Itinerary suggestions London, Brussels, Amsterdam and Ireland in 14 days

Happy anniversary...

You look a bit like kids in a candy store - there's so much to see and so little time to see it all.

I hope you don't mind me saying that you are spreading yourselves a bit thin. 3 nights in London means only 2 full days - you won't even scratch the surface.

Half a day or less in Brussels after checking out, getting to St Pancras, checking in an hour before your train, 2:03 on the Eurostar, lose an hour to the time zone, finding your Brussels hotel, checking in and freshening up ... do you see what I mean?

Same again the next day, and then the trip to Amsterdam is a good half day again when all is said and done.

So you are spending the same amount of time, just about, in Amsterdam as you are in London, which has so much more to see and is so much bigger.

If you go to fewer places and spend more in depth time at each you may get more out of the trip.

I'm afraid that at your projected speed it will be a little like the Griswolds.

Thank you Nigel. To add time in London, would you do away with the night in Brussels, do away with a night in Amsterdam, or both?

I agree with Nigel. A little too much for 14 days and too much time spent in transit relative to sightseeing. If it were me, I would drop Ireland and add three or four nights to London (giving you time to do a day trip) and the rest to Belgium. An alternative is to split your time between Ireland and London.

Nigel is right, "your eyes are bigger than your stomach" or "you're trying to stuff 10 pounds of sugar into a 5 pound bag" or (insert your metaphor of choice here).

In 14 days, you have to limit what you see. I know because I usually only get 10 nights, and so my trips are usually only to a few places each time. There's always more to see even if you had 14 weeks or 14 months, but since you don't:

1) Remember that two nights in a place equals one full day, and one night gives you less than a full day.
2) Remember that every time you change places, you lose at least a half day (check out, get to station, wait for train, take train, get from station to hotel). And that's for close together places, like London and Brussels. For longer ones (like a flight to Ireland) you lose a good part of a day.
3) Less is more. A day in Amsterdam and a day in Brussels (even if they were full days) is usually less rewarding that two days in one of them, unless you have a single must-see sight on a city (in which case a "surgical strike" at that sight on a quick visit can be worthwhile).
4) I haven't been to Ireland, but those who have universally emphasize how much more time it takes to get anywhere then they expected (small and winding roads simply don't allow for fast travel).

What to cut and what to keep? That's up to you, as there is no right or wrong answer. For me, I can say that Brussels is a relatively uninspiring city, so I'd definitely skip that to add time somewhere else. But that still has you moving too much and losing too much time in transit. To minimize this, I'd either:

1) Drop Ireland, and spend more time in London, Belgium and Holland;
2) Drop London, and just see Belgium, Holland and Ireland;
3) Drop Belgium and Holland, and see London (and possibly more of England) and Ireland.

Each of these will make a very nice 14 night trip that you'll remember fondly, instead of saying "next time we'll plan it better."

And since you've never been outside the US, don't underestimate the adjustment you will have, both to traveling in Europe in general, plus to each locality and its variations. If you keep your current plan, a good part of your 3 days in London will be spent getting used to all kinds of differences; just when you feel comfortable with these, you'll be leaving for somewhere else, only to leave for a third place the next day. This adjustment process will make it more tiring than the travel alone would be.

Anyway you go, flying into Dublin from the U.S. is often cheaper than flying into the other airports listed. And you can get to virtually anywhere in Europe cheap (or down to London) from Dublin on RyanAir.

And flying back to the U.S. from London Heathrow comes with additional taxes/tariffs.

You should consider staying on one side or the other of the English Channel if you're limited to 14 nights.

Agree with others as I think it is too much. Since you want to end up in Ireland, I would fly open jaw into London for four days, train to Edinburgh for three nights and then discount airline such as Easyjet to Dublin for two days and then rent car to tour south and west of Ireland and home from Shannon. Whatever you decide, once you have your plans set, come back with a post of what to see and do in each destination. Good luck whatever you decide.

Agree that your pace is too fast if you want to have quality time in each place.
Here's a sample of what your travel could be by eliminating 1 country and 1 night stays.

Itinerary: London-Belgium-Netherlands: London 4-5, Bruges 4-5; Amsterdam 4-5
Day 1: Fly to London
Day 2-Day 5/Day 6: London will be 3-4 full days which allows time for 1 side trip.
Day 6/Day 7: Train London to Bruges by Eurostar; early Pancreas departure puts you in Bruge by 130 pm. Transfer. Check In. Settle into hotel, new country.
Day 6- Day 9/Day10: Bruges will be 3-4 full days. Allows time for side trips (WWI tour, Ghent, Brussels)
Day 10 Train to Amsterdam
Day 10-Day 14: Amsterdam 4 full days allows time for side trips into countryside.
Day 15: Fly Home from Amsterdam Schiphol

Planning is part of the experience. Follow your heart where you want to travel the most. Check your wallet. Draft a few outlines. Decide.

Congratulations on your Annversary!

Thank you all for the helpful information. I think we have decided to eliminate London. My husband has always wanted to go to Ireland and I'm really excited about Belgium and The Netherlands. Back to the drawing board! :)