our trip

Hi Len, You can easily take the train to Ghent from Amsterdam. Afterwards take the train to pick up your car on the other side of the border in France to avoid the$$$$ drop-off fees. Check out Brussels to Lille by train to rent a car at the Lille train station. As long as you have the car, you should keep it for Giverny, as it will hold your luggage while visiting. By then you are so close that you may as well drop the car on the outskirts of Paris and take a metro or taxi to your hotel. This way you avoid paying for a train and a rental on the same day.
Maybe someone else can tell you a better pick up and drop off in France.

Hi Len,

Do you need to stay near the train station, or are you open to other options?

I have stayed at the Hotel Continental near the Opera House that is in the general vicinity. But, there’s a metro station connected to St. Lazare, so it’s easy to reach many neighborhood options in the center of Paris. We have stayed in several; our personal favorite is the Luxembourg Garden area. There’s also an RER in that neighborhood that goes to the CDG airport.

If this is your first time to Paris, I would pick a nicer spot than a hotel close to the train stations.

I would never pay the horrendous drop off charges to rent in one country and drop in another (just a personal opinion based on budget). Easy enough to use trains in Amsterdam and Belgium, then train to somewhere in France and rent car there for Dunk (I assume Dunkirk), Honfleur, and the Normandy beaches and maybe to Giverny. Drop car somewhere and train to Paris.

On Our Trip, we took the train from Belgium (Brussels, in our case), to Lille, France. We picked up our rental car in Lille, and used it throughout our time in northern France. We turned it in Caen, then rode a train from Caen to Paris. Having a car made it easy to see beach sites and various towns and villages on our schedule.

Sorry, I don’t have personal experience with the St. Lazare station neighborhood lodging. Have a great trip, though!