Hey!

We are planning a trip from December 18 to January 4th to Paris-Belgium-Amsterdam.
I will be 27 weeks pregnant and would like to enjoy and take it easy.
Last Christmas we did the Budapest-Prague-Vienna circuit and loved it.
We are in our mid thirties and like museums, food tours and walking around.

Our tentative itinerary will be:
Arrive Amsterdam Wednesday 18th late afternoon
Leave for Bruges by train in the 24th
Leave for Paris the 28th and return home on the 4th

I have a couple of questions and I would really appreciate your help.

1. Do you think will have any trouble finding a train leaving the 24th from Amsterdam to Bruges

2. What should be our base in Belgium. Brussels, Bruges or Ghent. I´m mostly torn between Bruges and Ghent as I´m not such a big fan of cities (for example we went to Japan two years ago to Kyoto, Koyasan, Tokyo and my least favorite city was Tokyo!), but I´m not sure if due to the dates we would have and easier time in Brussels.

3. We will be in Belgium the 24,25,26,27.
I know that half of the 24 and 25 can be considered “lost” days for sightseeing. But will still be able to enjoy Christmas markets in Brussels? (I read that eventhough they have shorter hours they are still open on the 24th and the 25th)

4. Do you think we should change the order of the trip
Paris 18-26
Belgium 26-29
Amsterdam 29-4
I like the first one better, because I would like to end our holidays in Paris but the order is not set in stone!

Thank you so much for your help,

1. no
2. my choice would be Gent (especially over Christmas), and I love the Brussels vibe dearly, but it takes some time to discover.
3. research it. If you want to go to dinner somewhere, make sure you book (early) Christmas markets are always underwhelming, so maybe not a reason for visiting. Make sure you look up anything that you want to visit and check the opening times on google maps.

Itinerary help: Paris and Belgium for Christmas/New Year!

Above is a recent thread we had on Belgium at Christmas with some details regarding opening hours. Agree that Ghent is a good choice, it's got better rail connections to other destinations in Belgium, but the town is some distance from the station, so take a tram. You won't have trouble finding trains but they will run to a public holiday timetable. (www.b-europe.be, www.b-rail.be)

I would also book an open jaw airfare to make sure you are not wasting time by backtracking.

Enjoy your trip!

Lavandula

Brussels is often horribly underrated. While Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent and other cities are definitely worthy of note, Brussels should be given its due. I would split my time between Brussels and one other city, never forgetting that the weather might be dire at that time of year, and that really cuts down on the appeal of visiting some of the other cities while increasing the appeal of the warm and friendly cafés and bars of Brussels.

Hi!
What a nice trip!
Maybe I can help you a little also:
1 - You can prebook a ticket: https://www.nsinternational.nl/en
2 - I like Ghent as a base and its easy to take a day trip to Bruges
3 - Chrismas markets will be open. Only on Dec 24 there will be adjusted opening hours.
4 - the order is up to you! I always say stick with your first thought.

Have a grand time!

Any traintickets to Belgium can be bought at the NS ticketmachines. NS International will steer you towards Thalys for the Amsterdam - Antwerp leg, but you don't need Thalys for that: regular Amsterdam - Brussels intercity will do the trick and that doesn't need any pre-booking. Do note though, that on 24 december more people may be travelling.

Thank you so much for all your answears! Really helpful!

Another vote for spending time in Brussels. Art Nouveau architecture, fabulous art museum that has an excellent collection of symbolist art which is hard to find elsewhere. Good guide books will spell out all the wonders of Brussels. I've stayed at least a week in each of the places you've mentioned but Brussels has gotten a month. There is so much to see, but then again I'm a big city kid and Christmas markets are not my thing. Too many, too much cheap stuff unless one visits the historics of Germany.

There is a price difference for the regular intercity trains between the Netherlands and Belgium. Buying them a week or two in advance can save you quite a lot.
for example if I want to travel Amsterdam-Brussel tomorrow on an IC train I pay 48 euro one-way. If I travel 2 weeks from now it's 26 euro one-way.
from www.b-europe.com
Buy online and print your ticket.