My husband and I will be traveling to Belgium for family arriving on July 8, 2017. We will stay in Bruge until July 11. We would like to see a couple more places before we return to Bruge and back home on July 17. So we have 6 days, where should we go? We thought about Prague, or Italy (not sure which city), or Switzerland (not sure summer is the best time for Interlochen). Any suggestions are welcomed!!

This is a very open-ended question. No one here knows what you are interested in or what you have seen before. Paris and Amsterdam are two obvious choices if you haven't been before, easy to get to by train.

To get to Prague or anywhere in Italy, you'll surely be flying (or trying to find night trains - not really my thing personally, but it might save you some time). You'd probably fly from Brussels. Have you looked at round-trip flights between Brussels and Prague/Venice/Rome? Good flights and costs? Do you have a budget? Check Google Flights.

Let me throw out one place you probably hadn't thought of and most people won't mention: Slovenia. Ljubljana the capital is beautiful, and there are some beautiful small towns, lakes, and scenic drives nearby. Bruges is wonderful, but it's going to be mobbed with tourists in July. Prague is great too - but same thing, just mobs and mobs of tourists. Do you really want to keep experiencing that? Slovenia will have tourists in July too no doubt but probably a lot fewer than Prague or Venice or Bruges. (Fewer Americans, at least.) Just another possibility. When you get home, you'll have a place to talk about that many people probably hadn't heard of or don't even know where it is. No one will wonder where Venice or Prague is, because so many people go there now.

If you are thinking of flying to Italy, take a look at what flight options you have at Brussels airport for non-stop flights to Italian airports. The airport website should have a schedule of departures and returns.

Summer is the best time for the Dolomiti mountains and Italian alps around Montebianco (Montblanc). To reach them, look for flights to either Venice or Verona, or Milan. It's possible to visit the Dolomiti & Italian Alps using public transportation, but it easier if you rent a car.

The website booking.com is a great asset for last minute hotel bookings once you decide on a destination.

I agree with Ljubljana as a wonderful suggestion. It's a beautiful small city with wonderful restaurants and a young vibe. It's also a very short distance from Lake Bled which is gorgeous. The Julian Mountains are lovely as well.

Switzerland (not sure summer is the best time for Interlochen)- great for hiking and walking -that's why Europeans and tourists flock here.

And could be a sweet 6-day stay in Interlaken area and Lucerne - fly home from Zurich.

If you want two places close to Bruges choose Amsterdam and Paris - maybe land in Amsterdam before the family thing and end in Paris and fly out of these.

Trains are great between Bruges and Paris and Amsterdam- for lots on trains and where to go check www.budgeteuropetravel (nice online European Planning & Rail Guide with lots of rail itineraries all over Europe); www.seat61.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Summer is great for the Jungfrau Region (reflecting on your comment about being not sure summer is the best timesm-maybe you meant because of potential crowds?) but trails are best in summer-fall and spring can be too wet and cool at higher altitudes.

Ensconce yourselves in a small mountain village like Wengen - a perpetual favorite with Fodorites and a car-less village only reached by train and have thrilling mountain trains and aerial gondolas going off in all directions - walking paths from easy to challenging -lake boat trips on the two lakes bookending Interlaken, etc.

https://www.google.com/search?q=jung...w=1920&bih=950

Wengen: https://www.google.com/search?q=weng...w=1920&bih=950

Crowds of bus tours stick mainly to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen - Wengen sees far fewer as buses cannot get there.

Spend 3-4 nights in Interlaken hills and 2-3 nights in Lucerne (reachable by scenic Golden Pass trains up and over the Brunig Pass) and do a boat ride on lovely Lake Lucerne.

Italy -Rome and Venice and Florence are much more crowded in mid-summer than even the Interlaken area and the temps often reach near the boiling point. Prague is also a tourist magnet -if opting for it 6 night IMO would be way too much- so twin it with nearby Vienna or Munich, etc.

court143 -whaddya think?

As mentioned, it's hard to answer without knowing what you like, and where you've already been. If you haven't been to Paris before, I suggest just to take the train there (painless and fast), spend 5 days there, and then return to Bruges. Personally I try to avoid flying within Europe, but similarly if you have not been to Rome and are OK to fly, then fly there, stay for 5 days, and then return. In either case you could add more stops, but for quality-of-life experience I would suggest just planting down and exploring, rather than going nuts with logistics, last minute in the high season. And either city would be a nice contrast to tranquil Bruges.

Looks to me like you are planning to hop over the uninteresting adjacent countries.