Amsterdam to Brussels
 

I will be flying into Amsterdam and then going straight to Brussels to spend one night before heading to Brugge for 3 nights. Do you know which of the train stations we will arrive at from Amsterdam, can you recommend a hotel within walking distance to the station plus the main center of Brussels. We don't want to spend over 150.00 Euro if we can help it for one night/2 people.

Chances are the train from Amsterdam will stop at Midi (it may stop at another station in Brussels, too).

Around Midi station is a very reasonably priced, basic hotel: A La Grande Cloche at 10-12 Place Rouppe

It is within walking distance from Midi (though you need to be careful in the neighborhood around the station). The hotel is within walking distance of central Brussels.

IC trains will stop first at Gare du Nord, then a few minutes later at Gare du Midi (aka Brussels-Zuid or south station) - both are in fairly blah areas so from either one take a train back to Gare Centrale, which is a few steps away from the town centre and many hotels. The train from amsterdam could possibly stop at Centrale, which though its name implies the main station, is a fairly small station called Centrale because it's most centrally located to heart of town. Area around Midi is, for Brussels, rather down scale. IC trains go every hour right from Amsterdam Schiphol to each station - avoid the Thalys trains that run the same route but require advance reservations and, on a walk up basis, cost a whole lot more - they are marginally quicker by a few minutes.
For exact schedules and to see whether the train stops at Gare Centrale in Brussels go to: www.budgeteuropetravel.com and on their home page click on the link All European Railway Timetables and this will bring you to the English schedule page of the fabulous www.bahn.de - German Rail website which has schedules for all trains in Europe - follow the tips given on the home page referenced about using the bahn.de site and you'll get all the intermediate stops the train makes, including Centrale if it stops there. Or just put in Amsterdam-Schiphol (airport station) and Brussels-Centrale and it will give you the connections to that station. Again if the schedules say the train is a THA (Thalys) train avoid it - take the hourly IC (InterCity) trains.

The intercity train Amsterdam - Brussel will stop at all three main stations in Brussel. First in Brussel Noord (Bruxelles Nord), then 3 min. later in Brussel Centraal (Bruxelles Central), afterwards in Brussel Zuid (Bruxelles Midi). Brussel Centraal is where you want to get off to be near the main centre (Grand Place area). The Ibis Brussels off Grand Place is at 2 min. walk from the station and 2 min. walk from Grand Place. There are plenty of other hotels walking distance from the Central Station. http://www.hotels-belgium.com/brussel-center/hotels.htm or http://www.ilotsacre.be/site/hotels_brussels.htm

We went from Brugge to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to Brussels in June.

You can get off at Centraal Station in Brussels.

It's a five minute walk to Grand Place.

We stayed at the Best Western Carrefour de l'Europe and it's a block up a little hill to the station.

Two minutes to Grand Place and the same to Gallerie St Hubert.

For Amsterdam to Brussels train service use the Netherlands Rail site www.ns.nl.

There is frequent service. All InterCity trains stop at all Brussels stations and take 2h51m. Thalys trains stop only at Midi/Zuid and take 2h39m for the trip.

You would probably appreciate stopping and finding a hotel near Centrale/Centraal. Nord is in the red light light district - look out the window on your left as you come into the station.

Have you considered going into Antwerp? Take a day away from Brugge IMO.

Thanks for your suggestions, we are meeting friends in Bruges and tend to hop around too much so I think we will stay in Bruges and then head back to Amsterdam/Haarlem with friends for 3 more days...I'll look at all of the sites above and find a hotel for Brussels/Looking at Patritius or Hotel ter Reien or Cordoenier..Comments welcome...