Gems of the Northern Rhine With Holland & Germany

Capital of the Netherlands, the magical Venice of the North is famous for its dazzling Golden Age of power and wealth during the 16th and 17th centuries. Today, it is a bustling wonderland of things to see and do. No visit is complete without a cruise along the intricate network of more than 62 miles (100 km) of canals and time with the Dutch masters at the renowned Rijksmuseum. Other highlights include the Royal Palace, Anne Frank House, lavish 17th-century canal homes, Heineken Beer Experience, and the infamous red-light district!

Enkhuizen is a charming West Frisian city on the IJsselmeer. Like Amsterdam and Hoorn, it was one of the Dutch East India Company's premier harbor towns for overseas trade during the Dutch Golden Age. Today, Enkhuizen boasts one of the country's largest marinas; the Zuiderzee Museum, which chronicles the region's cultural and maritime history; and a host of outdoor activities, like biking, sailing, fishing, and kayaking.

While most European cities are a focus on the old and older, Lelystad in the central Netherlands was built in 1967 on reclaimed land, named for the engineer who made the reclamation possible. Today, the city is famous as the home of a replica of the 17th-century Batavia, the 17th-century flagship of the Dutch East India Company. Other highlights in Lelystad include the Aviodrome national aviation theme par, the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve, and outdoor hiking, biking, and birdwatching in the nearby forests and wetlands.

One of the Netherlands' oldest cities, Nijmegen recently celebrated its 2,000th birthday! Located near the German border, it was the first Dutch city to fall into German hands during WWII and heavy bombings left Nijmegen with few remaining historic buildings. Among its treasures, though, are Valkhof Park, site of a palace ruin whose construction was started by Charlemagne in the 8th century; the 16-sided Sint Nicolaas Chapel; and De Waagh (weigh house), built in 1612 in the Dutch Renaissance style and still sporting a huge set of scales hanging inside the building.

Proud international hub of business and finance, Düsseldorf is ranked the sixth-most-livable city in the world, but it wasn't always this way. It started as the marshland home of Germanic tribes before small farming and fishing settlements began cropping up in the 7th century. Today's highlights include the harbor, Gothic St. Lambertus Church with its twisted tower, the palace tower, and Germany's oldest inland navigation museum. Meanwhile, the 200-year Altbier tradition makes a taste of the copper-colored brew feel like sipping a piece of history.