Belgium and The Netherlands

A simple six day trip from London on the Eurostar to Brussels, Bruges, Dinant and heading right up to the northern Netherlands.

Trip overview

Trip summary and learnings

• The Dutch rail network is one of the most impressive examples of integrated public transport I have experienced. The Swiss-style clockface timetable means connections feel so easy, and cross-platform interchanges are commonplace. Even when changing trains frequently, journeys remain smooth. In some respects, it’s every bit as impressive as Switzerland.
• Spending six days travelling around a country you’ve visited several times before was a reminder that familiarity can sometimes eliminate the sense of discovery. While The Netherlands remains an excellent place to travel, there were moments where I found myself wishing I’d have gone somewhere less familiar.
• Germany once again demonstrated why it has such a reputation for unreliability. A day trip to Wuppertal was effectively abandoned almost as soon as it began after disruption caused by signalling failures during extremely hot weather.
• Cross-border rail travel in north-west Europe continues to feel seamless. Moving between Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany is often little different from travelling between regions within the same country.

Finance overview

• The countries visited have an average cost of living.
• I budgeted £814.00 for the trip, for one person
• I ended up spending £796.00, a £18.00 underspend
• This was led by a decrease in costs relating to food and public transport in urban areas due to the Wuppertal portion of the trip being dropped.
• Trains were so affordable thanks to rail staff international travel (FIP) benefits.

Category	Budget	Actual	Difference
Hotels	£529.00	£531.00	-£2.00
Trains	£148.00	£147.00	+£1.00
Food	£105.00	£99.00	+£6.00
Incidentals	£19.00	£12.00	+£7.00
Metro	£14.00	£7.00	+£6.00
	£814.00	£796.00	+£18.00