14 Night Cruise sailing from Rotterdam return aboard Volendam.

Elegant and spacious, Volendam takes her décor cues from the garden. Her grand public spaces are graced with floral fabrics and tapestries, as well as huge vases of fresh floral arrangements. While on board, explore the wonders of nature in BBC Earth Experiences. Enjoy a cooking show or hands-on workshop with America’s Test Kitchen. Relax with a spa treatment at the Greenhouse Salon & Spa. Or dine in one of our selection of fine restaurants.

Highlights of this cruise:

In partnership with HAL and AFAR.

Rotterdam, The Netherlands
The Netherlands’ second-largest city and Europe’s busiest port is home to some of the 20th and 21st centuries' most important architectural feats, which is particularly impressive when you consider that nearly all of Rotterdam was razed to the ground during World War II. Sometimes referred to as “Manhattan-on-the-Maas,” the city lives up to its reputation as a forward-looking metropolis with fascinating design and some of the Netherlands' finest museums and most trendy shops.

Marvel at buildings by starchitects Rem Koolhaas and Norman Foster or get lost in the maze of gabled homes in historic Delfshaven, the point from which the Pilgrims set sail for the New World aboard the Speedwell in 1620. In the postwar years, Rotterdam has also become one of the most diverse cities on the continent as waves of migrants from elsewhere in Europe, North Africa and Turkey have come to work in the shipping industry, concentrated here thanks to the city’s location on the deltas of the Rhine and Maas rivers. With its sweeping harbor and massive Europoort, the city has quickly grown to become the largest port in all of Europe.

Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
Few destinations wear their souls as outwardly as Liverpool, an alluringly energetic city of humor, individuality, grit and history, whose inhabitants are known as much for their fierce sporting loyalties as for their warmth and wit. At its heart is its industrial past; what were once grimy warehouses have been reimagined as chic flats and a huge array of hip bars, restaurants and hotels for every taste and budget.Of course, it is also a city of music, not just of the Beatles but of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, a litany of teen pop bands and, for more refined tastes, the UK’s oldest professional symphony orchestra, the Liverpool Philharmonic. In the handily compact center you’ll find independent book, fashion and interiors stores, especially around the RopeWalks area. There are places of musical legend and cultural merit as well, such as The Tate Liverpool, just one of the many galleries, museums and creative spaces worth exploring around the docks. This is also where old and new collide—the fascinating, historical Museum of Liverpool and the bold architectural center RIBA North are both examples of this ever-changing city’s adaptable and admirable existence.

Dublin, Ireland
Dublin works its magic on you slowly. Founded by the Vikings on the banks of the River Liffey in the 9th century, the city occupies one of the loveliest natural settings of any European capital. Its architecture is a jumble of different periods, including the medieval cobblestone streets of Temple Bar, the elegant terraces and leafy squares of the Georgian period and the modern architecture of the revitalized Docklands district.

Dublin’s compact heart is divided by the languorous flow of the Liffey before it enters the wide expanse of Dublin Bay. Both gritty and gracious, the city streets inspired some of the most celebrated writers of the 19th and 20th centuries, acknowledged by its status as a UNESCO World City of Literature.

But while its heritage is undeniably a major draw for visitors, these days Dublin is vibrant with thriving technology firms and a young population eager to make their mark. It might arrive via an impromptu chat with a local or a quiet pint of Guinness in a historic pub, but by the time you leave, Dublin will have charmed you.