Writing this post about driving over 30,000 miles through Europe, today we discuss about the best road trips routes in europe. we realize that our European adventure was not just the best way to get from A to B. As they head the long drop to lower ground, we remember the sweeping curves of the Italian roads and bumping along happily in Slovenia. We recall the gentle breeze amongst the fields of France and at border crossings long since abandoned that reminded us of what used to be a more fractured past. It was life-changing, that moment when we felt as liberated nations like countries slotting together in an unfamiliar jigsaw for the first time. It used to be nicely romantic driving around Europe. And now that we know the lay of the land so well, it is not a hypothesis but a perennial, unfolding epic love story.
The 12 roads chose for this post are only a few of our time crossing Europe and they are grouped by no means, be that as it may, all came gracefully at the ideal minute in our excursion:
Coast of Portugal
From Albuferia (the southernmost end of Portugal) to Porto (near the Spanish border); small stretches of the Portuguese shoreline wowing us! Such a difference in landscape, rich in colour from the all whitewashed towns of Olhos de agua and Falesia to the more colourful towns Ericeira and Costa Nova. Never pretentious, always delightfully inviting.
Costa Verde, Spain
Craggy snowcaps that dropped into moss green glens and rolled to gold sand for miles The lush 1,200 miles of coastline that stretches around the Iberian Peninsula still pulses alive in us.
From Beynac to Limeuil the ochre fields, bathed in new spring leaves and backlit by butterscotch colored stone homes that seemed to have lived here for ever. As we made our way across the countryside, breathing in every last ounce of light on offer as the sun slowly sank behind the hills, the deafening birdsong at sundown provided an appropriate soundtrack for our efforts.
Luberon Villages, Provençe
We all decided that an entire lifetime in Provence would just be a warm up for absorbing and a starting point for comprehending the unimaginably beautiful culture and light. The roads between the villages that make up the Luberon Region of Provence were equally fan — slicing through oak and olive trees as they climbed the hillsides.
French Riviera, France
Monte Carlo for our DIY picnic en route from Monaco to Cassis, ice-cream in Saint-Tropez through baguette Antibes and apéritifs Cannes. We skipped stones in Nice, rode the Ferris wheel in Marseille and swam beside gypsy caravans at Saints-Marie-de-la-Mer. Even today, it feels as if its a dream.
The Romantic Road definitely had more than one face, in places we just wound our way through the lush landscape of a picturesque part of Bavaria. The children were stuck in their windows waiting for a shape to manifest itself in the fog. The mist cleared at just the right time for us to see a herd galloping through a green valley, high grass pearling with dew. Just enough light of a black pudding lake to make out a lone white swan swimming beneath a stone bridge. It was cloaked mystery damp and dreary and indelible.
Black Forest, Germany
Dozens of trails covered with soft, lush green moss that definitely seduced Hansel and Gretel. It through darkness that the Big Bad Wolf must surely be hiding, before being unveiled to Little Red Riding Hood. It was every Rapunzel castle spurting out of the evergreen-rich canopy known as the Black Forest around each bend.
Lake Bled, Slovenia
We had to stop when we saw the castle! That beauty arrested us and left us speechless. In a trance-like state, we slowly drove around the lake knowing that we needed to stay long enough for us to feel like this vista was a tangible reality. Slovenia consistently revealed itself in magnificent natural beauty, from Vintgar Gorge to Lake Bohinj.
Austrian Zillertal Alps
We ventured deeper into the Zillertal Alps, and were often left days at a time alone with mountain monuments of mother nature. And we will never forget the strength of the Krimmler Wasserfalle. One of the biggest waterfalls in Europe and the 5th highest in the world AND it still gets dwarfed by the slopes from which it tumbles down!
Cinque Terre, Italy
After experiencing the five villages in Cinque Terre by boat, train and car we have concluded that the drive was surprisingly the highlight. Some we had walked, but many were closed to repair in our time in Italy and not safe for children. As the next best thing we imagined that driving the previously unreachable area would be a good compromise, and we were totally right…as our hearts jumped after every curve. While captivating the Amalfi Coast left something to be desired in terms of crowds and we scattered like seeds on a breeze to brush our hair over the winding roads of Cinque Terre.
Location
We covered all of the regions in Italy and many lasting memories with its roads. I think we can all agree that the snaking drive up Michelangelo’s Carrara Marble Mountains in the Apuan Alps with wisps of snow drifting across the valley would be near a top spot.
From Taormina to San Vito Lo Capo (Driving the Northern Coast of Sicily) It was as if we’d entered another country driving the northern coast of Sicily from Taormina to San Vito Lo Capo. We thought we had Italy down but as soon as we landed in Sicily we realized this island held endless surprises waiting to peel back layers of a new Italian culture and food scene. Lunch in Cefalu, dinner in Palermo but dessert will always be the most representative piece of my travel on this. The cannoli (pronounced kah-NOH-lee) in Taormina was world-class and wrapped beautifully, making it ideal for a road trip snack.
Normandy
Even just the word “Normandy” sparks so much imagery. From the legendry cliffs of the north, to the wide-open fields of Mont Saint Michel, without forgetting those typical roads in the middle of nowhere that cut through villages with houses built from stone where you never see a soul. Every now and then a tractor drives by. And that’s it.
However, no one cares about all its views; the Normandy is interesting for what it represented during the Second World War. It hid the gory payoff against Nazism in revenge. That land through which the Allies pushed, after hellish fighting; therefore the bastion of that antipathy to foreign rule and the terror born from it.
This is probably the toughest emotionally of all my proposed road trips in Europe. If you are interested in what happened during the 1939–1945 time span, there is no road trip more intriguing than this.
This is a little road trip (without Paris, only in Normandy). 5 days and 4 nights. You could do it in a week, and you could even throw on another three days in Paris if you wanted to. Which brings us to Giverny and the visit in the Monet foundation, do not be afraid if once you are in what seems to be Giverny you feel confused not getting what that little village is really. It is normal.
Leave Giverny to drive toward Les Andeleys for a look down at the Seine from one of the prettiest spots around, Gaillard Castle. From Les Andeleys, where you spend 2-3 hours taking in the views over cliffs and heading out on short hikes atop the two crags, head to Étretat. Okay, so if you love golf there is a golf course you can play with an English Channel view. Outstanding.
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