Berlin, Amsterdam, Belgium

Hi Lane,

I can answer 2 and 4 --

If you love trains, then definitely take the train from Berlin to Amsterdam. It's about 6 hours and yes, relaxing journey through pastoral countryside.

I've been to Berlin and Amsterdam in May and it was cool. It rained in Amsterdam sporadically so would plan sight-seeing accordingly (indoor sights on rainy days; use clear days for outdoor exploring). I think a week in Amsterdam only would be a bit much unless you did some day trips as well.

Todd

1) It's reasonable to stay in Berlin and visit the two other cities as a daytrip, but probably better to experience Dresden by staying there. Leipzig is a wonderful city, but unless you want to visit their zoo (probably the best in Germany), you can probably see it in one day as a daytrip.

2) The trip via train is easy enough that it would be my first option. You might get there slightly sooner by air (when you consider all the time you need to get to and from the airports and wait for your flight), but much more relaxing via train. I haven't ridden the train all the way between these two cities, but in general, scenery in northern Germany from a train tends to be not as striking as in the center and south.

3) Personal preference question.

4) Rain is likely at any time of year, although early fall tends to be a little drier. Heat waves, when they do occur, tend to occur in July or August, and they tend to only last a few days. Uncomfortable heat is uncommon, but not unheard of, in May and September. You have to balance the chances of heat against the scenery being duller and grayer in the cooler months.

You didn't say, but it sounds like it is your first time in each of these locations. They are well-chosen for 1-week stays, because there is enough to do within 40 minutes of each of them for (more than) a week. You didn't mention budget or luggage quantity, both of which affect the air/train decision. Note that you need a certain window to get the lowest-price of any of these tickets. Also note how many U.K. people on TripAdvisor-Belgium neglected to find out that the RyanAir flight (or whatever it is) to Belgium doesn't land anywhere near Bruges, where they wanted to go.

It makes no sense to include Leipzig and Dresden (both of which I loved) as day trips. They are too far, and there is way too much to do in and near Berlin. You'll visit Germany again. We spent three nights in Leipzig, three nights in Dresden and three nights in Weimar, and didn't do everything there is to do.

It's amazing how many great day-trips there are from Amsterdam. When you get tired of the crowds and dirt in Amsterdam, you'll find Delft, Leiden, Haarlem, and Amersfoort even nicer.

Try to think about why you would choose one of those Belgian cities. People burn up thousands of words here and on TripAdvisor debating which of them you should stay in. I almost don't want to write about it anymore.

It's not important for a first trip, but note that Open Monument Day for the Netherlands and part of Belgium falls at the beginning of September. Just don't overlook it if you're there at the right time.

Hi,

If you have a full week in Berlin, all 7 days, only then would I suggest doing a day trip each in Leipzig and Dresden, spending a greater portion of the day in each place. Both Leipzig and Dresden are well worth 3-5 days apiece depending on your level of cultural and historical interest, the deeper the interest, the more time to be set aside for the place.

1) the question is: why would you like to see Dresden and Leipzig? Don't get me wrong, they are both very interesting cities, but Leipzig feels like Berlin in small and doesn't offer real highlights (as long as you aren't interested in J.S. Bach). And Dresden offers a very small old town with some great buildings and many world-class museums, but you will already visit many world-class museums in Berlin, and I'm not sure if the very small old town of Dresden deserves 4 hours on the train. Dresden is a great base to explore the surroundings though.
7 days aren't that much for Berlin. Most people recommend at least 4, or 5 days with a trip to Potsdam. Potsdam offers not just Sanssouci but is surrounded by four more royal parks (New Garden, Babelsberg, Glienicke, Peacock Island). The old town is nice and unique (with Dutch, Russian and Bohemian quarters), and there are nice buildings everywhere. It's a huge, lovely park landscape.
You can easily spend 7 days in Berlin + Potsdam without getting bored. You just need a good book... an no, Rick Steves "Snapshot Berlin", isn't one. It only lists places in the centre, but not in the suburbs, like the Botanical Garden, Köpenick castle or the Gardens of the World. And if Berlin and Potsdam isn't enough I recommend to see Schwerin, which was the capital of a duchy. Schwerin offers a beautiful old town surrounded by lakes, a huge cathedral and a beautiful 19th century fantasy castle on an island.
2) the train mostly crosses the North German Plain, which isn't scenic. You pass a very interesting region however, the Harz mountains. They offer many completely preserved towns full of half-timbered houses. It's like a compact Romantic Road. The train stops at Hannover. From there it's only 1 hour to Goslar, which is a lovely medieval town and a World Heritage Site. From there you could see other gems like Quedlinburg or Wernigerode, or take a steam train up to the highest peak, the Brocken. I think it would be a good idea to spend a few days there. Here is a gallery with 130.000 pics of the region (have a look at Quedlinburg, Goslar, Wernigerode, Celle or Wolfenbüttel):
http://www.raymond-faure.com/indexharzenglish.htm
3. Personally, I would spend 7 days in Berlin, 4 days in the Harz mountains, 4 days in Amsterdam and 6 days in Belgium.
4. May or September.

Germany I haven't been to Leipzig. Dresden should be an overnight stay (or even 2 nights) because it is beautiful after dark and it's a long train ride from Berlin.

Flying from Berlin to Amsterdam isn't going to save much time after you factor in getting to the Berlin airport, security, checking luggage, etc. As Tim and Tom have pointed out, the train is usually going to be a better choice. Even if there's no scenery to enjoy, it's definitely more pleasant to be on a train than in an airport or on a plane. Buy some food and drink and have a picnic meal on the train. Bonus - there is less chance of a delay and your luggage is right there with you.

Netherlands Consider splitting the time between two cities if you want to do several day trips. The Hague is interesting, a 20-minute tram ride to Delft, easy to do day trips and hotels are considerably less expensive than Amsterdam.

Belgium I found Ghent to be a good base for Belgium since it's between Bruges and Brussels. I didn't have time for Antwerp. Ghent is lovely after dark and in generally less touristy than Bruges. And hotels there are considerably less expensive.

Weather is unpredictable any time of year. I was in The Hague in July and was glad to have fleece, gloves, hat, scarf, etc. the day I went to the seashore to watch the sunset.

Not knowing what your interests are, it's hard to give advice on allocating your time. I would add a day or two each to Germany and Netherlands, subtracting from Belgium. Take into account that on your first and possibly second days you will be feeling the effects of jetlag and long-haul flight and not up to doing a lot.

Hi,

On the Berlin-Amsterdam connection....I would suggest taking the early ICE train Berlin to Duisburg, transfer to Amsterdam, if you're going by day. Depending on when you are going, you may not have any choice but a day connection.

I'm a light jacket kind of person, too. I just returned from Belgium and found the weather to be a bit warmer than anticipated. It was about 65, but it's a strong sun at that latitude, and I found it a tad warm for my taste. Had I waited about three weeks until late October, it would probably have suited me better. As for rain, it's a damp part of the world year-round.