We had about 8 hours in Brussels (one overnight) and it was enough. We loved our time there - but for us there wasn't so much to do that we needed more time than that. Personally I would add the time to either Paris or Amsterdam.

Leaving on the 23rd means you have only one full day in Amsterdam. No where near enough imho.
There are cheaper hotels in Amsterdam which are also very good - have a look at trip reports and hotel suggestions in other threads.
If Amsterdam hotels are too expensive look at Haarlem.

Brussels in nice weather is rather boring to me and many others - 3 nights there - good grief! I guess if you like museums and fine dining options in this cosmopolitan town headquarters to so many pan-European organizations fine - otherwise it could be a nice base for taking day trips to Bruges - to many the most pleasant city by far in Belgium for the average tourist - dreamy vs loud modern Brussels - or to Antwerp or Gent, two other neat ancient towns that retain old-world charm nearly lacking IME in Brussels.

For lots of great info about Be4nelux and Thalys (Brussels to paris) trains I always spotlight these IMO fantastic sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - Thalys trains the early bird can get a deep discount - check www.thalys.com but those tickets can sell out months early as they are very limited in numbers on each train - no need to bother with Thalys Amsterdam to Brussels as there is always the flat-fare unreservable IC trains rolling hourly between them and though they take about an hour longer perhaps you can always just hop on with a ticket.

Keep in mind that most everything is going to be closed on Dec 24th and 25th in these places. We travel every year over Christmas and I've learned to do extensive research on what is open, what I want to see, and move travel plans to different cities around that. If the main thing you want to do in a city is stroll around than that is what to plan on the 24th / 25th!

And I agree with the day trip to Brugges, it is super quick and a lovely romantic place.

wish2trvltheworld on Oct 22, 12 at 3:34pm
but finally decided to go to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris.

I suggest that you stay on the train as it passes through Brussels and make it an Amsterdam-Paris trip. You can easily find hotels much cheaper in Amsterdam so why would that be a consideration in how long you are going to stay there? Amsterdam is far more interesting than Brussels.

The Rijksmuseum is open on Christmas day, as in the Anne Frankhuis (in the afternoon). The Hermitage - which is also housing the Van Gogh paintings during the refurbishment of the VGM is open on 26th December, but closed on Christmas Day.

Brussels could well be shut up, though hotels probably will be empty, due to the European Parliament not sitting over Christmas.

Thanks for all of these replies. I should mention that I have been to Amsterdam and Paris both twice before, but my husband has never been to either. I would move to Paris if I could, so I am not worried about running out of things to do there, but in Amsterdam, I am worried it is going to be so cold that strolling around the city won't be enjoyable at all and we'll run out of things to do.

Perhaps what we will do is this:

Arrive Amsterdam at 6am on 12/21. Have 12/21, 12/22 in Amsterdam, and take a 5pm train on 12/23 to Brussels. Spend 2 nights in Brussels, and leave during the day on 12/25 to Paris, and have 12/26, 12/27, 12/28, 12/29 in Paris, departing on 12/30.

This way it is 2 nights, 2.5 days in Amsterdam, 2 nights, 1.5 days in Brussels, and 5 nights, 4 days in Paris.

Does that sound better? We think we definitely need more then Amsterdam and Paris for a 9 day trip.

Day one in Amsterdam is a washout - you will be jet lagged and not inclined to do very much I suspect. Remember too that it gets dark very early, which will only increase your tiredness.
It will be just as cold, if not colder in Brussels, and possibly in Paris too!
Of course you can stroll in the cold - and dive into a cafe for a hot chocolate to warm up. The museums are warm. There undoubtedly museums you haven't visited before in Amsterdam.
You can always hop on a tram if walking is too much.
Christmas is rarely really cold here and certainly nothing like as cold as much of the US experiences.

Instead of Brussels consider Brugge. Not my favourite place, but preferable to Brussels, especially in winter I think.

Ditto hetismij2 on Oct 23, 12 at 10:34am.

Amsterdam and Brussels temperatures are virtually identical. Besides, Amsterdam has cozy cafes everywhere and is more hospitable to English speakers. Some people in Brussels have a French frame of mind, much worse than you'll find in Paris.

Not enough to do in Amsterdam? Try day trips to Haarlem, Delft, Den Haag, ....

Amsterdam and Paris too I believe do not have that much variance in temps - well not much anyway - unlikely to see snow in either place at any time of winter - last winter being an exception.

Go get a hostal in Amsterdam to save money, and then go spend money like crazy in Paris. $400 a night for a hotel is crazy IMHO

No need for a hostel - there are plenty of cheaper good quality hotels in Amsterdam, in good areas. Certainly better than where the Sofitel is! Not that you need to pay $400 a night for that hotel either but still, there are cheaper places, in better areas.

For Amsterdam hotels Priceline's Name Your Own Price is great. You can often get a 4 or 5 star hotel for in the $100 US range.
Go to Tripadvisor.com and the Netherlands forum. Look for the the threads "Bidding on a 4 star...." and "Bidding on a 5 star..." They are usually in the first couple of pages. For extra help go to http://www.betterbidding.com If you have questions feel free to ask in the TA forum.

In your case I'd drop Belgium altogether... split your time between Amsterdam and Paris with an extra day in Paris.

Thanks for all of the replies. What is a good central location in Amsterdam that I should be looking at? The College Hotel was suggested to us, but from the reviews I read, it doesn't seem like the location isn't great.

We like to stay in a 4 or 5 star hotel when we travel. I stayed in a hostel in Amsterdam while I was in college, and I just can't go back to that way of travelling!

We love staying in Haarlem which is a 15 minute train ride from Amsterdam and a lovely historic city.

If you want a 4 or 5 star hotel in Amsterdam, the Conservatorium was just reviewed Sunday in the NY Times after opening this spring. It may still have introductory rates. By the way we only spent one night at Rocco Forte Amigo in Brussels in July, and that was sufficient for Brussels, as others have mentioned here.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/travel/hotel-review-the-conservatorium-in-amsterdam.html?_r=0