Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Benelux: Amsterdam, Bruges, Ghent and Brussels
8 days from Amsterdam to Brussels, by train and our own vehicle: three nights on the canals with Keukenhof or Zaanse Schans, two nights in Bruges, the Ghent Altarpiece on the way, and two nights in Brussels with Waterloo.
8 days · Amsterdam to Brussels · up to 12 guests
Bruges City Hall on the Burg, where the walk through the old town begins on day 4 Photo: RdA Suisse, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bruges_%C3%A0_v%C3%A9lo.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Amsterdam to Brussels
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
City days on foot: about 6 to 10 km a day on cobbles and brick paving, with two climbs you can skip, the Belfry of Bruges (366 narrow steps) and the Lion's Mound at Waterloo (226 steps). One train day with a change at Antwerp, where you lift your case onto the racks (your guide helps). Two to three hours standing in museums on some days. Every long walk has a shorter version, and you can sit out any afternoon visit.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 885 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Amsterdam's canals in the low evening light on the first night, then the Rijksmuseum at 9 am opening
- Keukenhof as the gates open at 8 am in tulip season, or the working windmills of Zaanse Schans and lunch in Edam
- An hour by boat on the canal ring and out onto the IJ
- The Begijnhof at 8:30, then the Belfry of Bruges as it opens, before the day visitors arrive
- The painted Gothic Hall of Bruges City Hall, and the windmills on the ramparts at dusk
- Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece in St Bavo's Cathedral, then waterzooi by the Graslei
- The Grand-Place in the evening light, and Bruegel in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts
- The Lion's Mound at Waterloo, over the fields of June 1815
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 885 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Amsterdam
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to your hotel near the canal ring, then a canal-side walk
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Amsterdam
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), about 20 km south-west of the centre. A driver meets you in arrivals and takes you to the hotel, about 30 minutes by road. Plan to land by about 2 pm so you are settled before the walk; if you arrive early, leave your bags at the hotel and head out. At about 5 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week: how the train day works, whether your dates fall in Keukenhof's season, and which mornings start early and why. Then we walk out along the canals while the light is low: the Herengracht and its merchants' houses with hoist beams under the gables, the Brouwersgracht, and the small bridges of the Jordaan, keeping off the red bike lanes.
Evening
We end at a welcome dinner of Dutch dishes near the water. Tomorrow starts at the Rijksmuseum, so tonight is for sleeping off the flight.
Included
- Pick-up at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Evening canal-side walk through the canal ring and the Jordaan
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the late-afternoon briefing
Activity: The walk is about 3 km and level.
Amsterdam: the Rijksmuseum and the canal ring
Museumplein to the Nine Streets and the Jordaan, then by boat on the canals
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Amsterdam
- By boat
Evening
We are at the Rijksmuseum when it opens at 9 am, on a timed ticket, and go straight to the Gallery of Honour while it is still quiet: Rembrandt's Night Watch, Vermeer's small interiors and the portraits of the merchants who paid for the canals. Afterwards we walk north through the canal ring, listed by UNESCO in 2010, along the Prinsengracht and into the Nine Streets, the shops and cafés on the cross-streets between the three main canals. Lunch is a sit-down meal in the Jordaan. In the early afternoon we board a canal boat for an hour on the water, under the bridges you crossed on foot last night and out to the wide IJ behind Centraal Station. The rest of the day is yours. If you want to visit the Anne Frank House, we buy your timed ticket as soon as the museum releases them, about six weeks ahead, and it is in the price.
Included
- Rijksmuseum, timed entry at opening, with your guide
- Walk through the canal ring and the Nine Streets
- Sit-down lunch in the Jordaan
- One-hour canal boat
- Anne Frank House, individual timed ticket where available
- Public transport tickets for the day
Easier option: Take the tram from the Rijksmuseum to the Jordaan instead of walking, and rest at the hotel after the boat.
More active option: In the free afternoon, take the free ferry behind Centraal Station across the IJ to Amsterdam-Noord and walk the waterfront.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free after the boat
Activity: About 7 km on foot, mostly level. Anne Frank House tickets sell out fast; if we cannot get your slot we refund its cost.
Keukenhof in spring, Zaanse Schans the rest of the year
Amsterdam to Keukenhof and Haarlem (late March to mid-May), or to Zaanse Schans and Edam (the rest of the season)
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Amsterdam
- Drive about 2 h
Today depends on your dates, and both versions use our own vehicle and driver. From late March to mid-May we drive about 45 minutes south-west to Keukenhof, near Lisse, and walk in as the gates open at 8 am, on timed tickets, ahead of the coaches. You have about three hours among some seven million tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, with the bulb fields in flower around the park in a good year.
Afternoon
Then it is about 20 minutes to Haarlem for a sit-down lunch near the Grote Markt and its great church of St Bavo. Outside tulip season we go north instead, about 30 minutes to Zaanse Schans, where working windmills stand on the dyke along the Zaan; we go inside one and see the Zaans Museum. Lunch is in Edam, a small harbour town whose 18th-century cheese weighing house still stands. Either way you are back in Amsterdam by mid-afternoon with the rest of the day free.
Included
- In season: Keukenhof, timed entry at the 8 am opening, and lunch in Haarlem
- Out of season: Zaanse Schans with a windmill visit and the Zaans Museum, and lunch in Edam
- Our own vehicle and driver for the day
Optional experiences
- Bike hire at the Keukenhof gate for an hour among the bulb fields (price shown at booking)
Easier option: Stay on the benches by Keukenhof's ponds, or in Edam's harbour café, while the others walk on.
More active option: Ride the bulb-field lanes around Keukenhof on a hired bike for an hour before lunch.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Amsterdam
Activity: About 5 to 6 km on level paths. Keukenhof's season dates change a little each year; we confirm which version your departure gets when you book.
By train to Bruges
Amsterdam to Antwerp by high-speed train, then on to Bruges; the Markt, the Burg and the Rozenhoedkaai
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bruges
- By train
Morning
After breakfast our driver takes the group and the bags to Amsterdam Centraal, and a reserved high-speed train runs south past Rotterdam and over the border to Antwerp. We change at Antwerp-Centraal, a domed station hall finished in 1905, for the intercity to Bruges, about an hour and a half more across the Flemish flatlands by way of Ghent.
Afternoon
A van meets us at Bruges station for the bags, and lunch is a sit-down meal of Flemish dishes in the centre. In the afternoon we walk the old town, listed by UNESCO in 2000: the Markt under the belfry, then the Burg, where the Gothic City Hall, begun in 1376, holds a hall of painted vaults and murals of the city's history. Next door, in the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a relic is shown to visitors at set times each day. We finish at the Rozenhoedkaai, the bend of canal you have seen in photographs.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Hotel to station transfer in Amsterdam
- Reserved train seats from Amsterdam to Antwerp and Antwerp to Bruges
- Station to hotel transfer in Bruges
- Sit-down lunch in Bruges
- Old-town walk with your guide: the Markt, the Burg and the Rozenhoedkaai
- Gothic Hall of Bruges City Hall
- Basilica of the Holy Blood
Easier option: Rest at the hotel after lunch and join the walk at the Burg, a few minutes away.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: About three hours on two trains with one change, and about 4 km on cobbles in the afternoon.
Bruges early, then yours
The Begijnhof and the Minnewater, the Belfry and the canals, then the ramparts and the windmills
- Breakfast
- Stay in Bruges
- By boat
Bruges fills with day visitors from about 10 am, so we start early. At about 8:30 we walk into the Begijnhof, the walled court of white houses where the beguines lived and Benedictine nuns live now, and along the Minnewater lake while it is still quiet. Then we climb the Belfry as it opens, on timed tickets: 366 steps past the carillon to a view over the roofs, as far as the coast on a clear day. Then we take a canal boat for about half an hour under the low bridges.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free, with lunch your choice. Your tickets to the Groeninge Museum, for Jan van Eyck's Madonna with Canon van der Paele, and to St John's Hospital and its Memling paintings are included, to use when you like. In the late afternoon, if you want, walk with your guide along the eastern ramparts to the windmills on the Kruisvest, about 3 km, as the light goes.
Included
- The Begijnhof and the Minnewater with your guide
- Belfry of Bruges, timed entry at opening
- Canal boat
- Groeninge Museum and St John's Hospital entries
- Late-afternoon ramparts walk to the windmills with your guide
Optional experiences
- Bike hire for the canal path to Damme (price shown at booking)
Easier option: Skip the Belfry climb and have a coffee on the Markt while the others go up.
More active option: Cycle about 7 km along the poplar-lined canal to Damme, a village of brick houses, in the free afternoon.
Free time: Lunch and afternoon free; evening free
Activity: About 8 km on foot, with the Belfry's narrow steps. The Groeninge Museum and St John's Hospital close on Mondays; small-group departures start on a Wednesday or a Friday, so day 5 never falls on a Monday.
Ghent and the Mystic Lamb, on to Brussels
Bruges to Ghent by our vehicle, then on to Brussels and the Grand-Place
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Brussels
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
Our own vehicle and driver collect the group and the bags at the hotel after breakfast, so nothing goes into lockers today. It is about 45 minutes to Ghent, and we walk into St Bavo's Cathedral as the visitor centre opens at 10 am to see the Ghent Altarpiece, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, finished by Jan van Eyck in 1432. Panels have been stolen several times over the centuries, and one, the Just Judges, has been missing since 1934. Then the Gravensteen, the 12th-century Castle of the Counts, and a walk along the Graslei and the Korenlei, where guildhouses face each other across the river Leie.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal with Ghent waterzooi, the city's creamy stew. In the mid-afternoon it is about 50 minutes on to Brussels.
Evening
After checking in we walk to the Grand-Place, listed by UNESCO in 1998, in the early evening when the day groups have gone and the gilded guildhalls catch the last light. Dinner is your choice.
Included
- Our own vehicle and driver from Bruges to Ghent and Brussels, with the bags
- St Bavo's Cathedral and the Ghent Altarpiece, timed entry
- The Gravensteen
- Graslei and Korenlei with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Ghent
- Early-evening walk to the Grand-Place
Easier option: Skip the Gravensteen's stairs to the battlements and wait at a café on the Graslei.
More active option: Climb to the Gravensteen's battlements for the view over the roofs and the three towers.
Free time: Evening free in Brussels
Activity: About 6 km on foot. The Ghent Altarpiece visitor centre opens at 10 am Monday to Saturday and at 1 pm on Sundays. Small-group departures never reach Ghent on a Sunday; on a private trip that does, we see the Gravensteen and the Graslei first, have lunch, see the altarpiece at 1 pm and reach Brussels about an hour later.
Brussels and Waterloo
The Mont des Arts and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, then Waterloo by our vehicle
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Brussels
- Drive about 1 h
We start on the Mont des Arts for the view down over the old town to the Town Hall spire, then go into the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium as they open at 10 am. The Old Masters hold Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Census at Bethlehem, and next door the Magritte Museum has more than 200 works by René Magritte.
Afternoon
We walk down through the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, glass-roofed shopping arcades opened in 1847, past the Manneken Pis to a sit-down lunch. In the early afternoon our own vehicle and driver take us about 30 minutes south to Waterloo, where Napoleon was defeated on 18 June 1815. The underground Memorial 1815 museum explains the battle, and the Lion's Mound, 226 steps up, looks over the fields where it was fought.
Evening
We are back by about 5:30 pm, with time to rest, and in the evening we meet for a farewell dinner in the centre.
Included
- Mont des Arts with your guide
- Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium: the Old Masters and the Magritte Museum
- Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert and the Manneken Pis
- Sit-down lunch in the centre
- Waterloo: the Memorial 1815 and the Lion's Mound
- Farewell dinner
Optional experiences
- Antwerp instead of Waterloo: a train of about 40 minutes for the cathedral's Rubens altarpieces and the KMSKA museum, on your own with tickets arranged by your guide (price shown at booking)
Easier option: Skip the Lion's Mound steps and stay in the Memorial 1815 museum and café.
Free time: Late afternoon free before the farewell dinner
Activity: About 6 km on foot plus the 226 steps of the Lion's Mound. The Royal Museums of Fine Arts close on Mondays; small-group departures start on a Wednesday or a Friday, so day 7 is never a Monday.
The European Quarter and home
The European Quarter, then Brussels Airport or Brussels-Midi station
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
On the last morning we take the metro with your guide to the European Quarter, where the European Union does much of its daily work. We pass the Berlaymont, the cross-shaped headquarters of the European Commission, and walk on to the European Parliament, whose visitor centre, the Parlamentarium, explains how the union works and is free to enter. The arches of the Parc du Cinquantenaire, laid out for Belgium's 50th anniversary in 1880, are a few minutes further if there is time. We are back at the hotel by late morning to collect the bags. Our driver then takes you to Brussels Airport (BRU) at Zaventem, about 15 km and 25 minutes by road, at a time set by your flight, or to Brussels-Midi for a train to Paris, London or Amsterdam. Your guide checks that everyone's transfer is arranged before saying goodbye. Book a flight leaving after about 2 pm, or a train from Brussels-Midi after about 1 pm (the Eurostar to Paris takes about 1 hour 25 minutes, to London about 2 hours), to join the morning walk.
Included
- Morning walk through the European Quarter with your guide: the Berlaymont, the European Parliament and the Parlamentarium
- Drop-off at Brussels Airport (BRU) or Brussels-Midi station
Easier option: For a morning flight we go straight from the hotel to the airport.
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 2 pm, or a train from Brussels-Midi after about 1 pm, to join the morning walk. The Parlamentarium opens at 1 pm on Mondays and at 10 am at weekends; on a weekend morning we go to the Cinquantenaire first and reach the Parlamentarium as it opens, and on a Monday (private trips only) we see the Parliament from the Esplanade instead of going inside. If you want more time in Belgium, we can add hotel nights.
- Amsterdam3 nights
- Bruges2 nights
- Brussels2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: The sea keeps the weather mild and changeable: summer highs of about 20 to 23 °C, spring and autumn around 12 to 17 °C, and rain possible on any day. April and early May bring Keukenhof's tulips and the busiest weeks in Amsterdam and Bruges, which is why we go early. June and September are the calmest balance of long evenings and smaller crowds. From mid-May day 3 goes to Zaanse Schans and Edam instead of Keukenhof.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- First-time visitors who want Amsterdam, Bruges, Ghent and Brussels with the main sights included, not sold as extras
- Travellers who would rather stay two or three nights in each place than change hotels most days
- Art lovers: Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Eyck, Memling, Bruegel and Magritte in one week
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a fair single price
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: cobbles, narrow belfry stairs and old buildings without lifts are part of every city
- Travellers who want Luxembourg, the Ardennes or Rotterdam; this route stays in the Flemish and Dutch cities
- Anyone after a nightlife-led trip of bars and coffee shops
- Travellers who cannot lift a suitcase onto a train rack
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Amsterdam3 nights
- Bruges2 nights
- Brussels2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights in central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard: 3 in Amsterdam, 2 in Bruges, 2 in Brussels
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- We name each hotel when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) and drop-off at Brussels Airport (BRU) or Brussels-Midi station
- Reserved train seats from Amsterdam to Antwerp and Antwerp to Bruges
- Hotel and station transfers in Amsterdam and Bruges
- Our own vehicle and driver for Keukenhof or Zaanse Schans, the Bruges to Ghent to Brussels day with your bags, and Waterloo
- A one-hour canal boat in Amsterdam and a canal boat in Bruges
- Public transport tickets on city touring days
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, who handles the tickets, the trains and the bags
- Licensed local city guides in Bruges, Ghent and Brussels where local rules require one for groups
Activities
- Evening canal-side walk, the Rijksmuseum and the Anne Frank House where tickets allow (Amsterdam)
- Keukenhof in season, or a Zaanse Schans windmill and the Zaans Museum (North and South Holland)
- The Belfry, the Gothic Hall of City Hall, the Basilica of the Holy Blood, the Begijnhof, the Groeninge Museum and St John's Hospital (Bruges)
- Ramparts walk to the windmills (Bruges)
- St Bavo's Cathedral and the Ghent Altarpiece, the Gravensteen, the Graslei and Korenlei (Ghent)
- The Grand-Place, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts and the Magritte Museum, the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert (Brussels)
- The Memorial 1815 and the Lion's Mound (Waterloo)
- The European Quarter and the Parlamentarium (Brussels)
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 5 lunches: in Amsterdam, Haarlem or Edam, Bruges, Ghent and Brussels
- 2 dinners: a welcome dinner in Amsterdam and a farewell dinner in Brussels
Not included
- International flights to Amsterdam and from Brussels
- Travel insurance
- Visa or travel authorisation fees, if any apply to your passport
- Meals not listed
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as bike hire or a day in Antwerp instead of Waterloo
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 885 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Seven nights in central hotels, 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 2 dinners, reserved train seats from Amsterdam to Bruges, airport and station transfers, our own vehicle for the bulb fields, Ghent and Waterloo, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and the entries in the day plan, from the Rijksmuseum and Keukenhof to the Bruges Belfry, the Ghent Altarpiece and Waterloo.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That is small enough to board a train together without a scramble, fit around one table at lunch and hear the guide in the Gallery of Honour.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from Schiphol to the Brussels airport, handling the tickets, the train change and the bags. In Bruges, Ghent and Brussels we add licensed local city guides where local rules require one for groups. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately. City days mean about 6 to 10 km on foot, often on cobbles, with two climbs you can skip: the 366 steps of the Bruges Belfry and the 226 of the Lion's Mound. You lift your own case onto two trains, with help. Each long day has an easier version.
I am travelling solo. What does a room of my own cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 885 more, about 17 percent of the trip price, and it is the same standard and location as the twin rooms. If you would like to share, ask when you book and we will try to match you with another solo guest of the same gender.
When is the best time to go?
April and early May for the tulips, June and September for long evenings and smaller crowds. July and August are busy in Amsterdam and Bruges, which is why the big sights are booked at opening. The trip runs from April to October, and rain is possible in any month.
Will we see the tulips at Keukenhof?
Only on departures between about late March and mid-May, when Keukenhof is open; the dates change slightly each year. On those departures day 3 goes to Keukenhof at the 8 am opening and Haarlem. The rest of the season it goes to the windmills of Zaanse Schans and to Edam instead.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 5,195 per person sharing, with taxes included.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The trip also runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, trains and tickets without a guide.
Do I need a visa for the Netherlands and Belgium?
Not if you hold a Canadian, US, UK or Australian passport: both countries are in the Schengen area, which allows visa-free stays of up to 90 days in any 180. Since October 2025 your fingerprints and photo are recorded at your first entry. We check whether ETIAS pre-travel authorisation is in force for your dates when we confirm.
Is Bruges worth two nights, or is a day trip enough?
Two nights is what makes Bruges work. Day visitors arrive from about 10 am and leave by early evening, so staying lets you see the Begijnhof and the Belfry before them and walk the canals after they go. Intrepid's Paris to Amsterdam trips do Bruges as a day trip.
Can I add Paris or Normandy to this trip?
Yes. The trip ends in Brussels, and the Eurostar from Brussels-Midi reaches Paris in about 1 hour 25 minutes; book a train after about 1 pm on day 8. You can join our Paris, Normandy and Mont-Saint-Michel trip from there, or we can add hotel nights in Paris on their own.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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