19 Best Road Trip Routes in Europe – Our Favourite Journeys

Choose krakow to riga as your starting loop this september for a compact, unforgettable introduction to Europe’s road trips. It blends ancient towns with rugged coastlines, a spectacular peak, and waterfalls, while winds add texture to the climbs. This route offers a clear advantage for choosing a multi-country itinerary that fits a long weekend or holidays, and it sets a strong pace for the list.

From krakow you can steer north via Katowice and Warsaw, then swing toward Riga, letting you appreciate medieval cores and Baltic coastlines. Expect climbs that rise a few hundred feet and plenty of waterfalls at forested pullouts, ideal stops for coffee and photos. To keep a steady rhythm, think about pacing: two to three hours of driving between towns keeps energy high and mood sunny.

From there, lead your plan toward other Baltic and Central European routes that pass ancient fortresses, alpine passes, and rugged ridge lines. Choosing a mix of coastal drives with inland sections keeps things fresh. For a september holiday, aim for mornings with low winds and afternoons that bring dramatic light on waterfalls and cliffs. forget crowded crossroads and avoid peak traffic times, so you can cover more in a day. Remember: choosing the right balance between fast sections and scenic detours pays off.

Practical notes help you maximize days: select towns with easy parking, use toll-free routes when possible, and keep a short list of must-see pulls. allowing for flexibility helps holidays stay memorable. If you climb a ridge, you may gain several hundred feet in a single pass, so pace yourself. This approach lets you enjoy the best overlooks and quirky towns without rushing.

Practical blueprint for selecting and experiencing Europe’s top road trips

Choose porto as your base and map a loop that blends coast, inland scenery, and authentic stays. Treat the location as the anchor and build days around a full-day drive that ends with a cozy inn and a chance to sample regional cheese and a glass of vranec in a nearby cellar, or pair with an irish pub for a quick tasting stop.

Define two to three moods for your routes: coastal breezes along southern shores; inland climbs through the balkans, and a Nordic edge in sweden. Gather insights from locals, guides, and fellow travelers to pick an alternative loop that avoids heavy tolls and passes by small houses and village squares where life unfolds. Use a simple code for pacing: stop every two hours, switch drivers, and log a short walk or a photo break.

Plan around autumn light and daylight hours, which helps you capture warm tones without rush. A full-day drive is often optimal when you target 350–550 kilometers, leaving mornings for markets and afternoons for a lazy riverside pause. In inland stretches, you’ll encounter glimpses of forests, hills, and villages that give a glimpse into daily life.

Curate experiences by pairing food stops with cultural touches: cheese tastings, a local bakery, a vineyard visit for a versatile wine like vranec, or a quick stop at a farmers’ market. Look for towns that offer a gentle pace and a chance to talk with locals, whether you’re crossing from the balkans toward inland sweden or looping along porto’s coast. The addition of a short hike or a boat ride creates a natural rhythm for the day, with beats that keep the pace enjoyable.

Logistics matter: reserve accommodations in advance near the best lookouts, keep a flexible plan for weather, and choose a rental car with comfortable seating and reliable tires. Bring a compact cooler for cheese or fresh produce, and store a lightweight rain shell for autumn trips. Use maps that work offline and a GPS code you can share with your travel partner, ensuring you can adjust the route without losing time. Looking for a simple rule, expect a few fancy detours that refresh the beats of the day.

In planning, mix tried-and-true spots with offbeat detours to avoid crowds. Expect a few crossed options where you realize you prefer a slower pace and a local diner over a major attraction. When you reach a coastal town or a lakeside inland village, take a breath, look around, and simply soak in the vibe–those moments become the real memories.

As you assemble your 19 Best Road Trip Routes in Europe blueprint, keep this approach: start with porto, use location-based planning, and focus on experiences and glimpses of daily life. Autumn light, local cheese, and a glass of vranec become anchors that connect the route to your tastes, allowing you to tailor each day around what you want to explore–without sacrificing pace or comfort.

How to choose routes by scenery, distance, and driving difficulty

Choose a route around 150–200 km that links two villages and a port, with at least one open coastline view or an isle crossing; this keeps a half-day pace for cruising and leaves time for stops without rushing.

To maximise impact, target routes where the colours of coastal cliffs or fields shift with the light. Look for a ferry option or a short cross to an isle, then finish in a harbour or quaint village for a meal.

If youve seen smoking from the exhaust, pull over safely and reassess before continuing.

• Scenery cues: open coastlines, enchanting villages, a port, and a ferry connection; if youve crossed a scenic strand before, pick another arc that adds variety.
• Distance and pacing: aim for distance that allows 2–3 stops for photos and snacks; distance around 150–200 km works well for beginners; perhaps you want a longer day, then extend to 250–320 km and plan extra breaks.
• Driving difficulty: start with well-signed, single-carriageway roads; avoid narrow lanes near cliffs unless you feel confident; check for low bridges and one-way sections in northern regions like scotlands coast or argyll.
• Practical tips: check the ferries in advance, confirm departures on the day of travel, and use a trusted website as your planning hub; getting a rough plan from such sources helps you pack light and avoid last-minute changes.

When mapping routes, consider the islands you want to explore: an isle can be a delightful detour between two port towns, and a short ferry ride opens up new colours and landscapes. If you have a family trip, pass several villages with cafés and playgrounds to keep kids engaged and well fed.

These experiences help you refine future routes and share experiences with other travellers on the website youve used. Highly rated options from Argyll and scotlands coast often balance scenery with reasonable driving times.

If you would like a lighter plan, start with the smallest loop.

These tips are highly helpful for shaping future routes, and they pair well with notes from argyll and scotlands coast readers on the website youve used.

Timeline and pacing: turning 2–3 weeks into a comfortable itinerary

Plan 16–21 days by splitting into a fixed core loop of 10–12 days, with 4–9 days for flexible detours, islands, and fairytale towns. Keep this core compact to avoid long drives: 2–3 hours between major stops is ideal, while the rest of the days hold space for planning ideas and nearby discoveries.

Anchor the route with two blocks: sisteron as a Provençal foothold and a coastal cluster in nearby regions. If you were heading west, you crossed into the coast for sea days; if you head east, alpine passes reward your effort. william recommends treating this spine as flexible and providing ideas for detours. searching for authentic moments, seek towns with features like markets and stone streets; rent a room in a family-run inn to immerse in local life. seeking authentic angles, you can leave space for a spontaneous sunset by the harbor.

Balance days with a mix of hikes and downtime. Reserve mornings for hikes in the hills or along lake edges, then switch to calmer afternoons on islands or in small towns that feel like paradise. Choose fairytale corners with cobbled lanes, shuttered windows, and welcoming cafés to couple scenery with rest.

Logistics matter: rent a reliable car with comfortable seating and good trunk space; map accessible routes with backups in case of weather. Build a baseline of 2–3 hours of driving between stops and a longer drive only once per week. Make a list of nearby attractions to provide ideas for unplanned days, such as a famed castle, a rolling vineyard, or a seaside promenade. Consider tolls, fuel costs, and parking rules in cities to avoid delays.

Schengen rules guide the timing: keep total stays within the limit and avoid long stretches in a single country. If you want a different pace, insert a night in a nearby area outside schengen as a planned detour. This keeps the plan quite elastic while staying practical.

Sample skeleton for an 18–20 day loop: 3–4 days in the core Provence–Alps arc; 3–4 days along a coast cluster; 3–4 days chasing hikes and fairytale towns; 2–3 days for a relaxed island section; 2–4 days spare for an optional detour to a place like sparta or killarney if you’re chasing a mythic vibe. Adjust to taste and total days; move quickly between blocks or linger in the ones you love most.

Galicia–Asturias route essentials: top towns, coastal drives, and hidden viewpoints

Begin in A Coruña, where the Tower of Hercules stands sentinel above the Atlantic, and let the sea breeze push you along rugged headlands toward the next stop, weaving past little coves along the way.

Top towns to linger include A Coruña (historic center, seafood), Cudillero (colorful houses tumble down to the harbour and it’s a must-visit for photography), Llanes (mosaic of old quarter streets and beaches), Ribadesella (cave art heritage and fishing charm), Luarca (quiet port with whitewashed houses), and Gijón (cider culture and long seafront promenade). These stops showcase distinct textures of the coast and offer cafés, beaches, and markets that invite you to slow down and enjoy.

Coastal drives unfold in dramatic fashion: from Cudillero to Llanes the road hugs cliff ledges with panoramic views across bays, while jagged promontories frame every bend and spray adds a salty note to the air. Plan to pause at anchor points such as Cabo Peñas for a lighthouse overlook and at the Pría area for rugged sea viewpoints that reward binoculars and patient breaths.

Hidden viewpoints await along little detours: climb above Torimbia’s cove for a quiet terrace with sea-rail vistas, then loop to Bufones de Pría–columns of spray that erupt with every wave, a raw reminder of nature’s force. The coast here rewards slow exploration, so let the narrow lanes nudge you toward glimpses you’ll want to bookmark for later.

Practical tips: September offers milder mornings and softer light, perfect for vanlife stops in tiny seafront clearings. Parking around the old towns can be busy, so aim for early visits and warm-up strolls before the crowds arrive. youre best experiences come from strolling a quay at dusk, tasting fresh grilled sardines, and savoring cider at a local restaurant before a sea breeze carries you toward the next little highlight of the day.

If youre planning an extended loop, consider a Balkan detour to ksamil for its beaches, albanian nightlife, and a chance to glimpse the Tatras before returning toward the Alps for alpine scenery. Such a dream adds layers to a European road trip and makes the Galician–Asturian coast feel even more like a chapter in a larger journey.

Food and lodging provide the final polish: in Cudillero and Llanes, look for family-run restaurants serving coastal staples like hake, mussels, and caldeirada, paired with local cider or wine. In Gijón and Oviedo, prioritize sidrerías and market bistros that pair simple plates with bold flavors, turning a routine stop into a memorable evening. Enjoy the busy mornings for markets and the nights for riverside strolls or a quiet glass on a cliff terrace, where the scent of brine and pine pollen mingles with the smoke from nearby grills.

Budget, tolls, fuel, and lodging: money-saving tips for multi-country road trips

Get a long-duration motorway vignette where your route includes paid stretches, and plan to stay on free or local roads when the time difference is small. In Austria, a 10-day vignette is about 9.60 EUR, a 2-month option runs around 26 EUR, and a yearly pass is roughly 37.90 EUR; in Switzerland, budget for 40 CHF per year. Use these passes to keep driving simple and predictable, then add efficient detours to avoid busy toll corridors when possible.

Fuel costs matter, so drive smarter. Maintain 110–120 km/h on highways, accelerate smoothly, and keep tires inflated to the recommended pressure for your motorhome or campervan. In the EU, petrol prices typically range from 1.60–2.10 EUR per liter; in Norway, expect around 2.00–2.40 EUR per liter. Plan refueling near borders or in cheaper regions and grab groceries for picnics instead of relying on costly restaurant stops. There, driving between towns, you’ll find lots of opportunities to grab snacks or coffee at local shops rather than premium roadhouses.

lodging ahead saves substantial money. Camping and camping parks offer flexible options for campervanning, with pitches generally cheaper than hotel rooms. Typical camping nights run in the 15–40 EUR range in many Western European areas, climbing higher near alpine resorts or coastal hotspots. In addition, look for off-peak deals or memberships that unlock early-bird rates. For a stop in Giethoorn, you may find nice, quiet pitches around 25–45 EUR; in Andermatt, prices rise in peak season but advance-booked spots can still land you 50–70 EUR, sometimes including electricity and water covers. If you want a budget-friendly alternative, consider smaller villages with easy access to big sights, where you can enjoy churches, nice views, and local cafés without crowds.

planning multi-country hops means finding alternative routes to dodge crowds and save on meals and lodging. Example: after a busy day in major capitals, drive a little off the main routes to pleasant, less-touristy towns; the added miles usually cost less than the premium stays in the crowds. For a trip that includes the Alps, book in advance and look for motorhome-friendly parks that offer shaded pitches and reasonably priced facilities–that addition helps stretch your budget. If you’re crossing Norway or the Swiss valleys, a careful mix of camping and mid-range parks can cover most nights while letting you drive relaxed, with room to take a few scenic detours like a stop in Andermatt or a peaceful halt near Giethoorn.

If you’re making the plan with kids or friends, build in a couple of easy days where you don’t move far from a base. There, you can rest, refuel, and grab fresh meals at affordable restaurants in town centers rather than at highway service areas. A simple rule: drive less on peak days, choose alternative routes when possible, and reserve a handful of nights at dependable campgrounds. This approach reduces stress, keeps costs predictable, and makes your multi-country road trip enjoyable rather than exhausting for your crew and your motorhome.

Seasonal planning and weather windows for Northern Spain and Europe’s best routes

Plan May or September as core windows for Northern Spain to enjoy sandy coves, green valleys, and less crowded roads.

In Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia, Atlantic winds keep days mild. September highs hover around 20–23°C, May sits near 15–20°C. Rainfall runs roughly 60–110 mm in May and 60–90 mm in September, with coastal microclimates; August can feel warmer inland, yet the coast remains breezy and comfortable for long drives along the coast side. Legendary towns, hidden coves, and thatched-roof cottages line the routes, offering deliberate stops for food and local services in small towns.

For a short, flexible plan, anchor a 4–6 day arc along the Cantabrian coast, then add a pilgrimage segment along a Camino route if you want a cultural anchor. You cant rush the route; allow a day in well-preserved towns with museums in Bilbao or Santander, plus a stay in a hidden valley with services and cozy inns away from the main highways.

Across switzerlands and Austria, the Alps shine from late spring to early autumn. In switzerlands, plan for June–September; high passes open, with long days in July–August and cooler evenings in May or September. Average highs reach 18–24°C in peak months, with 80–160 mm of rain on higher routes. Gotthard, Furka, and Grimsel passes deliver a magical mix of glacier valleys and bustling towns, and many inns feature smoking chimneys after a day on the road. In austria, Tirol and Salzkammergut offer alpine scenery with 15–24°C days and 70–130 mm of rain on lakes routes; suggested stops include Innsbruck, Hallstatt, and St. Wolfgang, where well‑stocked services keep you comfortable at altitude.

For a Baltic detour, Riga and the coast present a cooler contrast. May–June or August–September yield 15–22°C days and 40–70 mm of rain. The route along sandy shores reveals hidden coves and elegant wooden architecture, with american‑style shops and compact services in larger towns. In each stop, a magical evening along the Daugava or by the Baltic beaches caps a day on the road.