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[frank664]

My girlfriend and I have a trip planed to Europe in August. We fly into Paris on August 7 and have to fly home from Paris on August 17. I have hotels booked for August 7 - 10 in Paris, August 14-16 in Amsterdam, and the night of August 16 in Paris (For the flight home on the 17th). These dates are set in stone as the nights were free and the bookings are non refundable. My questions are where should we go for the other 4 nights? We were thinking Brugge in Belgium for a night or two and some place in Germany for a night or two. But we are pretty open to anything.
Also are there any things in Paris and Amsterdam that we should not miss or hidden gems. We are pretty active and wouldn't mind doing something like a running tour or biking tour. (We did a running tour in New York last summer and it was well worth it) Should we book another day in Amsterdam?
Thanks for any info.

[wisconsin_fan81]

The Louvre, needless to say, is a must see. This goes without saying, but people might be suprised how much being active can benefit this. This museum is truly that big, several blocks, floors, and countless exhibits. I would imagine most people probably do not see every nook and crannie. I think it would be shame not to explore every inch of this amazing museum, and as out of shape as I am, I saw the whole thing. I was calloused, bruised, and tired (the museum followed a 14 mile walk to get there as well) but it was well worth it. Go underneath and see if they finished bringing that castle into the basement.

[starlagurl]

I wouldn't recommend less than two nights in any one city if you have the time to spend more than that there.

Do you have a special attachment to Brugges? Why did you pick going there over anywhere else?

I spent a whole week in Amsterdam, and still wanted more time! The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum were my favourite parts.

It seems like you two are pretty energetic, so a quick trip could work for you, it just depends on your style.

Have a look at some blogs and see what other people did: http://www.travelpod.com/s/amsterdam+paris

[kathryn77]

Hi Frank,
I was in the Netherlands a couple of weeks ago for the weekend and crammed so much in (it's in my 'Dots round Europe' link below) The train system in the Netherlands is fantastic, cheap & regular.

Nowhere is more than 3 hours away from Amsterdam, so if you want to get out of the main city to the country, it's really easy. Places like The Hague; Rotterdam are only half an hour to an hour away from Amsterdam.

You can hire bikes from any train station in the Netherlands - the rental places are outside the stations (despite there being more bikes than Dutch people in this country, make sure you lock them securely, as they do get stolen, and usually chucked in a canal!)

Although I didn't cycle it, if you go to Gouda by train, you could rent a bike and cycle to a place called Oudewater - it's really pretty, and really Dutch - plus as you mentioned liking quirky stuff, there's an ancient Waag (weighhouse) there where they used to weigh people to see if they were a witch in the 18th century - you can still get weighed there, and get a certificate to prove you're not a witch or warlock - if indeed, you are not

Similarly, there's a place called Kinderdijk where there are 18 Dutch windmills all in a row - I was gutted not to make it there, as I think it would be soooo pretty!! I think it's cyclable from a place called Dordrecht.

In Amsterdam itself, as well as what the others said, don't miss out on the Anne Frank Museum. There's also a free walking tour that you can do, that leave from the torist office near the Centraal Station. It's very good - the guys work for tips, so they do a really good job to get good tips. I would recommend at least one more night based in Amsterdam (or book in a surrounding town where it's still convenient, but is cheaper than the capital - I stayed in Delft when I was there)

How are you getting from Paris to Amsterdam? If you're going by train then you could take in Bruges plus Antwerp on the way (1 day in each?) But I would recommend more than 2 days in the Netherlands. I crammed a lot in by train in 3 days, but I want to see more of that country! I don't know much about Paris I'm afraid - if someone else is as keen on Paris as I am on the Netherlands, you might find your trip becomes a 50:50 split recommendation!

For the places that are set in stone, I'd suggest missing Germany out unless you are flying / don't mind not having much time there. You'll get so much out of the Netherlands by devoting more portion of your trip there.

I hope you like it as much as I do!!