transportation sugggestions normandy area to belgium to amsterdam

I did this exact trip almost twenty years ago. Not much has changed, except doing it today I'd have my smart phone to help navigate. That's about it.

I had been to Paris once before and fell in love with it, so I spent five nights there to see more of the city. I spent five nights in Amsterdam at the end - which was too much, because I just didn't fall in love with Amsterdam. Doing it again, I'd probably spend more time in Belgium and may a smaller town in the Netherlands like Delft, where I spent a night a few years ago and loved it. If you figure out what you want to see and do in Amsterdam, then you can decide how much time you need there.

I have since been back to Belgium for a separate trip, but on this trip, I merely took the train north from France to the Netherlands and stopped in Brussels for a few hours off the train.

I also spent three nights in Normandy. I took the train from Paris to Caen, rented a car there, spent two nights in Bayeux and the final night in Caen. Driving in Normandy was super easy, plus it's beautiful countryside - I'd do it again. I liked visiting the D-Day stuff at my own pace, but some people like taking a comprehensive tour of the beaches and sites. You could do both: take an all-day tour one day and have other days to go back and see more things or return to places where you wanted to spend more time.

I dropped my rental car in Caen and trained up to Belgium and Netherlands via Paris - it just turned out to be easier to take the train back then heading north by train from Paris immediately. Not sure if there's an easier way to do it today without going back to Paris.

With two weeks (13 nights sleeping there?), I might do:

Paris (4 nights)
Normandy (3 nights)
Belgium - Bruges, Ghent, Brussels (3 nights)
Amsterdam (3 nights)

Fly open jaw, into Paris out of Amsterdam, or do it in the opposite order.

TY Andrew for the very quick response and detailed info. It's actually 15 nights. So, you're saying that there may be no direct way, other than car? to go from Normandy area towards Belgium/Netherlands? And I have been to Paris before but many years ago.

Not saying there is no better way not than there was when I did it - but back then, taking the train back to Paris and then north to Belgium was the most practical way. I was also nervous about driving on that trip (first time driving in Europe) and wanted to drive as little as possible. Today, perhaps, I'd drive from Normandy toward the Belgium border and try to drop my rental car there near a train station or something. I think dropping a French rental car in Belgium is likely to be pricey. Plus, I like trains anyway - I enjoyed all the train travel I did on that trip.

The biggest hassle was connecting between Paris train stations - taking a taxi would have been easiest or perhaps a bus. I think I just did it by metro with a few connections. Today I'd use my phone to find the most direct, simplest way to connect between stations via public transportation.

You could also go from CDG airport directly to Normandy and start the trip there. (There is a direct bus from CDG airport to Caen or Bayeux I believe) After Normandy, train back to Paris, and then continue north from there. Or start in Amsterdam and do it in the opposite order. That would avoid the unnecessary connection in Paris.

Do you want to return to Paris and spend any time again? (I love returning to favorite cities and towns over the years.) You could spend more time in Belgium than three nights. I stayed in Antwerp on my later trip to Belgium. I didn't really care for the town (loved Bruges and Ghent, like Leuven too), but at the time where weren't as many museums in Antwerp open that would interest me today.

You can spend more time in the Netherlands, too - there is more to it than just Amsterdam, e.g. small towns like Delft.

In Normandy, I never did make it to Mont Saint-Michel, a big tourist attraction; you could add a night to include that.

ok ty good ideas to get me thinking and planning. Was just looking at delft pics, very pretty. I know Bruge is too. I do want to spend some time in Paris, it's been awhile since the last visit.

Bruges is wonderful - but it is also extremely touristy. Ghent is a little quieter. Both are neat towns. I'm glad I stayed overnight in Bruges vs. just a day trip, because it seemed a lot more quiet at night, after many of the crowds were gone.

Good idea. Went to Hallstatt last May and super crowded and stayed overnight and had the whole town to myself but had to get up early, sun was coming up between 4 and 5. So worth it.

Today, perhaps, I'd drive from Normandy toward the Belgium border and
try to drop my rental car there near a train station or something.

I think the easiest place to do this is Lille, which is only some 20 km from the Belgian border.

From Lille there are many direct trains to Brussels (about a 40-minute ride and about 20 trains per day), from where you can get direct trains to nearly all major cities/towns in Belgium -- Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Liège, etc. There are also some direct trains to Ghent and Antwerp as well. Just be aware there are two stations in Lille (Lille Europe and Lille Flandres), although they are right next to each other.

It's about a 4h30m drive from Bayeux to Lille. If you already have a car in Normandy, I think this is easier than dropping the car off in Caen and then taking the train to Belgium via Paris -- while the trains are fast, especially Paris to Brussels by TGV, you have to make a change of station in Paris as mentioned above, which adds time. A lot less schlepping on and off vehicles this way.

(In case you're wondering about Dunkirk, it's not ideal. Although there is a railway station in Dunkirk, there is no rail service to Belgium and you have to take a bus to get to the Belgian railways in Adinkerke across the border.)

If you are comfortable with driving in France, I agree with Andrew from Brooklyn about driving from Normandy to Lille and dropping off the rental car at the Lille train station. If you take the train from Caen to Paris, you'll arrive at Gare St. Lazare and then have to take the Metro/RER or a taxi to get to Gare du Nord, where trains leave for Brussels. While this is doable, some travelers prefer to avoid the hassle. Also, be sure to drop off your car in France so that you avoid high fees that rental companies charge when dropping off in a different country.

I'm guessing it's an easy drive from Bayeux to Lille, just long - and perhaps expensive especially for one person (think about the gas). Sure, it would save some time. Personally, I love trains, though, so I might not mind an extra hour or two on trains. It was a long time ago - don't remember at all how I connected between Paris train stations (probably metro - wasn't a taxi), but looking now on Google Maps, I see bus 43 makes a direct connection between stations - that's likely how I'd do it now.

Ty All again, will be processing the options.

We avoided staying in Amsterdam last year by staying in Haarlem. A quick train trip into Amsterdam for museums etc then back to peaceful Haarlem for the night. Haarlem has similar cobbles and canals to Amsterdam but not the drinking/druggie backpacker culture. Plus it has a working windmill. Trains are very safe travel options in the Netherlands for solo travelers, and we felt very safe walking around at night in Haarlem. Most hotels are close to the river which is two stops on the very frequent buses from the train station or a 15 minute walk.

Haarlem is also on direct train route to Den Haag for the superb Mondrian collection at the Geementemuseum and easy train or bus to Schipol airport at the end of your trip.

We also loved Antwerp as a base for Belgium as it is a nice small city with great train links for day trips to Ghent and Bruges, and Brussels. Again Antwerp has good public transit - extensive tram network connecting tourist areas to central train station. Also no issues with walking around at night. We stayed one street off the market square to the north which was just outside the main tourist area. We easily found many restaurants in the neighbourhood that were reasonably priced and frequented by locals. Small bistros looked good for solo dining.

TY Aussie..good stuff to consider .