KG55

Hi we are driving from Aix en Provence to Amsterdam to take ferry to Newcastle. This is return leg. We have 2 and a half days to do this and would welcome help with suggestions of 2 overnight stops where we would arrive late afternoon for the two nights, and leave approx 4 hours drive on day three. E.g. Have looked at Lyon for first night then Cologne for second. Not travelling with children.

hetismij2

The ferry leaves from Ijmuiden, not Amsterdam.

Do you want to avoid toll roads in France?

Cologne makes no sense to me, it is off your route and the traffic from Cologne to the Netherlands can be miserable, plus if you stay in the centre you need a green umweltplakette on your vehicle.

I would head for Luxembourg and either stop there or maybe in a small town in the Ardennes in Belgium, then take the motorway around Brussels, to Antwerp, from there towards Breda, Utrecht Amsterdam Haarlem Ijmuiden, or even head over to Maastricht and straight up the A2 towards Amsterdam, then the A9 and A22 to Ijmuiden.

ribeirasacra

Nancy is a great place to explore
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy,_France
http://www.francethisway.com/places/nancy.php
Cologne is far to the west for this route.

hetismij2

I agree about Nancy. We really enjoyed our visit.

ribeirasacra

found it... the offical tourist website for the city: http://en.nancy-tourisme.fr/home/
Gives a much better idea of what is to see.

KG55

Thanks. Don't mind paying tolls if need be. So you think Lyon, Nancy then Luxemburg or the Ardennes.?

KG55

Thanks for all your responses. Nancy looks lovely.

KG55

Sorry Lyon then Nancy then 5 hours to Ijmuiden.

PalenQ

How about Bruges in Belgium and say a smaller French town like Provins or Senlis - something manageable in a few hours of looking around and are dreamy old cities - skirt Paris and head for Bruges or Gent or Antwerp.

hetismij2

You don't need to go anywhere near Paris. Best avoided altogether for this trip.

Whathello

Avoid big cities.
I'd rather stop at dijon or dole or ... Rather than entering Lyon. Which will results in adding time for intra traffic.
But I prefer smaller towns.
Also pay attention to traffic jams around Brussels and Antwerpen.
And respect speed limits on the A31. My wife gets fined every time.
Count 3 hours from nancy to Bruxelles then ? To ferry.

hetismij2

You could actually easily do the drive to Nancy from Aix in a day - maybe 7 hours max, then spend some time the next morning looking around the centre, then potter up to, say, Maastricht, (3-4 hours) and from there to Ijmuiden. Maastricht-Ijmuiden is 2 and a half hours, maybe 3 if you hit traffic.

spaarne

<i>Aix en Provence to Amsterdam
Posted by: KG55 on Apr 10, 16 at 9:24am
Hi we are driving from Aix en Provence to Amsterdam to take ferry to Newcastle. </i>

The http://www.viamichelin.com/ site can help you plan your trip and provide valuable road wise information. Michelin provides a sort of "Trip Tic", AAA (USA) style travel planner.

To enjoy this trip avoid big cities. Take the scenic routes.

Tulips

The most direct route is via Nancy/Metz/Luxemburg/Brussel/Antwerpen and on towards Ijmuiden.
Or you can take the road via Reims and stop there. It's slightly longer, but having done this dozens of times, I find that road is usually quiet, and an easier drive. You could stop in Reims then, or take in Brugge (though that would divert you off your route).

Both routes take you passed Brussel - try to plan it so that you are not there at rush hour on a weekday.

Or you can choose to drive via Maastricht/Eindhoven instead of Brussel. Maastricht is a nice place to stop.

Aix-Lyon is only 3 hours. Beaune is a nice place to stop too. Follow the road along the vineyards there for a while, instead of the motorway.

Tulips

Oh and if you're not stopping in Lyon, the GPS will direct you to the motorway around Lyon. If it's rush hour I would take the ringroad, but if it's weekend it's faster to go through Lyon and take the tunnel.