Hello! We need some help figuring out how to get to Frankfurt. We're planning on renting a car upon arrival in Amsterdam and touring the area for a week (Amsterdam/Bruges) before meeting family in Frankfurt. To rent a car for a week it's around $350. However, the drop fee outside of the Netherlands is over $400. We're trying to figure out if it would make sense to return the car to Amsterdam and fly to Frankfurt or return it closer to the border and take a train. We've never taken a train in Europe so navigating that option would be new to us but nothing we can't handle. Plus, it seems a lot cheaper. Is Eindhoven the best option? Does anyone have a recommended site for exploring train routes? Rome2Rio keeps popping up. Thank you in advance for any guidance. We truly appreciate it.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5776 posts
It's best to use the train apps that belong to each rail company. Rome to Rio is good for research, but use the train apps directly for route info.
NS app for trains in the Netherlands.
SNCB for train in Belgium.
NS International for crossing borders.
We were in the Netherlands this past April, 2024, and used trains exclusively for exploring the country. We never felt the need for a car. The train stations are in the center of the historical areas, and eliminate the need to find parking and fight traffic.
I'll attach my recent Trip Report, from which you may find some helpful hints.
Have a wonderful trip. Safe travels!
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you, Pat! I appreciate the help.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5776 posts
I'm not the train expert here, but you may get to Frankfurt faster if you can access a high speed train out of a larger city, such as Amsterdam or Brussels. Trains running thru the smaller towns have more stops and are slower. I'm sure some of the Forum's train experts will chime in soon.
Posted by
Minneapolis
1274 posts
Hi jb. Good idea. Train idea much better than flying. From looking at train route on bahn.de, places to drop in Netherlands and board train would be Amsterdam, Utrecht, or Arnhem. Check rental company to see if they have offices there. If so, it would likely be at or near train station; easy to drop car and board train. You can search for train times and tix on either the Netherlands train site or the German site bahn.de. Have a great trip!
Posted by
London, UK
434 posts
High speed trains stop at Utrecht or Arnhem, so you could hand your car back in either city, but the car hire places might not be near the stations, so you’d need to work out how to get to the stations. Frankly, it would be far simpler not to have the car and to use trains to get around in the first place. You don’t seem worried about using them to get from Holland to Frankfurt, so why not make them part of the adventure and go everywhere by train?