11 Best Road Trips in Europe You Need To Do This Year
Long stretching highways, fresh air and with every blink of an eye a new beautiful scenery gives you an immense pleasure and feeling of freedom – road trips unarguably fuel your soul and are open to anyone with a working set of wheels to hit the road. So it doesn’t quite matter whether you are sitting in a Mercedes E-Class or driving an old banger, once it comes to long-haul road trips, a traveller thinks more over choosing the best route for the road trip rather than focussing on the car.
With more than a million roads navigating across Europe and every road offering its own taste and feels of a memorial road trip, choosing the best road can be a challenging part.
From the Romantic Road in Germany to the Route Napoleon in France, here is a countdown for the 11 best road trips in Europe You’ll want to tick off your bucket list.
1.) Romantic Road – Germany
The length and estimated Time – 324 Km, 4 hours
Highlights – Neuschwanstein Castle – Jaw dropping views of German Alps – Historic Bavarian Towns
Along its stretch of more than 300 kilometres, the romantic island is one of the most travelled roads in Germany. This road takes you from the middle age Bavarian towns through the dark forest and German Alps to the Neuschwanstein Castle. If you are looking for a road trip to give you the warmth and feels of the middle age, then this route is a must go.
2.) Tuscany – Italy
The length and estimated Time – 313 Km, 7 hours
Highlights – Endless Vineyards, Tuscan countryside
Tuscany is termed as one of the most magical regions in Italy which brings you breath-taking sceneries and views on its every turn. The route takes you from enchanting capital city Florence to the scenic village of Castiglione di Garfagnana via Poppi – which is known to be the most beautiful place in entire Italy. You sure don’t want to sleep on this trip and would like to capture every moment with your eyes.
3.) Causeway coastal route – Ireland
Credit: Jennifer Boyer / Flickr
The length and estimated Time – 195 Km, 3.45 hours
Highlights – Complete coastal route – Giant’s Causeway
This route is entirely coastal meaning that you will be enjoying the constantly changing awe-inspiring coastline of Northern Island. This route takes you via the UNESCO heritage site of Giants Causeway which is believed to be carved by giants.
4.) The road to Isle – United Kingdom
The length and estimated Time – 69 Km, 1 hour
Highlights – the highest peak in UK, fishing port of Mallaig
Another road trip to tick off from your bucket list in the UK is the road to isle beginning from the enchanting Fort Williams to the brimming fishing port of Mallaig. For all the harry potter fans out there, this road passes by the twenty-one arches of the famous Glenfinnan viaduct.
5.) Stelvio Pass – Italy
The length and estimated Time – 119 Km, 2.30 hour
Highlights – One of the highest routes in Europe – curvy narrow mountainside road
If you are looking for a mountain ride experience, look no further. Stelvio pass has more than 40 hairpins, steep climbs and a beautiful view of the alps. This road trip is not recommended for the ones with motion sickness.
6.) Timmelsjoch – Austria
The length and estimated Time – 77 Km, 1.45 hour
Highlights – Majestic Alps, narrow adventurous mountain roads
Timmelsjoch is highly recommended if you love taking the roads less travelled. This route offers a dramatic view of the alps with twisty roads all around it. This route takes you through Otztal valley and the highest border crossing between Italy and Austria.
7.) FurkaPass – Switzerland
Credit: Erik Söderström / Flickr
The length and estimated Time – 28 Km, 34 minutes
Highlights – Tunnel of ice, Alps panorama view
A road trip in Europe would be a bit incomplete if it doesn’t take place via the heaven on Earth, Switzerland. FurkaPass offers the most dramatic views of the Alps as well as unique experience in the well-carved tunnel of ice in the Rhone glacier. This route is generally closed during May till October due to the weather conditions.
8.) Atlantic Ocean road – Norway
Credit: Larry Syverson / Flickr
The length and estimated Time – 37 Km, 46 minutes
Highlights – over the sea bridges, whales and seals to be seen
This route is termed as one of the most impressive routes in Europe due to the blend of the natural scenic beauty along with the well-engineered bridges. This route connects several small islands via 7 beautiful bridges. This is route goes from Karvag to Bud in Norway.
9.) Northern light Route – Finland
The length and estimated Time – 623 Km, 8 hours
Highlights – Majestic mountains, mossy forests, snow-capped mountains in the distance
This routes is located between the Sweden and Finland border and offers you a sight of enchanting northern lights in winter backed with pine trees and pine-dotted mountains adding to the enchanting mood.
10.) Flower Route – Netherlands
The length and estimated Time – 60 Km, 2 hours
Highlights – Scenic Dutch countryside, Europe’s pride spring garden: Keukenhof.
Roll down your windows and take a cruise to one of the most beautiful and colourful routes in all of Europe. This route takes you along the calm Dutch countryside filled with blooming flower fields of daffodils, hyacinths, tulips and more.
11.) Route Napoleon – France
The length and estimated Time – 324 Km, 6 hours
Highlights – monuments of Napoleon, Capital of perfume, dark pine forests
This route is iconic because it was taken by Napoleon and his army to escape back in 1815. The route offers different monuments along with breathtaking views of the south of France countryside. The route also passes by Grasses; the capital of perfume.
With road trips being a wonderful way to discover new places and fill up your soul with memories and energy, it is highly recommended that you pack your bags, fill your car with snacks and drive on to some of the most beautiful and iconic routes in all of Europe listed above. Life is short, make sure to make the most out of it by exploring new places and meeting new people. Bon Voyage!
