Netherlands, Belgium and London Trip

I think this trip would work, particularly if you've already been to London and don't need to allocate so much time there. I would travel between cities by train/Eurostar. You have them in the right order - and could also do London, Brussels, Amsterdam. It depends on whether you want to end with the most familiar place or with a new place. I haven't been to Amsterdam, but I would guess 3-4 days there would be ideal. Then spend 2-3 in Brussels and the rest in London.

I did a recent trip where I flew to Brussels (American Chicago to Brussels) and then took the train to Brugge and then to Amsterdam. I flew British Airways to Edinburgh via London. I flew to London City rather than Heathrow. I stayed at the Hotel Brouwer in Amsterdam. It has a elevator for some floors. Specify that you need it if you contact them. It was very close to the train station and well situated. Pam

Unless you plan on doing a lot of day trips from Brussels, i would suggest allocate most of your time to London and Amsterdam, with maybe only two days in Brussels. there is so much to see in London

Terry: There are several modern hotels in the area near Euston-St Pancras-Kings Cross, which is booming now that Eurostar arrives at SP. One you might like is the Holiday Inn located next door to the Russell Square tube stop. It gets good ratings on tripadvisor, and from the Russell Square tube station, everything in central London is easily accessible. I would suggest train to link all three cities, perhaps building in some time to do daytrips. Your order of Amsterdam-Brussels[INVALID]London works fine, or you could reverse it just as easily.

Not certain of your budget, but the Hotel Pulitzer in Amsterdam is very nice. It is several houses that have been converted into a hotel. Ask for a ground floor room, near one of their courtyards. It is only about 2 blocks from the Anne Frank house and a short walk to Dam square. Right on a lovely cannal. Good local restruant at the corner. In London, if you are flying out of Gatwick, the Grosovenor (formerly the Victoria Thistle) is nice, so is the Mountbatten in the Covent Garden area. If you are flying out of Heathrow, the Paddington Hilton is very good.

I would endorse the Pulitzer in Ammsterdam, great location on a canal, formed by joining a number of adjacent old houses. Nice size rooms, continental breakfast, may be a little price-y now. But you cant go wrong with this. Easy walk to anywhere

Terry, in London, Transport for London (TfL) have the following excellent webpage about their accessibility: ====> http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/transportaccessibility/1167.aspx

I'm sure the Hotel Pulitzer is a nice hotel, but it is the most expensive hotel in the city. I've seen rates of around $600USD a night! This is where all the A-list celebrities stay, and if I'm not mistaken is a filming location to one of those "Oceans" movies.

Thanks to all of you for your replies. This is a fantastic site and a great way to "build" a trip. Since it will be an open jaw flight plan, I think I will explore that first to see if there is any difference in pricing for the order of the trip. Is 3 full days enough time for Amsterdam(the fourth spent moving to Brussels)? Then 3(more/less?) more days in Brussels, and again moving on to London. Not sure how much time is needed in getting between cities and settled in to the next hotel. That would leave the rest of the time for London. Any thoughts on that? What are some favorite sights in Amsterdam/Brussels (already aware of London). We like nice hotels, but not the most expensive in the city. I am an above knee amputee, so that is why I look for more modern hotels that have lifts and less chance of lots of steps. There's enough steps everywhere else for me. That is also why I look for transporation routes closer to the hotel and also tubes that have escalators or lifts (and I realize that's not always possible). I get around well, but obviously face some limitations in Europe. So knowing this fact, do any hotels come to mind that I could start reading about/contacting? Again, thanks for input.

Thanks. London was wonderful for disabled travelers. I'm wondering more about Amsterdam and Brussels.

Two days or three days in Brussels would be fine. We just got back and spent 3 1/2 days, but we took a day trip to Ghent one day (which we really enjoyed). We loved Brussels. We spent most of our time walking around and window shopping and seeing the city. The chocolate shops are awesome. The Grand Place is one of the most beautiful and fabulous things I've ever seen. The Royal Art Museum is very good. We also went out to the Military Museum and History Museum. If you are into weapons and uniforms, the Military Museum is very good. It also has tanks, airplanes etc. I prefer military museums that tell more of a story. The history museum is nice; nothing to compare to the British Museum....We stayed at a B&B with appartments that we loved [INVALID] Les Escrins. It's near St. Catherines about 10 minutes from the Grand Place. It may not be what you are looking for. No elevator, but they do have an apartment on the ground floor, and it's fairly close to a metro station.....I have not been to Amsterdam.

we stayed at the convent hotel in amsterdam (which is not a convent-it's just the name. it's an old sofitel) and it was GREAT. we didn't book it for this reason, but it does have elevators (a lot of the tall amsterdam hotels do not) we paid $75 USD per night (we only stayed one night) and it was the best place we stayed for the entire trip. less than a 10 minute walk from the train station, but there's a tram too, if you fear getting hit by bikes and trams (like we did). thalys trains from brussels to amsterdam (or vice versa) are wonderful. book in advance for the best prices. also, for things to do, be sure to do a canal boat cruise, but with a company that has open top boats (someone on here should be able to suggest one-we did a closed top and wished we'd paid for an open top-we used the free cruise that came with the iAmsterdam card). get the iAmsterdam card which makes transport a breeze if you're not up for walking, and gives your priority entrance to the van gogh museum). check out vondelpark-it's very nice and laid back. have a great trip!

We also went out to the Military Museum and History Museum. If you are into weapons and uniforms, the Military Museum is very good. Although the museum isn´t specifically themed on the world wars, anyone with an interest in these conflicts will find this museum a delight. The collection of material and uniforms from WWI and WWII is huge.

Thanks for more places of interest and accomodations to check out. My husband likes the idea of the military museum...right up his alley.

Terry, check British Airways, they often have deals which include flight and two free nights in London. Even if they do not. they have great deals. We just returned from England and stayed 6 nights at the Rembrandt Hotel in South Kensington for about $1100. Included full English breakfast. Great hotel, wonderful location across the street from the Victoria and Albert. Short walk from South Kensington station with direct Picadilly Line service to Heathrow. You could fly open jaw either London-Amsterdam or Amsterdam-London. Eurostar runs between Brussels and St. Pancras in London. I believe that St. Pancras is also on the Picadilly line. By the way, although the South Kensington station is not handicapped rated, it does have escalators for all but two flights of steps each about 6 steps. Very easy access with luggage. In Amsterdam, look into the Seven Bridges hotel. Wonderful. They will handle your luggage for you.

Hi Terry. I am also originally from St. Louis but am currently working in England I also enjoyed the military museum in Brussels. As others have already suggested, I agree that you should consider taking a daytrip to either Brugge or Ghent -research to see which appeals more. We also took a daytrip to the town of Dinant and absolutely loved it. Getting around Brussels and Belgium on public transportation was very easy. I have been to Holland but not to Amsterdam so cannot offer any suggestions there. If your husband likes military history then in London be sure to visit the Imperial War Museum and the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms. I also enjoyed visiting Greenwich but be advised that there is a lot of steep uphill walking to get to the Royal Observatory. If you like people watching, try some of the markets. Camden Town Lock market and the Borough Street market are always fun and you can get quick and good easy ethnic meals or snacks there.

I just got back from a similar trip. I flew into Paris and spent three days in Paris and then took the train from paris to amsterdam. I spent a day in amsterdam, then took a train to brugge for a day, then brussels for a afternoon and then the chunnel to London. I would highly suggest spending the majority of your time in Amsterdam and London. Brugge is also worth a trip. It is a perfect town for a day trip. There is an excellent brewery tour there as well. Brussels to me wasn;t that impressive. It really depends what you want to see. I wish I had spent more time in Amsterdam. London is a city that I will never tire of. It is always worth a trip.

Terry, since the previous poster talked about timing, I will chime in. You did not mention Paris so I will assume you will not be going there. Given the length of the trip, a good choice. I would recommend 5 days in London, three in Amsterdam, one in Bruges (a day trip from Brussels), and two in Brussels. Old Brussels is very underrated. Wonderful city. Bruges is wonderful, but because of it size, overated with respect to the time it deserves.