Amsterdam to Beaches of Normandy

This is a case where easiest, least expensive and most time efficient do not go together well. If you are coming from Amsterdam you are a long ways away. You have two choices - the easiest and most time efficient is to rent a car. A car can be pretty efficient for four people. You need a car or a tour to really see the beaches since they stretch about 50 miles east to west and the area behind the beaches is even bigger. Second option is the train to Paris and to Rouen, Honfleur, or Bayeux or even Caen. Any of those places would work as a base. Then you could arrange a day tour with one of the D-Day beaches tour groups.

Normandy's all the way across the coast of France on the northwest corner. You'd have to cross the rest of Holland and all of Belgium just to get to the NE side of France. It depends on what you're going for. There are plenty of U.S. graves around the Netherlands. It's such a small place that I couldn't find it on Mapquest.com. I think you'd have to drive in from Paris by rental car.

Therese, I just used viamichelin.com, which gave an estimated travel time of 7 hours, 8 minutes ( and add 25% time for stops, refueling, lunch breaks) and 104.72 euros for fuel cost. Sounds like a long, all day drive, but do-able in the summer with the long hours of daylight. Most people like to stay in Bayeux; I stayed in Avranches, which is interesting because of Patton, but Bayeux has the tapestry- a must see if you like history. ( I used the route planner on viamichelin & actually used "Omaha Beach" as the destination for the above figures.)

If you rent a car in Amsterdam and turn it in anywhere in France, you will pay a hefty fee for picking up a car in one country and leaving it in another. Gas costs and tolls will add up quickly, too. If you book well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) and get discount fares, the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to get from Amsterdam to either Caen or Bayeux is to take the train. Take a high-speed Thalys train from Amsterdam Centraal to Gare du Nord in Paris. Book at www.thalys.com to get a Smoove fare as low as €35.00. Take the train from Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris to either Caen or Bayeux. Book at www.voyages-sncf.com (in French) to get a Prem's fare as low as €15.00. You can book in English at www.tgv-europe.com and get the same discount fare, but there are some special steps you have to take to avoid being bumped to the Rail Europe site which doesn't offer discount fares. Go to the German Rail site to get detailed timetables for the entire route. If you plan to see the beaches on your own, you'll need to pick up a rental car in either Caen or Bayeux. However, taking a guided tour will be a much better learning experience.

I am dealing with this issue for an upcoming trip in September. As of now, my plan is to take the bus from Amsterdam to Lille and rent a car there. Tim is correct in saying that picking up and dropping off cars in different countries is expensive. The bus takes longer than the train (from Amsterdam to Lillel) but is quite a bit cheaper. Right now there are super cheap bus fares for September (and many other dates) and we can go one way for 36 euros for both of us (including all fees and taxes) The bus company is eurolines http://www.eurolines.nl/en/ If time is of the essence, I would compare the 6 hour bus trip to how long the train is and weigh whether the additional cost makes it worth it. Lille is a great spot to pick up a car and head off to Normandy. I have never been charged a fee for dropping off a car in a different location as long as it is in the same country (of course, there is a first time for everything)

Connie's idea of taking a Eurolines bus from Amsterdam to Lille and picking up a car there is a good one. viamichelin.com says that with no stops and ideal traffic conditions it a four-hour drive from Lille to Bayeux.