I will be heading to Benelux in a few weeks time. I will be flying into Amsterdam and leaving from the same. It may be winter and a colder one than usual but I come from the upper midwest
I will be heading to Benelux in a few weeks time. I will be flying into Amsterdam and leaving from the same. It may be winter and a colder one than usual but I come from the upper midwest so cold is something that does'nt bother me. I figure this is a great time of the year to see a different side of Europe at better prices and with less crowds. I am looking for ideas on what's worth seeing and what is worth skipping.
I want to spend a few days in the Netherlands spreading it between Amsterdam, Haarlem, and the Hague but then want to head down to Belgium taking in the experiences to be had there. I am torn with where to make my base in Belgium. I am thinking Brugges or Antwerp (maybe Gent) but am not sure which. I enjoy taking in the history, culture, and food of the countries I visit the most. My activities tend to be of the more quiet nature but also enjoy stepping out for a few drinks in the evening.
This is my second trip to Europe (the first alone) so I am a bit overwhelmed with all the opitons. On my first trip I went on a semi-guided tour to just begin to get a feel for the experience of traveling Europe. At that time i saw a lot of central Europe. (Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, and Warsaw). It also lasted for two weeks and was a bit too much too fast so this time I am looking to take things at a slower pace and get a chance to really absorb a few select places. I greatly enjoy taking the less traveled path and catching glimpses of the true masterpieces overshadowed by gaudy frames so to speak. I would'nt also mind finding a a way to get in a one night stay in Munich (A days worth of travel both ways I realize) but am not opposed to skipping it.
I plan on staying in Hostels for some of the trip if not all. Any ideas or thoughts are greatly appreciated. Sorry about the small novella.
There is a night train from Amsterdam to Munich that leaves at 8:30 pm and gets in at 7:10 am that would get you to Munich without spending a day in travel. You could return the same way, leaving at 10:45 pm and arriving in Amsterdam at 9:00. However, I suggest not doing it back-to-back (that is, take the night train, spend the day, take the night train back) as many people don't sleep so well on night trains and two in a row may leave you incapacitated with fatigue. If you decide to go for it, spend a night in Munich in between. But that would give you two full days in Munich without needing any daytime hours for transit.
If you had asked me before you bought your airfare, I would have recommended flying home from Munich to save the return journey. It may still be worth checking to see if you can change it.
Great information. I did not think about a night train option. Perhaps I will have to plan for a couple nights in Munich. I did look into flying out of Munich but it was a little out of my budget and I was not sure if I would be going there or not. On the subject of trains; what's the best option for getting around. Just paying for one leg at a time or would a single country/region pass be more cost effective?
Just be aware that some blends of jenever are incredibly potent, but you can try much milder ones. It is a unique liquor.
Regarding weather, just be aware that in the lowlands or Netherlands you will actually be below sea level, and this creates some particularly chilling conditions when it comes to rain or snow. In the port cities of Amsterdam or Antwerp it can pretty much rain sideways at you. It can be like having sea spray in your face all the time. This combined with very few hours of daylight makes it highly advisable to be packing a good long waterproof coat to your knees that has a hood.
By the way, I prefer Antwerpen as a place to stay for food and wine and overall interest, but Gent has a very sweet nature. A kind of college town feel with its extremely pretty tiny center. Do see the Van Eyck in the church of St. Bavo. It is TRULY a masterpiece.
To me, Bruges is strictly a tourist town, but what I did like doing there is walking far away from the tourist core, along the windmills by the river and especially near around the old brewery quarters and near the Church of St Anne. These are very appealing early 20th c. streets made of Belgian block and factory worker's housing, with Belgian lace in the windows. Also, if you have a pair of opera glasses or small binoculars, bring them to the Brugge in order to better see Michaelangelo's Madonna, as it is an altarpiece and you are not allowed to go close
If you go to Brussels to see more than the Grand Place, the Horta Museum is sublime.
But if you want a marvelous small European city with every kind of sophistication and great food, but really walkable and attractive, I like Antwerp.
We had a driving vacation through the Benelux countries a couple of years ago. It was in June, so I'm not certain what late winter or early spring would be like.
The highlights for us were Vianden, Luxembourg, Bruges, Belgium, and Delft and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Yes, Bruges does get the tour groups, but they stick pretty much to the main town square area and are mostly a late spring to early autumn issue--so we did the sights in that area in the morning before the tour groups arrived and in the afternoon after they left. There's a good reason that so many tour groups stop at Bruges--there is much to see and experience of historic, architectural, artistic, and religious interest.
