Help with car rental

Picking a car up in one country and dropping off in another can be extremely expensive..suggest you use public transport in Amsterdam then renting a car for the Netherlands. Return car in Netherlands. Then perhaps train to Strasburg, rent there then drop off at CDG..

Airport rentals usually have additional fees. It’s often cheaper to rent at other locations. But renting in one country and returning in another often adds a considerable one way fee, as Gail mentioned. I agree with the advice given. Also, be aware that driving in various countries requires some knowledge of the rules of the road (they vary), environmental restrictions, highway toll systems, speed cameras, etc. It’s not like in the US where you just hop in a car and go. We’ve rented cars in Europe many times over the past 20 years, as a family of 4. It’s getting more and more challenging. When it’s just the two of us, we’ve chosen to take the train.

When returning the car in Paris, consider returning to Orly airport. It avoids city driving, and you can take a fixed price taxi to your hotel.

Thanks, yes we know it will be expensive, but we are traveling to Dunkirk, Bayeux and all the D-Day beaches, Mont Saint Michel, Le Mans, and then finally to Paris. We have rented cars before in Ireland, Scotland, England and France. W

We love to drive through the countries. Dropping off at Orly is a good suggestion.

I'll have to do some research on trains. We will be in Europe and Iceland for 3 months, with two pieces of luggage each. It's just easier to go from a hotel/Airbnb/apartment when you have a car; you drive right up to the front door. We've tried the trains for many trips. They are so stressful: trying to get to the train on time, waiting for your specific train, trying (fighting) to get on and pack away your luggage (if there is room), going up and down stairs to get to and from the trains (sometimes the elevators are broken), and getting from the train to your hotel. Just too much. We are in our 60s and prefer the less stressful way. Cost is not a factor; we are retired and enjoying life.

I just needed suggestions on train to train to pick up and drop off, or airport to airport. Thanks ya'll!

atynes,
Do you have the option of finishing your trip in the Netherlands, even if just over the border? The extra fee for dropping in a different country is usually 500-1000 euros. That is pretty hefty IMO. As for checking about p/u and drop/off times, I would go to the website for Autoeurope.com. They are a good reliable company that will show you various options from Hertz, Avis, Sixt, etc. so you can compare. Their customer service is very good. I believe they even have a US office (in New Jersey?) To be honest, if you can accept the high drop/off price (for another country), the extra day cost because of times is a minor consideration.
You might want to recheck your transportation plans after you do a little research on Autoeurope.com.

We are in our 80s and always prefer a car. With your long time frame, perhaps you should look into a lease option. We did that once for a month long trip into France and Italy. We did return the car in France, where we picked it up, but drove it into Italy for a week. The lease option isn't like car leases here. They are short term leases (or long term rentals, if you will). Do be sure that if you rent (or lease) a car in Europe, you have permission to drive into a different country. It may affect insurance and liabilities. And there are some requirements for things like ZTL stickers that vary from country to country or city to city. It's a little more complicated than going from state to state in the US. Each country will have its own rules that may differ from the neighboring country.

Lucky you to have a long time in Europe! Have a wonderful trip! (Be sure to watch your Schengen Zone time limit!)

Out of curiosity, I just used Hertz's website to compare the cost of renting a Toyota Corolla hybrid for 8 days under two scenarios:

1. Picking up and dropping off at Schiphol
2. Picking up at Schiphol and dropping off at Charles de Gaulle

Rounding to the nearest euro, the cost difference was 581 € : 1 013 € vs 432 €.

To answer your question abut charging - a 24 hr day starts when you pick up. So if you pick up at noon and return at 11 am the next day, that's one day charge. If you return at 1 pm, that's two days.

Several years ago we did a similar trip, in reverse: after a few days in Paris (with no car), we picked up our rental car in Paris (in the 7th Arr. a short walk from our hotel), drove north to visit Giverny, D-Day beaches, Mont St-Michel, Honfleur, Vimy Ridge, then Bruges, then car drop-off at Amsterdam Airport. In my view, the drop-off fee can be well worth it! Compare the overall prices for different car rental companies (and frankly, I don’t find Autoeurope to be useful - the offerings/info are limited). Train travel can be expensive compared to car rental, especially if you’re a group of 4, and you also lose your freedom and flexibility.
You can save costs if you pickup the car rental at a city office rather than at an airport. But for car rental return it’s often easier to drop-off at the airport to avoid driving into a big city and trying to find the drop-off location. About 25 years ago, for my first visit to Paris, I experienced a nightmare driving into Paris traffic and trying to find the car rental return location at Gare de Nord… I had no idea that it was inside the parking garage.

Last spring we arrived in Paris, after a few days there, took the train to Rennes where we picked up a rental car. Toured Brittany and Normandy, returning the car in Lille. Took the train to Ghent. Visited Belgium and the Netherlands with a final destination in Amsterdam. You could do this in reverse if you are not wanting to pay the drop off fees in a different country.

if your budget can stomach the usual 500€+ int'l drop-off fee, it is worth it in this case, because it would be quite a detour to have to take a train to Lille, rent a car there, and drive to Dunkirk.