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Need help filling in remainder of Netherlands and Belgium itinerary

Posted by (Philadelphia, PA) on

Hi

My wife and I have a trip planned at the end of August and start of September to the Netherlands and Belgium. Our itinerary is planned around a 6 day cycling trip that starts in Amsterdam and ends in Bruges (https://www.backroads.com/trips/BNBI/holland-belgium-biking-tour). We then fly out of Amsterdam at the end of our trip.

Once we finish the tour in Bruges (Aug 31) I'm not sure where to go next, before heading back to Amsterdam (Sep 6.) From everything I've heard, Brussels is only worth a day, or at most. We want to attend the last post ceremony in Ypres and visit some WW1 sites/museums.

My wife and I haven't been to Paris for over 10 years and the train connection seems really quick, but we're leaning towards visiting some other interesting places in Belgium, or on our way back to Amsterdam.

Our Interests

Photography, beer, good food, history, and architecture. Quirky stuff is good too. We had a ball exploring the abandoned Zeljava airbase (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDeljava_Air_Base) when we visited Plitvice Lakes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plitvice_Lakes_National_Park) in Croatia. We'd also be up for day trips by bike in other places if that's a good way to see it. Ideally, we'd travel longer distances by train, but if a car rental is the most efficient option we can do that.

Current Itinerary

Thu, Aug 23
Fly to AMS

Fri, Aug 24
Arrive early to AMS
Overnight in Amsterdam

Sat, Aug 25
Overnight in Amsterdam

Sun, Aug 26
Start bike tour (to Santpoort)

Mon, Aug 27
Bike tour (The Hague)

Tue, Aug 28
Bike tour (The Hague)

Wed, Aug 29
Bike tour (Brugge)

Thu, Aug 30
Bike tour (Brugge)

Fri, Aug 31 [Need accommodation]
End bike tour (at Brugge station)

Sat, Sep 1 [Need accommodation]
Sun, Sep 2 [Need accommodation]
Mon, Sep 3 [Need accommodation]
Tue, Sep 4 [Need accommodation]
Wed, Sep 5 [Need accommodation]

Thu, Sep 6
Overnight in Amsterdam

Fri, Sep 7
Overnight in Amsterdam

Sun, Sep 8
Fly home from AMS

Thanks in advance!

Posted by
5687 posts

There are a lot of little towns you could hit on the way back to Amsterdam. I visited Delft for a night and loved it, but you will be nearby in The Hague on the way down.

Ghent near Bruges is really lovely - and likely to be a bit less touristy than the Disneyland crowded experience Bruges is likely to be in August (at least in the daytime).

Many people like Antwerp also but I didn't really care for it. It does have a couple of worthy museums, however, including at least one that has opened since I visited a few years ago.

Near Brussels, I also really enjoyed a day trip to the town of Leuven.

You could head over to Luxembourg for a few days. Luxembourg City was not my favorite city but is worth a visit - and the countryside in the tiny countryside is lovely, with some cute little towns like Vianden. You could make your way over to Trier, Germany, up the Mosel, work your way back to Amsterdam.

You could visit all of these places by train mostly or by bus.

But with a week, you could go anywhere, even fly somewhere and just fly back to Amsterdam on the way back. Really depends if you can find enough of interest to see in Belgium for an extra week.

Posted by
3551 posts

I would fill in with owns, villages in Netherlands. Ck Haarlem, Delft, Eindoven, Edam all great to visit.
Stay in Delft or Haarlem as lodging will be more reasonable than AMS.

Posted by
2487 posts

You'll have seen enough of the western parts of the Netherlands. Go east and base yourself for a few days in one of the cities along the river IJssel. Kampen, Zwolle, Deventer and Zutphen are all interesting former Hansa cities, and perfect as a base to explore the region. The stations will have a bicycle rental, and you can always take your bicycle on the train (ticket EUR 6, valid all day).
It's a relatively long journey from Brugge, but once there Schiphol airport is just 1 hr away.
In Belgium I have a weak spot for Mechelen: almost totally overlooked by its nearby neighbours Antwerpen and Brussel, it is a nice, quiet historical city.

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