3 weeks trip in Netherlands and Germany in may 2023. Any big problems or red flags?

This trip is too rushed/hectic with too many cities/stops for the time allotted. Also you can do most of this trip (if not all) by public transportation (trains, buses) without the hassle of driving and dealing with parking.

Here’s a couple of thoughts:

If you have time in Cologne, it would be worth a day trip to visit Aachen. It’s a very short distance away and it has an incredible cathedral there. Not as large as Cologne’s, obviously, but with some wonderful historical items inside and it is just beautiful. And the city itself is quite charming.

When you’re staying in Boppard, again, if you have time, I think it would be worth a visit to see Burg Eltz, which is another castle. I really loved it there and it’s a beautiful location and easily reachable by car.

One problem I see is when you’re in Nuremberg. If you’re only staying three nights, that leaves you two full days for day trips. I don’t think you’ll have time to visit Bamberg, Würzburg, and Rothenberg during that time. I would either add at least one more night to your Nuremberg stay or narrow it down to one or two day trips.

Do you have a medical reason for driving? This area is well served by trains. It is unnecessary to spend hours changing hotels when you can daytrip 30 minutes by train. Driving inside Amsterdam or Cologne is a nightmare.

@ Mardee . Thanks for the suggestions. we will look into it! As for Nuremberg and around. We were thinking of spending around 6 hours in Wurtzburg on our way from the Rhein to Nuremberg. Bamberg will be visited the next day, Nuremberg the last, and we will stop in Rothenburg for 6-8 hours before we head for Fussen. It seems a bit rush but it will allow us , we think, to see the main places .

@ Tim
@ Mary

We dont have medical reason but because we are covering a big ares in 3 weeks, we figured it will be easier with a car and give us more autonomy. in Amsterdam and Cologne and generally bigger cities, we park the car near the hotels and use public transportation... or our 2 feet depending of the place. We did it before in spain, France and Italy and it went well. But i dont lnow Germany, it will be our first experience... May be we will regret that strategy.

“ May 9th : Bruxelles to Antwerp: Hotel close to Opera metro station and Parking Indigo Antwerpen Opera *don't know if it's easy or complicated to get there ”

This is the exact moment where you will regret doing this by rental car instead of using the excellent public transport system.
Driving a car in or around Antwerp is an absolute nightmare. There is so much major road construction going on that it’s pretty much impossible to enter the city without having to deal with major road works, closed off streets, deviations etc etc.
I’m very familiar with Antwerp, but even I wouldn’t even think about driving into the city by car. Maybe in 10 years when the construction is finished, but not now. It’s bad enough that I frequently have to drive on the always gridlocked Antwerp ring road, but venture into the city by car? No thanks.

Your itinerary in Belgium and the Netherlands doesn’t require a car. You may think that a car will give you freedom, but in this densely populated area it will only be a burden. The historical cities you plan to visit were built ages before the introduction of the car. There are lots of pedestrianised zones, one way streets and high parking fees to content with if you drive your car into the city centers. And if you park your car on the edge of the cities to continue with public transport, you might as well use public transport all the way.
A car maybe makes sense for the German part of your trip, but I’m not familiar enough with that area to say anything about it.

Edited to add; I just got off the phone with my parents. In order to be at an appointment on a certain time this Friday morning, I have to navigate the Antwerp Ring Road during rush hour. This topic reminded me that I’m not up to date on the current state of the road works around Antwerp. I knew my parents drove the same route yesterday, so I called them. It took them a good 10 minutes to explain to me how I should drive, which incorrect signs I should ignore and which crossed out signs I should follow because they are in fact correct.
Like I wrote earlier, I’m very familiar with Antwerp and surroundings, but even after my parents instructions it’s still not 100% clear to me. I will leave an hour earlier than I should to have enough leeway in case I end up lost or going in the wrong direction. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I had to do this on the first day of driving a car in this area.

Three days in Amsterdam is not enough. The key musuems are the Anne Frank House, Rijksmueum and Van Gogh Museum. All three take 2-3 hours to do thoroughly. I doubt if you are prepared to do all three in one day. Even doing two in one day like the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh, would involve 6 hours standing up in museums. That would be a bit much for me.

I suggest a tour that visits the Zyder Zee and windmills that takes 2/3 of a day. Also, there is much more to see in the city.

Three days in Nuremberg and visiting Bamburg, Wurtburg (?) and Rothenburg has the benefit of staying in more lodging for thee nights, but the disadvantage of more driving. Why not take in Rothenburg on your way from the Rhineland?

Also, you go back to the Rhineland from Nuremberg when you could have continued down the Rhine. Perhaps you should pass on Nuremberg and Fussen for other sites on your way to Belgium. Have you been to Strasbourg, France?

If you stick to your plan, you are intentionally passing on visiting Munich.

Doing this trip by rental car is madness, and as mentioned you will regret it day one. A car will not make it easier in any way.

A car trip in France or Spain or Italy is one thing, large countries with a lot of rural areas, but this is a trip to a couple of cities in the most densely populated part of Europe.

My suggestion would be to go to the rome2rio website and www.bahn.com trip planner and you will see schedules, prices, etc. This will give you the logistics for doing this trip without a car. Heidelberg is an outlier on this trip and I would take those days and use them somewhere else.

I believe that a boat from Koblenz to St Goar will miss 90% of the really scenic Middle Rhine, while wasting time fighting upstream current. The scenery is between Bingen and Boppard. Note that any train trip in the area is ten times faster than the boat-so your free choice of boat stops is not a transport impediment.

That comment also means it's less troublesome to have the car on the Middle Rhine day. You all just train back to the mighty steel steed.

I have not been to Neuschwanstein, because it is denigrated on this board as relatively recent, and over-rated. Since you're driving to Trier, you could visit Burg Eltz on the way.

Thanks a lot for all your input, it's really appreciated. The main reason why we will have the car in Netherlland , it's because our final stop is in Belgium. And we cant really tale the car, let's say in Amsterdam and give it away in Brussels. But We need it for our Germain portion of our trip. That is why we are trying to book hotel on the outskirt of the big city like Amsterdam ( ewe are in Amstelveen) so we dont have to drive it in the city itself.

“ That is why we are trying to book hotel on the outskirt of the big city like Amsterdam ( ewe are in Amstelveen) so we dont have to drive it in the city itself.”

The website of Cityden says this about on-site parking;
“ Are there parking spots available?
Yes, we do have a few at €12,50 per night, but you better be quick because itʼs first come, first served. Reservations are not possible.”
Source; https://www.cityden.com/amsterdam-zuidas/contact-location/

So what will you do when you arrive and find no parking space available. Where will you then leave your car?

Also, your hotel in Amsterdam may be on the outskirts of Amsterdam, your hotel in Antwerp is right in the middle of the city center. And where will you be staying in Delft? Also where will you leave your car when you visit Utrecht? In a parking on the outskirts of the city with your luggage inside it?

I agree that a car can be helpful for the German part of your itinerary. For the Belgian and Netherlands part of your trip it will be a very expensive burden.
There is a direct international train from Amsterdam to Koln. Why don’t you take that train and pick up a rental car for the German part of your itinerary.

I realize this is not what you want to hear since it appears you’ve already booked your rental car and your hotels, but you did ask us to point out big problems or red flags. And frankly, I see many red flags and anticipate big problems.

@ Dutch_traveler

Thank you, you are right. I will look into that! thx a lot.

That is why we are trying to book hotel on the outskirt of the big
city like Amsterdam ( ewe are in Amstelveen) so we dont have to drive
it in the city itself.

But you're still planning to stay in central Heidelberg, Trier and Antwerp. Have you really thought that through? While none of them are as big as Amsterdam, Antwerp is not a small city. And while the others certainly are smaller, they are not designed for cars.

Just because (you think) you need a car in Germany, doesn't mean it's a good idea to drive between towns and cities in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Bonjour Claudine welcome

when I lived in Montréal my girlfriend lived in Laval - small world eh?

one problem with getting a car in one country and driving it in another is that different countries have different environmental requirements, all patrolled by cameras and also actual officers.

Antwerpen and Gent require cars to register on line before entering the city.

Many German cities and large towns require a green Umweltplakette on the windscreen.

It doesn't appear that you will drive into France, although you will be very close. If you do, Strasbourg is one of many French areas requiring a Crit-Air yellow sticker on the windscreen.

Thank you all for your great advice.It is very appreciated.

@ Nigel,
Yes, very small world indeed. The car agency in Brussels told me that we are ok with this car to travel in Belgium but i'll make sure of it before I go. My daughter lives in Ottignie now ( near Brussels) and I will be there few weeks before my trip to Netherland and Germany. As for the Umweltplakette, i am looking actually to see where I can get it. Thanks for the informations. Claudine

“ Antwerpen and Gent require cars to register on line before entering the city.”

(Rental) cars with Belgian or Dutch license plates are automatically registered for all three LEZ’s in Belgium. So if you rent a car in Belgium or The Netherlands, you don’t have to worry about the LEZ.

that's good to know, Dutch_traveler.

My UK car is registered for both Gent and Antwerpen (I hate driving anywhere near Antwerpen) and has been for a few years.

There's a third? Where is that? Luik? Brussel?

The three cities that currently have a LEZ are Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp. Cars with Belgian or Dutch license plates are automatically registered for these three LEZ’s. All other cars must register for each individual LEZ. Failing to do that will result in a hefty fine.

My daughter sais the same thing for the car being register already. Furthermore, all agencies car are younger than 2 years and are low emission cars so they are no problems. I have to check with germany if it's the same.

“ Furthermore, all agencies car are younger than 2 years and are low emission cars so they are no problems.”
It doesn’t matter how new your car is, if it doesn’t have Belgian or Dutch license plates you need to register it for the LEZ. Even brand new electric cars that are 1 day old need to be registered unless they have Belgian or Dutch license plates.

I have been a passenger in a car in Antwerp many times. It's at least as difficult to drive in as Amsterdam, also because of narrow medieval streets with only one travel lane, and tradesmen blocking streets to make deliveries. My wife used to drive from Antwerp to Beerse (.... factory out on the highway ... ) every day for business, and the traffic was just like the Long Island Expressway - stop and go all the way. One day a wild motorcyclist swerving between the stationary cars completely smashed her drivers-side mirror with his arm and kept going. He must have broken a bone or two.

The Antwerp garages (operated for the city by a private company that charges plenty) have tiny stalls.

I love Antwerp, by the way. That's related to why my wife slept in Antwerp instead of Turnhout, the more logical choice. But the Best Western in Turnhout is famously run-down.

I’ve stayed once right in the middle of Amsterdam centre and had my car with me. I parked my car at one of the P&R: https://www.amsterdam.nl/en/parking/park-ride/.