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Again, considering that you will be there during the Easter holiday, be SURE that you have a guaranteed reservation.

When near the museums, BE ABSOLUTELY SURE to visit the Rijksmuseum. The painting Nightwatch by Rembrandt is a religio-artistic experience. Also see the Van Gogh museum, but skip the Stedlijk unless you appreciate modern art.

Also, find the Van Gogh Cafe for a good breakfast or lunch.

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As far as Brussells goes, there are some interesting things to see: Koninglink (spelling?) museum -- The Kings Palace Grand Place square

However I found Brussells to be a dirty industrial city. While it is worth visiting, you would not be missing much if you focussed somewhere else.

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Here's what I would suggest:

From Amsterdam, buy a ticket through Antwerp to Brugge.

On the way, the last Dutch town in ROOSENDAL. If you get off the train there, walk out the front of the train station, and look across the square to your right, you will see the Yellow Moon coffeeshop. This will be your last chance to smoke one before arriving in Belgium. I would strongly recommend that you don't carry any drugs outside of Holland. The Belgians, and expecially Luxembourgers, are very heavy on illegal drugs. Spend maybe 30 or 40 minutes in Roosendal, then hop on the next train to continue your trip.

Stop again in Antwerp: In Antwerp, you leave the train station and walk about a mile up the main drag to the Our Lady Cathedral (I hope I have the name right.) It is in a square with many types of restaurants nearby. I personally found this cathedral to be more impressive than Notre Dame in Paris.

Continuing on to Brugge, another town of interest to the art lover is Ghent. I never got a chance to stop there, but if you are considering it there is an incredible piece of artwork called the Ghent Altarpiece.

When in Brugge, if you can spend $60-$80 for a room there, stay at: Hotel De Castillion, Heilige-Geeststraat 1, 8000 Brugge Tel. : 050/34.30.01 Fax :050/33.94.75

It is in a neat part of town, and is much more comfy that the standard Ibis or Novotel or Mercure hotel chains.

For cheaper budgets, or for some good conversation and dinner, stop by the: The Passage, Brugge Dweersstraat 26, 8000 Brugge 050/34.02.32 tel 050/34.01.40 fax

This is a hostel/hotel/cafe/bar with a very nice owner.

Again for art lovers, be sure to visit the Groningemuseum (again, spelling?). There is some great stuff here, and on of the pictures from the 17th century my Heironymous Bosch has a UFO in the background.

Also look for the various representations of John-the-Baptist's head on a platter. Between this and the Virgin Mary, there are some great paintings.

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From Brugge, travel again through Ghent on your way to Brussells. Again, if you just passed through this town and travelled on to Luxembourg, you would not miss much.

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Luxembourg is a must see -- an old city with multiple architectural influences and lots of stuff to see in a relatively small area. Be sure to see the Place D'Armes city square, and the beautiful river valley park. If you arrive by train, you will go north across a huge bridge over this valley. To the East is the older part of town and some nice ruins and churches.

While Luxembourg is beautiful, In My Humble Opinion the people are not so friendly and also don't speak English. The people in Holland are much more friendly.

While there is a Mercure Relais hotel just up the street from the train station, the rooms are small and the hookers hang out up front at night. If you must stay there: Mercure Hotels 1800 637 2873

This is a US number open New York hours -- they can book reservations at any of the many, many Mercure Hotels in Europe.

In the Place D'Armes in Luxembourg is a hotel I stayed at, I think called Hotel Europe or Hotel Europa. It was OK, small, and well located.

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From Luxembourg, you can travel up the Mousel river valley into the Rhine area of Germany. Either take the train through Trier, or look for a river boat trip.

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I don't know much about Germany, excepting Munich, so I can't say much there. Any train trip taken along the Rhine River valley is well worth it. Also Germany has some very nice graffiti.

When returning to Amsterdam, a nice train trip would be to go back through Luxembourg, then north into Belgium through Liege, then into Holland through Maastricht. Maastricht has coffeeshops, though they may be hard to find.

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When back in Amsterdam, if you want to stay in the museum district, I think the best hotel value is: Hotel Acro. Jan Luijkenstraat 44, Amsterdam. Tel: (020) 6625538

This is a high-end budget hotel with a 24-hour private bar. Steve and Upe can provide some good local information.

Also, be sure to take the trip through Haarlem to a little beach town called Zandfort and Zee.

Also, a side trip from Amsterdam through Den Helder to the island of Texel will show you the real Dutch lifestyle.