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What should we do in Belgium and Holland next August??

Posted by on

My family of four, kids 15 and 11, are flying in and out of Amsterdam in early August next year. Looking for some advice on what cities to make a home base in Belgium and how to split time. We only have 12 days, including our arrival day getting in about 1:00pm
It's too short of a trip to see everything, so I'm hoping to narrow things down a bit. We for sure want to visit Amsterdam and Bruges and spend one day at Plopsaland de Panne. Other areas that have piqued my interest include: Maastricht, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Ghent, Antwerp and/or Brussels, and my wife has an interest in WWII related sites, maybe Battle of the Bulge area?

I'm comfortable driving in Europe, but not sure it makes sense to rent a car for this trip.

TIA for any advice you can lend!

Posted by
43 posts

You may want a car for the Battle of the Bulge sites which are around Bastogne / Luxembourg. This area is not well-connected by rail and you would save yourselves a bus headache if you had a car for this portion. It might also help you because your destinations are so far-flung. If you are thinking about a base in Belgium then Ghent (or Brussels) would work well. I think you will be hard-pressed to do everything in 12 days, and I would prioritise Amsterdam, Utrecht, (pick up car), Maastricht, (Bastogne), Ghent, Bruges and then back to Amsterdam. I would give only half a day to Maastricht. Bastogne would repay a lot of time meandering, and so it might be easier to knock it out. I also would not worry about Plopsaland. It is aimed at much younger children, and while there are a few rides that are good for older children, in general I don't think this is a good use of sightseeing time when you have so little time on the ground. I have budgeted 2 days per location (a driving day, a sightseeing day) but even this plan is a squeeze to fit everything in.

Good luck, others may weigh in here with their opinions.

Lavandula

Posted by
444 posts

I have done the Battle of the Bulge area twice, both times with a rental car. The first time I focused on Bastogne...the second time areas further afield. in Belgium and Luxembourg Comments:
-I definitely think you need a rental car to see the Battle of the Bulge area.
-The battlefield covers far more than just Bastogne. However, if you do rent a car, given how many other things you plan to see in Belgium, you will have limited time and could focus on Bastogne....and I would also add visiting the monument to Easy Company (as portrayed in Band of Brothers) not far north of Bastogne. Here is a link:
https://www.liberationroute.com/pois/1160/easy-company-monument

Near Bastogne there is also a very sobering German Military Cemetery at Recogne. (Note; the American military cemetery for Battle of the Bulge graves is located in Luxembourg, not so close to Bastogne).
https://bulge1944.com/recogne-german-war-cemetery/

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