Netherlands and Belgium

Brugge! Unbelievably beautiful. I think it's worth a 2-3 night stay. We were underwhelmed with Brussels and feel like 1 day is plenty there- but it is easy to fly home from.

Ghent, Antwerp. The windmills of Kinderdijk.

We're going to Belgium for a few days, except we're spending 3 nights in Bruges and just the last night near the airport in Brussels. Anyway, we're exploring the idea of a day trip to see some of the "Flanders Fields" sites around Ypres.

A day trip to the outskirts of Brussels - catch the 44 tram from Montgomery (metro/ tram stop) to Tervuren. There is a huge park there and the Africa museum. This is Brussels' prettiest tram ride.

Next time I go to Brussels, I am planning to go to Grimbergen. You can do a walk around the town and there is an abbey where they brew beer. I believe it's quite picturesque (I don't know yet but it is high on my list).

Another thing you could do - I am sure you are planning a trip to Bruges (Brugge). You could just take the train a little further and go out to Knokke-Heist, which is a seaside town. As well as the beach there are elegant hotels and a casino. Knokke is the posh resort on the coast.

In the other direction is Dinant - extremely beautiful small town in Wallonia, easily reached by train. Gateway to the Ardennes.

Lavandula

Hey! For your Amsterdam/Brussels trip, here are some of the train-friendly spots that you can visit:

From Amsterdam:
- Haarlem (15 min): Like Amsterdam but quieter, with great "hofjes" (hidden courtyards).
- Utrecht (25 min): Unique bi-level canals and a great medieval center.
- Delft (60 min): Pure charm, famous blue pottery, and very walkable.

From Brussels:
1. Ghent (35 min): My top pick. Medieval, vibey, and less "museum-like" than Bruges.
2. Bruges (60 min): Total fairy tale. Very touristy, but beautiful.
3. Antwerp (45 min): Incredible architecture and the world’s most beautiful train station.

Safe travels!

Thank you everyone for your wonderful suggestions. Looking forward to our trip. Just curious, has anyone ever done a tour from Brussels to Bastogne? We have a semi-private tour booked but all the tours are very expensive. I really don't want to rent a car and drive, afraid of missing something and also having a car is difficult in Brussels. I would rather rely on a tour . Public transportation is very long and involves lots of changes. Has anyone ever done this trp?

While I haven't toured Bastogne myself, I have been to Luxembourg by train before (closest big city). It might be easier to have a third base in Luxembourg and do this trip from there. The train ride is a slow one because it stops at all the little stations (approximately 3 hours). Driving from Brussels is actually a lot faster than catching a train. I have the sense that I am not telling you anything you didn't know, however ...

Lavandula

Public transportation is very long and involves lots of changes.

Long yes 2 ¾ hours single way. Lots of changes? Euh ... just one ... train Brussels-Marloie (or Brussels-Libramont depending when you make this trip) and change to bus towards Bastogne-Sud.

FYI Brussels City Tours organizes a daytrip to Bastogne by bus (no personal experience)

https://www.brussels-city-tours.com/remembrance-tour-of-the-battle-of-the-bulge

Actually I will just add - there are 2 locations where you can pick up rental cars - one is Bruxelles-Midi train station and one is Brussels National Airport at Zaventem. The train station is really busy, surrounded by busy roads. The airport has freeways. You might find it easier to travel out to the airport and get out onto the open road from there, if you decide to take a car. I would also do a search on Bastogne both on here and other forums such as Fodor's. There have been plenty of people who have gone before you, even by public transport. Cumbersome but doable, although a very long day.

EDIT: What made you change your mind about the private tour? Most people seem to say a tour is worth it.

Lavandula

Actually I will just add - there are 2 locations where you can pick up rental cars - one is Bruxelles-Midi train station and one is Brussels National Airport at Zaventem.

Really? You should try Avis/Budget at the Thon Hotel EU ... or SIXT at Stephanie-Louise ... or ... AVIS/Budget at Ixelles ... or ... or ...

Well, I don't know where the OP is staying and how easy any of these will be to get to for them. And If in Louise or elsewhere in Ixelles or in the European Quarter, you still have to drive through Brussels' streets. I will repeat my advice about the airport - easy to get onto the open road.

Lavandula

OP clearly stated they don't want to rent a car and drive ... which I fully respect.

Ghent Holland was amazing. Definitely add this hidden gem to your list. And you absolutely MUST spend a few days in Bruges. While you certainly can make it a day trip, this town just has so much to offer. It's like visiting a real fairytale.

Hi all, great suggestions and ideas. We have planned side trips to Bruges and Ghent. We decided to rent a car to go to Bastogne. I appreciate the suggestion to pick up a car at the airport. Private tour was an interesting idea but very expensive and dates offered didn't really coincide with our plans. Looking forward to our trip. Thank you for all your help.

My husband and I have a trip planned in the fall and we will have 4 nights in the Amsterdam area and 7 nights in Belgium. I'm still trying to allocate our time in The Netherlands before we board a river cruise (starts in Amsterdam). However, for the Belgium portion of the trip we will definitely be spending at least two nights in each of Bruges and Ghent. We disembark in Antwerp and we plan to fly out of Brussels. So we have 3 nights in Belgium that are not decided. I'm pretty sure 2 nights in Brussels before our flight home will be plenty, but we might actually cut it back to the single night prior to our departure. So, we have 1-2 additional days to nail down.

We originally thought we'd spend 1 or 2 days in Amsterdam and the rest in The Hague since we will have a day and a half in Amsterdam on our ship. After reading other forums, I'm now considering adding Leiden and/or Utrecht as at least day trips. Some posters suggest spending all 4 nights in either of the two latter cities since the connections between Amsterdam, The Hague, Leiden and Utrecht are pretty short, easy train rides from one another. How have you allocated your 4 days in Amsterdam?

This may be of some use: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/brussels-and-waterloo

Welcome deb15july

You will get better and more specific answers to your question if you post again in your own subject line/thread

I would expect that a tour of Bastogne would be somewhat expensive from Brussels. It is a long way, at least a couple hours by car, then you need a good amount of time for a museum or two, some memorials, the "woods", a little time in Bastogne, and some lunch. It is easily a long day, 8-10 hours, maybe more. If a small or private tour, you are paying for one or two people for the day.

You mentioned 4 days in Amsterdam, how many for Belgium? As others are at least implying, there is lots to see, lots of charming towns, but you only have some many days. What, besides Bastogne interests you? Brussels does not get a lot of love, it is a big modern city, some charm in the old center, it does have some interesting museums, but I would call them niche, or specialty museums, not grand expansive art or history museums (topics like comics, musical instruments, Rene Magritte, Dutch Masters, to name a few) It can be great, if that is what you want, but if you expect something else, then there are options.

I would lean toward traveling to Bastogne, spend two nights, giving a full day for a local tour. Then head to Brussels if you find a list of things to do, if not committed, I will disagree with the Bruges group, and spend your time in Ghent, with a day trip to Brussels, and heck, why not, a day trip to Bruges to see what people are talking about. The issue I would have with Bruges, is that with limited time, you would need to spend it in Bruges, it wouldn't make sense to daytrip back to Brussels, or anywhere from Bruges.

Utrecht, stunning, visit, kastel de haar, amazing, been there 2 twice
Brugges if you enjoy open fire cooked meat,,eat at , Restaurant De Wijngaert, reservations a must.
Have eaten there 3 times, its the best, you wont understand what i mean till you eat there,
Costly