6 days in Yurp, where to go, what to see in April?

[liv2ski]

So a few months back we booked a trip with 5 days in Paris, then 6 days in Tuscany (since cancelled) and the 6 days in Amsterdam. So with Italy out, where to go for those 6 days? Anything worth seeing in Belgium, then maybe western Germany, like Cologne and ? before heading to Amsterdam?
Your thoughts are appreciated. Thanks

[BmillsSkier]

More time in France. See spring on the Med, taste wine in Burgundy, Bretagne has always looked pretty cool and off the path.

[bennymac]

more France for the above listed reasons (so much to eat and drink in all the different regions)

Belgium for beers

Western Germany for wine tasting if that's your thing

Hamburg is supposed to be cool city (never been)

6 days in Amsterdam is a lot - but it's such a great city to just be there and pretend you live there - find your local coffee shops and bars and just simulate being a local

Copenhagen for the food scene if that's your thing

[Viva]

Strasbourg and the surrounding region. You can hit Germany for a day trip from there via choo-choo, but I wouldn't recommend going there.

[Benny Profane]

High speed to Berlin. I have that trip on my list. Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, all train. Easy. I did the Paris to Amsterdam high speed maybe seven years ago, it was cool. Only spent basically one day in Amsterdam, gotta get back.

Bruges in Belgium is super quaint, and Brussels isn't super hip, but could entertain for a day or two, I'm guessing.

[riser4]

South of Spain is nice. However, they got the ratflu in the wild apparently according to a Spanish language article I posted in the ratflu thread a week ago. I was in the affected area, Sevilla, 2/23-2/27. I've been back since Monday and I started feeling like crap last night. So I hope I can get tested.

[gravitylover]

I'd head somewhere warm, the rat flu doesn't survive at temps much over 80* (F).

[liv2ski]

Maybe seeing more of France is the ticket and the Mrs did want to see Berlin. If we hit Berlin I doubt it is a 6 day stop so what else to see and do around there on the way to Amsterdam?

edit to add: the Mrs likes the "see more of France idea"

[Buster Highmen]

More time in France. See spring on the Med, taste wine in Burgundy, Bretagne has always looked pretty cool and off the path.

This^. We like Dijon a lot. Great food, close to Burgundy for day trips to wineries and a great museum.

It might still be cold there in April, so consider the Pyrennes down to Basque country?

[old goat]

more France for the above listed reasons (so much to eat and drink in all the different regions)

Belgium for beers

Western Germany for wine tasting if that's your thing

Hamburg is supposed to be cool city (never been)

6 days in Amsterdam is a lot - but it's such a great city to just be there and pretend you live there - find your local coffee shops and bars and just simulate being a local

Copenhagen for the food scene if that's your thing

Belgium for fries with mayonnaise and Liege-style waffles as well, also chocolate displayed in shops like it's jewelry. I preferred Brussels to Bruges. The latter a little too quaint for me but I certainly didn't regret going.
We spent 10 days in Amsterdam and it wasn't too much. A lot of easy day trips by train--the Hague's museum Der Mauritshuis has Vermeer's View of Delft and Girl with a Pearl Earring and Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson (assuming not on tour). Harlem and the North Sea.
In Northern France--Normandy for the history, American Cemetery, landing beaches, apple cider, Mont St Michel. Near Paris--Chartres Cathedral and Monet's house and gardens in Giverny. Versailles only if you must. Loire Valley chateaux, wine tasting in Burgundy (we went to the main wine tasting place in Beaune--for $10 each we had unlimited pour your own wine tasting for 2 hours. we went straight to the room with the Grandes Crus. That was a long time ago. Maybe it still works that way--certainly costs more.)

[The AD]

I'd head somewhere warm, the rat flu doesn't survive at temps much over 80* (F).

Can't tell if serious. Seems like it survives pretty well at human body temp.

[frorider]

PM Mike Pence.

[BmillsSkier]

No it's cool, Jack Farless said so in a chain email.

[plugboots]

The stuff goat suggested are all great options. My friend just did a quick Belgium tour, did those things and added a macaron search as well. I kind of blew off Normandy for my first 10 or so trips to France, but then my friend became the park ranger there at the cemetery to develop the museum, so we went. Very cool. Museum is amazing, walking through the battle field is very moving, and visiting the German and British cemeteries was way “better” than I thought it’d be. The beach is huge, and we did beach buggy or sand yacht sailing.
Bretagne has St. Malo, St. Michel and mussels.
Where you go kinda depends on what you like.

[hutash]

Answering this is like answer the "what ski" question without any info. What do you like to see and do on such trips? You want country or city? food and wine important? Outdoor activities or culture/museums? Beaches or mountains?

The south of France would be a nice six day trip, but you already damn near live in cloned area. Loire valley for wine and chateaux visits would be fun. Bordeaux if you really like wine (I was there for a week last April, we drank and bought entirely to much.) Belgium is not overly impressive, kind of a lower class Holland, but still some cool places like Antwerp. The Ardenes region and Spa is nice. The spring cycling classics are occurring and can be fun. We hit the Amstel Gold race in eastern Holland while we were there.

[plugboots]

^^^ Exactly. Need more info.

[Buster Highmen]

All The Light We Cannot See.

[liv2ski]

I like to see stuff, architecture, people watching on a terrace drinking wine, did I say drinking wine? Outdoor stuff is fun, if not to taxing on my girl (lots of stops). Museums, short bike tours, boat tours, great food and nice people. I want Mrs L2S to like this more than me.

[Benny Profane]

Bruges then.

[liv2ski]

How about Lyon?

[Benny Profane]

How about Lyon?

Only for food. Some say the best food in France. Not much else. Nice city, though. Close to the mountains if you want to go up there.

[schindlerpiste]

I'd hang on the beach in Antibes (Juan Les Pins) for a week.

[plugboots]

Lyon is great, but prolly good for a day followed by dinner, then in the morning head South and hit Tain-L'Hermitage and Chateau Neuf-du-Pape, (you said wine), then continue to the coast and visit Montpelier, Marseilles, or whatever. Spend as much time as you like in each spot, or stay in Avignon, for example, and do day trips. Take a different route back North to finish your trip, maybe through the gorge in Verdon, or the Luberon.

[senior researcher]

Any- mall is a good place to hold your wife's purse

[skaredshtles]

Belgium for fries with mayonnaise and Liege-style waffles as well, also chocolate displayed in shops like it's jewelry. I preferred Brussels to Bruges. The latter a little too quaint for me but I certainly didn't regret going.
We spent 10 days in Amsterdam and it wasn't too much. A lot of easy day trips by train--the Hague's museum Der Mauritshuis has Vermeer's View of Delft and Girl with a Pearl Earring and Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson (assuming not on tour). Harlem and the North Sea.
In Northern France--Normandy for the history, American Cemetery, landing beaches, apple cider, Mont St Michel. Near Paris--Chartres Cathedral and Monet's house and gardens in Giverny. Versailles only if you must. Loire Valley chateaux, wine tasting in Burgundy (we went to the main wine tasting place in Beaune--for $10 each we had unlimited pour your own wine tasting for 2 hours. we went straight to the room with the Grandes Crus. That was a long time ago. Maybe it still works that way--certainly costs more.)

A nice Belgian compromise between Brussels and Bruges would be Ghent. We also enjoyed moules et frites out in Oostend.

And if you end up near Bordeaux, make the drive to St. Emilion. Very nice little town.