Paris and Amsterdam much?

[marko]

Not sure why people stay in Paris & take day trips to places like Versailles/Giverny/ Normandy vs. renting car & staying near those places & not spend time back tracking & spending so much on accommodations. TETO.

Because they're easy day trips and not that far away. Versailles is about a half hour drive/train from Paris. Normandy is about a two hour drive along the French countryside. Easy to get to.

I lived right downtown Paris (left bank across from the Louvre) and my office was in Versailles; an easy, easy commute each day.

Not sure why anyone would consider packing up and moving out of Paris and get accommodations to go to Versailles/Normandy; sort of like moving out of Manhattan to visit Queens.

Plus, once you've visited there, there's nothing else to do. Much better to take in Normandy for the day and return to Paris for dinner and something else to do tomorrow.

 

[audreyh1]

Does it matter what canal boat tour for Amsterdam? any company to stay away from, or can one just hop on hop off?

I don't believe it's a hop-on hop-off thing.

I can't recommend a specific one (they look very similar), but once I considered doing the combo canal cruise and Rijksmuseum ticket. It picked up near the Rijksmuseum.

 

[tulak]

When we were in Amsterdam this summer, we rented an electric boat. It was great for exploring on your own. We even tied up next to a cafe for coffee break.