May 19 – 27, 2025
Join acclaimed landscape painter David Dunlop for an exciting artistic journey through the storied waterways and museums of Holland and Belgium. A master of technique and storytelling, David is an Emmy Award-winning host and writer of PBS’s Landscapes Through Time with David Dunlop, as well as the co-creator of the acclaimed David Dunlop and SimmonsArt You Tube channel.
This plein air painting, museums and barging tour offer a rare chance to see art treasures and paint alongside a “modern-day old master” whose luminous landscape fuse Renaissance and contemporary techniques with scientific insights into how we see and interpret the world.
Crossing from Amsterdam to Bruges aboard the elegant 16-cabin barge, Magnifique I, you will enjoy exploring and painting the windmill-strewn country side, historic towns, vibrant cityscapes. Highlights include the Rijksmuseum and other historic museums, Amsterdam, Kinderdijk (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) Antwerp, The Hague, Ghent and other historic stops along the way.
The tour blends museum visits, plein air painting, live demonstrations, and personalized instruction with David – ideal for artists of all levels seeking growth and the joy of painting in beautiful settings with other inspired painters.
AMSTERDAM
Tuesday, May 20 Arrival Schiphol Airport Amsterdam – Meet at the airport and transfer by coach to the Zaanse Schans for a tour of an historic and still active 18th and 19th century residential area with working windmills. We’ll enjoy a traditional lunch before we go to Amsterdam to board the barge Magnifique 1. We’ll enjoy a group welcome wine and cheese as the crew welcomes us on board the Magnifique I. There will be time to relax before our first dinner on Magnifique I. LD
Wednesday, May 21 Morning visit and exploration of the Dutch masterpieces at the Rijksmuseum with David Dunlop. Following our tour of the Rijksmuseum, we’ll board our coach and enjoy lunch on the way to the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague for a guided tour with David. This wonderful museum has a vast collection of Old Masters, including Rembrandt, Rubens, and Vermeer (home to the Girl with the Pearl Earring). We’ll return to the barge at the end of the day in Dordrecht. Dinner on the barge. BLD
Thursday, May 22 A painting day – After breakfast, we coach to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO world heritage site, where 19 windmills are located along the water, a great place to set up for a day of painting. We’ll visit the interior of a windmill and enjoy lunch on location. Built in 1738 and 1740 to keep water out of the polder, this is the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands. In the afternoon, the town of Bergen op Zoom will welcome us. Bergen op Zoom is in the province of North Brabant. This historic fortified town goes back more than eight hundred years. The narrow streets, the market square and churches show the history of a rich and eventful past. There is even a Dutch song about Bergen op Zoom. This night we will have a group dinner at the historic Hotel Draak. One of the oldest restaurants in Bergen op Zoom. BLD
Friday, May 23 Today, we cross the province of Zeeland before entering Belgium. In February of 1953, a huge storm flooded most of the province, taken most people by surprise, thousands died. Years later, the Dutch built the famous Delta project, installing huge locks to keep the North Sea from flooding the interior. Antwerp is our destination where we’ll visit the Rubens House Reception building and garden, and learn about Peter Paul Rubens, the artist and the man behind the brush. Following lunch on our own, we’ll visit the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp featuring an extensive collection of Flemish masterpieces by Rubens, Van Dyck and Van Eyck, as well as contemporary works by Rik Wouters, Magritte, Modigliani and many more Dinner on the barge. BD
Saturday, May 24 A painting day – After breakfast, we will barge to the town of St Amands on the River Schelde. We’ll set up for a full day of painting in one of the many scenic locations along the River Schelde. Enjoy lunch on location and dinner is on the barge. Following dinner, we’ll visit a sculptor’s studio nearby. BLD
Sunday, May 25 A painting day – After breakfast, we’ll continue our painting in St Amands or start a new one. After lunch, we’ll bus to the beautiful city of Ghent and visit the altarpiece of Ghent in Saint Bavo Church. Begun around the mid-1420s and completed by 1432, it is attributed to the early Netherlandish painters and brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck. The altarpiece is a prominent example of the transition from Middle Age to Renaissance art and is considered a masterpiece of European art and identified by some as “the first major oil painting.” Following the visit to the altarpiece, our bus will take us back to the barge which is now docked in Ghent. Dinner on the barge. BLD
Monday, May 26 We’ll coach to Bruges to spend our last day in this storybook city with its network of canals, classical Flemish architecture, and spectacular Market Square. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we’ll take a canal cruise around the city with free time to explore the historic center of Bruges and its famous chocolate shops on our own. Late afternoon, return to the barge to pack for our departure. We’ll celebrate our week with a farewell dinner on the barge. BD
Tuesday, May 27 DEPARTURE Early morning coach to Brussels Airport.
