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September trip Netherlands to Black Forest...help!!!

Posted by (Groveland, MA, USA) on

I need help deciding on the order to visit places I want to see. This will be my retirement trip (3 weeks) Does this make sense?? Fly into Amsterdam (2-3 days with side trips), train to Bruges (2-3 days with side trips) ,train to Bastogne and Huertgen Forest area (can I rent a car for a day or two here?) I am a WWII buff,

Here is where I get confused. I was in Normandy 13 year ago but for only a few hours. I want to go back and spend 4-5 days exploring the area, (Bayeux, Normandy beaches, Mt SM). I need a car for this. It doesn't make sense (or does it ) to drive from the Bastogne area up to Normandy because I want to also visit the Alsace Region of France and the Black Forest in Germany (maybe a week for these 2 places). If we go from Bruges to Normandy area I could rent the car in Lille (?) and keep it on our trip to Alsace and the Black Forest. If we fly home from Frankfurt or Munich I will be hit with that large surcharge for returning the car in a different country from where I rented it. Then we will be driving a long way from Mt SM to Alsace... I would also like to side trip into Luxembourg for a day/night

I am in real need of a "batting order" for this trip that makes sense blending train, car, and costs. This is a trip I have waitng to do for quite some time and I thank all who can help me make sense of it.

Posted by
11294 posts

If you return the car to Strasbourg (so there's no cross-country drop charge), you can take a bus or train to FRA to fly home. Lufthansa operates a bus from the Strasbourg train station to FRA, so you can get it all on one ticket (the "airport code" for Strasbourg's bus stop for this is XER).

Posted by
20947 posts

Another option is to take a train from Bruges to Aachen, Germany and rent a car there. Then visit the nearby Huertgen Forest, continue on to Bastogne, Normandy, Alsace, Black Forest, and finally dropping it at Frankfurt airport. Then it is a Germany to Germany rental (with a few other countries in between).

Posted by
2063 posts

Maybe this is an option too. Rent the car in Bruges, visit the places you mention and after visiting Hürtgenwald (Huertgen Forest) drop it off back in Belgium in Liège. From there ICE highspeed train to Frankfurt Airport, several needing less then 3 hours travelling time with one change, some direct needing only 2 hours.

Posted by
2779 posts

Yes, it's all possible. Two things though: Have your French road trip calculated by the Via Michelin website as they are a pretty trustworthy source for French freeway toll fees. A one-way drive from one end of France to the other can easily cost you €50 worth of toll fees (plus €50-80 gas)...

Also, as mentioned by others above, keep in mind that you should always drop off your car in the same country as you picked it up to avoid approx. €250 one-way charges.

From Normandy you could take a TGV (via Paris) to Karlsruhe on the German side and then pick up your car for the black forrest which you can easily return at any German airport.

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