Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris in 7 days

Brooke, my wife and I just took that exact trip (in that order) over 7 days in June. We stayed at AirBnB places in Amsterdam and Paris, and only stayed in Brussels for a few hours between trains on our way from Amsterdam to Paris. I would recommend AirBnb if you're interested - they have good options at all price points. Not much of anything is cheap in Paris of course (Amsterdam is much more affordable). Happy travels.

Thanks Steve for your response.

Yes, I am finding Paris isn't very budget friendly.

How did you travel from Amsterdam to Paris? Which train did you use and did you buy any sort of pass or just the ticket itself?
Anything that I just shouldn't miss on my trip?
Thanks again =)
-Brooke

With only a week, I'd suggest skipping Brussels. Fly into either Amsterdam or Paris, and back from the other ("open jaw" or "multi-city" on airline search engines) to save backtracking. Get between the cities with the high-speed Thalys train in a little over 3 hours, not expensive if you buy your ticket (and commit to that train) several months ahead. See "Travel Tips" on this website for more about trains. No use for any kind of pass as far as train is concerned.

Thalys is the train service you should be looking at ... https://www.thalys.com/be/en/

Day 1-3 Paris
Day 4 Brussels
Day 5-6 Amsterdam

I like these 3 hostels in Paris ...
Young and Happy http://www.youngandhappy.fr/index.php
Oops! http://www.oops-paris.com/en_plan.htm
St Christopher's Canal https://www.st-christophers.co.uk/paris-hostels/canal

I would not skip Brussels. The Grand Place is one the of greatest plazas in Europe. But with such short time for three cities, I would just spend a day there. Take a morning train to Brussels, eat lunch on the Grand Place and explore around the center for a few hours and then take the train on to Paris.

Definitely take the high-speed Thalys trains. While more expensive they cut the travel time by half. Time will be more valuable to you on a short trip. Pre-book the trains. Thalys arrives/departs from Brussels Midi Station - you'll need to take a short connection to Brussels Central Station to be close to the Grand Place.

A good source of inexpensive hotels is EuroCheapo: http://www.eurocheapo.com. In addition to their specific hotel listings, look at their neighborhood descriptions, sightseeing tips, etc. For example, here's a great overview of what you should know before booking an Amsterdam hotel (even if it's not a "cheap" one): http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/amsterdam-hotel-advice.html