Top 5 Road Trips in Europe

Living in Europe for nearly a decade we have had our fair share of road trips. While they seem to always take a fair amount of planning and logistics they always have some of the best memories.

Here are some of the road trips that we highly recommend. Most of these routes are totally achievable in a long weekend.  

Number 1:

Iceland’s Southern Coast and Golden Circle

I am sure you have seen the photos of this picturesque volcanic landscape filled with hot springs, glaciers, and waterfalls. This trip can be done in about 4 full days on the island without rushing. You are just scratching the surface with this trip, but it is a great sampler of all Iceland has to offer.

Many attractions in Iceland are absolutely free making this easy to do all on your own. The roads in Iceland on this route are wide and easy to manage even with a small van. Prime time to visit is between June and October.  

 

Best for: Adventure, Outdoors and Relaxation

How long: 5 days – 1 week

Need to know: While not necessary I would recommend a car with at least 4 wheel drive. Pack layers as the weather can change at a moments notice.

https://goo.gl/maps/sFoqZTP4qKo

 

Number 2:

Croatia’s National Park Route

Croatia’s lush tropical landscape is bordered with gorgeous beaches. This is one of the many reasons we rate this trip high on the must do list.

The National Parks offer numerous route options depending on your mobility. Some of the routes are 10 hours while most are 4 hours and under. Plitvice is vast in size while Krka offers a more family appeal with the swimming areas under the waterfalls. A quick stop over into Split will allow you to embrace the café culture and soak up the sun along the promenade.

Best for: Outdoors, Beaches and Relaxation

How long: 4 days

Need to know: The roads in the remote areas are quite narrow and very steep curves. 

https://goo.gl/maps/k4TnY5GJbBK2

 

Number 3:

Germany’s Wine Roads (Rhine and Mosel)

Germany’s wine roads are straight out of a fairy-tale book. Winding roads that are lined with vineyards and castles for miles. The best way to see the region is by road, but also by one of the many cruises offered along the rivers. KD Cruises offers a large variety of cruises along both the Rhine and Mosel rivers. This offers you chance to take in the views, grab a bite to eat and rest your legs. Some of our favorite stops along the Rhine River were Boppard, St Goarhausen, and Rüdesheim am Rhein. The Mosel River was just as fantastic and we enjoyed Cochem, Kobelnz and Eltz Castle.

Best for: Outdoors and Relaxation

How long: 3 days

Need to know: Cruises are essential to book in advance in high season.

https://goo.gl/maps/UAwVvQ959tG2

 

Number 4:

Portugal’s Algarve Coast

The Algarve offers not just warm weather, but some of the most dramatic landscapes in Portugal. The mix of the honey colored sand and sea will push this location to the top of your bucket list. The location of the Algarve offers pleasant weather year round. If sunbathing is not your thing, you have the opportunity to visit the famous caves of Benagil. The markets of Loule and the views from Sagres are not to be missed.

Best for: Outdoors, Beaches, Boating

How long: 3 days

Need to know: The seas can be high during the winter months so call ahead to ensure the boats are going to the caves. 

https://goo.gl/maps/N62h4NLMxZU2

 

Number 5:

Italy’s Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast offers some of the most amazing cliff side views in Europe. The hardest part of the Amalfi coast is picking the perfect village to enjoy the view from. While many chose to take the bus along this route, I highly recommend driving and stopping off at one of the many lookout points along the route. While this area is not the typical beaches, you can enjoy the sunshine under the colourful flowers on most café verandas. 

We used Positano as our base as it offered a quaint boutique feel versus the larger villages, as such Sorrento. The beaches are not your typical sand, but mostly compromising of volcanic rock. A stop over into Pompeii and Herculaneum is must to understand the devastation Mount Vesuvius caused.

Best for: Outdoors and Views

How long: 4 days

Need to know: Most apartments offer parking, but it is sparse. Most walks are up or down numerous stairs.   

https://goo.gl/maps/fk2wrnXgFxK2

Happy Traveling, 

Katrina

Iceland – Glaciers, Hot springs and Waterfalls

The only way to describe Iceland is down right magical. Everything from the mossy covered volcanic rocks, wooden framed houses and waterfalls around every turn there so much to love about this tiny country.

Blue Lagoon 

We spent only 4 days in Iceland and we didn’t plan a thing before we arrived. We grabbed a map from the airport and we totally winged it. We knew we had to see the famous Blue Lagoon, but the rest of the island was up in the air. We started off from Keflavik airport and headed straight to Blue Lagoon as its just 20 minutes up the road from the airport. They have lockers on site so don’t worry about your luggage. Bring a bathing suit you do not love as the sulfur can do a number on your swimsuit and jewelry. 2hours was more than enough for us at lagoon as we had booked dinner at the very nice restaurant on site. I highly recommend it, but it was pricey. If you want some amazing bread bowl soup stop into Svarta Kaffid. We stayed in a quiet location with free parking right in the heart of Downtown. The apartment had a kitchen and it fit all 5 of us girls comfortably.  

Golden Circle

We didn’t have a lot of time so we headed straight for the big sights. This is most known as the Golden Circle. The route heads through the national park Þingvellir, the waterfall Gullfoss (meaning "golden falls"), and the geothermal area of Haukadalur, which has the geysers Geysir and Strokkur.  This was about easily a days worth of travelling especially at Þingvellir, national park. There is a row of waterfalls right up the path between the split in the two continents as they call it. This was a great find and totally unexpected.

Side trips

We made a side trip based on a postcard we found in a gift shop to Glanni falls just north of Reykjavik. Also a trip to Selfoss waterfall is not to be missed as it spans over 144ft across the cliff side.  The great thing about Iceland is while you can have a plan there is so much to see that unless you have a good month in the country you cannot see it all. So to cover the basics remember that at each main intersection they have huge maps along the road and signs to upcoming waterfalls and sights not to be missed.

Waterfalls and Abandoned airplane

The last day in the country we decided to head down to Vik to the black sand beaches. We headed next to Seljalandsfoss Waterfall in which you can see two waterfalls from the road, but an amazing hidden waterfall exists just up the path past the first two.  So don’t miss this on your trip over. We stopped along the way to see the volcano Eyjafjallajökull that was still smoking pretty heavily since we had arrived. You can see Skogafoss right as you start proceeding up the 1 headed toward Vik. This waterfall also offered a nice café to have lunch. As you are leaving here headed to Vik you can top in to see the US Plane Wreck. Once right past Skogafoss start looking right. You will see small opening after you pass the 221 but before you reach the 219. You can locate it through the following coordinates 63.459523 -19.364618. There are small sticks along the route guiding you to the airplane. It’s about a mile out onto the beach.

From here you can head to Vik to the top of the viewpoint down to the ocean. If you are there the right time of year you will be able to see seals sunbathing on the black sand beaches.  Vik isn’t a large town, but we spent the afternoon strolling the beach. On our way back to Reykjavik our stops included Kerið volcano crater, Hveragerði greenhouse village, Skálholt church. We only had really 3.5 days so we totally made the most of the time. Rent a car and don’t be afraid to explore.

 

Great tips:

Bring a rain poncho for the waterfalls

Lots of layers as the weather changes fast

Rent a diesel car if possible to maximize your fuel