Belgium-Netherlands: Initial Plan Thoughts

We spent 11 days in Netherlands/Belgium/France in October and loved it. Here's my Trip Report if you're interested.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-netherlands-belgium-and-a-personally-important-weekend-in-france

What are your interests? My main focus for Belgium and France were the WW1 sites and it didn't disappoint. We spent 5 days in Bruges which was a good base. With more time I would have spent a couple of extra days in Ghent. We liked Amsterdam but loved Leiden, and next time we're in the area we'll likely base there instead and train into Amsterdam if there's something we want to see.

TY Allan for the feedback. I will look into those towns you mentioned. My interests are varied. Museums (Anne Frank for one), history, WWI/WW2. food, walking, coffee, a beer now and then, minor gift shopping for kids/grandkids, the overall Vibe of a place, seashore, accommodations don't need to be fancy, just safe and comfortable. Will be travelling solo, 69 years in good shape.

I did Belgium and the Netherlands in 2016. Flew into Brussels. Stayed 3 nights in Ghent, 2 nights in Antwerp, 2 nights in Delft, and 5 nights in Amsterdam. Flew out of Amsterdam (to Oslo; I continued the trip in Norway).

I traveled by train throughout. On arrival in Brussels, I spent a few hours there before continuing on to Ghent. I did a day trip from Ghent to Bruges, and from there I rented a bike and rode along the canal to Damme. Also went back to Brussels to see some museums I didn't have time for on my arrival day. Direct train from Ghent to Antwerp. From Antwerp to Delft, I stopped for a few hours to explore Rotterdam.

I took day trip from Delft to The Hague, mainly to visit the Mauritzhuis. Then, on the train from Delft to Amsterdam, I stopped for a few hours in Leiden.

In Amsterdam, I did one day trip to Haarlem. And I did a bus trip to Hoorn and Edam.

Over the years I've been on this forum, I've probably seen more disagreement about favorite places in these two countries than anywhere else in Europe. This is especially true of Belgium. Personally, I found Bruges to be postcard pretty but otherwise not interesting. But I know many others love it. As for Leiden, I thought it was nice for a stop and walkabout, but that seemed sufficient to me. I loved being in Amsterdam, and could easily see myself spending weeks there.

The good thing about these two countries is they are both small enough and have excellent bus and train networks, so you can base yourself anywhere and see as much as you have time for. Since you have about twice as much time as I had, you will easily be able to explore these two countries in some depth without feeling any time crunch.

I stayed the better part of a September week in Bruges and day tripped to the coast. I rather wish I had done it the other way around. The train between Bruges and Ostend is easy, and there is a tram that runs the length of the coast. Near the west end is the Atlantikwall Museum, which is in the old German bunkers. Very interesting. A little further along, in France, is Dunkirk. I don't know if there is anything to see there. East of Ostend is DeHaan, a resort town with a lot of Belle Epoque architecture, restaurants, charm. The beach was quite windy when we were there, but that didn't stop us. The season was definitely over by September, but things were still open.
Depending on the age of your grandkids, two suggestions for gifts from Amsterdam: you can have a personalized chocolate bar made at Tony's (takes some planning), and for little ones, a book and maybe some mice from the Sam and Julia Shop, aka the Mouse Museum.

I did an early October, 12 night, solo trip to Netherlands and Belgium. I was in my 70s and used trains. I spent 5 nights in Amsterdam and could have enjoyed more time. I then based in Ghent for 4 nights with a full day trip to Bruges, and a six hour stop in Antwerp on my way from Ghent to Leiden. I ended with 3 nights in Leiden with day trips to Den Hague and Delft. Amazing art in museums and some churches was part of my focus but may not be your priority. With more time, I would have added Brussels and a little more time in Antwerp. I did not go to any of the WWI sites. Train travel was very easy. Belgium has a great train deal for over 65. For Amsterdam, it is critical to get Anne Frank museum tickets when they become available, about 6 weeks in advance. Advanced tickets are also needed for the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam but probably a week ahead is ok.

Because you like museums, I recommend that you don't overlook the multiple museums in Antwerp that may interest you. It's a much larger city than Ghent or Bruges, and has correspondingly larger museums. The KMSKA is a world-class art museum.

Brussels is not a favorite of mine, but the unified Ancient/Modern Art museum is good for a full day, if you wanted to see that much, and the Bozar has very interesting shows. There are other good, specialized museums in Brussels too. Don't spend time on the European Parliament unless you are interested in current politics.

Advanced topic: Usually a weekend in September contains Open Monument Days (perhaps Sept 11-12, 2026?). This would be called "Open-Days New York", for example, in the US. It includes mostly places that are NOT usually open to the public, but places are limited. Here is the NL site, because it's in English. https://www.openmonumentendag.nl/english-summary/
In past years, the Belgium site was (?) only in Dutch.

I recommend Lonely Planet for detailed research. September is past beach season, but I went to Ostende to see the tomb and family church of the pretty famous painter James Ensor. (His home/GIFT SHOP was less attractive.) I used a tram line along the beachfront that goes on to include a few war waterfront sites.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/belgium/day-trips-from-brussels-768c7c85-75b9-4374-ad13-ae36967bc521

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/belgium/day-trips-from-brussels-besides-bruges-and-ghent

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands/day-trips-from-delft

If you find you have a few days left over, note that Brussels is very well connected to Cologne, if too far for a daytrip. And if you're in eastern Netherlands, Cologne is quite close. We started a NL (rental car) road trip by flying to Cologne. Back then it didn't cost much extra to return in Amsterdam.

In the summer of 2024 we spent one week apiece in Belgium and Netherlands. Selected Ghent and Utrecht as our two headquarters cities, and we'd make the same plan again. If anyone is visiting in July, don't miss Feesten in Ghent. It's a blast!

Getting around these two smallish nations by train is very easy. Enjoy your trip!