I was once surrounded in a pub in London by four ladies, most probably from Brussels, who kept switching between Dutch and French in different combinations all the time. It felt somewhat weird listening to them.
I lived in Amsterdam for a couple of years and really enjoyed the experience. It was a long time ago so I can’t recommend any specific restaurants but do try some Indonesian food while you’re there. Nasi Goreng was one of my favourites, basically a big bowl of rice served with anything up to twenty small portions of assorted meat, fish, sweet and sour and many others I can’t remember.
Two years in Amsterdam and you can’t remember much? 
Actually Nasi Goreng is just the fried rice (with some veggies and sometimes a few small bits of meat). The many small dishes are a rijsttafel (rice table) and you should make sure to order it with Nasi instead of white rice. If you’re by yourself, Nasi Rames is a good option; Nasi with 2 or 3 meat dishes and some veggies. Some of the more famous dishes: rendang, smoor, babi ketjap and sate. In all cases, babi stands for pork and ajam is chicken. If you want real good Indonesian food, go to The Hague;).
The only guide books you’ll need:
Was in Amsterdam a couple months ago and stayed in an Ibis. It was cheap and clean but not very well situated. The weather was good so we skipped public transport and just walked everywhere.
Was in Brussels a few years ago, but don’t remember where we stayed. It wasn’t very central but we still managed to walk everywhere we wanted to go.
Happy 50th. My big question is: Why are you flying to each of these cities?
If you can, switch to renting a car. There are some things along the way that are amazing and it’s worth getting out and seeing more of the countryside. At least in my opinion.
It’s hard to recommend hotels without knowing your budget. But if you do rent a car, don’t get a hotel in central Amsterdam. It could be a nightmare to park and I hated driving in that city.
BELGIUM:
Since you’re going through Belgium, one fantastic stop is the Abbey of Villers-la-Ville. Get a picnic lunch and enjoy it in the ruins of the former abbey. It’s in the middle of nowhere between Brussels and Charleroi.
In Bruges is the Belfry and it’s worth the climb if you’re A) not claustrophobic B) in relatively good condition C) not acrophobic. The views are spectacular. If that’s not your scene, the canal tour by boat is quite charming. There’s a cute little toy store in town. It’s a great town to spend a night in, but I wouldn’t want to spend more time there.
NETHERLANDS:
I’ve been to Amsterdam a lot (it’s the cheapest to get to from MSP airport usually and is a good starting point to get to other places). I prefer staying near Centraal. Maybe out of habit, but convenience to the trains back to the airport has also been a plus. If you have a car, staying out near Schiphol airport can usually get you a place to park too.
There’s a favorite pancake joint I love to go to in Amsterdam. In fact, I started a thread about how to replicate one of my favorites from there.
Delft is a quaint little town with an amazing multi-level go-cart track.
FRANCE:
Have a street crepe filled with Nutella and bananas. OMG yum. Drive through La Defense, Paris’ modern building area. For some reason, driving through the frightening Arc De Triumphe then up to La Defense as the road undulated up and down next to the skyscrapers was just so memorable to me. Also, sunset at Sacre Coeur, albeit touristy, is fantastic and not to be missed.
Yea, who’d a thought.
And I see I’ve just been corrected again by Polarbear. Absolutely right, it was rijsttafel and very nice it was too.
Regarding the trains: during my trip I used a Benelux pass, which allowed a certain number of stops throughout Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Euro-sketchy? That’s a new one on me. Could you elaborate? (In my experience, European cities are generally a lot less sketchy than, say, American ones.)
Edit: BTW, Out of the three cities, I find Amsterdam the least interesting/attractive of the bunch. Unless you’re a college student for whom smoking pot is the meaning of life, or the world’s biggest Van Gogh fan, there really ain’t much to it. IMHO, of course.
Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and Portugal.
My cousin who was as Sargent in the Belgian army, had to give orders in Dutch, French and German (as well as English because of NATO) Those Belgians are a polyglot bunch:D
I know a person who says he is primarily a German speaker, but he grew up in Brussels and has a French name.
Listen to Jacques Brel to get into the mood!
I’ll second Hotel de Filosoof, I haven’t stayed there (Rotterdam, where I live, is only 30 mins on the train) but I’ve heard good things. If you stay outside the centre you should still be fine: public transport is great, and near the Vondelpark isn’t really outside the centre.
If you want to see other Dutch towns, yes Delft and Haarlem are nice. But they are also small and somewhat similar to Amsterdam. Delft is a university city, which gives it a cool vibe.
If you want to see something else, maybe visit the Hague. The city is different, and interesting for other reasons. If you’re interested in architecture you should (apparently) visit Rotterdam. I wouldn’t really recommend it, there’s not much to do. After being bombed in the war it is a very modern city, different from other Dutch towns. I’m not a fan, but other people like it.
For Amsterdam I’ll second seeing the Anne Frank Museum. It’s such an experience, really makes the whole thing real and also connects the city to the way the war was experienced.
Although it’s perhaps lame & touristy, the canal boat tours are quite fun.
Visit a coffeeshop, the laws are changing and soon tourists will no longer be allowed. 
Have a good trip!!
Here, Jacques Brel singing about the port of Amsterdam, with subtitles.
I don’t know Haarlem and Utrecht is a ok place but I think Delft would be a better experience. If you’re not venturing out of the Randstad (basically the Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht conurbation) Delft is, IMO, the town that is still most like a simple 17th century Dutch burg. Charming.
And, if you’re into Vermeer (as I am) you could first head over to the Mauritshuis–a cozy little museum in Den Haag–and check out Girl With a Pearl Earring and A View of Delft which are just amazing to view in person, and then head over to Delft (maybe 20 minutes by train) to see where Vermeer did his thing.
While I’m on the subject of museums, if you want to visit them in Amsterdam (and you should) a hotel near Vondelpark would place you right in the museum district. Plus that area is right at the edge of the city Centrum, and also quite near the nightlife of the Leidseplein. Very easy and close to get to any of the central Amsterdam sites from the Vondelpark area.
A hotel near Centraal Station could be hit or miss. Very centrally located, and some are quite nice. It rather depends on which one you choose. Another decent area for a hotel is the Rembrandtplein area or perhaps a quiet little place overlooking the Amstel.
I lived in Rotterdam for a while and I’ve been to Amsterdam about a zillion times. For me Amsterdam is most enjoyable when you have lots of time and can just hang out and live amongst the Amsterdammers rather than trying to jam a bunch of tourist spots in a short time. But if you don’t have much time than yes, you should focus on some of the prime tourist sights.
That includes the Red Light district (just to see the spectacle) and of course the museums. I wouldn’t bother with the Heineken tour, and I’m a bit ambivalent toward the Anne Frank huis–there is just such a horrible jam of tourists and it rather feels as if you are just herded through. Which for me just doesn’t work with a site that can, IMO, only properly be appreciated with quiet, unhurried and uncrowded reflection and soul-searching. I almost can’t recommend it except it is of such huge historical importance.
However, the neighborhood the Anne Frank Huis is located in, the Jordaan, is a charming, artistic quarter. Very relaxed, and about as close as you can get to a true Amsterdam neighborhood (not-too-touristy) without going beyond the canaal ring.
Coffeshops? Sure, Why not? even if you don’t partake they’re still a unique Dutch experience (and they’re at their best–and worst–in Amsterdam rather than other Dutch cities). Just try to find one that the locals frequent and stay away from the overly-touristy ones (like the Bulldog coffeeshops–although a couple of the smaller, out of the way Bulldogs are OK). Perhaps the Rokerij? Or maybe Abraxis (which is a little touristy, but not so much, and it’s super-chill).
UPDATE: I just saw online that the Rokerij shops have maybe been shut down. Ahhh the coffeeshop scene in A’dam, just ain’t what it use to be. Especially since they banned tobacco smoking (even as cannabis is stilled smoked freely).
Well… that was all rather rambling, but I hope you gleaned one or two bits of info that might help.
Isn’t there a new law stating that only Dutch citizens can use them?
Yes, but it’s not coming into force until next year IIRC. Coffeeshops are meant to be becoming “members only”, but in practice I doubt very much if that will happen. Link.
Although unless you are 17 I don’t see why you’d bother going all the way to Amsterdam to smoke a joint. :rolleyes:
It’s in the process of happening, yes. They’ve already started in the south, but everywhere else theyr’e delaying as much as they can. Hopefully, the coalition that comes out of the next elections will reverse this stupid idea before the big cities really need to implement the new legislation. It doesn’t work at all. Duh. :smack:
The idea is that you can only buy from a coffeeshop if you are registered member (and only Dutch nationals can be members). In the cities where it has been implemented already this has lead to a loss of jobs and an increase in dealers on the streets. Obviously nobody wants to become a member of a coffeeshop and people would rather buy from dealers. Again: duh.
Fingers crossed for a sensible coalition after the September elections, and we’ll finally fully legalise this ridiculous mess.
Back to the OP: if you’re interested in the history & culture of the Netherlands, perhaps you’d like to read some of Jonathan Israel’s writings. Here is an interview with him, I think it’s very interesting.
Note that the Mauritshuis is closed for renovation; part of the collection is being shown in the Gemeentemuseum (which also has a good Mondriaan collection).
I’m still unconvinced about the membership thing for the coffee shops. I believe a lot of the border area’s are seeing an increase in dealers on the streets. Picture the situation for Amsterdam: many tourists that want to get high and a few hundred thousand locals who can get the stuff without any hassle in a coffee shop; the question would be who isn’t going to become a dealer.