Netherlands and Belgium spring 2026 trip

audreyh1 said:
These days all the NL transportation accepts tap to pay and ApplePay so there is really no need for the multiday tickets of the past that really only supported a small city area and not city to city transfers.

In Amsterdam we tap upon entering a bus for example, and tap again with the same card on exit. This charges you for the trip plus recognizes public transportation transfer within a given time period. And as you noted above there is a daily max charge limit anyway. In Belgium we tapped upon entering the tram but did not tap to exit IIRC.

Whole new ball game.
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Audreyh, you are a weath of information. I appreciate it.
 
audreyh1 said:
I have family near Amsterdam and visit almost every year. Have visited Belgium a couple of times - all the places you mention.
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The exact opposite for us. We visit family in Belgium every year, and are often in the Netherlands either passing through or visiting friends. These countries are quite possibly the easiest to navigate in all of Europe. @bluelight should have no difficulties.
 
bluelight said:
My home base is JFK. I looked into direct flights to BRU with a return from AMS and the prices were higher. I've become paranoid and don't trust airlines anymore to make sure luggage will be there when arrive and can't do carry on only. So, I'm willing to do the train from AMS to Ghent.
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We have a different issue. We wanted lower cost business class from SFO. The solution was to use SAS flying into Copenhagen. Visit the Viking Museum near that city. Then fly to Amsterdam. SAS is our best lower cost idea for Europe currently.
 
Lorenzo said:
The exact opposite for us. We visit family in Belgium every year, and are often in the Netherlands either passing through or visiting friends. These countries are quite possibly the easiest to navigate in all of Europe. @bluelight should have no difficulties.
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Another big benefit is that Nederlanders are generally fluent in English.
 
I took a Rick Steves tour of Holland and Belgium years ago. I still consider it one of the best trips I have made. Enjoy yourself.
 
We’ve traveled extensively across Europe, visiting many countries. In the last 3 years, we spent 2 weeks in the Netherlands and 2 weeks in Belgium. We love immersing ourselves in local traditions and meeting people.
I never take trains in Europe and have no intention of doing so in the future. We always rent a vehicle in the capital, drive to all the cities and sights we want to see, then return the car and stay a few days in the capital without a car. Driving is easy, usually cheaper, and far more convenient; who wants to haul luggage from hotel to train station?
Having a car gives us complete freedom to travel anywhere we want, on our own schedule.
For itinerary ideas, I’ve been using kimkim. The site provides detailed itineraries for 3–20 days per country:
In Amsterdam we used the public transportation, which was simply paid via Google Pay, very convenient.

Like you, we stayed outside Amsterdam to tour other parts of the Netherlands, at one of the best hotels we’ve ever experienced: Bed & Breakfast Bakker Meijer in Heemskerk. It’s rated 9.6 on Booking.com, and it absolutely deserves it. They only have several rooms, all at street level, very quiet, and each is large, beautifully equipped, and comfortable.
Breakfast is around the corner at their bakery, where you can pick from a wide variety of fresh-baked goods, everything is straight from the oven. Hot and cold drinks and cheese are also included. Simply put, it’s amazing. I paid about $140 per night.
Location: 13 mi from Schiphol Airport, 18 minutes to Haarlem, 30 minutes to the Tulip Barn.
The hosts, who also run the bakery, are amazing.
 
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Thank you. I will take a look at that site. My daughter is a ChatGPT user and used it to plan our itinerary, but I know it needs work.

I had considered renting a car, at least part of the time but keep reading that parking a car in the cities is problematic and that not using the excellent rail system is somehow wrong. My only other experience with car rental in Europe was in Austria where we had a flat on a road between Salzburg and Hallstatt. That turned into a major headache which ended up with us having to drive back to Salzburg, then back to Vienna on a doughnut. We booked through Europcar and they were unwilling to help us in any way.

I would love to be able to stay for weeks, it sounds like a wonderful way to vacation, but my daughter has school aged children and her in-laws are watching the kids at her house while we are gone. That's also why we will be missing peak tulip blooms, but something is better than nothing.

I knew the travelers on this site would have great suggestions, I may have more questions.
 
Maybe you are going to like the idea of free walking tours that we have been doing for many years.

Ghent
www.freetour.com

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Book a Free Tasting Tour Gent With Chocolate, Fries, Waffles, Beer & More and discover memorable sights and rich culture of Gent, Belgium
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Bruges:

Tell Me About Bruges ⭐ 1000 Years of Stories by Locals ❤️ | GuruWalk

Explore Tell Me About Bruges ⭐ 1000 Years of Stories by Locals ❤️ with local expert guides. Book authentic experiences and tours.
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Free Historical Tour Bruges | Visit all the Highlights | Incl. Chocolate Treat & €3 Discount on Boat Tour | GuruWalk

Explore Free Historical Tour Bruges | Visit all the Highlights | Incl. Chocolate Treat & €3 Discount on Boat Tour with local expert guides. Book authentic experiences and tours.
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Brussels:

⭐ Stories About Brussels ⭐ No.1 Tour by Local Storytellers | GuruWalk

Explore ⭐ Stories About Brussels ⭐ No.1 Tour by Local Storytellers with local expert guides. Book authentic experiences and tours.
www.guruwalk.com www.guruwalk.com
www.freetour.com

Free Tour of Brussels - Brussels | FREETOUR.com

Book a Free Tour of Brussels and discover memorable sights and rich culture of Brussels, Belgium
www.freetour.com

Haarlem:

Free Tour of the city of Haarlem | GuruWalk

Explore Free Tour of the city of Haarlem with local expert guides. Book authentic experiences and tours.
www.guruwalk.com www.guruwalk.com

Amsterdam:
https://freewalkingtoursamsterdam.com/
freetoursbyfoot.com

Free Walking Tours Amsterdam | 5 Best Free Tours

This post lists all the free walking tours in Amsterdam in the city center, Red Light District, food tours and more.
freetoursbyfoot.com freetoursbyfoot.com
 
bluelight said:
Thank you. I will take a look at that site. My daughter is a ChatGPT user and used it to plan our itinerary, but I know it needs work.

I had considered renting a car, at least part of the time but keep reading that parking a car in the cities is problematic and that not using the excellent rail system is somehow wrong. My only other experience with car rental in Europe was in Austria where we had a flat on a road between Salzburg and Hallstatt. That turned into a major headache which ended up with us having to drive back to Salzburg, then back to Vienna on a doughnut. We booked through Europcar and they were unwilling to help us in any way.

I would love to be able to stay for weeks, it sounds like a wonderful way to vacation, but my daughter has school aged children and her in-laws are watching the kids at her house while we are gone. That's also why we will be missing peak tulip blooms, but something is better than nothing.

I knew the travelers on this site would have great suggestions, I may have more questions.
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I don’t recommend renting a car considering the places you plan to visit. Having a car in cities is problematic and public transportation in those two countries is excellent and easy to use. Trains and trams and occasionally) buses is great. You can always ask the hotel to order a taxi if you are dealing with luggage. Google Maps can show you the public transportation options and routes even in real time.
 
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bluelight said:
My adult daughter and I are planning a trip to Netherlands and Belgium in late April. We will be at the tail end of tulip season, but due to family commitments, it's the only time we can go. I've taken a few trips to Europe, but they have mostly been river cruises where the itinerary and travel details have been handled for me. This is also the first time I will be using rail as the main form of travel.

We are flying in and out of Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. It appears counter intuitive, but no direct flights to BRU, and the total time will be about the same. We have decided to go to Belgium first as it will make the return to AMS easier on our last day.

I've been to Amsterdam previously and trying to keep trip cost reasonable we will be using Haarlem as our Netherlands base.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions are very welcome.

04/28/26 fly to Amsterdam
04/29/26 Intercity train to Ghent, Check into hotel for 5 nights
04/30/26 Ghent old town, Castle of the Counts
05/01/26 Day trip to Bruges
05/02/26 Day trip to Brussels, Castle of Groot-Bijgaarden flower show (on the way to Brussels)
05/03/26 Ghent old town
05/04/26 Train to Haarlem, Check into hotel for 5 nights
05/05/26 Keukenhof + tulip fields (Keukenhof is open until 5/10 this year. The tulip barn is open until 5/5)
05/06/26 Haarlem exploring
05/07/26 Day trip to Utrecht
05/08/26 Day trip to Amsterdam
05/09/26 Fly home from Amsterdam
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If you can get to The Hague, that has two of my favorite experiences in The Netherlands. The Mauritshuis Museum and the Museum Panorama Mesdag.
 
Another really cool thing to visit in The Hague is Madurodam - small replicas of famous Dutch buildings and streets. We used a tram to get there from the historical downtown area, also to reach the beach area with great seafood restaurants.
 
I have not read all the comments but adding my own....

We love the Netherlands....We were there last April (2025).....I'll add these suggestions:

  • Great plan to base in Haarlem.....Check out the Corrie ten Boom house in Haarlem....Her and her family hid Jews in their home....She became a Christian evangelist after she survived a Nazi concentration camp.....You can see the hiding place in the bedroom..Make reservations ahead Corrie ten Boom House
  • we spent a day in Gouda (cheese) and Delft (Delft Pottery and the Royal Family tombs)....Both were fun days with lots to see and do.....I would go to one of those instead of Utrecht.
  • The trains are easy peasy....get the NS app. No need for tickets...just tap in and out (very important) with your credit card. Your daughter will need a different credit card....each person has to tap in/tap out...same for trams and metro all over the country.
  • Brussels to/from the Netherlands is a train ticket. Go to NS International to buy that ticket.
  • The tulips were over the top...
  • Amsterdam was done in one day and that was enough...Went to Ann Frank house and Rijmuseuem (sp?) and took the canal boat. Very crowded...much different feel than the rest of the country....glad we went but we saw enough....much preferred the rest of the country....
I could go on and on...but have a blast....
 
Been to the Netherlands a few times and once to Belgium.

Had good weather going to Keukenhof the one time I visited, when the tulips were in full bloom.

My Belgium visit was in April when average rainfall is among the lowest in that part of Europe. But it rained, pretty hard, the 3 nights I was in Bruges. Had better luck in Brussels and made good use of the train system to visit other cities like Ghent and Mons on day trips.
 
Tough luck in Bruges! That’s an amazing city.

BTW - the Belgian national dish is Moules-frites - a bowl of steamed mussels with fries on the side, so be sure to indulge. Belgium claims to be the original source of pommes frites - French fries, but of course the Netherlands and France also eat a lot of fries.
 
There is a famous mustard shop in Ghent not that far from the Gravensteen/Castle of the Counts. DB made me bring him his favorite mustard last time we visited.
Tierenteyn-Verlent
+32 9 225 83 36
maps.app.goo.gl

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
maps.app.goo.gl maps.app.goo.gl
 
Thanks all for the additional comments. I'm thinking that we may change the Utrecht day. I like the idea of Delft or Gouda.

I've spent a day in Amsterdam, and taken a canal boat cruise, but my daughter hasn't. As most of these cities have canals and we will be taking a canal ride in Haarlem, would it be worth it to take canal rides in other cities?

Unlike previous trips that have been museum heavy, we are going into this one looking more into wandering and seeing the local architecture and of course the gardens.
 
Went on basically the same itinerary a few years ago. Highly recommend Antwerp as well, on they way to or from Ghent. Castle in Ghent is amazing. Try the Indonesian food.
 
bluelight said:
Thanks all for the additional comments. I'm thinking that we may change the Utrecht day. I like the idea of Delft or Gouda.

I've spent a day in Amsterdam, and taken a canal boat cruise, but my daughter hasn't. As most of these cities have canals and we will be taking a canal ride in Haarlem, would it be worth it to take canal rides in other cities?

Unlike previous trips that have been museum heavy, we are going into this one looking more into wandering and seeing the local architecture and of course the gardens.
Click to expand...
There is a market day in Delft and that day there are all these tents and vendors. We thought it was ugly so I'd avoid that market day unless you really enjoy that sort of thing.
 
bluelight said:
Thanks all for the additional comments. I'm thinking that we may change the Utrecht day. I like the idea of Delft or Gouda.

I've spent a day in Amsterdam, and taken a canal boat cruise, but my daughter hasn't. As most of these cities have canals and we will be taking a canal ride in Haarlem, would it be worth it to take canal rides in other cities?

Unlike previous trips that have been museum heavy, we are going into this one looking more into wandering and seeing the local architecture and of course the gardens.
Click to expand...
Delft which we visited as a day trip from The Hague is a nice smaller walkable city. We mainly visited to go see the famous Delft blue on white stoneware pottery that dominated the European Market for a long time, until various European countries discovered how to make porcelain. Otherwise imports from China and Japan were super expensive and only available to the very rich. Anyway in Delft you can tour the Royal Delft factory, the last remaining 17th-century Delftware factory. That was fun.

Gouda - haven’t been there. You have to learn how to pronounce Gouda properly - more like “Howda” but the G is pronounced like the Spanish J, or the ch in loch.

My guess is that one canal ride is enough. I’ve only been on a canal cruise in Amsterdam, but the buildings along canals in other cities like Haarlem and Leiden look to be from the same periods. You’ll be walking along some of these canals anyway.
 
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