seeking input from others who have been to these places

I’m not sure why you would split nights between Brussels Bruges and Ghent. I’d stay in one and day trip to the others.

Your trip from Bruges to Mont -Saint Michel is 10 hours by train. Do you plan to fly? Bayeux to Amsterdam is 8 hours by train. Are you flying?
Stay in Amsterdam and train the 25 min to day trip to Haarlem.
I’d probably cut a couple of cities and stay longer in fewer spots. You are spending a lot of time just getting from place to place.

This sounds like a great trip! Spring ‘25, my husband and I did 45 nights/13 hotels that included several of your same locations - Utrecht/Netherlands, Bayeux/Normandy, Vienna, Prague. All independent; no organized tours or cruises.

Before making any specific recommendations for hotels, tours etc, I’m going to suggest tightening up the number of hotel moves. I apologize in advance if I’m misunderstanding your itinerary. For the independent travel portion of your trip (minus the river cruise) I think I’m counting 23 or 25 nights with 13 hotel changes. Am I reading that correctly? If so, that’s a fast pace with a lot of one and two nighters. That may be your preferred style, in which case feel free to disregard my idea. I’d suggest consolidating your Belgium leg to one base location and day trip to the other cities. We’ve been to the three on your list. On two separate trips we successfully based in one and day tripped from there to the others. Bruges, Ghent and Brussels all have something to recommend them as a base. Ghent is between Brussels and Bruges so I might choose that.

Same with the Netherlands I’d choose one base city. They’re all so close to one another any of the three would work. Logistically Amsterdam might make the most sense since it’s most convenient to both Haarlem and Utrecht for day trips.

For hotel recommendations, if you give us your budget per night in euros that will help narrow down suggestions.

Just a few opinions, which are worth what you paid for them.

1. Rather than staying at 3 different locations in Belgium, better to pick one and take trains for day trips to the others. We stayed in Ghent and day-tripped to Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp. Don't leave Antwerp off your list; it's fascinating.

2. Same recommendation for the Netherlands. Utrecht is very central and considerably less expensive than Amsterdam, but the big city is also an excellent headquarters.

3. I don't understand the attraction of Hallstatt (didn't care for it or its tourist crush), but it's easy to make it a day trip from Salzburg.

4. Not sure why you're backtracking to Normandy from Belgium before proceeding to Amsterdam, but maybe it's cheaper to fly to Brussels from Istanbul than to Paris.

Can't help with Istanbul, sorry. Enjoy the river cruise!

Except for the river cruise, it seems like you are going to be spending half your time in train stations and airports, or on trains or planes.

I would ask, what is your purpose in spending a half day in some of these places?

Planning a schedule and then figuring out what to do is backwards. You should figure out your reason for going to these places and only then figure out how much time you need in each place.
Unless you really enjoy trains and planes, it seems like you are wasting an awful lot of time.

I hope this doesn't come across as rude, it's just my honest opinion.

The places you want to visit in the Netherlands are a very short train ride away from each other. I would not go thru the hassle of checking out and in hotels on a daily basis, only to move to someplace really close.
I also think you’re short changing Amsterdam. Unless you have a very compelling reason to go to Utrecht, I would spend that day in Amsterdam.

I also don't understand this illogical backtracking of going from Belgium to Mont Saint-Michel / Normandy and then heading back north to Amsterdam.

It's not feasible in 4 nights (3 days) unless you plan on only visiting train stations, and even then, it's not guaranteed to work.

sandy,
The other forum members are offering good suggestions. I agree that you can stay in one city in Belgium and the Netherlands and do day trips from them, to give you more time to actually see and experience the cities involved.
Also, can you fly to Paris through Istanbul (a great city...glad your will experience some of it!), instead of Brussels, and head to Mont St. Michel and Bayeux from Paris, and then go to Belgium and the Netherlands? You will avoid a couple of days wasted in transit back and forth from Bayeux/Mt. St. Michel. I understand you will need to be in Amsterdam for the start of your cruise, but getting there from Belgium is much easier than from Bayeux.
Just something to think about.

sandy....Another thought. Do some checking of train/plane routes and schedules for your transit days. Perhaps look at a map of Europe to get an understanding of distances involved. That may help you to clarify your routing.
Also, I would skip Hallstat as well, and add that day to Vienna. You can easily spend a full five days there, so give it plenty of time.

I do like your ambition :) and destinations, but maybe it's just the way it is presented, but seems like way too much hotel swapping. But that could be me misreading the format.

For example (and mentioned above), Brussels/Ghent/Bruges should better be visited as 3 locations over 5 days but only ONE hotel. Arrive in Brussels, unpack for the next 5 nights, and see those three cities. Same with the Netherlands - Haarlem/Amsterdam/Utrecht w/ 3 nights in Amsterdam. I'd actually swap out Utrecht for the Hague or a second full day in Amsterdam.

And I love Salzburg (and Hallstatt was "interesting"), but I don't think I would do the Budapest->Vienna->Salzburg->Hallstatt->back to Vienna. I'd skip Salzburg and Hallstatt, and add the time to Vienna and/or Budapest (or add Bratislava?). Save Salzburg for If you visit Munich or Western Austria on a later trip.

My goal would be trying to minimize the hotel check-ins/outs and the long distance train/car travel by sticking to a central spot as much as possible.

Thank you all for taking time to respond with your wonderful insight and suggestions. We have decided to change our plans based on your feedback and reverse our starting point from Brussels to Paris and pick up train connection in Paris to Mont St Michel and Bayeux for the Normandy beaches. I took Rick's recommendation on my trip in 2024 and spent one night on Mont St MIchel to enjoy it without all the crowds. I used Overload tours for the Normandy areas, but someone else suggested a different tour group. Unfortunately I cant find the name. Anyone have a tour guide they would recommend for Normandy?

Several of you suggested staying in one place rather than moving from Brussels-Ghent and Bruges. We want to spend evenings and mornings in those cities to enjoy with less crowds, thus the decision not to stay in just the one spot. We have been to Amsterdam a few times and have seen many of the sights there. Our first RS tour was the 21 day "Best of Europe" back in 2005 and we loved staying in Haarlem. We prefer the smaller cities thus going from Amsterdam to Haarlem and Utrecht. Your feedback has been very valuable- this trip is very much still in planning stages and I appreciate everyone's input.
I am trying to nail dates and places down as I see some of my first choice hotels are already full. I am realizing many people have planned much more in advance then me. Happy travels to all and feel free to keep suggestions coming.

Take a look at heading straight to Salzburg from Budapest. Then wrap-up in Vienna. Saves a tiny bit time and one less check-in.

not to stay in just the one spot

I understand this perspective. On thing that I do to assist me in short stays in a city is to pack using compression bags and have specific bags prepared for each city. Check-in, open the case and pull out my toiletries and one compression bag with tomorrow's clothes. A few minutes at the end of the day to pack worn clothing into a laundry compression bag. When I do laundry during the trip I then repack for the next set of cities.

And, let me just say the your decision to spend a night in MSM rather than just day-tripping is spot on. It is one place where a day is enough to see it and you get so much more by having dinner, spending the evening, then enjoying the quiet of the morning.

Have you been to the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam? It's an under visited site that, IMO, provides an interesting perspective on both maritime history and the history of the Netherlands.

Finally, have you checked with Ama on any ebike options for excursions.

We were very happy with HQ Company tour for Normandy. My son used them last year and they thought they were very good also. We were based in Bayeau.

sandy....Not to ignore Istanbul......We were thrilled with our time in Istanbul when we went on an Insight Tour in Turkey. You willonly have 2 1/2 days there. What I would try not to miss: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, Istiklal Street (for a wander and maybe a stop for lunch), the ancient Kariye Mosque and the Roman Cistern. The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (where we attended Easter Sunday mass) is beautiful , and has been visited by 4 popes). Try to arrange your touring geographically and you can see a lot. The oldest parts of the city are gathered in a relatively small(ish) area. Maybe get a tour guide for the day(s). The trams are efficient for getting around, but crowded during rush hours. If you take a taxi, be sure to settle on a price ahead of time as there are some who would rip you off. A guide will take the transportation concerns off your shoulders and be more efficient.. Get your hotel to arrange for a taxi if departing from there. Maybe a short cruise on the Bosporus.....
Foods we loved in Turkiye.... tea, honey, apricots, pistachios, hazelnuts, kofte, various flatbreads, kebabs, pide (especially topped like a pizza). I don't eat fish, but the grilled fish there is said to be terrific. Bacon there is not pork, naturally, and is a poor substitute, so I wouldn't bother if it is on your hotel's breakfast buffet. Enjoy the lamb!

Turkish Air is one of the airlines we have enjoyed the most in economy class. You should really enjoy Business class if our experience in economy is anything to go by.

Bacon there is not pork, naturally

Color me uninformed. After reading this, I researched and discovered 98% of Turks are Muslim believers. I had figured that, as the longtime center of the eastern Christian Church, Istanbul and Turkiye would be more diverse. Just another example of how this forum spurs learning.

Judy thanks for all your suggestions and specifically for all the tips for Turkey.

Jkh I like your suggestion to go straight to Salzburg rather than Vienna - saves backtracking. And I do the packing cubes but usually separate them into all tops/ bottoms etc. Your idea of doing specific days outfits is genius and with the amount of moving we will be doling that will simplify the organization.

Gail I am investigating tours with HQ company thank you for that suggestion.

Once again thank you everyone for taking the time to share you helpful thoughts.

your idea of doing specific days outfits is genius

Thank you. If only everyone who has responded to my posts felt the same way...