Amsterdam/ Belgium
 

We're going to Paris for 5 days in May and from there we have 4 days to spend in Amsterdam/ Belgium; from there we'll go to Berlin for 4 days and fly out.
My question is should I split 2 days in Belgium and visit Ghent and Brugge? or should I spend all 4 days in Amsterdam?. I have been to Amsterdam before for 1 day only, so I like to go back. what do you guys think?

yes to Belgium!!! I suggest staying in Ghent.. fabulous city and taking the train for a day into Brugge, it's 30-40 minutes away.
Great food in Ghent, good shopping, a nice flea market on F.S.&Sun plus let's not forget about all the beer!... I'll be happy to provide more info.. oh and really good chocolate and waffles!!!
Plus you could even pop into Brussels for the day! Easy.

Tough choice. And depends on what you really want to see and do. Likely you already know about each city mentioned. Ghent fine, but with limited time I'd try a little Amsterdam and a little Brugge. You will find beer and chocolate everywhere.
Bill in Boston

>>>>>>Great food in Ghent, good shopping, a nice flea market on F.S.&Sun plus let's not forget about all the beer!.

I've made a couple pilgrimages to this holy shrine in Ghent, where they sell a fantastic range of artisanal beers at supermarket prices. I bring a large rolling suitcase:

http://www.dehopduvel.be/engels/index.html

Thank you guys! I guess I should not skip Ghent and brugge, so maybe 2 days in Ghent/Brugge and 2 days in Amsterdam. Do you guys have any good hotel suggestions?

Well my personal travel style is never stay anywhere less than 3 nights so my vote goes to Amsterdam - I think there is plenty to do there for that amount of time. Have not been to Gent, we did go to Brugge and it was very pleasant but I think I would still cast my vote for an extended stay in Amsterdam. If in early May, the Kuekenhoff gardens might still be open and they are fabulous!

I would do one night in Brugge and then on to Amsterdam where you'll be glad to have three nights Staying in Brugge is the best tip I got on this board - the evenings and mornings are wonderful for enjoying food, beer, and wandering around town but during the day Brugge is packed with tour bus crowds.

oh... you might want to look at hotels in Amsterdam first before deciding everything else... It is Floriade! the big flower show that happens every 10 years! So the city may be completely overrun by tourists!

I would be inclined to skip Belgium and go straight to Amsterdam - I love Belgium, but I think that by splitting your time, you will be seriously shortchanging Amsterdam, and shortchanging Belgium while you are at it. 4 days is just not that much time. I think it is better to choose fewer places and really see the places than you do go than to spread yourself too thin.

If you really want a stop-over in Belgium, I would do 1 night in either Bruges or Ghent and then the rest in Amsterdam.

You could go straight to Amsterdam. I've been there often enough that I think it is kind of overrun, grotty, and trodden royal, though I do enjoy it for an overnight or a few hours in transit just about every year - - it is world-class cosmopolitan, after all, and a make-your-own salad-bowl falafel combo at a Maoz franchise is also world class, and incredible value.

If instead you do Belgium for two nights, the easy way is to train to Ghent, pick up a hotel right across from the St. Pieters train station (there is a big square opposite the station with a few decent places adjacent; www.bookings.nl tends to have a good listing with useful customer ratings). That way you can dump your bags, enjoy Ghent in the early evening (either a long walk or a tram straight to the center), then the next morning walk across the square and take the train half an hour to Bruges for a vivid daytrip (there's great beer pubs there too) before tottering back to Ghent, and then head on to Amsterdam the next morning.

Thanks beergirl! Maybe that's why all the hotels in Amsterdam are so expensive! I can't find anything decent for less than $200!

Thank you everyone, very useful information :)

On your way to Amsterdam get off and stay one day in Antwerp.