Beantownboss

Hello

If anyone can offer some help, that would be wonderful. I am going to Europe From 10 Days in Aug/Sept

Day 1 -Arrive in AMS
Day 2 - AMS
Day 3 - AMS (Day Trip to Delft)
Day 4 - AMS (Day Trip to Harleem)
Day 5 - Cologne
Day 6 - Cologne (Trip down to Koblenz and the Castles)
Day 7 - Brussels
Day 8 - Brussels (Trip to Bruges)
Day 9 - Brussels (Trip to Gent)
Day 10 - Antwerp to Rotterdam
Day 11 - leave Rotterdam for Schipol - Flight to US

would this be feasible? I really want to get a day or two in Germany and thought this would be a great little dip into it.

Is this enough time in Amsterdam? Are the side trip I have to much?
And just to note - I don't really enjoy switching hotels every other night, so thats why I was going to use brussels/AMS as a base. Not huge on going to tons of Musuems more for walking around/ eating/ drinking/architecture. etc...

Let me know your thoughts and any suggestions.

Thanks!

hetismij

I would probably do one less day trip from Amsterdam, although you could easily do Haarlem as a half day if you have time.
Do you leave for Cologne on Day 4 or Day 5? And from Cologne to Brussels - day 6 or 7? Maybe cut a day from Brussels and combine Ghent and Bruges into one day trip, to give you longer in Cologne.

joannyc

I was sorry that I spent 2 nights in Cologne. IMO, the only thing to see is the Cathedral. Wished I had spent more nights along the Rhine instead.

Aramis

I am a Germany fanatic, so understand my hesitance to say this, but I would probably suggest that you consider dropping Cologne. It is quite a bit east of where you are concentrating your travel and the most scenic part of the Rhine is south of Koblenz and not something you can comfortably do in a day with Cologne as a base.

Here is an alternate suggestion that involves one more hotel but much less moving between places. I am suggesting it because it;

- Lets you get "settled" in Amsterdam after arrival

- Allows you to spend time in smaller cities that are great for walking/eating/drinking/architecture, especially at night (Brugge, Delft, Haarlem)

- Is compact and efficient - if you drove it it would be 7 hours, complete. Your itinerary totals about 15 hours, if driven.

So, one more hotel move and 8 less hours on trains.

These are overnight stops.

AMS
AMS
AMS
DELFT
DELFT (visit Rotterdam)
BRUGGE (visit Antwerp)
BRUGGE
BRUSSELS (stop in Ghent on way to Brussels)
BRUSSELS
HAARLEM
Fly Home

Just something to think about.

Beantownboss

Aramis - I like your suggested trip plan - but does DELFT really have enough to do/ nightlife for a few young people?

Is anyone a supporter of the Cologne/Dusseldorf area?

Aramis

Btboss

Good point - I'm not 24 anymore. Heck I don't have a 5 out in front yet but I do frequent beerhalls instead of clubs.

Delft is 20 minute from Rotterdam. I imagine the train connection is superb so if you can crawl back to the station......

Alternately, spend an extra night in Amsterdam and one in Delft or Rotterdam, or spend both Delft nights in Rotterdam instead.

I don't think you will find a lot of people lining up for Cologne. Once you get past the Dom and a few other sites it is s big modern city. Duesseldorf is, too, but it has a renowned night life. I have never been so I have no detailed information to pass on.

RayKrebs

I think I prefer the second itinerary suggested by Aramis. The problem with planning a lot of day trips and going out at night is that it gets hard to do both after a few days and you don't want to be exhausted. You also have to consider travel time and that many hotels don't let you check in until about 2 pm, so Day 7 in Brussels is actually more like an evening. With 2 day trips planned after that, it doesn't really leave any time to see the city.

I haven't been to Cologne so I can't comment, but it is certainly not high on the list of cities to see. I would suggest skipping Germany this time and come back another time to see Berlin, Munich, Nurenberg, etc.

november_moon

Yeah - we never get in all the day trips we have planned because more often than not, we've been out the night before and don't get up in time to make a day trip somewhere worthwhile.

We spent a week in Amsterdam last summer and could have stayed longer. Really fun city, so I would hesitate to drop any time from that part of the trip, and I'd probably choose 1 day trip and stay in town the other days.

I don't know much about Cologne, so I don't have an opinion there.

We had fun in Brussels though - found a fair amount to do and see. Great city for wandering around. Plus on the weekends we found quite a bit of nightlife in the city center. Lots of bars with live music, some with DJs, so dance clubs. We were pleasantly surprised by Brussels.

Palenque

Is anyone a supporter of the Cologne/Dusseldorf area?>

Yes but with so many other better places for tourists i would just get off the train in Cologne - throw your bags in a luggage locker (unique underground automatic ones there) and hop to the humumgous Gothic Cathedral right next door to the station - perhpas nab a Wurst in the lively pedestrian zone and get back on the train and head to the Rhine Gorge or Mosel Valley - then go up the Mosel Valley via Luxembourg back to Belgium.
As you seem to be going by train here are some fantastic sites that have loads of useful info on train travel in these countries - www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download their free (and superb IMO) European Planning & Rail Guide that has good chapters on Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) and Germany with train maps, itinerary suggestions like you are looking for. There are zillions of trains going everywhere in these countries and for cities like you are going to trains make the best sense - most city centres now are off limits to private vehicles. And consider the Germany-Benelux Railpass that covers unlimited train travel for the number of days you purchase in an overall 2-month period in Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany - you can hop on any train anytime with very few exceptions with the pass.

Palenque

Cochem, in the Mosel Valley could be a great base instead of Cologne - Cochem is a fairy-tale small town the likes of which most of us dream about but never really stay in - gravitating instead towards big cities we have heard about - like Cologne, heavily damaged in WW2 and thus basically modern. But Cochem is untouched - on one of the prettiest stretches of the Mosel - on a deep valley carpeted by vineyards- and out of the vines in Cochem pops the castle of your dreams. And there are local wineries to tour and taste that vaunted Mosel white wines that are world famous.
From Cochem it is a short train trip to Koblenz and the Rhine - and when you are ready to go to Brussels instead of going back via Cologne, take the more scenic route via Trier and Luxembourg to Brussels -Luxembourg IMO is one of the prettiest cities in Europe -bisected by a deep gorge- throw your bags in a train station locker and spend a few hours there en route to Brussels. Well just an option.

Woyzeck

I agree with the general sentiment. I enjoy Cologne, but it doesn't really make a lot of sense to overnight there simply to use it as a base.

I understand where you're coming from, but using those cities as a base and then taking day trips elsewhere nearly every day sells the cities a bit short and overbooks your schedule. I'd cut a couple of day trips, just so you don't overwhelm yourselves. There is plenty to do in Amsterdam for two or three days.

Stay in Amsterdam, Cologne, and Brussels if you want to stay there. If you just want to see nearby cities, you might save time and money if you just reserved a room in the smaller towns.

If your goal is really to see Koblenz, you should probably just head straight there, rather than negotiate Cologne.

Palenque

I echo Woyzeck in Amsterdam - only one full day there is not enough to see its many many awesome sights - add a day if possible so you can still do the day trips IMO

Beantownboss

Thank you all for your help . I will def add more time to AMS and skip out on some of the day trips.

Thanks again!!

Palenque

Haarlem IMO is the easiest day trip for those short on time -just 20 mins by rail and Haarlem IME is just as nice as any other Dutch town outside of Amsterdam. And also consider twinning it, if on a Friday, by taking the train first to Alkmaar, another charming regional Dutch town but one with the Uber famous old-fashioned Cheese Market, Friday till about noon Apr-Sep - a really animated and colorful affair as porters in old-time garb hand carry loads of cheese into and out of the weigh house - grunting each time they pick up the heavy skiffs. Haarlem is a short train ride from Alkmaar, which is about 40mins by train from Amsterdam.