You know that I love the road trip. It is my favorite type of travel even though it is the most tiring because there is a lot of driving and never “unplugging” throughout the course of the day.
With this article I want to suggest 3 short and 2 long itineraries and ideas for road trips in Europe. Trips that can be connected to long weekends or otherwise can be combined with low-cost travel.
5 Road Trip in Europe
I do not take into consideration our dear and beautiful Italy although, on our territory alone there would be plenty of road trips to take. These road trip itineraries I am proposing I have done in person and so I will include many little tips that may be helpful to you. Before I tell you about the itineraries, I suggest you also read these three articles:
1 – Scotland: between legendary castles and breathtaking views
Not surprisingly, I put this trip as the first road trip itinerary I recommend. The Scotland was one of my first trips in general, when low-cost flights were still a dime a dozen (good times).
Scotland has to be experienced on the road, it is a country that has to be understood, a country that has to be explored because the history that has passed through it is scattered over that diverse and colorful land.
I recommend an itinerary of about 10 days, five of which should be done by car. A few days in Glasgow, a couple in Edinburgh and then off to the fantastic castle of Stirling. Drive up the east coast via Perth, Dundee and finally Aberdeen. Enjoy the castles scattered along the way.
I was really young during that tour in Scotland; we would pick up the map of castles and the first castle we saw along our route we would go visit. We saw countless of them, one more beautiful and fascinating than the other. On this piece of the on-the-road itinerary, don’t miss Dunnottar Castle near Aberdeen, a ridiculously beautiful place.
Continue the road trip in Scotland by taking you toward Inverness with a stop at one of the many local whisky distilleries. A perfect time to get in touch with the Scottish essence. Depending on the days you have available, you can then push on to the Orkney Islands. I didn’t and I am regretting it even now. It is true that this could also be a good motivation to return to Scotland and do another on the road (hopefully soon).
In case you cannot continue to Orkney, the advice is to visit Loch Ness and then proceed to the beautiful island of Skye. After exploring this disarmingly beautiful island you can head back toward Glasgow, visiting Fort Williams and Oban. A road trip to Scotland is something magical. Scotland is magical.
2 – Spain: road trip accompanied by Andalusian flamenco
I have done several trips to Spain recently, but the first one I did, 10 years ago, had a different flavor. One of the most beautiful road trip I’ve ever taken.
From the beautiful Seville (read also the best things to do in Seville) to Madrid via the most beautiful cities in the Andalusia.
The road trip itinerary I recommend is about 10 days, some of which you can devote to visiting cities such as Seville, Granada, Toledo and Madrid, others to be devoted to discovering the fantastic landscape of the Southern Spain.
Starting in Seville, make a quick stop in Cadiz and enjoy its plaza and views of the ocean. Then go down to Tarifa, the southernmost point on the European continent, and on the way to this seaside town stop at one of the most beautiful beaches on the Costa de la Luz: Bolonia and its incredible dunes.
Tarifa is a small town that in summer fills up with tourists who want to experience its sparkling evening and nightlife. There are many young Spanish and non-Spanish people who flock to its beaches and tapas bars celebrating the classic movida.
Should you consider this trip in the summertime, I strongly recommend that you book your room in Tarifa well in advance; it will be almost impossible to find cheap places to sleep locally.
From Tarifa you are just a stone’s throw from visiting Gibraltar. True, it’s not Spain, but it’s so close that you can’t help but cross the border (bordered by the airport runway) and breathe in some English air and then suddenly be back on Spanish soil.
Gibraltar is worth a visit, which is why I recommend that you annex it to this on-the-road trip.
Warning: leave your car on Spanish territory and do not take it across the border.
From Gibraltar I recommend you head to the birthplace of bullfighting. I know that many, myself included, disagree with this Spanish tradition but Ronda is not only bullfighting it is much more. It is worth visiting even just for the Ponte Nuevo over the Guadalevìn. From Ronda continue on to Granada where you cannot help but stay at least two nights. From Granada onward you have two choices, either continue directly to Toledo or push on to the source of the mythical Guadalquivir. Needless to say, I went into the Sierra de Cazorla mountains with the goal of the source.
It happened a bit like the castles in Scotland: map -> let’s go.
Nothing could be more spectacular. Not so much for the source as for the 3 hours spent driving through forests and breathtaking views. To end this European road trip, I recommend continuing on to Toledo and then Madrid, returning the car to the capital’s airport. Attention: in this case to evaluate well the costs of the drop-off before booking the rental car as I advise you to in this post.
3 – Greece: car itinerary from Athens to Athens after Meteora
And when you don’t want to pay for the drop-off what do you do? You go to Greece and plan a road trip itinerary that starts and finishes in Athens.
Read also what is drop off? All kidding aside, there is always a lot of talk about Greek islands when in reality the Mainland Greece is like a chocolate to be unwrapped. It is rich in history, culture, barren landscapes that hold priceless cultural heritages, coastal towns with irresistible charm, not to mention a priceless treat: Meteora in Greece.
Of my recent trips to Europe, this was the one that surprised me the most. Never did I expect mainland Greece to hold so many surprises. Athens itself convinced me. I had heard bad things about it, but instead it stayed in my heart and I hope to return soon.
However, let’s talk about this Greek itinerary, you need at least 5/6 days to enjoy the sights well. If you want to delve into the archaeological aspects consider at least 10 days, if you also want to add some sea, say 15 days is enough going to complete the trip with other detours than the tour I propose.
The first stop starting from Athens is the meteors, in the deep north of Greece Visiting Meteora means being enraptured at how nature and man have managed to strike a balance. Monasteries built on spurs of rock. 6 monasteries open to the public of 24 total. Meteors are a spectacle of nature that you never want to stop watching and photographing.
I count myself lucky to have seen them in all weather conditions. Overcast, rain and sunshine after downpours. Photographically priceless.
If you love trekking, I recommend adding an extra night so you can do some hiking in the mountains. From the Meteors, depending on how much time you have, you might also choose to continue to Zagorohoria, an area of mainland Greece that has remained unknown to many, indeed I would say unknown in general.
Perhaps because it is a remote and poorly connected area, but Zagorohoria seems to be a part of Greece not to be underestimated.
The itinerary continues to discover the oracle and the archaeological site of Delphi. A “must” stop before proceeding by crossing the bridge over the Straits of Corinth entering the Peloponnese in the direction of the famous Olympia. The Peloponnese has several sites of archaeological interest including Olympia, Mycenae, Epidaurus.
All of extreme importance. From Olympia proceed to the splendid Monemvasia and afterwards Nafplio with the fortress of Palamidi which I absolutely recommend you visit while enjoying the view from its towers.
Nafplio, or rather Nafplio, is the last stop before the capital Athens. Mycenae and Epidaurus are the closest archaeological sites to the city. Once visited, one can continue by paying a visit to the imposing fortress of Acrocorinth and finally reach and visit Athens with a stop near the famous strait of Corinth.
A road trip in Greece is fascinating and is also perfect for the off-season such as spring and fall. I, for example, did it in mid-November with exceptional temperature. Absolutely recommended!
4 – Normandy: a road trip among culture, nature and the most important places of World War II
Just the term “Normandy” conjures up so many images. From the mythical cliffs of the north, to the boundless landscapes of Mont Saint Michel, not forgetting the characteristic roads in the middle of the woods that meander through villages with houses made of stone where you never see anyone. Sometimes a tractor passes by but nothing more.
But before all its views, the Normandy holds interest for what it represented during World War II. It was the scene of revenge, albeit bloody, against Nazism. That territory into which, with great effort, the Allies advanced; it was thus the stronghold of that feeling of opposition against the foreign dictatorship and against the terror it had created.
This, among the road trips to Europe that I am proposing, is certainly the most emotionally demanding. If you are interested in the events surrounding the period between 1939 and 1945, there is no road trip more fascinating than this one.
It is a short road trip that excludes Paris and takes place only in Normandy. 5 days and 4 nights. If you wanted to, you could also add three days in Paris and in one week you would be able to do quite a tour. So leaving out Paris, the first stop is Giverny and the visit to the Monet foundation, do not be frightened if once you are right in what is Giverny you feel bewildered not understanding what the little village really is. It is normal. A few hundred inhabitants, no more. Giverny is almost solely represented by the Monet foundation with its gardens (a must-see).
From Giverny continue the road trip to Les Andeleys for a view of the Seine from a particularly scenic location, the Gaillard Castle. From Les Andeleys head to Étretat and spend a few hours admiring the cliffs and doing some short hikes on the two crags. If you are a golf lover, know that there is a golf course where you can play with a view of the English Channel. Outstanding.
From Étretat, the next stop is Le Havre and then Honfleur. Beautiful by day, beautiful at night with all the lights of the clubs reflecting on the waters of the harbor.
The entire coast from Honfleur to the Cotentin Peninsula is a spider’s web of roads composed of ups and downs among the most beautiful views in Normandy. At the same time, this stretch of the northern coast of Normandy traces the history of World War II because it is in these very areas that there are the 5 famous beaches where it happened the Normandy landings.
It is impossible to define a route a priori, you have to choose which ones you want to see, which ones interest you most and in what sequence you want to see them. I recommend Arromanches and obviously Omaha with the cemetery in memory of the American fallen soldiers.
Also not to be missed is the Caen Memorial, a museum that will give you a good understanding of the events before and after (and of course during) the war years.
This road trip is dense with places to visit and a trip to Normandy is meaningless without a stop at Mont Saint Michel. A unique place that deserves to be seen at least once in a lifetime. Finally, on the way back I recommend another city to visit, I am talking about Rouen, a city that has “been through it all.” For further insights I recommend you read:
5 – Slovenia: a green, green and more green road trip.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, a road trip to Slovenia means immersing yourself in green. Although a small nation, Slovenia has plenty of places to be enraptured. First, to travel on Slovenia’s highways you need a vignette-what is it?
I explained it better in the post on the slovenian vignette. In any case, it is a “pass” that can also be purchased at Italian truck stops near the border. Slovenian highways are run on a flat rate that can be weekly, monthly or yearly and varies by vehicle category.
An itinerary in Slovenia takes 5 days, a week if you want to keep the pace low. Travel times are short and you will not find much traffic.
Entering Slovenia from Italy, the first stop might very well be the St. Kanzian Caves and the famous caves of posthumia, stunning underground caverns where you will be amazed at the beauty of nature. Not far away is the beautiful capital city of Ljubljana, a town that doesn’t even look like a city from so quiet and leafy.
A full day to visit is more than enough. From the capital you could stop in the little-known territories of Bela Krajina southeast of Ljubljana. A region of Slovenia rich in vineyards, hills, and beautiful up and downs both to be done by car and by bike (though with some difficulty).
Another area to get around and enjoy the Slovenian territories is Maribor in the northeast. Finally, you could, indeed you should necessarily close this road trip in Europe by visiting one of the most fascinating and well-known places in Slovenia: Lake Bled. A couple of days in this natural paradise before returning to the chaotic and sometimes less verdant Italy.