The trip, in sequence.

UA2381 Denver → Newark 9:44a–3:42p, ~2h47 layover, then UA994 Newark → Brussels 6:30p (Polaris). Eat at Newark, sleep on the plane — you land 7:45a tomorrow and the trip starts immediately.

Land 7:45a, drop bags, then stay upright in daylight — the jet-lag fix. Grand-Place, the Galeries Royales, a Liège waffle. Don't nap past late afternoon.

1. Grand-Place — gilded UNESCO square, best in morning light. more
2. Manneken Pis — the irreverent 1619 bronze, often costumed. more
3. Galeries Royales — Europe's oldest arcade (1847), chocolatiers. more
4. Comic Strip Center — Tintin & co. in a Horta building. more
5. Mont des Arts & Bozar — best free panorama; rooftop beer at 4pm. more
6. Sablon — chocolate, antiques, Gothic church. more
7. Jeu de Balle flea market — oldest, best before 9am. more
8. Dansaert / Sainte-Catherine — coolest quarter, terrace drink. more

Show: La Madeleine, 14 Rue Duquesnoy — between Central station & Grand-Place. Doors 6:30p, show 7p. Travel light (no cloakroom guarantee).

Eurostar (ex-Thalys) Brussels-Midi → Amsterdam Centraal, ~1h50. Book ahead. Canal-side check-in, wander the canals, early night — two Melkweg shows ahead.

1. Rijksmuseum — Night Watch, Vermeer. Timed ticket required. more
2. Van Gogh Museum — largest collection. Book 2–4 wks. more
3. Vondelpark — green lung, 't Blauwe Theehuis café. more
4. The Nine Streets — boutiques between the canals. more
5. Museum of the Canals — how Amsterdam built its canal ring, on the Herengracht. map
6. Van Stapele Koekmakerij — the cult one-cookie bakery (warm chocolate, white-chocolate center). map
7. Westerkerk & Jordaan — Rembrandt's church, brown cafés, hofjes. more

Show: Melkweg, Lijnbaansgracht 234a, on Leidseplein. Doors ~19:00; lockers + earplugs at the bar.

1. Anne Frank House — the diary + annex. Hardest ticket: Tue 10:00 CEST, 6 wks ahead. more
2. Herengracht Golden Bend — grandest canal palaces. more
3. Bloemenmarkt & Begijnhof — floating flower market; hushed 1340s courtyard. more
4. Amstel + NEMO rooftop — Skinny Bridge to free harbor-view rooftop. more
5. Dutch Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum) — gripping story of life under WWII occupation, in the Plantage right by NEMO. map
6. Micropia — the world's only microbe museum, right next door (Plantage, by Artis). map

DB ICE direct, ~2h45. Köln Hbf opens onto the Dom — see it on arrival, then a Kölsch by the Rhine.

1. Kölner Dom — vast Gothic cathedral; 533-step tower. more
2. Museum Ludwig & Hohenzollern Bridge — Pop Art + the love-lock bridge. more
3. Altstadt — Fischmarkt & Alter Markt — gabled riverfront, old town. more
4. Rheinauhafen & Kranhäuser — chocolate museum + crane-house towers. more
5. Südstadt & Severinstor — medieval gate, the venue's neighborhood. more

Show: Bürgerhaus Stollwerck, Dreikönigenstr. 23 (Südstadt) — trams 15/16 to Chlodwigplatz + 8 min, or a 35-min Rhine walk.

Eurostar direct Köln → Paris Nord, ~3h15. Central arrival; reset with an evening Seine walk before the Paris show tomorrow.

1. Sacré-Cœur & Place du Tertre — basilica panorama, artists' square; go before 10am. more
2. Rue Lepic & Moulin de la Galette — Van Gogh's street, the last windmill. more
3. Musée de Montmartre — bohemian history, wisteria courtyard. more

Show: Élysée Montmartre, 72 Bd de Rochechouart — métro Anvers (L2), 2 min. Coat check recommended.

1. Palais Royal → Tuileries → Concorde — calm garden, pyramid exterior, the great square. more
2. Musée de l'Orangerie — Monet's panoramic Water Lilies in two oval rooms, in the Tuileries. Closed Tuesdays (your Right-Bank day) — pop in Mon or Wed instead. map
3. Le Marais — Place des Vosges — 1612 square, Hugo's house, Rue des Rosiers falafel. more
4. Pompidou → Sainte-Chapelle → Notre-Dame — inside-out museum, 1248 stained glass, the reopened cathedral. more

1. Trocadéro & Eiffel Tower — the framed view by 9am. Book the Tower well ahead. more
2. Champ de Mars & Rue Cler — picnic park + the 7th's market street. more
3. Arc de Triomphe → Champs-Élysées — rooftop via the tunnel, then the promenade. more
4. Saint-Germain & Luxembourg Gardens — Café de Flore, then the great finale garden. more

Paris (CDG) → Washington Dulles → Denver. CDG is large — leave early; clear US customs at Dulles, then connect home. Confirm exact flight numbers/times.