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

Croatia- The Dalmatian Coast

After the quick stop over in Dubrovnik on earlier trip I decided a trip back to Croatia was in order. To see more about that trip click here.

When looking at flights from the UK I began to get flustered as the cost was high going to Croatia. I am bit of a budget snob and lets face it I have a lot to see and the cost of the flight plays a major factor of when and where we will go. I noticed there was an airport closer to Serbia in the town of Osijek and there were quite a few low cost flights from there. We checked into rental cars for the airport and it really fit the bill. We rented with a small company called Uni Rent. It was a No frills car and spacious for the ride down to Plitvice.  We stayed about 6 miles from the actual National Park of Plitvce at Hotel Rubcic as this was the main attraction for us on this trip.

Plitvice National Park

The first day we headed down to the National Park before the park opened in hopes to beat the tour buses that are due around 10am in the morning. There are many entrances into Plitvice, but we chose the main one with the walkover bridge across the road. On arrival we bought a ticket that included the use of the transport and boat to the rest of the park. I would recommend this as the park is massive and after a long day of trekking walking back 4 miles doesn’t sound appealing. We headed right for the larger waterfalls and down many stairs, walkways and trail. It was a lot of walking and with the rain that had came the past few days many of the areas were flooded pretty badly. Heading to where you catch the boat was about a 2 mile walk from the start. The line to get on the boat was at least shorter than the bathroom, so Adam stayed in line, got some snacks and me and Aislyn held down the fort. It took about 45 minutes to catch a boat onward.

Once to the next part of the park you have the option to do the short crossing over to leave or go up the stairs through the waterfall walkway. We chose the waterfall walkway which lasted about another 2 hours. There are numerous little ferries that take you all over the park. There was another 4 to 5 miles of trail to the back park of the park, but at this point we thought we saw our fair share of waterfalls and nature. We did take our time to soak in the sites so 4-5 hours on the trail is what I would plan for if you are going. After a long day we grabbed dinner at a local café and headed back to the hotel to relax.

Split and Krka Falls

The next day we made our way down to Split and Krka Falls. I had read so many reviews saying Krka was not as great, but I am not quite sure what they were talking about as it was one of our favorite’s parts of our Croatia trip. The waterfalls are not as grand, but the trail through the forest along the falls was pretty incredible. There is actually a portion of this one you can swim in unlike Plitvice which you cannot swim in the national park from what I saw on the signage. We spent about 3 hours here eating fresh cherries, climbing waterfalls and soaking in the sun with some ice cream. This waterfall area was easier for the small kids as Plitivice should not be underestimated in size. After a morning of trekking we headed into the center of Split. There was a cruise in port this day so the city was crowded by midday making many of the sites unbearable to get into. We decided the better option was to head down to the promenade and walk along the coastline. We stopped in to see the Cathedral of Saint Domnius and Diocletian's Palace as they were easily accessible in the city center without much walking. Split was smaller than Dubrovnik, but I thought it really had a lot to offer. There were numerous boating excursions leaving the city about once per hour to the outer islands. If we would have had more time I think this is a good add-on to the trip. Here are some suggestions for Split excursions.

We headed back to our hotel and then an early morning drive back to Osijek. Osijek was about 4 hours in the car from Plitvice, but the cost of the flights, car and gas were still under what it would have cost for 2 people to even fly in to one of the other airports. So this is something to consider if you plan on going on a budget.

Good Tips:

Waterproof shoes for the waterfalls, while trekking shoes were nice I did bring flip flops to wear through the waterfalls as it was much easier to dry my feet.

Pack water and a little jacket, even in the spring it was really chilly down by the waterfalls.

Happy Traveling

Katrina