Amsterdam to Normandy?

Driving in Europe, at least on the Continent where they use the "right" lanes, isn't usually difficult outside the major cities. A car will help in Normandy and getting to and from Mont St-Michel. The problem is the high dropoff charge you'll incur if you return the car in a different country from where you rented it. Auto Europe can help you with scenarios and the rental too if you want to use it, or book directly with a rental company.

But I'd also consider a train from Amsterdam to a nearby French city, like Lille, and renting the car there. DB Bahn can show you train schedules and fares throughout Europe. It shows trains from Amsterdam to Brussels, changing to Lille, taking as little as three hours. Lots more train information at The Man in Seat 61.

Via Michelin is a driving route finder. It shows about an eight-hour drive from Amsterdam to Bayeux, a good base for Normandy. Probably more than you want to do in a day, though. From Lille to Bayeux it shows about 4 1/2 hours.

These tools can help you compare the time and cost of driving alone with the time and cost of the train-drive combination I suggested, or another you might find with more thorough searching. The answer may also depend on where you'll return the car. If to Amsterdam, you won't have the dropoff charge. If to Paris or elsewhere outside the Netherlands, you will. Generally you won't have a dropoff charge within the same country.

Have fun figuring this out! ;-)

As for how many nights in Normandy, I'd suggest a minimum of three nights (i.e. two full sightseeing days), a couple more would be better. Bayeux is a good base. The driving route from Lille (or Amsterdam) takes you right past Honfleur, a worthwhile stop Caen has a fine WWII museum (as does Bayeux). The Bayeux cathedral and tapestry aren't to be missed. We visited some of the D-Day sights by car in a day, but many others recommend the guided tours, often from Bayeux, that give you much more information and a chance to eyeball the countryside.

Mont St-Michel veterans recommend driving there and spending a night, either on the Mont itself or close by, to see the place after the day-trippers have left and before the next day's crowds. How important this is may depend on the season.

EDIT -- As for your return airport, Paris CDG is an easy drive from Normandy, but I'd recommend spending your last night in an airport hotel rather than trying to get there from Normandy, return the car, and make a flight on the same day. Amsterdam of course would let you avoid the dropoff charge on the car, but at the cost of a long day's drive back there, with the same caveat to spend the night before flying at the airport.

Hope that helps.

I don't think you need to rent a car unless you want to be on your own. Rome2rio.com explains how to make the journey.

If I were you, I'd take the train to Bayeux and stay there like other people mention. I used Hotel Rhein Matilda and enjoyed the hotel and the restaurant.

You can take small-group tours that are fun because they tell you stories and make it much more interesting. I used Bayeux Shuttle with Charles as my guide, but there are other options as well. My tour included videos and slides while we were driving on the freeway that were excellent.

I could arrive late in Bayeux the same day leaving Amsterdam, do a 1/2 day tour of the beaches the next morning, a one-day tour to Mont. St. Michel the following day, and that would be enough for me. 3-nights in Bayeux.

Yes, rome2rio shows a rail routing through Paris as an alternative. That means a train to Gare du Nord, an RER ride to Gare St-Lazare, and another train out to Bayeux. A lot of bag-hauling through stations and hardly a glimpse of the city itself -- unless you make it a destination and spend some time there. I assumed that you didn't want to visit Paris as part of this trip. But if you do, of course the train route Nordheim suggests makes the most sense.

If you are comfortable renting a car and driving in Europe, I would take the train from Amsterdam to Lille as others have suggested, and rent a car from there. That way you don't have to pay huge drop-off fees associated with picking up in one country and dropping off in another. If you would rather take the train, be aware that you will need to transfer in Paris. Your train from Amsterdam will arrive at the Gare du Nord, and the train to Bayeux leaves from the Gare St. Lazare. You'll need to travel between the stations via the RER (Paris's regional subway system) or taxi. If you are not comfortable with long walks through subway stations with luggage--and going up and down stairs--take the taxi.

Personally, I liked the freedom of having a car in Normandy, but it is certainly possible to see the major sites without one. As others have suggested, you can join a day-long tour to the beaches and have a fascinating experience. Getting to Mont St-Michel can be tricky from Bayeux, but there are now two shuttles that can transfer you--see Rick's book for details. Stay overnight on the island if possible to avoid the tourist crowds and experience its magic. If you want to go from Mont St-Michel direct to Charles de Gaulle Airport, take the bus to Rennes and then a direct TGV train to the airport (which means no awkward transfers in Paris).

You'll have a fabulous trip, but remember to pack light (unlike many cruisers).

If you drive you would be able to visit cool places like Etretat: https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/etretat-the-impressionists-had-an-eye-for-a-beautiful-place/ and you could easily do your own driving tour of the beaches including the American cemetery, Pointe du Hoc and Angoleme. It is easier to just hop on the Overlord shuttle and let them carry you about -- but it can also be done independently. If you only have 3 nights then the idea of going to Bayeux and doing tours from there is fine and you don't need a car -- but you get a lot from Normandy by being able to go to smaller towns etc with a car.

how many days should we plan in the Normandy area?

By "Normandy area" do you mean Normandy specifically or are you lumping in Brittany as well?