Western Europe
France & Benelux Rail
Short hops, big cities, no flights
15 days
Duration
$66
Daily budget
Easy
Difficulty
Apr – Jun, Sep
Best months
Dense, flat and fast — most legs are under three hours. Book OUIGO and Intercités months ahead for €10–19 fares, and eat from bakeries and markets.
The route, stop by stop
🇫🇷 Paris · France
Free museum first Sundays and Seine picnics.
4 nights$80/day
🍲 Lyon · France
Bouchons, traboules and cheap student bars.
2 nights$62/day
🧇 Lille · France
Flemish squares and the best-value hostels in France.
2 nights$55/day
🇧🇪 Brussels · Belgium
Beer, frites and free comic-mural walks.
2 nights$62/day
⛪ Ghent · Belgium
Bruges' canals with half the crowds.
2 nights$58/day
🏗️ Rotterdam · Netherlands
Modern architecture and Markthal food stalls.
1 nights$60/day
🇳🇱 Amsterdam · Netherlands
Finish with canal bikes and Vondelpark.
2 nights$74/day
7 stops · 15 nights
≈ $1,002 total
Totals are estimates built from the per-night budgets above — your real spend will vary.
Getting around
- →OUIGO / TGV advance fares
- →Intercités regional trains
- →Thalys off-peak
- →City bike shares
Don't forget
- ✓Compact daypack
- ✓Picnic knife and tote
- ✓Comfortable shoes
- ✓Layers for coastal wind
Ready to walk it?
Save the stops as a trip, track your budget and find hostels along the way.
Start planning free
