Belgium and Netherlands

I'm not a big fan of Brussels so one day would be enough for me:) I love the other two places. For Bruges two full days is good for most. I had an excellent stay at this place three wekks ago: http://www.hotelterreien.be
Amsterdam requires at least three days. If you are interested in making some of the excellent day trip to places like Delft and Harleem you could extend your time even more.

I'm of the opposite opinion than Michael from NY (which is OK, judging from his posts, his opinions are based on extensive experience)... I find Brussels far more interesting than Brugge. Brugge is very pretty, but very touristy and the museums aren't that interesting. Brussels takes a little bit of effort to fully appreciate, but I find the eclectic mix of architecture, the big feel of a city more lived in than visited, and the ion of museums much more interesting. I would say, one full day (two nights) at most for Brugge. I would give Brussels a minimum of two full days, and come back later for more. But I like Ghent and Antwerp even better than the above. For Amsterdam, I would say anything from two to three full days.

I spent a day in Bruges and thought that was enough time. Amsterdam deserves at least 3 full days. I can recommend either the Quentin Arrive Hotel or Frederic Rent-A-Bike (they have a number of properties and we stayed at Frederic's Parents' Place).

Yes, Amsterdam requires 3 days. If you are going to Anne Frank's house, you should try to get tickets before you go. We were there in April so not a long line but understand in summer can be very time consuming. Was not impressed with Delft but loved Haarlem only about half hour out of Amsterdam and certainly worth a half day.

Brussels: one day, Brugges: two days, Amsterdam: the rest of your life.

we spent 4 nights in amsterdam , 4 nights in bruges and spent a few hrs between trains to paris in brussels.
i wish we would have given brussels 1 full day to see more of it, did'nt really get to far from the train station, grand place, etc.. 4 nights in amstedam was perfect for us, loved bruge but could have spent one less night there and spent it in brussels. hope this helps :):)

I did not care for Brussels either. I spent two nights at the Marriott which was nice and close to the old town but I prefer smaller towns than the big cities. I stayed two nights in Ghent and took a day trip to Brugge, I could of spent two days in the pretty town. I loved Amsterdam and I spent 4 nights when I went and it seemed like enough to me.

I was in Belgium last fall and spent four nights each in Brussels and Bruges. I liked both, but liked Brussels a little more. I would highly recommend Les Escrin in Brussels. We had an apartment, but they also have rooms. Nice location about 10 minutes from Grand Place, very friendly helpful owners and a heavenly bed. In Bruges we stayed at Hotel Egmond in the park. Loved the location (10 minutes from the train station and very quiet), but thought the room was just a bit small for the price. We did Ghent as a day trip from Brussels and loved it. I was happy with the amount of time we spent in both places, but you don't need to stay that long. We just wanted to settle in and enjoy the food and beer, which were awesome.

If you have time you might consider some time in Delft. We consider it a small Amsterdam at a more moderate price. Its about forty-five minutes by train from Central Station, and a delightful place to spend a couple days.

We were in Bruges for two nights, including the day of arrival so really only one full quality day. I would have liked more time. Brussels, we stopped at only for a few hours on the way to Paris.. and would also have liked more time. Next time we will aim for two full days in each. Never been to Amsterdam so I cannot comment.

How long is "a short time"? Assuming you are talking a week, definitely 4 days in Amsterdam and then the rest in Belgium. I stayed a week in Bruges but did a number of day trips by train and used it as a base. The very touristy parts of Bruges are all concentrated in the center, other than that, if you start wandering into the outer areas or over near the windmills, it's easy to get away from the hordes even in the summer. Bruges is very compact and easy to explore on foot. You can get a feel for it in 2 days, same with Brussels. If I went back to Belgium again, I'd rather stay in Antwerp and use that as home base. Trains frequent & short so easy to do day trips without having to move hotels a lot. Wasn't that jazzed w/ place I stayed in Bruges, so can't recommend that hotel even though the location was great.

Michael Just back from Bruges and Amsterdam. Did not spend time in Brussels so cant comment on that</p> <p>We spent two nights in Bruges, and that was about right -stayed at Jan Brito and really really liked it. One more day would not have been bad. If you go to Dumons for fantatic chocolate, remember to behave very very well. Think soup nazi. We stayed three nights in Amsterdam and stayed at Hotel Aalders in museum district. Great location for visiting Van Gogh, Riijksmuseum, etc. I think 3-4 days in Amsterdam allows you to really see the city and experience its highlights. Recommend walking on west sidestreets as too much time on manic main streets may get to you as it did to us. Good tip about getting Anne Frank tickets early if possible,lines are very long. Enjoy Mike
DC