Day Trips to Bruges and Brussels from Amsterdam

Only 300 kilometers or 3 hours separate the cities of Amsterdam, Brussels and Bruges. That is why, because of the tourist attraction of both cities and because of their good communications, it is very common to visit the three cities in the same trip.

Knowing which are the best options to move around these three capitals and how to organize this route is highly recommended if you want to embark on such a trip. To do this in this post you have all the information about it to enjoy the circuit Amsterdam-Brussels-Brussels-Brussels.

There is no pre-established route or fixed order to visit these cities. But there are better options than others. The most advisable is to start the trip by visiting Amsterdam. The city of the Netherlands is the northernmost and is the best starting point as it has direct communication with Brussels. For example, you can go from Amsterdam to Brussels by booking an organized excursion to the Belgian capital.

Between the two cities there is the longest distance of the circuit. It is always better to end in Brussels as the distance of the flights from the Belgian city back to Western Europe is shorter and the price is lower.

The alternative is to start in Brussels as it is the central point and the only one that has direct communication with the other two cities. From the Belgian capital you can visit Bruges in one day and travel directly to Amsterdam. However, if we travel from Western Europe flights from Amsterdam are always more expensive so it is not the best option to finish the circuit.

The train is the best way to move between these three cities for its comfort-speed-price ratio. There is a direct connection between Amsterdam and Brussels, but not between Amsterdam and Bruges, although from the Belgian capital there are regional trains to Bruges. The journey between Amsterdam and Brussels has an approximate duration of two hours with direct travel and the price of a ticket starts from 25 euros if you buy it the same day but booking in advance you can find better deals.

From Brussels to Bruges there are regional trains that take about 1 hour to go from one city to another and prices start from 15 euros. The only disadvantage of the train is that there is no direct connection between Amsterdam and Bruges, but it is not a big handicap because Bruges can be visited in just one day and you can go and return from Brussels. You can also hire an excursion to Bruges from Brussels that will save you headaches, although these are usually done by bus.

The bus is the economical alternative to the train. Its great advantage is that there are trips between the three cities with all possible combinations. The prices of the Amsterdam-Brussels route are cheaper than the train, on average starting from 12 euros although there are cheaper options by booking in advance.

The big disadvantage compared to the train is the journey time. From Amsterdam to Brussels is about three hours, and just over an hour from Brussels to Bruges. The price difference compared to the train is not very big so it is up to each person if he/she values more the comfort and speed of the train or the price of the bus. There are also organized excursions to Bruges from Amsterdam that are usually made in a bus conditioned.

If you have your own or a rented car, it is very convenient to move between Amsterdam, Brussels and Bruges. The three cities are very well connected by road and the journey from Amsterdam to Bruges, about 300 kilometers, takes less than 4 hours. From the city of canals to the Belgian capital is 210 kilometers on the fastest road route and takes about 2.5 hours.

Moving by car gives absolute freedom of movement but in any case, adding fuel, tolls and, if necessary, car rental, the price will always be higher than traveling by train or bus. And of course, organizing the trip will also take time. That's why I recommend you to sign up for some of the organized excursions between the three cities.

The best time to do the Amsterdam-Brussels-Brussels tour is in spring, especially in March and April. To determine why this is the best time to enjoy this tour, two factors must be taken into account: the weather and the demand.

In winter and autumn, the cold is bitter in these three northern European capitals, while in summer, although the weather is much more pleasant, it is high season for tourism and the demand and the influx is very high, which increases the prices. Therefore, spring is the most balanced time between weather and demand, making it the best time to make the Amsterdam-Bruges-Brussels tour.

Amsterdam is perhaps the city that offers more monuments and points of interest among the three that make up the circuit. We will need at least 3 days to visit Amsterdam without leaving anything out. On the other hand, the general recommendation is usually to spend a minimum of 2 days in Brussels while in Bruges can be enough one day, although it is always better to see it calmly and spend 2 days.

In total the recommended to complete the circuit and visit the three cities in conditions is a one-week trip to go without stress. 3 days in Amsterdam, 2 in Brussels and between 1 and 2 in Bruges.

The three cities have a lot to offer and an endless number of monuments, museums and points of interest that should be part of our itinerary. As a summary, I leave you the main places and monuments that you must see in each of these three cities:

What to see in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city famous for its canals and with a large number of museums that are among the most important in the world among many other places worth visiting. The highlights are:

• A cruise through the canals of Amsterdam.
• Anne Frank House Museum
• Van Gogh Museum
• Flower market
• Jordaan Jewish Quarter
• Rijksmuseum
• Begijnhof
• The Red Light District
• Dam Square and Leidseplein

Brussels is not a very big city so most of the sights can be visited on foot and are concentrated in the city center of Brussels. The headquarters of the European Union offers its visitors a great collection of beautiful buildings combined with modern monuments and seasoned with a rich gastronomy famous for its Belgian chocolate tastings. If you go to Brussels the points that you can not miss are:

• The Brussels Stock Exchange
• The Jeanneke Pis and the Manneken Pis
• The Saint Hubert Galleries
• The Grand Place
• The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gúdula
• The Royal Palace of Brussels
• The Sablon Quarter
• The Palace of Justice
• The Atomium
• The European Quarter

Bruges shares with Amsterdam the title of the Venice of the North thanks to its famous canals. This world heritage city has many interesting places even though it can be visited in one day. The most famous and beautiful places in Bruges are:

• Stroll along the canals
• The Grote Markt market
• The Rosary Quay
• Minnewater Park
• Burg Square
• Belfort Tower
• St. Savior's Cathedral
• Jan Van Eyck Square

If after knowing all that the Amsterdam-Brussels-Brussels tour offers you decide to do it, which I highly recommend, you have to take into account a number of tips and points to optimize your trip:

• If you are traveling in the autumn or winter months go well wrapped up warm and with waterproof clothing as all three cities have a cold and rainy climate in those months.
• Book accommodation in advance to save money and avoid running out of options especially in the months from May to September which are the high season months.
• The train is the best transportation also because the train stations in all three cities are very close to the center of the cities.
• Find out about tourist cards such as I Amsterdam to see the museums in the cities without queuing and also have benefits for public transport.
• All three cities are very accessible by bike which makes this transport one of the best options to move around them.
• If you have more than a week and freedom of movement I recommend making intermediate stops between the three cities in some towns worth knowing as Rotterdam if you travel by train from Amsterdam, or Ghent between Brussels and Bruges.