We have two or three nights still unplanned in between our stay in Amsterdam and then Paris in September. I am trying to pick a pretty, smaller town to relax for a couple days that is somewhat on the way to Paris (preferably by train, but we would consider renting a car). Nice scenery, some quaint shops and cafes, and a relaxed, small-town atmosphere is what we are after. Being close to nature would be nice -- maybe somewhere near a river or a national park?

I was looking at staying in Brugge since it seems to be somewhat on the way, but it might be too big of a city for our purposes. I am looking for any suggestions on quiet but scenic locales in the Netherlands, France or Belgium. If you could tell me what you liked about visiting that area, that would also be of great help.

Thanks!

The Hague will surprise you. Rent a bike.

How about Delft?

definitely Brugge - it is delightful-not too big at all - very picturesque.

I always find Breda a very nice city to visit. It isn't a very small town (170.000 inhabitants), but is has a very relaxing atmosphere. It has a nice historical inner city (although not as picturesque as Bruges, I must admit) with plenty a shops (both quaint and all the (inter)national chains) and a lot of restaurants and cafes. Around Breda there are plenty of possibilities to go biking/hiking/etc. Plus that it is evry easy to reach by train and almost (on stop away from station Roosendaal)on the direct line to Amsterdam/Brussels/Paris.

If you really want to be in the middle of the nature, but nearby a nice town with plenty of shops and restaurants; go to Oisterwijk. Also in the south of the Netherlands, near Tilburg.
It has its own trainstation (about 1h45m from Amsterdam). Paris is to be reached in about 4h.
It has a beautiful high-street lined with trees. One part is full of restaurants and cafes, the is lined with shops (mostly small shops not linked to a chain). Surrounding the town are beautiful forests. Most of the hotel are also located just outside the town in the forest. But there are alos some hotels in the city itself.

North of Breda is the Biesbosch national park, (www.biesbosch.org) which you may enjoy. You could stay in Breda, visit the national park then move on to Brugge after that maybe.
Or go to Brugge and then on to the Champagne region, which is lovely.

Thanks for the suggestions! I have ordered a couple travel guides on the region so I can do some follow up research. Right now a Breda/Bruge combo looks promising.

Another vote for Brugge.

You perhaps could go by train from Amsterdam to Cologne, Koblenz, and down the Rhine - takes about 4 hours or so to get to the area around St Goar. Very small town, castle ruins, boat cruise, ride bikes, etc. Boppard (a couple towns north of St Goar) has a wonderful chair lift to an overlook of the Rhine.

Then you could train on to Paris - I suppose you might need to return to Cologne, then take the TGV.

Brugge is not to be missed. Fantastic.