Amsterdam or Iceland?

My wife and I did a 3 week trip to France several years ago. After spending 5 days in Paris we picked up a car and drove north to Normandy and then all the way south to Provence and the Alps. We had no problems driving in France. We did not try credit cards on the toll roads (you need a chip and pin card, not the US chip and signature) but just ensured that we had sufficient cash. Just pick up your car outside Paris to avoid the Paris traffic. We went back to CDG to get ours. However, in your case, you may want to take a train to the south of France and pick up your car there.

We have also been to Amsterdam and there is plenty to do there. If you want to go to the Anne Frank House you will need advance reservations. You may want to go to "weather.com" and check the temperatures in Iceland for the time you want to be there. It may not be that cold as the Gulf Stream moderates its climate but I would double check.

We have been to both Amsterdam and Iceland. Amsterdam is great (and surrounding places) for history, culture and its art museums. Iceland is great for its magnificent scenery. We visited Iceland in early October and it was not too cold. I expect it would be fine in April.

If flying Icelandic, sometimes they offer a free stay (not sure how long).

I'm not sure what you mean when you say that traveling to the south of France seems like it would be difficult and take a lot of time and end up costing more. More than what?

I'm also not sure what you mean when you say traveling through Iceland doesn't include any additional fee for train travel, Amsterdam isn't too much (I was surprised).....

If you only stay in Amsterdam, you will want to have a transit pass for the number of days you are there (not terribly expensive). Yes, you can walk to many places, but it gets tiring to walk everywhere. If you go elsewhere in the Netherlands, you will be taking trains (supplemented with some buses).

If you go to Iceland, there are no fees for trains because there are no trains. But to get outside of Reykjavik, you will either need to take buses or rent a car and pay for gas.

If you go to France, you can either take buses and trains, or rent a car and pay for gas and tolls. Which is cheaper, easier, etc. depends on what part of "the south of France" you want to visit. For instance, for the Riviera (Nice, Monaco, Cannes, etc), buses and trains work very well and are dirt cheap. For small towns north of Avignon (Isle sur la Sorgue, St. Remy, etc), a car works much better. Again, how "difficult" all this is depends on your particulars - where do you want to go, how many people are traveling, which airport do you fly into and out of, etc.

For France, do look into flying into Nice, Marseilles, Lyon, Bordeaux, or Toulouse, at least one way. It may or may not cost any more than flying into Paris, and you will be much closer to places you want to see in the south of the country.

I do agree with your approach that when it comes to cost, you should not only look at airfares, but total costs including local transit. So, look into costs of rental cars where one is needed, making sure the car is large enough to hold not only all the passengers, but also all the luggage. Don't forget that gas is much more expensive in Europe than the US. And look at train prices too; remember that French trains can be cheap if you can buy in advance and commit to non-refundable and non-exchangeable tickets. On some routes, like those around Nice, the trains are unreserved and don't go up even for last minute purchase; for other routes (say, Paris to Avignon), they can be cheap in advance, but very expensive at the last minute.

Great advice from Harold. I will only add that Iceland is crazily expensive. Makes Switzerland look like a budget destination.

So it seems you mean the price of a plane ticket to get to Nice vs Amsterdam or Iceland. There’s a reason and it’s called: warmth and sun. Amsterdam is a cosmopolitan experience. Iceland is an expensive outdoor experience. Personally, I’d head to Nice, but not Toulouse or Bordeaux, as mentioned by Harold, because those can still be cold and wet that time of year. Marseille has fairly good weather, if you don't have a strong wind coming from the Alps, but I'd still take 11 year olds to Nice.

Iceland is NOT cheap once you are there! Getting there may be inexpensive but eating, staying, and seeing the sights is going to cost you 20 times what you'd spend in some places in the south of France - an exaggeration of course but don't underestimate the cost. It's a little breathtaking.
Amsterdam is a medium-priced destination - about on par with San Francisco or Los Angeles when it comes to costs while there. Depending on where you would go in the south of France it can be expensive or quite cheap! The further west you go, the cheaper it gets and there are some AMAZING areas in southwestern France. The area around Montpellier, Pezenas, Beziers, Narbone, etc. is simply beautiful and costs are very reasonable. It isn't difficult at all to get there - trains are easy and renting a car isn't any more complicated than anywhere else. Sure, road tolls exist but only on the main motorways. If you budget for tolls there is no reason this should stop you from going. It will add a nominal amount to the cost of your trip. Well worth it!

It’s outside the topic but I would never travel to Europe with a non-related 11 year old. Is this child going to wander or not follow directions? Will you need a notarized letter from the parent to leave the country?

As to France it’s easy to train to/from the south or open jaw flights, multiple countries will be slightly more complicated.

In general renting a car is easier for children, they get their own space that moves with them.

Be sure to check the weather as someone else already said.

I've been in Iceland in early September, the Netherlands in April, Paris in early June and Aix-en-Provence in late June. People were wearing puffer jackets everywhere except the Côte d'Azur.

As always, the weather could be different from the averages and my experience.

I could be wrong, but I thought even a parent needed an okay statement from the other parent to take a child on a trip out of the USA. If I'm correct, the friend will need both parents to say okay.

Thank you I am NOT going to abandon my travel to south of France dream then!!!! Can anyone that has rented a car tell me if I need a special license? Someone in the post above mentioned a special type of credit card with chip for paying the tolls?

The plan is to spend about a week in Paris, maybe a day trip to the Paris amusement park (not Disneyland) ???I would love to go to Lyon for a day or 2 and then go to Nice and stay for several days and do some day trips from there then fly home from there.
Does that seem doable for a 15 day trip??? should I add anything else I would love any ideas??

And yes I will have a letter notarized from both of the other child's parents as well as her passport.

You guys are great!!!!!!

You should get an international driver’s permit, which is available at your local AAA office for a small fee. Take two passport photos with you, or they can take them at AAA.

The special driver’s license (IDP) is controversial here. I have brought an unofficial translation (min legal req) which is never (ever) asked for.

Toll roads are a bother in France for Americans because credit cards may not work, although they always do in the South (no PIN pads there). Toll booths that take cash may be mis-signed.

Frankly Roman ruins in Provence may please children more than Nice.

You don't need a card for French tolls, there are booths that accept them but there are always ones that accept cash. We've always managed to get by with a handful of Euro's in the car, never had to use a card.

As for the amusement park in Paris are you referring to Parc Asterix? If so I (and my kids) found it far more enjoyable that Disneyland. OK it doesn't have the Disney factor but many of the rides are the same as Disneyland but without the Disneyfication. For example there's a junior aeroplane ride in Parc Asterix which never had a queue and my kids stayed on it for 5 times in a row, Disneyland has an identical ride however it is Dumbo rather than planes and the queues are ridiculous. The queues throughout the park are a fraction of what they are in Disneyland and it's cheaper. One word of advice however, don't eat there! The worst meal in my life was had there.

Well, when I was 11, I think I'd have enjoyed Amsterdam more than spending long hours looking a French scenery strapped into the back seat of a car. Canals, interesting museums, riding bikes around the city, lovely parks. While Madurodam in The Hague has only a few "dinky" rides, it's a lot of fun for young and old. Day trip to see windmills, cheese-making, and maybe tulips.

You have canals, bikes, interesting museums and parks in Paris.

You don't need a car along the coast from Nice; buses and trains can take you nearly everywhere.
You can take the train from Paris to Lyon, if you want to stay there 2 nights, and then another from Lyon to Nice. Try to book tickets from Lyon to Nice on the right-hand side of the train car for the best views once you start going east from Marseille to Nice.

For an education on train travel, read the website: man in seat 61 https://www.seat61.com/France-trains.htm

For a general European travel, try Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door.

It looks like you just want to visit some cities/towns after Paris. If you don't want to drive through the countryside and visit remote hotels I don't see the need for a car - and a car will be a nuisance in the cities. See Bets' advice and links. Then rethink the car.