Drive from Amsterdam to Paris

First, I want to mention that it is very expensive to rent a car in one country and return it in another. They charge a hefty fee for that. I drove from Amsterdam to Paris, but didn't do any stops along the way. It was an easy drive, but driving in Paris, even to return a car, is not for the timid! Good luck!

Get a quote from Hertz, Avis, etc (you can easily do this online), see how big the drop off fee is, then decide if you really want to do it. (Not to mention the hassle of driving in big European cities). There are high speed trains between the 2 cities. Why not rent a car at a destination on your trip and use the car to explore the countryside, then return it in the same country?

"Google maps says it's under 5h going through Brussels" That's a very optimistic estimate! I'm not sure about the route between Paris and Brussels, but as for the direct route from Amsterdam to Brussels, this is one of the most congested stretches of highway in all of Europe. Despite some windmills and church spires, it isn't that scenic. I'm not certain about the traffic through that section of Germany, but the route takes you through the most densely populated and industrialized part of the country.

I'm with Tom. Plan the time you drive carefully and avoid rush hours, particularly in the Netherlands. The road becomes a parking lot during rush hour.

Awesome! Thanks so much for the replies!
I see we still have a huge amount of planning to do ; )

~melissa

Melissa are you sure there isn't any way you can convince your husband to use the Thalys high-speed train? If you book early enough you can get advance tickets for as little as 25 euros. It will be much cheaper and faster via the Thalys. There are some places in Europe where a car works better than a train, but on this route rail is the way to go.

Hi Melissa,

My husband have driven extensively in Belgium and emphatically seconds the comments about the congestion between Amsterdam and Brussels. If your husband has his heart set on the drive, and if you are willing to suck up the fee for returning the car in a different country, my husband's suggestion is Amsterdam to Antwerp to Ghent to Kortrijk to Lille to Paris. He's spent an hour and a half just driving the 30 miles from Antwerp to Brussels.

It's not an altogether interesting drive. Kind of like driving through the midwest of the U.S.