To the beach or not to the beach

Is this your first trip to Europe? To me you don't even have time for London much less beaches. I think you'll have to make some decisions on what's a priority for you all. Remember that 2 nights = 1 full day to tour a location. You'll lose at least 1/2 a day every time you move cities. Brussels to London and back will shoot a good part of 2 days even on the Eurostar. Amsterdam to Paris will consume most of another day.

Here's what I would do, but this might not be what you want to do, lol!!

1 Is this your arrival day? I would probably overnight in Bruges or Ghent
2 Overnight Bruges or Ghent
3 Overnight Amsterdam
4 Overnight Amsterdam
5 Day trip to Haarlem or somewhere else nearby. Overnight Amsterdam
6 Overnight Amsterdam
7 Fast train to Paris. Overnight Paris
8 Overnight Paris
9 Overnight Paris
10 Day trip to Versailles, Chartres or Giverny. Overnight Paris
11 Overnight Paris or back to Brussels
12 Overnight Brussels
13 Depart Brussels

Have you been to any of these destinations before? When are you travelling? What time of day do you arrive and depart from Brussels?

With only 12 days, three destinations will be pushing it and five is impossible. You are going to lose half a day door to door each time you change destination, so that's 2.5 days out of your 12 day schedule.

London and Paris are world class cities that each merit 5 days minimum. London, Paris, Amsterdam and the south of France are all expensive destinations.

London and the south of France are the geographical outliers. It would have been easier if you had booked open jaw tickets, as you will lose half a day getting back to Brussels (IMO the dullest city in Europe).

Night 1 Brussels to get over jet lag. Day 2 take the train to Amsterdam for 4 nights/3 days. Take the train to Paris or fly for 6 nights including a day trip to Versailles. Take the train back to Brussels for your last night.

OR Brussels 1 night, London 5 nights, Paris 5 nights, Brussels 1 night.

If you want beach time, with a guarantee of good weather, there are none close to Paris, London or Amsterdam, so then cover Brussels - Paris- France (La Rochelle to Royan coast is better value than southern France) - Brussels.

The best deals on the Eurostar trains are available 6 months out. Flights in Europe - best prices are c 8 months out.

You are going to be pushed to find good value beach accommodation if you are travelling this summer, as the best places will have been taken months ago.

I would go directly to Amsterdam by train. That way do some basic reconnaissance in the afternoon and then wake up the next morning in Amsterdam ready to go.

Then Paris (by train). Then Brussels (ditto).

Beaches in SE France not the greatest, shed no tears for them.

See how this schedule suits you:

1 night) Fly into Brussels and take the train straight to Ghent or Bruges for 1 night.

3 nights) Take the train from Ghent or Bruges to Leiden near Amsterdam for 3 nights. From here you can explore Amsterdam, the Dutch countryside and even take a bike ride through the sand dunes to beaches.

4 nights) From Amsterdam fly to London for 4 nights.

4 nights ) From London take the Eurostar (book tickets in advance to get lowest price) to Paris for 4 nights.

Take the train from Paris up to Brussels for your flight home. Hope it ISN'T an early morning flight!

Pam has given you a good plan. Skip London and the South of France unless you have an extra 10 days. Make it a great trip with memories, not a blur.

You could maybe make it work along the lines of Mona's plan, but maybe have to shorten Ams, Paris, or London by one night to get to your 12 days. Either that or eliminate London as others have said. Definitely don't have time to get to beaches in south of France. Only way to do that is cut London, shorten Ams to 2 nights (1 day), then just do Brussels, Paris, and somewhere on the French Riviera. For me it wouldn't be worth the travel time to get to the beaches in France with just 12 days, save it for another time.

Skip the beach. The South of France is a great place to visit, lots of Roman History and quaint villages and cities. However, the beaches were a bit of a disappointment when we visited. If you want beaches, go to the Greek Islands.

Going from N America to Europe to visit a beach is loco.

I'm with Pam. Netherlands and Belgium go well with Paris, they're convenient and you won't spend too much time getting from one place to the next. 12 days will be better if you spend it in fewer places. I'd probably go about half Paris, especially if you include a day trip or two and the other half doing a string of stops/daytrips in Netherlands and Belgium. Without day trips from Paris, I still would try to give yourself five days.

Regarding the beach, when are you going? If it's in August, there's a "beach" in Paris (they import sand and call it a plage). If it's out of season, it won't be beach weather in the Riviera anyway. If the point isn't to lay in the sun, there are beaches in Normandie that might fit your itinerary better.

Beaches are the last things I would try to visit on a 12-day trip to Europe. Take a long weekend at a beach in the US later.

If staying in Bruges you can be on the beach of De Haan within an hour. Like today you can have excellent weather till September, so perfect for sunbathing. The beaches along the Belgian coast are clean, wide and sandy, however the water temperature can be low and not so appealing for a swim.

Hi,

If you had another ten more days, then I would suggest the beaches in the south of France. As is, if you still are considering beaches, I would suggest those in northern France, such as in the Nord Pas-de-Calais area, such as Stella Plage or Berk Plage, etc. I've been there.

London yes Brussels no

Thank you guys for the replies. I knew I had to talk to someone. Also I love the suggestions!
I know, the beach will sound fun but it can wait. Next time we take over the south of France or indeed maybe Greece!
In regards to the time frame. I did not include the departing and leaving day.
So yes 12 full days of travel.
I'm thinking then from Brussels( we arrive at 8 am) take a train to Amsterdam(2 days), from there London* I heard there's an overnight ferry to London(3 days) ( we will have transportation and lodging for a night in a boat?) then train to Paris(4 days) and stay the last two days in Brussels(2 days).

Or go 1 day at brussels head to bruges or Leint take train to Amsterdam (2 days to 3 days ) London( 3 days) Paris ( 4 days)back to Brussels (1 day) leave next day

Yeah or nay? Also anybody knows about the ferry option if this is correct.

Again Thank you!

There is an overnight ferry to London but it involves trains from Amsterdam to Hook of Holland, and then from Harwich to London, that's close to 4 hours travel in addition to the 9 hr or so ferry ride. I'm not sure about the transportation from the train stations to/from the actual ferry port, that may be walking, bus, or taxi, depending on distance. I won't say you shouldn't do it, it may sound adventurous to you and you may enjoy it. Personally I'd hop a budget flight from Amsterdam to London or, if I had enough lead time to get the cheapest tickets, take the Eurostar train. Just something for you to think about. If you're interested in the ferry, check with the Stena Line website, they do have combo rail/sail packages which might make the arrangements easier.

Eurostar goes from Brussels to London so if you feel you need to include London this could be an option depending on how far away your trip is. The earlier you buy the Eurostar tickets, the better. If that doesn't work, then agree with a flight from AMS to London with your short time frame.

Land in Brussels, overnight there. Take the Eurostar to London, Eurostar back to Paris. Fast train Paris back to Brussels.

So we got an awesome deal to Brussels and this is a round trip
destination. We are going for have 12 days of actual travel. We are
planning to go to Brussels, London , Amsterdam and Paris( thinking of
leaving Brussels at the last leg of trip). I think it's do able base
on the various routes we can take but we also want to go to south of
France to explore the beaches. However we are on a time frame is it
doable?

12 days and 4 major cities?? That right there shows me a bucket list rather than a visit list. I'd drop one or two of those 4 cities to start and then go to the beach in the Netherlands or the UK. Both are easy day trips from Amsterdam and London respectively.

The Stena Line Rail and Sail package was super easy. I was heading to Norwich not London but the train connection to the port was simple and the station was directly at the boarding ramp. The night ferry was very smooth and included a comfortable cabin. It was faster to get to Norwich on the ferry as it would take all day on the train via London. Also the price doesn't increase so drastically as Eurostar, so for this summer it may be more affordable. A cheap flight may exist but the ferry was fun.

Enjoy the trip!

This page, from rail guru The Man In Seat 61, explains your options (other than flying) for going from Amsterdam to London: https://www.seat61.com/Netherlands.htm

I agree with @continental: you should save one of these great cities for another trip.

Exactly when are you going?
I would recommend looking at a live weather feed for all the cities you plan to visit.
The reason is that the weather systems can change at the drop of a hat, so you might waste time trying to get to the beach. It can rain all the time in Brussels, or London, or even in Paris, for example.

I would take the train to Nice, if that's where you want to go.

Me, if I wanted a beach vacay I'd go somewhere much cheaper than Europe. Sanibel/Captiva, the Caribbean... that's me.

Hi,

On the ferry you asked about: There is the ferry from St Malo to Portsmouth, where you take the train to London.