The Ultimate 12-Day Travel Guide to the Benelux Region | All-inclusive Meals, Accommodation & Flights for Just 50,000 NTD – Have the Time of Your Life

Text & Photos /Evangeline-Evan

As soon as I got back to Taiwan, I couldn’t wait to write this full travel guide because this trip was absolutely amazing — I often felt like I was in a fairy tale. When I first returned to Taiwan, it felt like I had just woken up from a dream where I was living in a storybook XD, only to find myself sitting on the sofa at home.

Originally, I had been considering either going to Japan to see the wisteria flowers or traveling to Madagascar for this holiday, but the moment I sawthat China Airlines had just launched a new A350 direct flight to Amsterdam, I didn’t hesitate for a second — of course I had to book it to support them！So I immediately booked my tickets and set off for the Netherlands. That’s also why our airfare was surprisingly affordable~XD. For this trip, we opted to rent a car because we mainly wanted to explore the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and even stop by Germany for some pork knuckle XD. Plus, many of the areas we planned to visit weren’t necessarily cities, so public transportation might not have been very convenient. To save time figuring out how to get to each destination, we chose to drive ourselves. Renting a car not only allowed us to reach our destinations with ease but also helped us save quite a bit on accommodation.Because we didn’t have to worry about getting there, we could comfortably stay in highly-rated and relatively affordable Airbnbs.

Our main travel strategy was to skip most museum visits. After much deliberation, we decided to save the museum pass for next time and instead use public transportation to cover all the museums we wanted to see along with Utrecht, which we missed this time. The Netherlands has so many incredible museums worth visiting, and if you don’t use a museum card but still want to go into every single one, you’d probably go broke... Plus, just exploring one museum can easily take up an entire day. This time, our focus was on getting a general feel of these countries, so we didn’t plan to dive deep into Dutch museums.

One important thing to note about driving: it can be quite difficult to find parking in big cities, so if you’re entering a major city, it’s recommended to park on the outskirts and then use public transport to get into the city center — that way, you won’t waste your whole day just looking for a parking spot. For this trip, we mostly booked Airbnb accommodations, and I’ll provide more detailed info about the places we stayed later. There were definitely a few stays I’d highly recommend this time！Another reason why we could fit so many activities into each day is 1. Driving made it easy to get around and 2. We traveled during a season when it doesn’t get dark until 9 or 10 PM, so we could play from morning until just before bedtime — a super great deal XD.

Many people worry about whether traveling in Europe will cost a lot (I was worried too). But on this trip, I realized that as long as you plan your accommodation and transportation well, and cook a few meals yourself, you can actually keep your budget within a range that’s acceptable to you, while still enjoying good food！

Is driving in these countries difficult? To be honest, it’s not hard at all, especially in the Netherlands. Everyone follows the rules, so it’s really not dangerous！And with GPS, you don’t have to worry about not being able to find your destination.

Can you really travel solo in Europe if your English isn’t very good? Actually, I’ve been to many countries where locals don’t speak English very well either (not just me XD), but in the end, you can always solve problems using simple words and body language. For example, in Laos, we basically communicated through charades and gestures XD.

So don’t worry about these issues at all — let’s hit the road together~

12-Day Self-Guided Itinerary for the Benelux Region

This trip was a direct flight from Taoyuan on the A350 → Netherlands → Belgium → Luxembourg → a detour to Germany for pork knuckle → Belgium (OULET) → Netherlands → Taiwan

Overview & Key Notes for the 12-Day Self-Guided Benelux Itinerary

Languages Used: English + Body Language (because in some French-speaking areas, people really don’t speak English....)
Best Travel Period: March to October (especially March to May when the weather is pleasant and you can see tulips)
Time Difference: 6 hours during Daylight Saving Time, 7 hours during Standard Time
Currency Used: Euro
Pre-Trip Essentials: Please refer to2017/4/27-5/9 A350 Direct Flight to the Netherlands Self-Guided Trip — 12 Days in the Benelux Region: Preparations & Total Expenses

Driving Tips: Remember to apply for an International Driving Permit. The required documents are:

1. Our car rental company this time: GREEN MOTION. We rented a Toyota Yaris hybrid for 11 days at 373 euros (including insurance)
We didn’t get full coverage insurance, so it’s recommended to take photos of the car and check all existing scratches with the staff when picking up the vehicle. They offer a service where, if you purchase a 10,000 NTD insurance package, you can pretty much crash however you want and it’s covered — but we still didn’t opt for that. We only got basic insurance (around 3,000 NTD). In case of an accident, you’d only need to pay a fixed amount (I think it was around 40,000 NTD), and anything beyond that would be covered by the insurance company. When we returned the car, they gave it a quick look and simply said “FINE” before letting us go XD. Their location is a bit far from the airport, but they provide a free shuttle bus that picks you up right when you land and takes you to their shop. When returning the car, they also offer a shuttle back to the airport, running every 15 minutes, which was quite convenient.

2. Driving in the Netherlands is very comfortable because people follow the rules so well. As long as you do too, you’ll have a great experience — no worries. Belgium and Luxembourg drivers are a bit more aggressive than those in the Netherlands, but it’s still not hard to drive. The key point is — just follow the rules.

3. Since we went to Germany, be aware that German highways have no speed limits. Please drive carefully, as you’ll see plenty of super-fast sports cars zooming toward you from far away~XD

4. Do not park in residential areas. Always check whether it’s a designated parking zone (for major cities, it’s recommended to park on the outskirts and walk or use transport to get into the city). Otherwise, fines can be very steep.
5. In old town areas, some places may prohibit car entry — make sure to check the signs.
6. Pedestrians always have the right of way — remember this well (because some pedestrians really don’t pay attention at all～)
7. Please rent a GPS—whether you rent it in Taiwan beforehand or through the car rental company, it will really make things much easier (our car rental company offers GPS rentals), but this one already had a built-in GPS.

Other Notes

1. Remember to write down your accommodation address so it’s easier to find when searching on GPS. For places that are hard to locate, you can use coordinate search.
2. In places with internet access, please open Google Maps and download detailed maps of the nearby area. Also, remember to mark the attractions you plan to visit with a star. This way, you can still use the map offline, which is super convenient~
3. Be careful of pickpockets when using public transportation or visiting crowded areas.
4. Just a reminder that some homestays do not provide hairdryers (you can check the pre-trip preparation blog post dated 2017/4/27-5/9 A350 Direct Flight to the Netherlands Self-Guided — Netherlands-Belgium-Luxembourg 12-Day Preparations + Total Expenses).
5. Remember to apply for a cash advance code for your credit card. We used it this time for refueling and parking.
6. The cold tap water in the Netherlands is drinkable straight from the faucet, but ~ hot water is not safe to drink directly~ So if you want hot water, you’ll need to boil the cold water.
7. Some homestay rooms do not allow eating inside, so if you want to eat, you can do so in their provided common areas.
8. Make sure to apply for a bank statement (deposit certificate) in advance.
9. If you’re a student, remember to apply for an International Student Identity Card (ISIC). This card can help you save quite a bit of money~
10. Do not take photos of the women in the Red Light District in the Netherlands. You might get beaten up for it!

For detailed food recommendations, please refer to: 2017 Netherlands-Belgium-Luxembourg Self-Guided 12 Days — Must-Try Food Recommendations Table & Strategy Guide

Special Shopping Recommendations

1. Belgium OUTLET — Maasmechelen Village
2. Belgium is definitely worth checking out for shopping at the OUTLET for Kipling—it’s super cheap there!! (If you go, remember to tell me~ and buy some for me XD)
3. Belgian Chocolate

For an overview of accommodation details, booking information, and Airbnb booking tips, please refer to:A350 Direct Flight Netherlands-Belgium-Luxembourg Self-Drive 12 Days — Complete Airbnb Accommodation Guide

Introduction

For this itinerary, since it was dark around 9 or 10 PM, we were able to fit in more spots. Although our trip wasn’t very long, the long daylight hours allowed us to visit all the places we wanted to see.

Also, coming in this season, we were able to see the tulips, and it wasn’t too cold either. Overall, I found it quite comfortable. So, since it wasn’t too chilly, I even brought a evening gown along to take pictures with the churches. I chose ones with Baroque interiors—no extra charge (though I did leave a donation), and they weren’t crowded. I’ll note them specifically in the itinerary, so if you’re interested, you can also go take photos. They’re really beautiful.

Netherlands-Belgium-Luxembourg Self-Guided 12-Day Total Cost & Breakdown ChartA350 Direct Flight Netherlands-Belgium-Luxembourg Self-Drive 12 Days — Preparations + Total Expenses

Actually, we didn’t really save a lot of money on this Europe trip because we basically went in prepared to possibly go broke. But since we couldn’t stand eating Western food every day, we cooked a few meals ourselves and saved quite a bit. When we wanted fruit, we’d choose locally affordable options~~ such as strawberries and blueberries.

A big box of strawberries only costs about one to two euros, and a large bottle of milk is just over one euro. That easily covers breakfast. When you get hungry on the road, aside from bringing your own snacks, you can also eat blueberries—they’re tasty, healthy, and above all, cheap!!!

The flight tickets this time were also pretty cheap. Since we bought them as soon as they were released, they were super affordable—at over 23,000 (and direct flights too)~ As for accommodation, since we chose Airbnb and were driving ourselves, it was easy to find cheap yet well-rated homestays. You can see the details in the accommodation overview.

For example: in Belgium, it was just over 200 Taiwanese dollars per person per day. Isn’t that a huge saving~~~ So really, no need to worry about the budget.

But a heads-up: getting flight tickets for under 25,000 afterward might be a bit tough (I mean direct flights), so everyone can decide accordingly.

Experience

This trip felt like a dream. Europe truly has its own unique charm—rich in history, beautiful surroundings, and incredibly pleasant to explore. The only downside was my wallet taking quite a hit, but that’s about it XD

If I could, I’d love to have more time to fully enjoy the environment here (I think that’s probably what everyone wishes).

This cultural and aesthetic journey can truly open your heart. Every day felt like a scene from a fairy tale, helping you momentarily forget many of life’s worries.

Travel is just like that—each country is like a book, filled with elements that seem familiar yet remain somewhat unknown. That’s the fun part. As you explore, besides broadening your horizons,

you also get the chance to reflect deeply. Life isn’t meant to be lived in just one way. Once you’re open to the blended lifestyles shaped by different cultures, you’ll realize that life is meant to be lived broadly.

A good book can purify your heart, and traveling holds a similar meaning.

Here are some simple photos of famous attractions to share with everyone.