

Stavanger is a city combining the old and new, here you will find modern industries and old buildings, including the oldest cathedral in Norway.

Your Hurtigruten ship leaves Stavanger in the evening, and head for the unforgettable Hardangerfjord.

Stockholm is often called the “Venice of the
North”. The city is built on 14 islands and is one of the most charming capitals in Europe. Explore the streets of Gamla Stan (the old part of town) or the magnificent Vasa museum.

The capital of Estonia, Tallinn, was once an important port of the Hanseatic League. The aura of the 14th and 15th Century still remains intact in central Tallinn’s medieval streets with its picturesque houses, squares and cobbled streets.