Brussels to Amsterdam - what to do?

No need to try and squeeze in Germany. In Belgium Brussels (1 day); Bruges/Ghent 2 -3 days; Netherlands: Amsterdam with day trips Delft (train); Marken (fishing village) Kinderdijk, Cheese market, tulips. Beer- Belgium absolutely, and Netherlands Amsterdam is an easy City to walk around, canal sides are very interesting and some good (manageable museums)

I spent a couple of day's in Bruges and it's a great place to visit. You can rent bikes to get around, take it along the canal to Damn and if you feel like it take a boat back. There are many great towns to visit and all easy to get to by train. Also we were there on a Sunday and everything was free. Have fun Wendy

Travelling from Brussels to Amsterdam by train you have two options: the fast Thalys trains, which will be expensive unless you book in advance, and slower but cheaper Inter-City trains, which do not have to be booked in advance. Another advantage to the Inter-City trains is that they usually call at the Centrale station in Brussels, which in my opinion is much nicer than the Midi station the Thalys trains use (although the Inter-City also stop at Midi) and may well be more convenient to reach from your hotel. A lot of people on this board are very dismissive of Brussels, but if you are a fan of early-twentieth-century art and architecture there's a lot of interest there, especially the art nouveau houses in the Saint-Gilles area and around the Square Ambiorix-Square Marie-Louise area. Also the national art galleries are well worth a visit, the nearby Museum of Musical Instruments, and the National Comics Centre. The only real warnings for Brussels are that the area around the Midi station is best avoided at night, and you should also strictly avoid all the tourist trap restaurants in the rue des Bouchers (Aux Armes de Bruxelles and Vincent are the only decent ones, but they're fairly expensive and you'll find cheaper good restaurants elsewhere in the centre.)

I agree with the other posters - stay in Belgium and the Netherlands. I would say to get a few guidebooks about these countries and see what you're interested in. If you like Roman ruins, visit Tongeren (Roman wall remains) and Tournai (Roman gate). Ghent has the "Ghent Altarpiece" by Jan van Eyck, as well as a castle (originally medieval but "reconstructed" by the Victorians) that you can tour. In the Netherlands, I would definitely recommend Amsterdam (3 days). The Hague (Den Haag) is only a 30-minute train ride away and has the Mauritshuis Museum, with Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "View from Delft," if you like 17th-century Dutch art.

We are in agreement with Brian. We loved Amsterdam, took day trips. Marken was nothing special, but we enjoyed it a lot. Found the people in The Netherlands incredibly friendly. We are going back in June. We had mussells in Brussels and a great green bean salad with bacon and finely chopped potato. Do not miss Bruges. Beer and chocolate, not to mention the other attractions there. We returned from Bruges via Antwerp. The train station there was something to see in itself. Enjoy your travels,
Frank and Ann

Literally just received Rick's newest eighth edition guide book via UPS a few minutes ago, and was surprised to see that he has added chapters for Antwerp and Ghent!!!! Right now it's only available via this website...Amazon isn't carrying it yet.

Sandra, I think some people still give Brussels the "It's Tuesday It Must Be Belgium" respect. It can be a little too modern for some but I enjoyed Brussels a lot. The Grand Place is fantastic and not to be missed. Since you like beer then stop at the bar A la Mort Subite. They have a great selection of beer. If you're feeling adventurous then take a tour of the Cantillion Brewery in Anderlechts just south of Brussels. You can get there by train or metro. They produce a lambic style beer (Gueze) that is unlike any beer you've ever had. Try the pub "In 't Spinnekopke" for lunch or dinner. Have the Waterzooi. While in Bruges make sure you stop at Café Garre they have a great selection of beer and some reasonably priced snacks to enjoy. Also have a look at the Beer Wall too. Don't forget Brewery 'De Halve Maan' and if you're not too tipsy by then have a late lunch at De Bottelier. Ghent is worth a daytrip too. Enjoy.