CAWEV

My husband and I are planning a two week trip in June where we fly into Amsterdam and out of Paris. We wanted to see the Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France. We have not been to the Netherlands or Belgium, and have only been to Paris in France so need some help in deciding where to go and how long to spend in each country. We tend to like smaller towns than big cities when we travel and like to see the sights, but are also very outdoorsy.

Any suggestions/help would be appreciated!!!

jpie

Will you be renting a car or depending on public transportation for the whole time or a mix? That would influence the kinds of places I would suggest.

PalenQ

Trains go everywhere in Benelux - every town small and large it seems. Except for the North Sea coast it seems to me from biking through Belgium and Holland many many times there is little 'outdoors' to excite Americans who idesa of 'outdoors' may mean wild areas - it seems every sqyare metre of Belgium and Netherlands are used for something - the 'outdoors' - park are all to regimated and tiny for me to get excigted for.

But in the Bastogne - Battle of the Bulge region and Luxemoourg area there are miles of forests, etc that comport with out thinking of wild outdoorish.

anyway trains even go everywhere there it seems and buses pick up the slack from train stations - for lots of good stuff to plan a Benelux/northern France (where there is also our type of outdoors with lots of forests, hills, etc - to get a fix on trains there are some informative sources: www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

There is even a Benelux Railpass and a Benelux-France Railpass that could be a good deal depending on how many longer train trips you make.

Michael

I would use the train in the Benelux. The small towns in France are less well served by trains, to it might be a good idea to rent a car in Calais or Lille. We drove through parts of northern France quite a while back, but you might still be interested in the trip report that starts in Ghent; click on my name to find it.

ribeirasacra

Below some suggestions .... yes they are a bit doted around.

Small "towns" in The Netherlands.
Goes http://www.vvvzeeland.nl/en/islands/zuid-beveland/goes
Appingedam http://www.museumstadappingedam.nl/
Deventer http://www.deventer.info/
Dordrecht http://www.vvvdordrecht.nl/en/home
Valkenburg http://www.vvvzuidlimburg.nl/index_en.aspx

Belguim.
Thuin http://www.thuin.be/
Theux http://www.theux.be/Loisirs-en/tourism
Bouillon http://www.visitbelgium.com/index.php?page=bouillon-2

All of these places will make a good base to get you out into the countryside.

bilboburgler

There are a few places that lack trains or perhaps it is better to say that they lack a network. The islands of Zeeland, which to me are some of the best bits of the Netherlands are just not as well joined up and you may need to use buses and ferries more. Even so, it is worth the effort to say get to Middelburg, Goes or Vere. Luckily the first two are on a regular train line. Discovering about the stavation period after WW2, the great flood in the 1950s and the re-design of the water system that came from this gives a good insight into the nature of the country today.

Do take the time to hire some bikes and get out a bit, you will discover a whole different way of life when you see little old ladies bombing about on their electric bikes or flocks of school kids heading home with bikes, but no helmets on either normal roads or a very dense network of bike paths.

http://www.connexxion.nl/ is the tool for buses, ferries etc and joined up public transport. If your dutch is up to it, no problem

CAWEV

Thank you! We were planning on renting a car, since we usually like to hit places that are off-the-beaten path. We would love to rent bikes as well. Any suggestions on how we should split our time between the countries would be great. We are a bit overwhelmed because there are so many amazing places in each place.

ribeirasacra

****We are a bit overwhelmed because there are so many amazing places in each place.****

That is the beauty of travelling!
The answer to that question is going to be down to your likes and dislikes. Maybe come up with a plan which we can suggest a change or two.

bilboburgler

Some basics, if you love Beer then Belgium needs your attention,
if you like old towns that were cut off by economic changes then Belgium is the place for you, if you like the flat then there is more of it in the Netherlands and more water (in drains, canals, large water and the sea). If you like large hilly wooded areas then the Ardennes is the place for you.


I've holidayed in both countries and worked in both. I'd tend towards more time in the Netherlands but maybe that is because I'm more used to France as a holiday destination so I see the Netherlands as a little more special.

We've not discussed Northern France (which covers a lot) but for me would include Strasbourg, Rheims and the whole Pas de Calais etc. Rheims is worth a visit and you can cycle to it from Belgium along the greenway. Strasbourg is also pretty good and that then leeds onto Alsace which is wonderful. Pas de Calais all the way across to Lille etc is a bit meh, a bit post industrial with a few odd gems (for instance there is a lovely museum between Lille and Roubaix http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Piscine_Museum but that sparkles especially because of the dullness all around

You've not mentioned the Mosel which lies to the south/east of this area. Fantastic holiday area though a little down at heel at the moment, great food, wine and warm weather.

PalenQ

I've biked dozens of times on business of leading tour groups across northern France from Luzembourg via Dun/sur/Meuse to Reims and there is very little there of touristic interest save some WW 1 things like Verdun - nice farming lands but depopulated villages and yes down-at-their-heels towns - near the Belgian border things can be very grim in towns with hulking old industries not silent.

Some nice cities with churches - Amiens, Arras but I'd spend more time in Belgium, drinking beer if nothing else.