Brussels was a short trip and as I had mentioned before a chance to catch up with the family while visiting the city. Although this was the longest trip among other countries (we had 3 days here), we stretched it out so that we could tour Belgium and its' next door neighbor Luxembourg. Here's a summary of our journey for these two countries in Europe.
Day 1: Arrived in Amsterdam
7:35 am - Landed in Schipol Airport bright and early. Excited and dazed at traveling back in time (to the west), we had a confusing time searching for the train station in the Airport. With help from the information counter and slightly grumpy staff, we got on the underground train to Amstel Station. The lady at the counter was helpful in printing out the stops and which trains to change to our next station. The cost was Euro 5.00 per person (single journey).
8:35 am - Escalators in the train station was convenient for us to pull our trolley bags and we arrived in Amstel Station in 35 minutes. Searched for the Eurolines bus station and information center told us it was right outside to the right. Walked 200 meters and went queued in to check-in but was told to come back at 10:15 am instead. The bus ticket to Brussels cost Euro 9.00 per person (for single ticket) and best to book online.
8:45 am - Hung around the Amstel station which had Burger King, cafes and a shop selling all-things breakfast in glass enclosed shelves from salads, sandwiches to pasta and muesli. Went outside for a bit to capture photos of surrounding station.
10:15 am - Went back to Eurolines to check-in and boarded the bus heading to Brussels, Belgium.
Day 1: Arrived in Brussels, Belgium
3:00 pm - It took 4 hours to get to Brussels from Amsterdam and it felt like 10 hours because we were traveling in day light. Arrived at Gare du Nord and was greeted by Bart's brother who took us to his home outside the city. We stayed in and had dinner the family, catching up as well as touring the house (huge!). After that we just stayed in and caught up on sleep for the rest of the evening.
Day 2: A glimpse of Brussels and then off to Bruges
9:00 am - Went to the Brussels Central Station to check the timing for Bruges. Since there's a train every 1 hour, we decided to walk around the city first and headed to Grand-Place, Manneken-Pis, window shopping around Brussels, tasted Belgium waffles at Maison Dandoy and saw Comic murals on the streets.
12:30 pm - Walked back to Central Station and bought tickets to Bruges (return) for Euro 28.20 per person. At first when we researched online, it had stated timing for return tickets. However, at the station we were informed that it's an open ticket therefore we're free to plan our time in Bruges and back.
13:30 pm - Arrived at Bruges station (after 45 minutes) and the information lady gave us a map with instructions on places of interest (which were all in one location). Instead of taking the bus, she suggested we walked and we did about 10 minutes while looking out for road signs to the center. It's a nice walk but I would suggest that you have lunch first so that you don't tire out (like we did). We were too excited that we didn't feel hungry until fatigue hit us a few hours later. Found the boat canal cruise at Stad Brugge and took an hour ride around Bruges for Euro 7.60 per person.
16:00 pm - Headed back to the Brussels via train and had family dinner for the evening. We saved a lot from eating out less and from having our own transportation from home to the city center (not to mention the generous accommodation nights).
Day 3: Luxembourg Day Trip
6:30 am - Arrived at Brussels Midi Station which was nearer to the house compared to Brussels Central. However it is also possible to get on the train from Brussels Central which was convenient for Barts' brother to drop us off on his way to office. Train tickets (return) were bought online for Euro 31.50 per person.
9:45 am - The journey from Brussels to Luxembourg is around 3 hours by train and this was the reason why we took the earliest train out. By the time we reached Luxembourg, most of the shops were opened and ready for us to walk-in. From the Luxembourg station, it took 10 minutes to walk to the city center passing by a beautiful bridge and historical buildings. We had a nice walk checking out the Palace, the market and the Bock Casement area.
1:30 pm - Took the train back to Brussels after touring Luxembourg which I would say is enough unless you want to explore the other parts of the country. Since it's an open ticket you could plan your time as the journey back to Brussels is 3 hours.
4:30 pm - Arrived in Brussels and headed back to the house for dinner before packing our bags to get on the midnight bus to London, but that's another story altogether.
