12 nights in Europe - Itinerary Feedback

What time is your departing flight from Brussels?

We would leave at 11:35am. A lot earlier than i thought!

I’m inclined to leave Amsterdam for a future trip.

Sunday - Fly out on a direct flight to London (Heathrow)
Monday - Arrive London (4 nights)
Friday - Eurostar to Paris (5 nights)
Wednesday - Thalys to Brussels (3 nights)
Thursday - Day to Bruges
Friday - Day to Ghent or Antwerp
Saturday - Fly out from Brussels

You need to find out how early you need to get to the airport for your departure. In Paris it's 3 hours. I've never been to Brussels.

Every time you change locations figure it will take you a minimum of a half day to leave one lodging, get to your train, proceed to new location, then get to your new lodging. If your heart isn't set on Amsterdam and if you don't care about seeing Brussels you might consider 5 nights in London, 5 nights in Paris (you won't come close to running out of things to do in either location), and 2 nights in Brussels. On your full day in Brussels you could do a day trip to Bruges. If you really want to go to Amsterdam I think you will need to spend your last night in Brussels and save Bruges for another trip.

Arriving in London jet lagged on the Monday morning only gives you 2 full days in London, which isn’t long and there is plenty to see.

I too would be tempted to focus on London and Paris. (I am in the camp that says Brussels is the dullest city in Europe). You could take day trips from both cities, although November isn’t the best time to see the countryside. It will be dark around 5pm.

Having made many trips to London , Paris and Amsterdam, I have to agree with the other posters. With 11 full days on the ground you could put together a really nice trip, splitting your time between Paris and London with enough time to do a day trip or two from each city.
I'd suggest sitting down with a guidebook for each and list out what sights, activities most appeal to you. That should help you determine how many days to spend in each city. In general, I usually "plan" something in the morning and something in the afternoon (unless it's a day trip).Since you are using FF miles, fly into/out of London - the Eurostar makes getting between Paris and London a breeze so you won't lose too much time in transit.
Finally, here are a few suggestions for you:
London Walks is fabulous - www.londonwalks.com - great way to see parts of London you'd probably not get to. No reservation needed, just show up at the appointed time and Tube station.
Paris Walks - same as above.
Websites: for Paris, check out www.davidlebovitz.com. David's an expat living in Paris and former pastry chef from Chez Panisse. His recommendations for restaurants, boulangeries, etc., etc. have always been spot on - and he's funny so the "research" is enjoyable!!
Good luck and congratulations!!!

If you arrive really early in London, you could take Eurostar to Paris straight off and start your vacation there. It's an easy train ride from Paris to Amsterdam, and then you could finish your trip in London.

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Amsterdam/London

Thanks for the replies! This has been really helpful. I think we will skip Bruges and Amsterdam in favor of more nights in London/Paris.

I think that is your best option.