This forum is a tremendous resource for traveling. Thank you all for such detailed and valuable information. I'm trying to plan a small trip with my son. I've got four days for a spring break side trip from College in St. Andrews, Scotland. We'd like to see The Hague/Delft, Antwerp, Brugge. I can do this two ways; start in Brussels and work my way up to The Hague, flying out of Amsterdam. I can also start in Amsterdam and work my way down to fly out of Brussels back to Edinburgh.

What do you think works best and how much time (approx.) should I devote to each city? If you think this is too ambitious, what would you cut out and what should I keep it? I'd rather walk and not run through these cities on such an abbreviated schedule. My son expects to go to Amsterdam with his college buddies at some point so I can exclude Amsterdam from the list.

Another idea is to stay in Scotland. If anyone can suggest a 4 day Scotland trip from Edinburgh I'd consider it, although he's been yearning for a good meal and some world-class beer...

Thanks in advance...

What a great Father son trip.... having just returned from antwerp, Brugge 2 months ago...i can give you some suggestions/thoughts. Brugge is the most charming city(a fairytale)....very cute. However, there isn't much in the form of nightlife...so be aware. Antwerp is a port town and seems to have more of a pulse. Everything is very close to each other in both cities so you will be able to get around by foot or local transportation. We did 2 nights in Brugge and 1 Night in Antwerp. I thought that was more than enough for both. I guess one more night wouldn't have hurt. We then took the train from Antwerp to Amsterdam. Never went to the Hague so can't comment. I can suggest a place to stay that was very central...in Antwerp...but don't know your budget. We stayed at a great B & B in Brugge called Cote Canal. Although, there were plenty of hotels that might be more fun for the two of you.

The starting/end point of the trip (Brussels or Amsterdam) doesn't matter much. I would choose whichever airport has the best airfare/arrival or departure time.

4 days (4 nights) are doable for these cities. They are not very big cities and the higlights can be seen in 4 days. But 5 nights would be al little better, this way you can stay 2 nights in 2 cities. Making the trip a little bit more relaxed.

If you have 4 days (assuming this is also 4 nights)I would stay two nights in The Hague (or Delft, they are a 15min train ride or 25 min tram ride apart). One day in Delft and one day in The Hague would be enough. Take an early train and leave for Antwerp. This is my favourite Belgium city; full of life, but still some beautiful parts. Stay one night (or better if you can stay one extra night, making it a 5 night trip) and take the train to Brugge. This is a very beautiful town, but very touristy. You can also choose to stay 2 nights in Antwerp and make a day trip to Brugge. This is also very well doable.

And depending where you start/end your trip; getting tot the airport from Antwerp (Brussels) or The Hague (Schiphol/Amsterdam) is rather easy.

Have fun!