Amsterdam or Bruges?
 

We're doing a bike and barge trip from Amsterdam to Bruges. We will have a few days on the end of our trip. As much as I'd like to spend time in each city, I'd rather pick one to get a fuller experience. Anyone have a favorite and why?

Definitely Amsterdam. They are both charming, beautiful locations, but Bruges is quite small. Amsterdam is larger, and with tons more to see and do, including fantastic art museums.

My brother and I spent 1 day in Bruges on our backpacking trip this past summer and it wasn't enough. I would have liked to had more time there to walk around & explore.

If you decided to go, Brasserie Medard is a restaurant a little off the beaten path that offers a huge bowl of speghetti for 3 euros. The service isn't the best, but the food is amazing for the price!

We also stayed one night in Ghent and it is such a lovely town you may decide to split your time between the two towns as they are only 30-40 minutes away from each other. I loved Belgium!! The beer, french fries, and waffles are amazing! The people are so nice.

We stayed in Amsterdam for 2 nights. I wished we had time to see the windmills or flower market, something outside of the city. Amsterdam was beautiful but after experiencing the city once that was enough for me.

2 very different places. one is a big city with all that is good and bad that it brings---way more to see and do. bruge is small, peaceful, but certainly a better place to visit than brussels.

I like both and have stayed a few times in each place. If I had the choice to go back to only one, I'd choose Brugge. It's got a lovely atmosphere and is very walkable, a lot smaller than Amsterdam, with great food and good places to stay.

Kay

I don't like touristy Brugge, but I'm not taking this trip. You might find this interesting to read:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...eaches-secrets

If food is very important to you, it is better to stay in Belgium. Amsterdam is marvelous for art and shopping and urban cycling.

eurocheapo.com/amsterdam for me way more to do I usually
get stir crazy after barge/bike tours in the past Brugge
small expensive more chock a block with crowds not my cup of tea but VERY pretty.

Have fun either way.

My vote would be for Amsterdam. As others have said, both places are very different and for me Amsterdam has so much more to offer than Bruges.

With a few days, I think you'll have enough time to see everything that Bruges has to offer (possibly twice) and I know I'd come away thinking the time could have been better spent getting under the skin of Amsterdam.

Thank you all for your responses. We will be in Ghent on day/night on our bike/barge trip. As our trip ends in the morning in Bruges, maybe that one day will satisfy our Bruge sightseeing. We prefer smaller villages than cities, but we do want to experience Amsterdam. This will be in September. Do you think we can travel that time of year without hotel reservations - thus allowing us a last minute decision as to where to stay?

I wouldn't risk traveling without reservations in any city in high tourist season.
Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities. I'm glad I saw Brugges but have no interest in returning.