Amsterdam to Lyon,
and the sensible way to split it.
Nine hours and twenty minutes at the wheel before anybody stops for coffee. That is the plain figure, and it is why we usually propose an overnight around Luxembourg or Beaune rather than pretending this is an afternoon out.
Past nine hours at the wheel, and worth it for a reason.
Let us be straight about the distance. 910 kilometres is more than nine hours of actual driving, and with the breaks a chauffeur is obliged to take it becomes an eleven-hour day. Nobody chooses that to save time against a flight. They choose it because what travels with them will not go in a hold, because the itinerary has three addresses in it, or because a single quiet car beats a taxi, a terminal, a gate and another taxi at the far end.
The line we prefer runs south through Antwerp and Brussels, east of the Ardennes to Luxembourg, then down the A31 past Metz and Nancy to Dijon and Beaune, joining the A6 for the last run into the Rhône valley. When the Paris approach is quieter we go through the capital instead and pick up the A6 there. Either way the figure you agreed does not move.
Antwerp and Brussels, the run to Luxembourg, the A31 through Metz and Nancy, then Dijon, Beaune and the A6 into Lyon.
Pure driving time. Straight through it is a very long single day; taken in two halves it is two easy mornings.
One way, whole car, all in. Second-day and return legs are added to the same quote rather than billed after the fact.
A one-day run and a two-day run are priced differently because the second version includes a night for the chauffeur. Tell us which you want when you send the dates and you will see both figures before you commit.
One long day, or two comfortable halves.
Both versions are real bookings we run. The difference is what you want to be capable of on arrival.
Away from Amsterdam between six and seven in the morning, Luxembourg before lunch, Beaune mid-afternoon, Lyon in the early evening. You will have worked or slept through most of it; you will not want a dinner reservation at eight.
A civilised start after breakfast, Brussels and Luxembourg in the morning, and a stop for the night in Luxembourg City, Metz or Nancy. Roughly four hours on the road.
Out early through Dijon and Beaune, along the Saône, and into Lyon before lunch — which leaves an entire working afternoon or a whole day in the city.
One fixed amount per class for the whole car, not per seat. Over this distance choose for legroom and luggage first.
A group of five with winter kit is a Van Class question, not a saloon question. For two people spending nine hours in the back, the reclining rear seats of the Maybach are worth asking about — dispatch confirms availability and a price on WhatsApp.
Lyon keeps its offices around the Part-Dieu tower and its trade halls out at Chassieu. A car that arrives loaded with stand material and then stays on hourly hire for the week saves a great deal of waiting on a kerb.
Lyon takes food seriously, from the bouchons of Vieux Lyon to Les Halles Paul Bocuse. Arriving the evening before, rather than after eleven hours on the A6, is the difference between enjoying it and enduring it.
Chambéry, Grenoble, Annecy and the Tarentaise resorts are all a further couple of hours east. For families with skis and boot bags, one car from the Amsterdam doorstep to the chalet door beats a flight and a mountain transfer.
Students, secondees and anyone moving south for a season bring more than two cases. When the excess baggage would cost more than the seat, the car is the cheaper as well as the calmer answer.
Lyon is the halfway mark on the run down the Rhône to the Mediterranean.
The shorter French option, still comfortable inside one day.
Multi-day, multi-country itineraries planned and priced from one desk in Amsterdam.
How the car works once it has arrived and the day turns into meetings.
It is, and we run it, but you should know what you are buying. 9h20 of driving plus mandatory rest means leaving very early and arriving in the evening. If the reason for the trip is a meeting the next morning, the single day works. If it is dinner on arrival, take the split.
More than the straight-through run, because it includes a second driving day and a night for the chauffeur. It is quoted as one figure covering both halves, so there is nothing to settle separately along the way. Your own hotel is your choice and your own bill.
Usually around. The Luxembourg and Dijon line avoids the Paris ring entirely and tends to run cleaner, especially on a weekday morning. The Paris route becomes the better call at quiet hours or when we are already collecting someone there, and the price is unaffected either way.
Yes. Once the long drive is behind you, the same car and chauffeur can work the city by the hour. Business Class runs at €65 an hour, the Van Class at €80 and the First Class at €100; two hours is the minimum and each hour carries 40 kilometres. Hourly days begin and end in the same place.
We can. The Alpine valleys are a further two to three hours depending on the resort and the conditions. Tell us the chalet address when you book so the whole journey, including the mountain leg and any winter equipment, sits in one quote.