Change of Itinerary(Pass on Amsterdam?)

A couple of observations:

• 2 nights in Bruges is adequate for most itineraries, unless you wanted to use a day for a local daytrip, like to Ghent, the beaches, Antwerp or Brussels.

• Although Amsterdam is possible as a daytrip from Bruges, I would not recommend it. You'll spend most of the day on a train, and end up wishing you had spent more time in Amsterdam. Although Bruges is without a doubt prettier, there's far more to see and do in Amsterdam.

• "Normandy as a dayrtip"- First of all, realize, that this is a large region, not a single destination. It's like trying to visit Vermont as a daytrip from NYC (or the Upper P as a daytrip from Green Bay). Second, if your goal is to visit the WWII-related sites, it really isn't feasible as a daytrip. Third, you will need to either rent a car, or do an organized tour, most of which require you to spend the night in the area.

Hi Terry - Let me begin by admitting that of all the places I have been in Europe, Amsterdam is my least favorite. Even so, we did your exact itinerary over the holidays this last winter. Our original plan was to just go to Bruges and Paris, but our daughter really wanted to go to the Anne Frank house. I told her that we would do it if our airfare was the same as flying into Brussels. It was, so we did. We arrived the day after Christmas and did a walking tour before we went to the A.F. house. We spent one night, then trained to Bruges for 2 nights. We then spent 10 nights in Paris. Unless you REALLY want to see Amsterdam I have to warn you that lodging is very expensive. Even though our airfare was the same, our hotel (the least expensive I could find that wasn't a total dive) was twice the cost of where we stayed in Bruges. Then you have the cost of the train to Bruges too. I agree that 2 nights in Bruges is probably enough (it was for us) but IMHO you can't spend enough time in Paris. We looked into a day trip to Normandy but it was not feasible so we stayed in Paris - except for a trip to Versailles for one day. I don't know what time of year you will be there, but that should make a difference for what you can reasonably do each day. You might want to consider staying an an apartment in Paris. It is usually less expensive than a hotel and you have more room. Another thought - if you really want to go to Normandy, go to Bruges first for your 2 nights. After that you could train to Normandy and spend the 2 nights you would have spent in Amsterdam, then finish with your 5 nights in Paris. Whatever you decide on, have a great trip!

Just returned from a May trip to the area. I would NOT recommend dropping Amsterdam. Bruges is beautiful, but, in my opinion, one day is ample. It just isn't that large. Ghent, Den Hague, Delft, even Haarlem do not hold a candle to all there is to see in Amsterdam. London, Paris, and Amsterdam are the three cities I have seen so far in Europe that merit multiple days.

We love all 3 cities and are re-doing part of that trip in March. Bruges is small, and you actually can do the town in a day. Depending on what you had planned to do in Amsterdam, you can do a lot of things there in a day -- Bruges & Amsterdam are so beautiful with their canals.

Don't imagine you would find much of a one-day river cruise in France. I would take one of those nights you might be eliminating and spend it in Bayeux if you are interested in going to Normandy for the D-Day experience -- and highly recommend the BattleBus tour.

Please take the time to research what you want to see on this holiday. Get all the RS books; Paris and Amsterdam, Bruges & Brussels from your local library, (I also like Frommers too). You can also get travel brochures with itinerary ideas from AAA. Buy the RS books when you decide where you will be going and take them with you.

Traveling with friends and family, if staying two night pick one place each traveler cannot miss and compromise on another place of interest.

Yes you could do a day trip to Amsterdam but you may get there and not knowing the city take more time finding out how to get around and standing in museum lines.

Having been to all 3 of your cities this past May for 10 days here are my thoughts: Bruges nice place to see, very relaxing, great beer and food. Liked limited graffiti. Amsterdam is great for a boat ride on the canals, Anne Frank house, Van Gogh museum, just general people watching and appreciate their views on openness. Paris is my favorite by far; any and all museums and sights, cafe sitting. Eiffel tower sparkling at the top of the hour and dreaming my next return visit. I have never had a bad meal in Paris. You can never see all you want in one trip to Paris.

Adding to the last post- make sure you use other books in addition to Rick Steves for your research. Although his recommendations are generally excellent, his books sometimes suffer from a severe lack of scope, particularly for Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

I haven't been to Bruges but my 24 y.o. son & I loved Amsterdam! It's a lovely & unique city, well worth a 2 day visit.

I love Amsterdam and think it's beautiful. Easy to get around and lots to see and do. Bruges too is nice but I think 2 nights is truly ample. I wouldn't cut Amsterdam for more time in Bruges. LOts of choices...have fun.

Amsterdam lodging-B&B Batavia. Small room, 79.50euros, large 99. It's just 2 rooms, with connecting door, you do breakfast in your room. It's about a 10 min walk (if that) to the main canal area, maybe 15 to Anne Frank house. We just stayed there in April, new, nice, clean, nice people.

My wife and I stayed 5 days in Amsterdam in 2007 and loved it. We did a Priceline offer and was extremely pleased with our 4 star hotel that was very reasonable ~$120/evening. We have traveled many cities in Europe and Amsterdam is a must. Unique in it's own way.