We are planning to go from Amsterdam to Bruges, but the hotel costs for our last night in Amsterdam becomes prohibitively expensive, so we are thinking of shaving a night off Amsterdam and staying somewhere between Amsterdam and Bruges. We would be leaving late afternoon/evening on that day. Since we would have to switch trains in either Antwerp or Brussels, these two come to mind.
Which city is better suited for spending only the evening/night (we hope the set out for Bruges before noon the next day)? Antwerp seems more on the way, but based on train time tables, we don't save more than 20 minutes transiting through there instead of Brussels. I heard the Grand Palace in Brussels might be worth seeing at night. How late do the places on the Grand Palace in Brussels open on a Monday (if we arrived at 8pm, would there still be people around)?
another consideration is proximity to the train station, and grunginess of the area around the train station.
...or should we pick another Dutch city (preferably one with convenient connections to Bruges)?
Thanks.
Antwerp or Brussels for the night?
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If cost is an issue, I'd stay away from Brussels mid week (even though I really enjoyed the city). Hotels can be very pricy then. You might try Priceline or something, but weekends are much cheaper in Brussels.
We listened to the advice of our Dutch neighbor and based in Haarlem taking day trips into Amsterdam. We are very glad that we did. His reasoning is that if we want to have a real Dutch experience, Amsterdam is not the place (he is from Amsterdam himself and in the US for a few years). Our hotel in Haarlem - Stempels- was beautiful, could be one of the nicest we have had the pleasure to stay, and did not cost more than a one star would have cost in Amsterdam. We had a wonderful experience staying in Haarlem. There are 4 trains per hour into Amsterdam and the trip takes only 15 minutes. It was a 10 minute walk to the station. Perhaps you can consider something like that - it seems that you may save a lot. After a week in Haarlem, DW said she wouldn't mind living there.
@soogies. I've been bidding on priceline and using hotwire and betterbidding.com as guides. Normally priceline gives the best deal, but based on hotwire prices, the second night doesn't look promising, so I came here to ask about alternatives. Cost for Antwerp and Brussels for Monday night are almost the same - I think Antwerp is slightly cheaper.
@basingstoke2. Thanks for the info - I'll look around and give it some thought. To complicate things, we're a party of 4, so we either need a quad room or 2 double rooms.
i have one question,if anybody can help me,how much is gram of gold?? tx
in Antwerp of course
So far I've booked 1 night in Amsterdam and 1 night in Bruges, with one night in between left unbooked. For this night, I can get a quad room near Amsterdam Central Station for 170 EUR or an apartment right on the Grand Palace in Brussels for 150 EUR. Which should I take?
I would choose the Brussels option had I not been told I am leaving too little time for Amsterdam.
(Got a 4* hotel room for about $85 including tax off priceline, but priceline cannot offer anything cheaper than 170 EUR for the second night...)
I would either spend an extra night in Amsterdam or Bruges.
If you do want to an extra destination squeezed in I would choose a hotel near the Grand Place in Brussels or the Groenplaats in Antwerp.
The two cities are equally memorable.
Try also www.booking.com to find good hotels. With customer reviews.