Hi, just wondering from the fellow members what your thoughts are on this? We are flying into Paris and leaving from Amsterdam. We could just do two places or try to squeeze in one more place. Is Bruges worth going out of the way for or missing days in one of the other cities?
How would you split the time?
Thank you
Remember that your first and last days and anytime you move from city to city are unproductive days.
If you've just got 6 days on the ground, you should spend your first 4 nights in Paris and move straight to Amsterdam for the balance of your time.
I'm sorry you don't have just a few more days, and then Bruges would be a good side trip--and not far out of the way.
Will you actually have 9 days, excluding your arrival and departure days? For me it's actually easier to plan by how many nights I will be in a location. How many nights will you be in Europe? If you have enough time it would be easy to do all three places. I did that trip in reverse, flying into Amsterdam and flying out of Paris. I did it over a 2 week trip. I would give Paris no less than 4 nights. It would be better with 5 nights, since your arrival day is usually not very productive. If you only have 8 nights, I would spend 5 in Paris and 3 in Amsterdam. If you have 9 nights and really want to see Bruges, you could spend 4 nights in Paris, 2 nights in Bruges and 3 nights in Amsterdam.
We will have 9 nights total! We will arrive at 11:10 am on the 17th and leave on the morning of the 26th!
Only you can decide if you want to sacrifice some time from Paris and Amsterdam. Is this your first trip to Europe? Seeing Bruges would give you a taste of a smaller city. I love Paris and can't imagine sacrificing time there. But that's just me... :-)
I think you will like Bruges, I would go for it, even if you only spend one night there.
Here's an option. You have to use one day anyway to travel from Paris to Amstedam. Well, extend your travel time by several hours by taking a detour to Brugge. Don't expect to be able to thoroughly explore every nook and cranny, or visit every museum (some of them are kind of dull anyway). But a few hours is enough to stroll around a little and get a decent overview of the inner city. Take Thalys to Brussels, then catch the next domestic Belgian train (NMBS) to Brugge. They run very frequently. Once you leave Brugge, ride NMBS to Antwerp, and take Thalys from there to Amsterdam. I'm not certain, but you should be able to purchase your entire route on one ticket.
I agree with those suggesting you take a bit of time for Bruges. I found it charming and it will give a little variety to your trip. Two big cities and a taste of a smaller town.
I think you can have a great time either way. Brugge is fun and is feasible though at the expense of time in two much greater places.
However with only 8 effective days on the ground it wouldn't be my choice.
Have fun either way!
