Day tour from Amsterdam to Bruges?

The fastest train journeys take 3h06 (Thalys to Bruxelles-Midi + IC to Brugge).

Let me also ask, if we were to then go from Bruges to Paris, would it be possible to do it all in one day? Ie, early morning leave Amsterdam, stop in Bruges for a few hours, then continue on to Paris?

Plug the cities into the dbahn.de website to get a feel for how long the train rides might be. The quickest train from Bruges to Paris is 2.5 hours. The last fast train leaving Paris back to Amsterdam is at 7:25pm and takes 3:17hrs. That seems like a whole lot of train travel and expense, without really seeing much of either city. Is it possible to restructure your trip so you fly into Amsterdam, train to Bruges for a couple of days, then train to Paris for several more days and fly home from there?

Bruges has plenty to see to reward an overnight stay. But if you can't stay overnight, you could see a few highlights in a half-day, then pick up some groceries, and picnic on the 18:00 or 19:00 departure toward Paris. These Thalys trains are pretty expensive, but may be cheaper if you book them ASAP for June travel. The connection to/from Bruges will not actually be reserved. Just "Bruges" or "Brugge" is enough to identify that train station.

If at all possible, spend an overnight in Bruges. It gets nicer when the daytrippers leave, and walking around the city at night is lovely.

The day trip is doable, although for us, it was about 3 hours with two transfers. I would agree with the other responses and recommend an overnight. Just this May, we found a B&B for 75 Euro per night and the stay was lovely and a 5 minute walk to the "town centers" of the Burg and the Markt, which is just a mere 10 minute and 2 Euro bus ride from the train station.

I believe there in only one train stop in Brugge. I forget the cost on the one way second class ticket from Amsterdam to Brugge, but I think the train ride was not more than 20 Euro. From Brussels to Paris, it was a 90 minute train ride on the Thalys train. We booked early and were able to find tickets for about 45 Dollars per person. Granted, the low fares sell out fast. You can also take a bus from Brussels to Paris, but the trip is about 6 hours.

Have fun and enjoy Amsterdam! It is my favorite European city traveled so far.