Hi there,

I’ve asked for advice before and it was a big help in our planning, now we have finally booked our flight and I need some advice on our itinerary.

We’ve managed to add a few days into the mix and are very excited about seeing Amsterdam, Bruges and the Rhine region of Germany. We’re a couple in our early 30s, 1st time to Europe. On a tight budget for transportation & lodging so we can splurge a bit on food & drink.

We’re flying open-jaw into Amsterdam and out of Frankfurt. The flight is booked so those dates are set. We’d like to start booking hotels right away. Here’s our tentative plan. Please offer any advice or suggestions:

Amsterdam 3 nights:
Day 1 – Mon May 18 – Arrive Amsterdam at noon, sleep in Amsterdam
Day 2 – Tue May 19 – Explore Amsterdam, sleep in Amsterdam
Day 3 – Wed May 20 – Explore Amsterdam, possible side trip to Delft or Den Haag, sleep in Amsterdam
Bruges 3 nights:
Day 4 – Thu May 21 – Travel by train to Antwerp then on to Bruges, sleep in Bruges
Day 5 – Fri May 22 – Explore Bruges, sleep in Bruges
Day 6 – Sat May 23 – Bike to Damme, possible other side trip, sleep in Bruges
Brussels 1 night:
Day 7 – Sun May 24 – Train to Brussels, sleep in Brussels
Germany 3 nights:
Day 8 – Mon May 25 – Train to Köln, sleep in Köln
Day 9 – Tues May 26 – Possibly rent a car or take train along the Rhine, visit Burg Eltz, sleep ??
Day 10 – Wed May 27 – Continue along Rhine towards Frankfurt, sleep Frankfurt
Day 11 – Thu May 28 – Fly out of Frankfurt 7am


As you can see things sort of fall apart at the end. I didn’t think we’d make it to Germany so I haven’t done as much research. We would really like to rent a car but wonder how costs would compare to the train, especially since we would be picking up in Köln and dropping off in Frankfurt. Any advice on car rental deals would be most appreciated.

Also advice is needed on where to stay in the Rhine region. We do need to be in Frankfurt that last night for the early morning flight but Germany is pretty open otherwise.

Thanks for your patience and all your great advice!!

You might want to look at the Germany-Benelux railpass - also covers in full boats on the Rhine (www.k-d.com) - really do not need car for Rhine - trains go on each side of river and boats every hour or so - best part Rudesheim to Koblenz. Pass is good for hop on at will travel on virtually all trains in Netherlands - for you day trip - Belgium, Luxembourg (which you pass thru from Brussels to the Rhine - stop off in both Luxembourg and Trier - full of Roman ruins the best IMO north of the Alps) - for lots on trains and passes in these countries: www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com - you must buy the pass in Canada before leaving - www.raileurope.ca - not sold in Europe - europeans cannot use it.

I'm not a huge Amsterdam fan. It's expensive to stay in. I would probably spend two nights there and another in Delft or Den Haag whichever works better for you. I haven't stayed in either but suspect you will find a nicer accomodation for less.

Three nights in Bruges plus one night in Brussels is probably too much. I can see three nights total including biking and side trips.

On your way to Koln, if you can make a stop in Bonn, it's a nice smaller city.

You don't need a rental car to visit the Mosel or Rhine, both work great by local train. I would want one full day for Mosel activity, including Trier and Burg Eltz. I like the easy hike to Burg Eltz from (as I recall) the Moselkern station. Add another full day of sighseeing (2 or 3 stops) along the Rhine before heading into Frankfurt for the night before your flight.

I agree with Pal, the Roman ruins are great in Trier. Plus it's a nice town.

I appreciate the advice about the rail pass. It is $678 CAD for a saver pass for 6 days for 2ppl. That's 420 euros, which seems like a lot. But we would probably see more with a pass if we didn't have to worry about paying for each journey.

I've seen some good advice on here about Thalys discounts and Land Tickets that seem like a better value than the rail pass, but it is hard to be sure.

You are not traveling a whole lot really so check on the pass vs pt - pt

If going Amsterdam to Bruges it would be foolish to take the Thalys - you take regular trains to Antwerp then regular trains to Bruges - thalys often costs much more if you cannot get the elusive discounts.

the value of a pass in these countries is that ex for Thalys you can just hop on and off anytime - but i am not saying a pass would be cost efficient for you - it does cover the boats however where the Lander pass i think does not.

www/ns.nl Dutch railways for regular fares Amsterdam to Belgium

www.bahn.de for German fares and details on Lander tickets

www.sncb.be (not sure) but Goodgle Belgian railways for Belgian fares. Belgium has some cheap day passes i believe.

The train fares within Belgium are very cheap. The Belgian railway website can give you an idea of the costs:
http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/

I don't think 3 nights in Bruges is too much. First of all, you arrive Bruges at night on Day 4. You'll spend Day 5 sightseeing in Bruges, then Day 6 doing a side trip to Damme. There is definitely enough to see/do in Bruges to fill up at least 1.5 days, easily 2 full days. One word of advice though, you may want to go to Damme on the Friday instead of Saturday. I am just thinking that there will be lots more people/cyclers heading to Damme on a Saturday than a Friday (we went on a weekday and there were a few hard-core cycling groups). The path along the Damme canal isn't that wide, so if you have lots of people cycling on it, it's not as scenic/fun.

For Germany, you should qualify for some sort of Lander ticket which is very, very cheap.

Hi; You will have enough to do with three days in Amsterdam. I would only spend two days in Brugge and then two in Brussels. This would allow you to visit Gent for half a day on the way to Brussels. Then a full day in Brussels. When leaving Koln, consider renting a car, visit Burg Eltz and stay in the lovely Medeival town of Cochem. On leaving Cochem, you could go to Trier. There are some other great towns along the Mosel to visit, like Bernkastel Kues and Beilstein. If you then didn't have enough time for Trier, it would not be a long ride to Rudesheim. Then, having a car, you could spend the last night in Rudesheim, a lovely town on the Rhein. A lot would depend on the time of departure, as Rudesheim is probably 50 miles from the airport. iris1745/dick

Thanks again for all this advice. I have booked hotels in Amsterdam & Bruges, so that is set now, 3 nights each.

Wondering whether to skip the night in Brussels and head straight to Koln. We are strongly leaning towards renting a car from Koln, husband just discovered the Nurburgring is nearby (hopefully just to visit, not drive on).

The last night in Frankfurt is also pretty much set since we have a 7am flight we`ll need to leave for the airport very early.

Looking at Cochem as a possible German base for 2 or 3 nights. I think Day 7 will either be overnight in Brussels or Koln and then rent a car from Koln to Cochem for 2 nights to explore the area.

Thanks for all your advice and please continue to make suggestions for side trips in the Netherlands & Germany.

You won't be allowed on the Nurburgring in a hire car don't worry - but he can always go for the taxi ride around.
Since you only really have two days in Amsterdam I don't think you will have time for much of a side trip - there is more than enough to fill your time just in the city.

if you're going to rent a car in cologne, make sure you ask if a return charge applies. recently i had a rental car (i believe from hertz), and they did not charge an extra fee for dropping the car at another station.

as for your last night, i recommend to drop off the car in the evening. you should spend the night close to the airport or at least very close to frankfurt saving you the hassle of driving/possible traffic congestion or whatever in the morning.

in frankfurt, you could have dinner in the Sachsenhausen neighborhood, where there are many taverns serving plain frankfurt food and apple wine (esp. along schweizer st.).

Re rental car return charge: There is no drop-off charge if you return the car in the same country where you picked it up, regardless of city.

I'd skip Brussels. Have lived there for 3 years. It takes more than a day to get a feel for the city. Also, why rentn a car? You can take the train from Koeln to Koblenz (that's where I would stay), and take the train from there to one of the towns between Koblenz and Bingen, and take the boat back to Koblenz (downriver, faster). Do the same thing along the Mosel.

If you rent a car, the suggestion that you drop it off at the airport in the evening prior to departure is excellent. There is a hotel right in the airport. It used to be a Sheraton,not sure it still is. I usually stay at the Steigenberger Avance Airport Hotel, across the highway with free and frequent shuttle service to the several terminals. Not "budget" but convenient.

Personally I like having a car. I like the freedom of being able to go when and where I want to. If we see something that is interesting, we can make an unplanned stop. Plus we have a place to store our luggage if we make stops between the various places we are staying.

I also enjoy driving in general and the autobahn can be a bit exciting (even if there are speed limits on much/most of it now).

I would also agree that skiping Brussels is a good idea if it gives you more time on the Rhine and Mosel.

Thanks again for all this great advice.

It looks like we will rent a car in Germany. My husband loves to drive and loves German cars so it is inevitable. We are also leaning towards a night in Brussels. We're interested in seeing the comic strip museum as well as other sights there.

I think we will depart Brussels by train early on the 8th day for Cologne and rent a car there and probably sleep in or near Koblenz for 2 nights to explore the Mosel & Rhine. Also looking at castle lodgings but that may break the budget.

the Mosel is best by car or bike (or bus) as the train tracks along the valley only between Koblenz and Cochem (and a few spur lines - so going by the road that hugs the river is the best way IMO.