nessagirlhawaii

Hello, So we are two 21-22 year old's planning this trip to Europe mid July. This is our first time to Europe. We will be spending our first two days in Amsterdam then 1-2 days in Belgium. We would like to see the Ann Frank House and any other interesting MUST see places. We have no clue what Belgium has to offer in places like Brussels, etc. Is Brussels worth the stop?!

So what are we interested in:
Culture filled towns/cities
Historical sites ( museums, architecture, world war 2 sites, castles, old churches romantic sites, unusual sites, etc) Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

nessagirlhawaii

Any First timer things.. must see places, etc. Also is Brussels is a pass through place on my way to Paris or is it worth staying the night or two.

sassy_cat

Click on destinations above (just under orange banner) and you'll find plenty of info on Belgium etc.
'Must see' places depends on your point of view. Here's a link through to the Europe info on Fodors

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/

hetismij

I thought you had 3 days assigned to Amsterdam? Are you still flying to Frankfurt first? If so is day 1 of your Amsterdam stay the day you traavel from Frankfurt?
For the Anne Frankhuis go to their website and buy your tickets so you do not waste half your remaining day in a queue to get in.
Other obvious things are the Van Gogh museum -again buy tickets in advance, and the Rijksmuseum, maybe the Hermitage too. A canal boat trip maybe good if you are jet lagged. Just walking around can be fun - visit the flower market, and the Begijnhof.
Coffeeshops abound if you are into that sort of thing - take advantage now before the law changes and they are closed to foreigners.
See what is on at Melkweg and Paradiso while you are in the city if you want to go to a concert. Rembrandtplein is a lively place which may appeal to you in the evening.

You don't have time for many of the things you have listed you are interested in, either in the Netherlands or in Belgium.

hetismij

Ok having re=read your other thread day 1 is arriving in Frankfurt then travelling to Amsterdam, Which leaves you only 1 day in Amsterdam. Why bother?

Sorry but it seems like a colossal waste of time and money to go from Frankfurt to Amsterdam for effectively just one day there, and then you want to spend 2 days in Brussels?
And you want to visit museums, castles, WW2 sites etc etc?

Go straight to Paris and forget about both Amsterdam and Brussels. Save your money.

Come visit when you have more time.

nessagirlhawaii

I had 3-4 days assigned to Amsterdam but after several recommendations to make it shorter I decided to do just that. We will be in Amsterdam 2 full days, is that not enough time to do a couple things as the one you have mentioned? Thanks for your help!

sassy_cat

Actually a few people said to drop Amsterdam and Brussels .. one person said reduce the time in Brussels.
The reason for this is that you're moving around too much to see anything so reduce the number of places on your itinerary and allocate more time to the ones you really want to see.

hetismij

Quote from your other thread;
Day 1) Frankfurt (go straight to Amsterdam)
Day 1-2) Amsterdam
Day 3-4) Brussels
Day 4-9) Paris

That is NOT two full days in Amsterdam that is one and a bit days in Amsterdam, both jet-lagged. The train from Frankfurt will take a minimum of 3 hours 45 minutes and could be as much as 5 and a half hours if you time it wrong.

You are I assume flying from Hawaii (based on your username) and are taking into account the fact you arrive a day later and will be seriously jetlagged?

I can't see how flying into Frankfurt and then getting a train to Amsterdam makes any sense at all, nor, given the price of the train tickets (which you should book ASAP to get the best deal, also to get to Paris), that it is cheaper than flying into AMS).

Stay in Frankfurt, get over your jetlag and go to Paris.
Or skip Brussels and add that time to Amsterdam.

jamikins

I cant imagine cutting amsterdam short for Brussels - I think Brussels is one of the most boring cities in Europe. Yes, they have a nice square and good beer - but I found it boring and thought an afternoon was enough. For most tourists I would suggest skipping it.

Given your age - skip Brussels and give that time to Amsterdam!

nessagirlhawaii

Thanks Jamikins, I have been hearing that a lot I am taking Brussels out and add time to Amsterdam- it will just be a passing thru place. I had originally planned to stay the day in Frankfurt but I have split up my flight so I will have time to rest in between =) so i think I will be fine.
Also hetismij
I think maybe I wasn't clear but I would arrive in Amsterdam 2 pm day one, day 2 venture around and leave day three noon but I am adding the time from Brussels to Amsterdam.
Thanks =)

Is there anything I should know before booking my lodging?
There are 2 of us, only need one bed.
How are the shared bathroom places, generally?
hostels.com has some pretty good deals.
there are dorms and privates
Privates is not a shared room I assume
We had a bad experience where we booked a hotel in the past and selected 2 guests and when we arrived we were charged extra. Is this something I should worry about?
Thanks for all the great info

LSky

If Brussels in on your list then maybe it's there because you'd like to see their great museums; Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Magritte Museum, Horta Museum or just enjoy the Art Nouveau. We only spent a day in Brussels and wish we would have spent a little longer.

Why Frankfurt?

sumrcr

Your amended schedule looks good to me. Amsterdam has long been my favorite city in Europe, with Paris a close second. Paris is nice, but Amsterdam is the kind of place I could live in for the rest of my life. Too bad you were not able to fly directly to one and out of the other. Costwise and in terms of meeting fellow travelers your own age, hostels will probably be your best alternative. The only negative about Amsterdam, to me is that the area between the central train station and the Dam plaza is pretty grungy; see if you can find a hostel outside that area. If you decide to move up to a hotel, you might look at renting a houseboat for about the the same cost. Since your time is so limited, I would skip Brussels and get to Paris sooner.