Benelux Travel

We have always used train when we traveled in the areas you are interested in. If you buy tickets three days before using them you get a good discount so as we get off the train in one place we buy tickets to the next. That usually give us three nights, at least, per city. Our usual formula is each big city gets at least three full days, and smaller ones get two full days. Luxembourg City is an interesting two day stay. I would like to spend more time in Netherlands. We stay in Delft, and have taken day trips to other towns. The museum area of Amsterdam has quite a few hotels, but the prices are higher than Delft. We have stayed at the Beethoven Hotel in the museum district. In Belgium we stayed in Antwerp at a hotel just across the street from the train station. That is an interesting city. I'm in my 70s and just go a little bit slower. My wife is a few years younger. Afternoons are for cafe living.

Thank you for this quick reply. Mary Ann

You are welcome. Rough Guides has one on Belgium and Luxemburg. and others on the additional countries you want to visit. Rough Guides or Lonely Planet guides will be helpful.

Hello, Thanks again for more information. I can get hold of a Lonely Planet book or Rough guide.
Mary Ann

In Belgium, the Netherlands, trains usually link together the cities and larger towns, and buses provide local transportation around and within the municipalities. So for the most part, it's not a matter of "bus vs. train", it's "train and bus vs. car". Which method you choose depends entirely on what you wanted to see and do. Also, unlike the rail systems in France or Germany, there's no advantage in advanced purchase tickets for domestic rail travel. Simply buy your tickets at the station. The only exception is if you wanted to ride the premium high-speed Thalys service between the Netherlands and Belgium, or the Fyra high-speed service in the Netherlands. "We plan to cover Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg possibly Lichtenstein if the latter could be squeezed in." Liechtenstein is a good 6-7 hour drive from Belgium. The only reason to visit this country is if you're driving by anyway. Otherwise, it's indistinguishable from the regions of Switzerland and Austria that it borders. Not worth going out of your way to visit.

On my last trip to that region, I stayed in The Hague instead of Amsterdam. I was able to get a much nicer hotel for much less (I chose the Mercure and was very pleased - €89 + €10 for a huge buffet breakfast). From Schiphol it's about 15-20 minutes longer by train than to Amsterdam. I did one day trip to Amsterdam (about 1 hour by train), and one to Delft (20 minutes on the local tram). I also spent 3 nights in Ghent and took a day trip from there to Bruges. The best train route from The Hague to Ghent/Bruges is through Antwerp, not Brussels. You can use the German rail site, bahn.de, to find train schedules. With 5-1/2 days, I'd limit the trip to Netherlands or Belgium. You could probably leave your luggage in The Hague, pack an overnight case, and see Bruge and Ghent in 2 days with a one night stay, then back to your Dutch hotel for the rest of your stay. If you are near the airport (The Hague or Amsterdam), you'll be able to squeeze in a lot of sightseeing on your last day.

Liechtenstein is out of the way in my opinion, considering how much days you have available. Domestic trains in Netherlands and Belgium have fixed prices, you won't save money buying in advance these tickets. However, the Thalys trains between NEtherlands and Belgium offer huge savings for advance purchase - and they are well worth, a trip from Bruxelles and Amsterdam takes less than 2h on these high-speed trains. With just 6 days, I'd limit myself to 2 or at most 3 sleeping locations and use trains from there. You don't have much time to cover these countries, though you can drive over them indeed.

Wow, you have a very ambitious itinerary! We were there last year and spend four nights in Amsterdam and took a day train trip to Haarlem and a guided day trip through the dutch countryside. There are many things to see in Amsterdam itself. you could spend your entire time based in Amsterdam. I am usually a driver, but the trains are very easy and the distances you cover if at all are short. We stayed a night in Delft and then to Brugge which I think is a must and then Brussels. With only 5 full days, I might split my time between Amsterdam and Brugge and possibly Brussels with a train back to Amsterdam on the day of departure. I wouldn't even consider Luxembourg and Lichtenstein unless you have a compelling reason to visit on this trip.

Your itinerary shows 6 full days and 6 nights to enjoy. I'd chose either the Netherlands or Belgium, and 2 bases. Netherlands You land late at night in AMS so start there, stay 3 nights and have 2 full days. Leave AMS on 8/2 and move to your next base. Second base is for 8/2-8/5 for 4 nights. Try The Hague or Delft. Car travel allows you to stop off anywhere on the short 55 minute drive to either base. Days for Delft or the Hague, day for Rotterdam or Gouda, day for the Hague or Delft. 8/6 travel back to AMS. Netherlands and Belgium Base yourself in Ghent for 4 nights: Days trip to Brugge, Brussels, and day for Ghent. 8/6 travel back to AMS Itinerary suggestions D1 AMS arrival at 950p D1 AMS arrival D2 AMS D2 AMS D3 AMS D3 AMS D4 Train/Car to Ghent D4 Car/train Delft/Hague D5 Ghent D5 Delft D6 Brugge D6 The Hague D7 Brussels D7 Rotterdam or Gouda D8 Ghent to AMS. Flight at 540p D8 Delft/Hague to AMS Travel Amsterdam to Ghent or the reverse:
Thalys Train Gent to AMS is 2:25 time with 1 change. IC Train is 3:18 time with 2 changes. Car rental is 2:20-2:30 time. Fuel cost estimated at 35 Euros. Ghent is a short train ride to Brussels. You can fly a city hopper from BRU-AMS which is like 45 minutes and brings you to Schipol Airport. You need to be at Schipol airport for 340p to have enough time for check in and security. Some gates have additional screening checks. Pre purchase small bottled waters only and any liguids must be sealed by the store. After gate screening you can open them up for use.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my plea for help. Everyone has been very helpful and the tips are very good. I will now look at all the suggestions and map out our trip. As everyone suggested, I will limit our visit to 2 countries - Netherlands and Belgium - that way we will not be rushed and we have time to "smell the flowers". All the best,
Mary Ann

Just returned from Belgium and the Netherlands. We used b-europe.com to schedule our trains. We traveled by IC (Intercity Trains)and did not need to buy the tickets in advance. The website gave good schedule and cost information.
Two museums listed in Rick Steves' book for this area are currently closed, the Gruuthuse Museum in Bruges and the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery in The Hague. Happy travels!