You might want to check out Lille. We enjoyed the old-town pedestrian areas and beer garden-type places.

The train might work out fine. Maybe Oldlady or Don or someone else will correct me if I am wrong, but I think you could just get train tickets once you are there? You could check out the possibilities here:

http://www.bahn.com/…

Or you could look at RailEurope, but don’t buy from them.

Thanks for the information Cil. We have used a rental car in Europe on several occasions without many problems, but I have read that driving in Belgium, especially Brussels was not wise. Do you have an opinion on rental cars with our itinerary?
Thanks

I think the train and walking will be more convenient than a rental car for this itinerary, since you are visiting cities where the things you’ll want to see and do are not accessible by car. Amsterdam is canals and the medieval parts of Bruges and Brussels aren’t car friendly and have at least some limits on cars.

I would guess that a Benelux railpass would save money unless you luck out with specials and commit to non-refundable advance-purchase the tickets from the national rail company websites. I would not spend the money for 1st class (either pass or tickets) on any train in this itinerary. http://www.b-rail.be… http://www.ns.nl/en/… Cruise around both websites. The Belgian site offers excursions which include the train ticket, admission tickets and in some cases a lunch voucher.

I would seriously look at a base city/day trip itinerary if you travel by train. Stay in Amsterdam and one city in Belgium and visit the others as day trips — or perhaps an overnight trip leaving most of your gear at your base hotel. Look for a copy (an out of day one is fine for planning purposes and you might not want to buy it) of Europe by Eurail at your library to see how this travel style works for this itinerary. I think you’ll enjoy traveling by rail, but it is a very different travel style than by car.

Thanks oldlady for the tips. We agreed with your idea of having a base city and doing day trips. We are trying to decide which city might work best. Are there sites that we should definitely not miss? Any other tips that might make the trip more enjoyable?
Thanks

I haven’t been in Belgium in many years, so I’ll say nothing about that.

But in May, you should be right at the end of tulip season in the Netherlands. I would stay in Haarlem as it is scenic. less expensive, and less hectic than Amsterdam, but only a short train ride away.

If you like art, Amsterdam and The Hague have superb museums, and sell a reasonable pass. Keukenhof gardens has tulip displays that draw crowds and is easily reachable by train or bus. The tulip fields otherwise are best toured by bicycle, which can be rented almost anywhere.

I’d probably stay in Brussels as it’s the transportation hub. However, if you find better/cheaper lodging elsewhere, distances are short enough that you can make it work. From Brussels, Antwerp is 40 minutes by train, Bruges is 1 hour, Namur (colorful cheese market) is 50 minutes. Brussels Centraale station is very near the Medieval square, so a hotel near there would be ideal. Most trains to/from Brussels stop at all three Brussels train stations.

Also, when you price rail passes/rail tickets, be sure to look at adult saver passes (2 or more traveling together) to save money. Buy a pass for each couple (or whichever pairs are likely to travel together) rather than all 4 on one pass as the cost will be the same and you’ll have the flexibility to split up if you want. You might also look at Benelux-Germany, Benelux-France or even a 3 country select pass if you think you’ll want to travel outside Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg.

If you’re into WW II, I suggest a day trip to Bastogne from Brussels. The Memorial there has an excellent museum about the Battle of the Bulge — all displays and the movie have English
descriptions. You might also enjoy a day in Luxembourg. Luxembourg City is about 3 hours from Brussels by train, so perhaps better for an overnight trip, leaving most of your gear in Brussels.