Routes · Europe

Istanbul to the Low Countries: Amsterdam, Bruges and Brussels

Istanbul → Amsterdam → Bruges → Brussels

Low Countries & canals Best season (general guide): Mid-Mar–mid-May (Keukenhof)

The Netherlands and Belgium are small and well connected, so this route travels by train between Amsterdam's canals, medieval Bruges and Brussels. From Istanbul there are direct flights to Amsterdam and home from Brussels. The itinerary spends three nights in Amsterdam, two nights in Bruges and two nights in Brussels.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Amsterdam: day one, canal ring; day two, Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum; day three, Keukenhof (spring). Then spend days four and five in Bruges: day four, train to Bruges, then Markt; day five, canals and Belfry. Then spend days six and seven in Brussels: day six, travel to Brussels, then Grand-Place; day seven, Magritte Museum and Atomium.

Amsterdam's canal ring is best seen on foot, by bike or from a boat. The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum are the main art collections, and the Anne Frank House is a powerful visit. In spring, a day at Keukenhof, a park planted with millions of bulbs, and the surrounding flower fields is the reason many people choose these weeks. Bruges, reached by train, is a well-preserved medieval town where canals, the Markt and the Belfry are all within walking distance. Brussels finishes the trip with the Grand-Place, the Magritte Museum, chocolate shops and waffles.

Keukenhof is open for about eight weeks each spring. It usually opens from mid-March to mid-May, with peak tulip bloom from about mid-April. Check the official dates for the year you travel. The cities are good to visit all year.

Book the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum online, as tickets are sold for timed slots. Watch out for bikes in Amsterdam; bike lanes are not for walking.

Outside tulip season, the route still works well. Summer brings canal-side terraces, autumn is quieter in Bruges, and December adds Christmas markets in Brussels. Ghent, between Bruges and Brussels on the railway, is a less crowded alternative stop with its own castle and cathedral, home to the Van Eyck brothers' Ghent Altarpiece (some panels are shown as photographs while restoration continues).

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