katk

Which city would you stay at for just a one night stop in May only allowed time for a few hours in the afternoon or early morning of traveling between Bayeux and Amsterdam by car? What reason-great restaurants, special attraction or museum? Thanks

StuDudley

Caen is very close to Bayeux. So unless you only plan to stay in Bayeux for 2-3 days - no reason to visit Caen on the way. You should visit it from Bayeux. Of course, the WWII Memorial & museum is the main reason for visiting Caen. City itself is only OK, IMO.

We were underwhelmed with Lille. To much of it was destroyed in the World Wars. Rouen is a gem. Great place to wander, and a wonderful cathedral.

My attached Normandy & Brittany itinerary has info about Rouen, Caen,, and Bayeux.

Stu Dudley

Jean

The drive from Bayeux to Caen is only about 30 minutes which seems awfully early for a stop, although the Peace Memorial (Museum) is excellent.

There's a lot to see in Rouen. The cathedral Monet painted dozens of times, half-timbered buildings, Joan of Arc sights, etc. We had a great dinner at La Couronne (estab. 1345) which we learned later was where Julia Child had her first formal meal after arriving in France and thereafter became crazy for French cooking.

I haven't been to Lille in more than 40 years, so can't comment other than to point out the obvious that it's the closest to halfway between Bayeux and Amsterdam.

HappyTrvlr

I agree, go to Rouen.

joannyc

I agree completely.

hetismij2

Rouen to Amsterdam is still at least a 6 hour drive, maybe a lot more, depending on when in May you are travelling, and the traffic situation around Antwerp.
Have a think about Amiens or even driving further, into Belgium and visiting Ypres or even Gent. Neufchatel en Bray is a small town on the way and is a nice place to stop, though there is not an awful lot to do there.

StuDudley

We really enjoyed Gent - but isn't that a 5 1/2 to 6 hr drive from Bayeux??

Stu Dudley

hetismij2

I personally would stop around Lille/Ypres. It's what we normally do as a second stop on the way back from Brittany, but we aren't bothered about visiting cities much. A place to relax after hours in the car is what suits us best. A place to walk, or ride a bike, is nice but just a garden to sit in, or a welcoming hotel, is also good.
Last time we stayed in an Airbnb near Bethune for a couple of nights, and visited some of the WW1 stuff around the area. I wouldn't recommend it for a week, but for a night or two it's fine.
The centre of Lille is interesting enough for an overnight stop.
The roads can be very busy in May so all timings are guesswork. Getting round Antwerp in particular can be a royal pita.

katk

We are actually staying in Antwerp as a one night stop on the way to Bayeux from Amsterdam. Thanks for the warning about traffic around Antwerp.
Rouen was actually what I was leaning towards with the Joan of Arc history being the draw. But like I said these are just overnight stops with a few hours here and there to possibly do just 1 or 2 things and most likely just to enjoy the atmosphere.
All of your insights are greatly appreciated!! We love the smaller towns but it is always difficult to know if sometimes you will even be able to find a place to eat at the end of a travel day!

hetismij2

Antwerp has a Low Emission zone inside the ring road. This website will help you: https://www.slimnaarantwerpen.be/en/LEZ
Assuming your car doesn't have a Belgian or Dutch registration you will need to register it to enter the zone, even if it meets the requirements. You can do this for free.

katk

Thanks for the website for the Antwerp LEZ. We are renting from Amsterdam so I am hoping it will have a Dutch registration and have been told we just pay a small fee to take it out of the Netherlands which I am thinking is to help with this. They have said since no car is more than 6 months old in their fleet it qualifies to be driven in the LE zones. Looks like an easy fix to register it on the site as long as we have the registration info with the rental.

hetismij2

With a Dutch registration you don't need to register the car, so you should be good.

And yes, given you are also stopping in Antwerp Rouen or thereabouts makes sense for another stop.
There is a tendency to stay on the motorways but that way you miss so much. If you have time, and the inclination try and find at least some non motorways routes.
Have a great trip!