France, Belgium & Netherlands trip

What are your interests? There are a million and one places you could potentially visit in each of these countries but you've given us nothing to help us help you. You mention the beaches in Normandy. I assume you mean you are interested in the WWII D-Day sites and not playing in the surf, but if you're more interested in a beach holiday, there are far better places than Normandy. Give us something to go on!

I haven't traveled around Belgium in decades, so take this with that in mind... but personally, I'd skip Antwerp. Bruges (wow!) and Ghent are more charming. Off the beaten track, I enjoyed a trip to Bouillon in the Ardennes and the big castle there, built by the guy who led the first Crusade. In the Netherlands -- you may consider staying outside of Amsterdam and just taking the train in for a couple of sightseeing days, as that city has gotten so, so busy/packed with tourists. Utrecht is a great university town with lots of students, cafes on the river/canal...really good energy. Haarlem and Leiden are also very charming and close to AMS. Delft is a must. One thing to look into is that Dutch towns each have one evening a week where the shops stay open late and everyone is out and about after work, hanging out on the town square. I would plan your visits to various towns around those days. It's fun.

Wow, thank you for quick replies! My sister & I plan to fly from Seattle to London on May 1, and return flying from Amsterdam back to Seattle on May 30. Our first stop will be Bletchley Park for a day and a half, and then we'll take the train to Lille. After that our plans are pretty loose. We aren't interested in beaches, other than the Normandy WWII sites. We're thinking of spending five days in Normandy, based in Bayeux. Lille is the only place we'll rent a car (to see Normandy beaches); otherwise will depend on public transportation. We aren't big on museums -- have seen enough ancient history and art from other trips -- and prefer to spend time wandering the towns we visit and getting a taste of the culture, the cuisine -- and of course, in France, the wines! We'll drop off our car in Lille and head for Belgium, so far planning on maybe 4 nights in Bruges, and 2 in Antwerp with side trips to Ghent and anywhere else someone might recommend. Our time in the Netherlands is up in the air. We were planning on 2-3 nights in Delft, (day trip to Utrecht), and 4-5 nights in Haarlem with side trips to Amsterdam and Arnault, but after looking at the cost of AirBNBs in those places, we're considering instead setting up base in Alkmaar and visiting those other places as side trips. Does that seem reasonable? We could also cut our time in Netherlands short by a couple of days if there are things more worth seeing in northern France and/or Belgium.

Lille is worth a visit and you can do that before picking up the car. On the way to Normandy worth visiting are the two main squares of Arras and Amiens for it’s cathedral and surrounding streets.

Further Rouen and nearby charming Lyons-la-Fôret. West of Rouen the abbeys of Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville and Jumièges. You can cross the Seine there with the free ferry and drive further to the A13 tollroad.

Honfleur, scenic road along the coast to Trouville / Deauville. Beuvron-en-Auge. Visiting one of cider/calvados distelleries there in the region.

In Belgium are Mechelen and Leuven worth a visit. The first easy on the way with the local train from Brussels to Antwerp. Brewery Cantillon in Brussels or Het Anker in Mechelen.

The Netherlands forum has lots of info about what to see and do. For instance the Open Air Museum near Arnhem. Museums there about Operation Market Garden. Alkmaar is a bit out of the way for daytrips, unless you want to explore the region north of Amsterdam. To my opinion Utrecht is more central located for daytrips, but you can base yourself a few nights in one of the lovely places like Deventer and Zutphen along the IJssel river north of Arnhem.

Read a few guide books what to expect, no worry spending the days in the three countries.
Btw, where is Arnault?

Great information! Thank you!

Oops -- "Arnaud" was my mistake. Misheard Arnhem -- silly me!

For an overview of interesting places you can use the Michelin roadmaps. I use for France those with a yellow cover (Departements) and are much more detailed than those with a red cover and very usuable for exploring the countryside. Places of interest are indicated with stars with a maximum of three for the mustsees. Together with the green lined scenic roads and the suggested itineraries you can stitch together the daytrips. The yellow cover roadmaps are easy to get for around €7 in France in gaz stations and supermarkets. Better to have them already at home for planning ahead. For the area around Caen and Bayeux I use Michelin yellow Departements nr. 303 / Calvados, Manche and for Rouen nr. 304 / Eure, Seine-Maritime.

Googling best or most beautiful places in…. You get a wealth of information.
Btw What about Étretat and Château Gaillard east of Rouen with it's stunning view with the Seine river and Andelys at the background?

I like Antwerp a lot, but it’s a very big city rather than a smallish place like Bruges. The historic centre is stunning, and I liked the vibe of the city as a whole (and the train station is a must-see) but it’s big and noisy and full-on. It’s very different to Brussels and makes a great contrast.

I’m a big fan of the Netherlands and I agree with Utrecht as a recommendation to stay in. A beautiful charming town with a great sense of life about it - plus a big modern railway station right in the middle of town and you can get almost everywhere in the Netherlands for a day trip with just the tap of a contactless card (I’ve enjoyed Gouda, Leiden and Delft).