I have eight days in early November, starting in Amsterdam, available to tour. I'm interested in Normandy but have never been, so I am thinking of an initial day or two in Amsterdam, then driving to Normandy for D-Day sites and MSM, and driving to Paris to fly home. I think the one-way drop off charge is worth not driving back to Amsterdam. One question is weather - what do you think of doing Normandy, specifically D-Day sites, in November?
And I appreciate any other thoughts on this plan.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Toss a coin on the weather. I've seen sleet and I've sweated to darn near death - - both in November. Figure on some wet. All days will be on the short side. For some goofy reason, every once in a while the drop-off fee from Belgium to France is almost nothing. You ought to explore that - - the Amsterdam to Antwerp drive isn't that exciting anyway.
Posted by
OP
Portland, ME
15 posts
Thanks for the one-way fee tip, I'll look into that.
Posted by
Stafford, Virginia, USA
143 posts
We were in Normandy in the middle of October last year and the weather was pretty raw, with rain and wind, especially on the beaches. I'd say it depends on how much you want to see Normandy and whether you think you will get a chance again. The same for MSM. Another alternative would be to spend your time in Belgium or Paris.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Your trip sounds a bit rushed to me. Unless you're determined to see Mont-St-Michel, I suggest that you skip it. To minimize your travel time, take a high-speed Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris and then continue by train to Bayeux. You can leave in the afternoon and still be in Bayeux by evening. Spend the night, take an all-day guided D-Day tour, and take the train to Paris in the evening. If you book soon, you can get discount fares as low as €35 for Amsterdam-Paris and €15 for Paris-Bayeux. If you want to know how to do the booking, just ask. Follow your plan and book an open jaw (multi-city) plane ticket: home-Amsterdam and Paris-home. It usually costs about the same as a standard roundtrip ticket.
Posted by
OP
Portland, ME
15 posts
So my first posted question has yielded some things to think about. Thanks. I know the weather might be dicey; part of it is the notion that this might be my best chance for Normandy. Maybe I was hoping for "Normandy is lovely in November." I'm intrigued by Tim's point that this is rushed. I figure Amsterdam-Normandy is a day's drive, and then I've got the rest of the week to tour and get to Paris. Then again, my wife's always questioning my grasp of reality when it comes to time and travel. So far I'm not sensing a lot of enthusiasm for this itinerary. I'll mull on it.