Greetings from St. Louis! I’m starting to plan my next adventure and I’m torn between two destinations: Belgium or the Netherlands. Both seem absolutely charming, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on which one might offer the best experience for a retiree like me.
Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you can share!
Best,
Susan
We did both , as it's so easy, especially if you have about two weeks. When is this trip, how many days, and what are your interests and travel style? Attached is my spring 2024 Trip Report. Perhaps it will be helpful. Safe travels!
Despite the number of travelers who link them, they are not that similar. I should note that one specific area of Belgium gets the bulk of visitors, while there is more "base" variety in the Netherlands. The food in Belgium is a little better. Maybe equivalent amounts of fine art and history.
Antwerp is very popular with Europeans, and me. Less so for Americans, who mistakenly think Brussels is better than Antwerp. (However, the main art museums in Brussels are pretty important.)
Amsterdam has a lot of virtues, including easy unreserved train daytrips to at least 10 nice destinations.
In both countries, the historic cities tend to be a small historic core, surrounded by undistinguished postwar sprawl. The size of that core varies from Bruges (vast) to Tongeren (tiny.)
If you are retired choose both, as everything is so close together; there's no reason to not see parts of both charming countries. We just got back from visiting them for the first time this spring. It's all beautiful and interesting.
Honestly, my least favorite city out of everything we saw (and I know it's risky to say this out loud on this forum) was Amsterdam. I'm certainly glad we visited, and of course visiting the Ann Frank house and Rijksmuseum were outstanding. I decided I liked all of the charming smaller cities and towns much more than Amsterdam, but of course it's probably a city everyone should see at least once.
Thank you both for your thoughtful responses! I really appreciate the insights. :)
Pat, your suggestion to do both is quite tempting, especially since I usually prefer a slower pace and love to immerse myself in the local culture. I haven’t set a firm date yet, but I’m thinking of a late spring trip, possibly for about two weeks. My travel style leans toward exploring historic towns, enjoying good food, and taking in art and cultural experiences. Any specific recommendations based on that?
Tim, I’m intrigued by your take on the differences between the two. I hadn’t considered the "base" variety in the Netherlands, and it’s good to know about Antwerp—it sounds lovely! I do love wandering through historic cores, so Bruges and Amsterdam are both calling my name. The day trips you mentioned from Amsterdam also sound like a wonderful way to explore more without the hassle.
It sounds like I can’t go wrong either way, but you’ve certainly given me a lot to think about!
Best,
Susan
I should have said that Belgium also has vast numbers of daytime, unreserved local trains, making daytrips easy and cheap. Often five per hour in the Antwerp/Brussels/Bruges area.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands/day-trips-from-delft
Here's my trip report where I visited both (16 nights). This will either help you, or further your indecision LOL https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-the-netherlands-belgium-sept-2022
Like Pat and Mary, I did both. I loved both and can’t wait to go back. When I return, I will go to Bruges, Belgium and spend the rest of the time in the Netherlands, probably basing in some combination of Delft, Leiden, and Utrecht.
Here’s my trip report, so you can see how easy it is to travel in both counties.
Unlike Pat, I didn’t have much rain.
If I was forced to pick just one, it would be the Netherlands. I loved all the canals and it was super easy to travel just tapping in and out everywhere.
Dennis Callan has lots of videos on both countries. I found them very helpful in my planning.
https://www.youtube.com/@denniscallan
Happy planning.
The food in Belgium is a little better
... than canned cat food.
Just kidding, though we had relatively little food in Belgium that I found to be both delicious and remotely healthful. (I mean, the Belgians deep-fry everything.) Honestly, I much preferred the food options in the Netherlands, as the menu offerings seemed much more diverse. But everyone has different tastes.
I love beer so my preference is for Belgium for the variety and quality of their beer. Belgium also has the edge on chocolate. Both countries have great art, but I prefer the art museums in The Netherlands over Belgium. I haven't noticed much of a difference in quality of food between the two. There are typically more direct flights to Amsterdam than to any airport in Belgium, so The Netherlands gets the edge on convenience getting there and back. Both countries have pretty towns and cities filled with canals. Both countries are easy to get around by train.
Both are great but if you have to choose just one then ultimately it comes down to what your personal interests are. I would suggest getting a couple of travel books about both from your library and seeing which appeals to you more.
If you could write a little more about what you are hoping for in an experience, I would encourage you to do so. That might help us guide you better.
That said, They are relatively close together, making it fairly easy to do both in the same trip if you have 1.5-2 weeks (depending on your preferred travel pace).
The Belgian food, while not healthy, was good. Hard to complain about fries, chocolate, beer and waffles. It is not healthy but you are on vacation and you are there to experience the culture and those items are part of the culture.
Susan, If you're going late SPRING, I'd avoid the weeks before and after Easter, April 20, 2025. Easter, however, comes at the height of tulip season, and Keukenhof is only open about 7-8 weeks a year, which is an incredible experience. Check the Keukenhof website for dates. I'd also highly recommend going to Kinderdijk, (see the section in my Trip Report.) These two places were highlites for me. I did really enjoy Bruges, we had a delightful hotel on a canal, and the chocolate was heaven! Have a fantastic trip. I'd return in a heartbeat. Safe travels!
Ps-KD, I agree, with so many small towns with their own canals and windmills and charm, Amsterdam was not the highlight of my trip. I was glad to have visited, but I would have been perfectly happy not having gone there.
Here's another who traveled to both during the same trip. I spent more time in the Netherlands but really enjoyed my time in Belgium. And I would like to give a shoutout to Ghent, which is absolutely charming. I spent 3 nights there and just loved it. Bruges is the more popular destination in Belgium, and it is certainly worth a visit, but try not to skip Ghent if you can.
One thing I need to add in the wake of Amsterdam being rated the "most walkable city in the world." And that is: the rating is hogwash.
Certainly one can reach the greatest tourist sites in the city easily, on foot, from the central train station. But in doing so, one takes one's life in one's hands because of the pervasive and largely unregulated bicycle traffic. Dutch cyclists are the least courteous to pedestrians that I've ever encountered. They cycle rapidly on roads, cycleways and sidewalks alike, and you'll seldom hear a warning bell ring if you happen to be in their desired route. It's a bit tricky in most Dutch cities, but the density of Amsterdam makes it especially hazardous.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Netherlands, and especially Amsterdam. But expect a stroll in the city to be a bit hectic and stressful.
JPHBUCKS has an excellent point. I am so thankful that we went to Amsterdam and had the privilege to see the Reichsmuseum, Van Gogh, Anne Franks House, and some other various sights. However, I won't go back because it's just too stressful to constantly dodge the bicycles in addition to the trams, cars, and busses.
Many people on this Forum recommend staying in a smaller city such as Haarlem or Leiden and then taking a quick train into central Amsterdam for your sightseeing, and I heartily concur. Definitely go to the Keukenhof! It's probably the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.
I spend most of my time in Belgium due to having friends there. For a first time visitor, I would suggest consideration of Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges, but definitely also a day in Brussels to see the Fine Arts Museum, Musical Instruments Museum, and the Grand Place. A poster above mentioned the ease of trains in Belgium. This wonderful transport network allows you to base in one city (perhaps Ghent?) and easily do day trips to other places since Belgium is so small. These destinations are all in the Flanders region, but if you like scenery you can also consider the Walloon cities of Namur or Dinant. There is so much history packed into this small country that I'm still exploring it after 20+ visits.
I would also be remiss if I left out Ieper/Ypres, also in the Flanders region. The World War 1 sights there are a real eye opener for most of us Americans because our typical history study focuses more on WW 2. As noted regarding Ieper/Ypres most Belgian cities have 2 names, one in Dutch (Nederlands) and one in French. Sometimes the names are quite similar, but not always. If you're heading somewhere on the train or by car, those names will change as you cross the border from one region to another. Be sure you know both names or you'll think you're on the wrong train!
You really can't go wrong with any destination you pick in these 2 countries. Happy planning!
jphbucks, you are generally correct about bicycles in the Netherlands. But unlike in the US (where bicyclists are arrogantly "entitled") the main problem in Amsterdam is that so many "Protected Bicycle Paths" have frequent physical crossings of purely pedestrian paths. This is where the serious danger occurs. I'm not saying it is fair, but it is "marked" and "predictable." This requires vigilance on the part of the pedestrians, which is not entirely "fair."
Residents of major cities of the world WALK much more than suburban or rural Americans do. I expect to walk 5 miles a day in Amsterdam, or on Capri. It's actually charming that on an (infrequent) festival day in Amsterdam, you can walk from one beer kiosk to another a half-mile away, and either refill your glass, or turn it in for the Deposit fee.
... the main problem in Amsterdam is that so many "Protected Bicycle Paths" have frequent physical crossings of purely pedestrian paths. This is where the serious danger occurs. I'm not saying it is fair, but it is "marked" and "predictable."
This is just not accurate. Most of the heavily touristed areas (i.e. the old town) are not so marked, and cyclists within those areas evidently feel as though both the sidewalks and roadways are their rightful domain. Copenhagen, Stockholm and Berlín are the cities we've visited since Amsterdam; all these cities have clearly marked cycleways, which the touristy sections of Amsterdam do not.
I'll add that the other major cities in the Netherlands don't IME really have this problem. I never felt like my pedestrian safety was threatened in Utecht, Leiden, The Hague or Rotterdam.
Jphbucks speaks the truth. I found it extremely stressful to walk. You are on constant alert trying to avoid bikes. Our hotel had a wonderful crosswalk in front of it, with green lights to indicate that it was safe for us to cross. Feeling like we had one safe place, my husband stepped off the curb after looking both ways at the appropriate time and a motorbike came barreling through against the light and nearly ran my husband over. It was stressful from arrival to departure.
We were just in the Netherlands this past June. After visiting Amsterdam twice, we decided to stay this time in Rotterdam. It was also very easy to take day trips - Utrecht, Kinderdijk, Gouda, and The Hague this trip.
We’ve only been to Bruges and Brussels, and it was a few years ago, so I am not up-to-date on Belgium.
PS - we didn’t visit either country for the food, it’s just okay. In the Netherlands I could survive on poffertjes and cheese. In Belgium on waffles and chocolate.
