Itinerary ideas, please! Amsterdam-Belgium-Paris

I hope to avoid - as much as possible - cycling on city streets, due
to traffic.

Why? I don't know if you've been to the Netherlands before, but most city streets have good cycling infrastructure, whether it is bike lanes or other things. And they keep the main routes for cars separated from the main routes for bikes.

For a comparison on cycling in Amsterdam vs North America, look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8F5hXqS-Ac (Made by a Canadian living in Amsterdam).

We enjoyed staying a few days in Leiden a couple of years ago. Interesting museums (great windmill museum,) excellent restaurants, and a walkable city. It might be a nice change from Amsterdam, and is easily reached by train.

I bike often in the NL and as Badger points out, they probably have one of the best (if not the best, according to the Dutch), biking systems in the world. Utrecht recently opened the LARGEST bike garage in the world under the train station (12,000+ parking slots). So incredible biking infrastructure.

I have cycled to and around Keukenhof many times. Many folks will be biking, on electric bikes, or scooters are becoming more popular for tourists. Generally, the roads are quiet - except during tulip season - AVOID THE WEEKENDS during the tulip season, if you can. ! You can get a tulip field map and go in search of what's blooming when. We're having another colder winter so it looks like the blooms will be late again this year... so they're forecasting late April, early May for the height of the season (the same thing happened last year - let's hope it gets warmer and soon!). I've only seen the Keukenhof parade once. It was "okay." better than the canal flower parade in Delft! Floriade also starts this April and that will be a huge draw. ( I like the flower parade in Zundert much better - but that's the first week of September).

The Kröller-Müller Museum is perhaps our favorite musuem in the NL. We often take our bikes and explore the national park. Great place to explore, or just have a picnic. And the museum - INCREDIBLE - because they let you take photos of the Van Gogh paintings (try that in Amsterdam!).

Kinderdijk is a great photo op. We ride there often from The Hague (about 40 km one way, so a great spot for a break). It's quite picturesque and historic. Many travelers like to go to Zaanse Schans to see windmills but I prefer the calm of Kinderdijk. (Zaanse Schans is sort of "contrived" to me). there are plenty of windmills in South Holland (more than any other province) and many ar actually available to be visited.

I would want to be in Ghent the day before the start of tour. The odds of something happening in terms of transportation are low, but you never know.

We power thru jet lag and immediately put ourselves on the clock of the country we are traveling in. That said, on the first day, we tend to only do outdoor activities, no museums. You are very smart to arrive before your tour to adjust, however. There is plenty to do in Amsterdam. We liked it much more than we thought we would.

If you want to do anything like the Anne Frank house or the Van Gogh museum you need to reserve ahead. We, too, were very surprised at the prices and availability of inns in Amsterdam, it is a tight market. We liked where we stayed but it since has been improved and turned into a more boutique hotel at much higher prices.

Kinderdijk, was interesting and lovely.

We loved Kinderdijk but didn't rent bikes . Many others were riding bikes along the canal paths there.
You wonder if three days is too much for Amsterdam? I am sure there are many places RS our won't cover. The Dutch Resistance Museum is one idea. Will you go to the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, on the tour? You could take a train to Rotterdam to access Kinderdijk by river boat.
I don't know what the tour includes but The Hague and Leiden are wonderful small cities to visit, easy to get to them by train. Delft is near both of those cities.

I’ve done both of these tours and they are terrific!!

I agree…go to Ghent the day before the tour starts. I found a lot to do in Ghent that was not on the tour. I enjoyed the Museum of Fine Arts as they were still restoring the Van Eyck altarpiece at that time. I also spent time in the cathedral before the tour started because that piece of art fascinates me. The visit to the cathedral was short. I’d been to Brussels before but you could also spend a day there as well.

I’d also go to Paris on the 21 as there is so much to do.

On the Belgium and Holland tour in 2019 we got caught in the Flower parade traffic. TBH, I would avoid this. I was there around the 15th of April I think.

I do not think 3 days is too much ahead of your tour for jet lag. I generally try to do a week before a tour but that’s just me, lol!!

not to be a nattering nabob of negativism, but I'm betting you will NOT be taking a Rick tour in 3 months ...

Oh, phred....

Just wanted to say hi! I am also on the Best Of Paris tour on April 24th! See you then.

Oh Phred, not to be nasty, but I sooo hope you are wrong! We are booked for departure to Amsterdam on 4/16. While I won't be surprised if we have to cancel, I will be heartbroken---definitely not going if they decide to curfew again at 5 p.m! And the lack of adequate notice on the last 2 mandates is disturbing.
We are basing in Leiden for a few days, attending the flower parade in Sassenheim (got seats, I think we get a portapotty in our section, too!), and plan to take in the Kroller-Muller but not. sure of logistics yet. Going to catch the cheese market in Gouda or Alkmaar (weather dependent which one we'll take in). Visiting Utrecht as well. Then on to Lisbon for a free layover with TAP Air Portugal on our way back home. Barring COVID catastrophe!

I would suggest you keep an eye on the Thalys website for travel plans. Thalys is doing some funny things with the schedule on various weekends in April.