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Best way from Giverny, France to Ghent, Belgium

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Hello all, I’m in the middle of planning for a trip next year and can’t seem to decide my best option – any advice would be helpful. Thanks! (Merci!)

Scenario: On a Wednesday in May, early morning visit to Giverny, France, need to drop off my rental car (Europcar) and be at my hotel in Ghent, Belgium by the end of the day.

Option 1: Drop car in Rouen, take train into Paris and then on to Ghent – 1 hour of car and 5 hours of train.

Option 2: Drive to Charles du Gaulle, drop car, train to Ghent – 1 hour of car and 2 hours of train. I like this option best, (especially since this is where I’m picking up my car), but I’m unsure of the traffic in the middle of the day to the airport thru the outskirts of Paris.

Option 3: Drive to Lille and then train to Ghent – 3 hours of car (more gas) and 2 hours of train. This is only an option if it keeps me from either driving or taking the metro in Paris – busy busy

Posted by
6897 posts

Option 1 is not good, it makes you backtrack to Rouen, then you still have to transfer between stations in Paris.

Option 2 is better; if you drive towards Magny en Vexin and Cergy-Pontoise, then take the N184./ N104 bypass, you barely touch Paris anyway.

But I like option 3 best, because it lets you take local trains from Lille Flandres to Gent (via Kortrijk / Courtrai): no reservation needed for those, so no stress if you get to Lille late!
Car rental outlets are at Lille Europe, 1/4 mile away from Lille Flandres, and easy to reach by car.
You also have to skirt Paris, but do the same as for option 2 (towards Magny, then Cergy-Pontoise).
What you spend on gas and tolls between CDG and Lille will be offset by the lower price of train tickets.

Posted by
1974 posts

I agree with what balso suggests and second combining option 2 with 3. From Giverny to Magny-en-Vexin the drive is scenic and much more relaxing than driving through the outskirts of Paris. La Roche-Guyon needs a little detour, you can even consider Chantilly but do this if you not have to worry about time.

Local trains from Lille to Ghent need about the same time as the high speed trains and a ticket costs less. If you arrive a bit late in Lille you can have dinner there, a charming city especially around the two main squares at short walking distance from both railway stations.

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