I am trying to avoid the $400 drop off fee charged for picking up a car in Amsterdam and dropping it off in Paris.
Does the following make sense to anybody? I do not know the car travel time from Normandy back to Amsterdam. We want to drive (enjoy the freedom). Arrive in Amsterdam, take train to Haarlem stay for a night,Rent car in Haarlem, drive to Delft and other small towns in Holland..drive into Brugges in Belgium (sort of hugging the coast), do more small towns, (avoid Brussels..we do not like big cities)drive into Normandy France..do Mt St. M and the WWII battle sites..then drive back into Holland seeing more towns in both Belgium and Holland, ending in AMsterdam. Sort of a big loop starting in Haarlem and ending up in AMsterdam..stay a couple of nights after I turn the car back in. Or should I swallow the $400 drop off fee and after Normandy drive to Paris airport and drop off car there befofe flying home. Thanks everybody.
Posted by
dallas, tx, usa
1358 posts
I would NEVER consider renting a car under your circumstances. I agree with the advice given by others because the cost of petrol and parking will dazzle you.
If you insist on renting I would call all the rental agencies and ask for the lowest drop charge. You will find that the charge varies with the agencies. I saved half the charge last time just by calling. Sometimes the agency will want a car transfered and you meet their need.
You never know what you can get until you ask. In Christchurch, New Zealand the agent agreed to waive the standard charge to change islands and let me drive free from the south island to the north island just to get a station wagon (which I didnt want) moved north; and after we talked about it further he agreed to pay the ferry toll for me! What a guy!
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
There is absolutely no reason to be driving a car around in Holland; most all small towns are well served by rail. One could argue it will give less freedom than the train. Haarlem to Delft is a direct train ride that will get from city center to city center in under an hour, there is no way a car will get you there any quicker, and more than likely you will wind up having to park at the train station anyway.
Posted by
Redding, CA, USA
1568 posts
Agree with Michael. So easy to travel by train to all the places you mentioned.
In Normandy I recommend the Battle Bus Tours of the invasion sites.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Ditto....Belgium has the highest rail density of any country on earth, and the Netherlands is probably pretty close behind. And parking is difficult. From Bruges, take a 90 minute direct train to Lille, in northern France. From there, you can rent a car, and range back into southern Belgium if you wish (Ypres and Mons, two WWI sites), up to Calais and Dunkirk, or west to Caen and the Normandy beaches. You can probably get a good rate dropping it off in Paris...if not, head back to Lille and grab a train into Paris....an hour run.