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Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam trip (1 Viewer)

J

jon_mx

Footballguy
GF has a conference in Bruges in July so making a trip around it.  Flying to Paris because it was the cheapest and only direct way to get to Europe from Indy.  The plan is:

4 days in Paris

5 days in Bruges

4 days in Amsterdam

1.5 days in Loire Valley

Using AirBnB for most of the accommodations and they are already reserved.  Mostly interested in Architecture, Museums, Sites, places to rome, bars, and restaurants.  The first three are covered pretty well online, but personal experiences and tips welcome.  Will mostly get around by train, buses, and bikes (Amsterdam), and will probably go rental car to explore Loire Valley (avoid the bus hurding tour groups).  Paris has a great deal on a visitor weekly unlimited transport pass, but you have to buy it in person before Wednesday and we arrive Thursday.  

We will be eating out a lot, so perfer places within a reasonable budget.  Don't really want to be dropping $100 plus on one meal, but open for an occasional splurge.  Great places to sample local beer and wine and deserts would be awesome.  TIA. 

 
I’m also interested. Planning on flying to Amsterdam and taking a train to Paris possibly. Other than that we have not looked into any details yet, and will be with our kids 15, 13, 11.

 
jon_mx said:
GF has a conference in Bruges in July so making a trip around it.  Flying to Paris because it was the cheapest and only direct way to get to Europe from Indy.  The plan is:

4 days in Paris

5 days in Bruges

4 days in Amsterdam

1.5 days in Loire Valley

Using AirBnB for most of the accommodations and they are already reserved.  Mostly interested in Architecture, Museums, Sites, places to rome, bars, and restaurants.  The first three are covered pretty well online, but personal experiences and tips welcome.  Will mostly get around by train, buses, and bikes (Amsterdam), and will probably go rental car to explore Loire Valley (avoid the bus hurding tour groups).  Paris has a great deal on a visitor weekly unlimited transport pass, but you have to buy it in person before Wednesday and we arrive Thursday.  

We will be eating out a lot, so perfer places within a reasonable budget.  Don't really want to be dropping $100 plus on one meal, but open for an occasional splurge.  Great places to sample local beer and wine and deserts would be awesome.  TIA. 
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Short version advice :

1) Be careful biking in Amsterdam if you're in the more heavily trafficked areas.  They go fast and they know where they're going.  Walking/trolleys are an option.  Get rijstaffel once while you're there.  Try some local stuff like bitterballen, frikadeller, stroopwaffel, poffertjes, pannekoeken.  Get a cone of fries with samuraisaus.  Smoke weed.  Cafe Gollem is an awesome beer bar.  Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum are definitely worth visits.

2) Be SUPER careful of pickpockets in France around the touristy areas (Eiffel Tower, Arc du Triomphe/Champs Elysees, Pont Neuf, etc.)  I almost had to kick some dude's French ### while I was there, which I later learned would likely have landed me in Le Pokey, even though he stole from me.  They work in teams.  So much to see there that I would advise taking some time to just BE, rather than trying to see every point of interest.  Some of my favorite time spent there was just chilling in Le Marais rather than hurriedly bustling from place to place.  Don't bother walking up the Arc du Triomphe - the view is nice, but the stairs are an absolute ##### unless you're in really good shape.  The juice isn't worth the squeeze, IMO.  Le Relais de l'Entrecote was awesome for steak frites, they have some kind of sauce they ladle on the steak that I would #### if I could.  Cheese, crepes, baguette - all the things you've heard are great there really are.

 
I did this exact trip a year ago with a few minor stops added and minus the Loire Valley.  You're in for a treat.  Most of my family live in Belgium so I've been able to get to know the country a bit.  Let me know if you want to know anything specific.  

Best value meal in Paris was L'As du Falafel.  Also the best falafel I've ever had.   Also, getting a simple jambon beurre from almost any cafe is awesome and cheap.  Don't eat on the Champs Elysees or other major tourist streets.  You can usually go one to two blocks further for something better and cheaper.  For museums, it really depends on what you want to see. The Louvre has everything from Egyptian stuff to the Mona Lisa (which is disappointing in person).  I preferred the Musee d'Orsay because the art there is more my style.  It's also in an old train station which was cool.  Another thing I really liked were the catacombs for something very unique.

5 days is a lot of time to spend in Brugge.  It's a beautiful city but the center is not that large.  You'll want to plan day trips to probably Ghent and Brussels, all reachable by train.  Belgian cuisine is very underrated.  Make sure you try frites from a street cart, moules-frites, chocolate pralines, Stoofvlees, and of course, the waffles.  In case you didn't know, waffles in Belgium are not necessarily a breakfast food like here.  Don't get the touristy version with whipped cream, chocolate and other crap piled on the top.  A plain gaufre de Liege or Gaufre de Bruxelles hot off the iron is heaven.  Finally, the beer.  In Brugge, look up Brugs Beertje for one of the best taverns in the country.  In Brussels, look up A La Morte Subit for a great bar, and Brewery Cantillon is also a must visit.  Any beer brewing abbeys in your path are also worth a visit.  If you visit a beer shop, ask if they have Westvleteren 12.  It's a rare brew that is sometimes available there and has been rated the best beer in the world multiple times.  They had a few crates last year when I was there and I nearly fainted.  

I only spent two days in Amsterdam, but the Anne Frank museum was a highlight of the trip.  Incredibly moving.  You need to book this way in advance (probably now) though, so plan accordingly.  The Riksmuseum and Van Gogh museums are also awesome.  

Train travel in Europe is awesome.  You really shouldn't need a car outside of the Loire Valley unless you want to go to some of the far out breweries in Belgium.  Be careful in the Paris underground.  There were a lot of thieves posing as metro staff offering to help you buy a ticket from a machine where they proceed to rip you off.  Either go to the booth or buy from the machine yourself.   

 
Awesome suggestions on the food and good advice on experiencing the atmosphere is more meaningful than see all the sites. I have been to Barcelona and Rome, so am well aware of the pickpockets.  I am pretty sure Europe view it as a legitimate source of income than a crime.  

 
Scoresman said:
I did this exact trip a year ago with a few minor stops added and minus the Loire Valley.  You're in for a treat.
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Great insight and thanks for the detail.  I will have to digest all of it.   The 5 days in Bruges is purely because we need to be there 4 days for the conference and my gf wants a free day there.   I expect to sneak away for some day trips, with or without her.  

 
Scoresman said:
5 days is a lot of time to spend in Brugge.  It's a beautiful city but the center is not that large.  You'll want to plan day trips to probably Ghent and Brussels, all reachable by train.  Belgian cuisine is very underrated.  Make sure you try frites from a street cart, moules-frites, chocolate pralines, Stoofvlees, and of course, the waffles.  In case you didn't know, waffles in Belgium are not necessarily a breakfast food like here.  Don't get the touristy version with whipped cream, chocolate and other crap piled on the top.  A plain gaufre de Liege or Gaufre de Bruxelles hot off the iron is heaven.  Finally, the beer.  In Brugge, look up Brugs Beertje for one of the best taverns in the country.  In Brussels, look up A La Morte Subit for a great bar, and Brewery Cantillon is also a must visit.  Any beer brewing abbeys in your path are also worth a visit.  If you visit a beer shop, ask if they have Westvleteren 12.  It's a rare brew that is sometimes available there and has been rated the best beer in the world multiple times.  They had a few crates last year when I was there and I nearly fainted.  
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Totally agree on Bruges. Nice for a day trip.

I like Antwerp, would recommend to stay at t'Sandt, a boutique hotel walking distance from the municipal square and the old town quarter and obviously you should stop by Frituur #1 to try the fries from the original fry stand (pro tip, the sauce on the side). There are so many nice bars in town you'll not want for that, one on the municipal square is called Gollum and caters to modern craft beer if you feel like some hops after sampling the Belgian classics. Just around the corner from Frituur #1

Lots of great restaurants in Antwerp, I recall het Pomphuis as really nice if a bit posh. The local signature dish is peeled river shrimp - incredibly small and tasty. Paters Vaetje bar in front of the cathedral is great as well with an amazing array of bottled Belgians.

You could definitely do Dunkirk on a day trip from Bruges, maybe also Antwerp - check to see if there is a direct train ' cause with all the beer you'll be drining driving is possibly not a good idea

Enjoy 

 
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Aux Trois Mailletz is a unique place to spend a late night in Paris.  It's a cabaret that doesn't open until from midnight but then has non-stop entertainment into the wee hours of the morning.  We left at 4:30AM and they were still going strong. 

The club is in a tiny basement on the Left Bank with low ceilings, stone arches and three long communal tables.  It's a pretty raucous atmosphere with performers dancing on the tables and customers singing along.  The audience on the night we went seemed to be mostly French but there were certainly tourists there as well.  The videos on YouTube don't do it justice; they make it look cheesier and far less fun than it is in reality.

 
Eephus said:
Aux Trois Mailletz is a unique place to spend a late night in Paris.  It's a cabaret that doesn't open until from midnight but then has non-stop entertainment into the wee hours of the morning.  We left at 4:30AM and they were still going strong. 

The club is in a tiny basement on the Left Bank with low ceilings, stone arches and three long communal tables.  It's a pretty raucous atmosphere with performers dancing on the tables and customers singing along.  The audience on the night we went seemed to be mostly French but there were certainly tourists there as well.  The videos on YouTube don't do it justice; they make it look cheesier and far less fun than it is in reality.
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There's also a place called La Cantada II over by Pere Lachaise Cemetery that's a heavy metal/absinthe bar.  Talk about catering to a very specific clientele.  I imagine they see a lot of hard drinking metalheads over there, but they seemed to be impressed by me.  Either that, or they were calling me an #######, my HS French is rusty and they speak pretty fast, especially when you're hammered on absinthe.

 
jon_mx said:
Awesome suggestions on the food and good advice on experiencing the atmosphere is more meaningful than see all the sites. I have been to Barcelona and Rome, so am well aware of the pickpockets.  I am pretty sure Europe view it as a legitimate source of income than a crime.  
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The guy got my museum pass from my shirt pocket, but coughed it up pretty quickly when I grabbed him by his collar after he tried to move away from me.  His minions with the clipboards seemed a bit jumpy; it was a situation that could have gone horribly for me had he not offered up a sheepish "excusez-moi !" and handed the pass back over.  At that point, I opted to release him rather than doing the Bristol Stomp all over his fromage-eating ### - which, as I read later, was a VERY smart move on my part.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
There's also a place called La Cantada II over by Pere Lachaise Cemetery that's a heavy metal/absinthe bar.  Talk about catering to a very specific clientele.  I imagine they see a lot of hard drinking metalheads over there, but they seemed to be impressed by me.  Either that, or they were calling me an #######, my HS French is rusty and they speak pretty fast, especially when you're hammered on absinthe.
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This is a funky neighborhood with lots of dive bars, restaurants and Chinese hookers.

 
Monet's Garden in Giverney is very cool.  It's about an hour train ride from Paris and worth checking out--I think you need to book tix in advance especially in the touristy season.

Musee d'Orsay arguably has the best collection of impressionist art anywhere.

 
Le Marais.  

Visit Sacre Coeur and climb it if you're in good shape.  

Les Fables de la Fontaine restaurant.  

11th arrondissement for nightlife but know some French.  Perhaps the least "Anglicized" arr. in the city. 

Versailles.  Guided tour. 

Le Musee Rodin (Paris, not Meudon).  So peaceful.  

Orsay and the Louvre are both great for different reasons.  Both require several hours at least.  Orsay also has a spectacular military history museum right next to it, Musee de la Legion d'Honneur.  

Train out to and walk around La Defense for architecture.  

Place Vendome. 

Don't let anyone stop you going anywhere because it's "too touristy."  Going up in the Eiffel Tower at night is breathtaking despite the lines. 

If you need any more recs for eats, post what area you're staying in.  

I omitted all diacritical marks from this post; don't care.   :clap:

 
Eephus said:
...or the Andouillette
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Pretty sure I’d rather have that.  That cow face is one of the worst things ive ever eaten, I think I only at half of it

#1 would probably be some perfume flavored cookie I got at a Flavor Tang in a Chinese airport.

 
Dan Lambskin said:
Pretty sure I’d rather have that.  That cow face is one of the worst things ive ever eaten, I think I only at half of it
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I've eaten cow brains before.  The texture is worse than the flavor in my memory.

Andouillette is like chitins stuffed with chitlins.  It smells like doodoo and tastes like caca.

 
Eephus said:
I've eaten cow brains before.  The texture is worse than the flavor in my memory.

Andouillette is like chitins stuffed with chitlins.  It smells like doodoo and tastes like caca.
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Yeah it translates to brains but it’s face, or at least what I had was hairy gelatinous rubbery face 

 
Dan Lambskin said:
Yeah it translates to brains but it’s face, or at least what I had was hairy gelatinous rubbery face 
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Is it anything like Mexican Cabeza?   I thought that was pretty good except for having to occasionally pick unchewable objects out of my mouth.

 
Lots of good stuff here. If you have a free night, consider a night in Luxembourg. Few tourists, walkable, forests to hike where Battle of the Bulge took place. And great food. French style, German portions. Strasbourg is also beautiful and has much to offer. Wine, cathedral, food.

While in Paris, splurge on dinner at Le Train Bleu in the Gare de Lyon. 

 
Also while he seems a bit corny Rick Steves has very straight forward and digestible info. I found his Paris guide book very useful.

 
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Also be aware of the tensions between Muslims and the non-Muslim French at the moment.  I had a bathroom attendant at the Gare du Nord tell me he wanted to kill  me a few years back.  Freaked out my 7yo.

 
chet said:
Also be aware of the tensions between Muslims and the non-Muslim French at the moment.  I had a bathroom attendant at the Gare du Nord tell me he wanted to kill  me a few years back.  Freaked out my 7yo.
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I’m liberal af, but I hope you told him that European civilization is the reason he can make that comment without fear of imminent injury or death. 

 
First of all have a couple of local language phrases up your sleeve so at least youll be trying to make an effort, especially parlez vous anglaise. 

They will be rude to you if you are boorish and the typical loud mouth American tourist. They may also be rude to you no matter how nice you are lol.

As for interesting things to do in Paris.

If you are in the 9th/18th area, where my wife and I spent our 10th wedding anniversary, there is Moulin Rouge, Sacreur Couer and the beautiful Montmarte area. There is a lot of sex workers and porn shops in the area, but many lovely restaurants as well. 

My favorite was Le Refuge des Fondus, which is a fondue restauarant. Cheeses and meat dipped in wine fondue. If you eat a lot, you will be drunk. Very. The owner/manager scouts attractive female parties to enter his restauarant and it is cramped, but it is different and a great atmosphere. The negative reviews are mainly from people taking their ####### kids. No nuggets here people. The other negative reviews are mainly about rudeness, see my earlier point about boorishness. 

https://www.facebook.com/lerefugedesfondus?utm_source=tripadvisor&utm_medium=referral

 
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