Five European road trips worth the petrol

Which European road trips are worth a week?

1. Kintyre and Argyll, Scotland — allow four to six days. From Glasgow, head past Loch Lomond and Inveraray to Tarbert, then give the Kintyre peninsula room to breathe. The Kintyre 66 itself is just 66 miles, but treating that as a challenge to finish before lunch misses the point. Campbeltown has whisky and a working harbour; Machrihanish has a beach made for walking off a substantial dinner; the quieter east-coast roads invite stops simply because you can hear the water.

Add Oban if you have time, or book an island ferry rather than assuming it will fit around your plans. This is the trip for someone who wants west-coast scenery without committing to a Highland mileage contest. Go in late spring or early autumn for longer days without building the holiday around peak-summer accommodation. Some side roads are single-track: passing places are for passing, not parking. A flask is useful; an exaggerated sense of urgency is not.

2. Brittany’s north coast, France — allow five to seven days. Take your car across to Brittany and work between Saint-Malo, the Pink Granite Coast around Ploumanac’h and Roscoff. The appealing bits happen away from the steering wheel: walking among improbable granite boulders, inspecting a harbour at low tide and deciding that a crêpe constitutes a perfectly respectable lunch. A westward extension towards the Crozon peninsula makes a longer, wilder trip.

For drivers coming from southern or western Britain, a ferry into Brittany can save a substantial road slog from Calais. If you do arrive via Calais, make the journey west part of a longer French holiday rather than pretending it is a quick hop. June and September make more sense than trying to park beside every beach in August. Stay a night or two in each base; checking out of a hotel daily is a poor substitute for exploring.

Where does the driving become the holiday?

3. The Moselle, Germany — allow four to six days on the river. Start in Trier, with its Roman remains, and follow the valley through Bernkastel-Kues, Traben-Trarbach and Cochem towards Koblenz. The river doubles back so frequently that progress feels optional. Vineyards climb improbably steep slopes; little towns provide ample reason to park, walk and let someone else explain the wine.

There is a good balance here between time at the wheel and time out of it. Visit Trier’s Porta Nigra, take a riverside walk or hire a bicycle for an afternoon. Pick one wine town as a base rather than changing beds at every bend. From Britain, LeShuttle takes cars between Folkestone and Calais in 35 minutes; allow separate time for check-in, border formalities and the onward drive. This is best treated as at least a week away once the journeys to and from the valley are included. A wine tasting and the day’s driving should, naturally, occur in that order only if someone else has the keys.

4. Asturias and the Picos de Europa, Spain — allow six to eight days. A ferry to Santander puts northern Spain within striking distance without a long drive through France. Head west for Llanes and Ribadesella, then turn inland towards Cangas de Onís and the Picos de Europa. The pleasure is the abrupt switch from fishing towns and Atlantic air to mountain roads and villages where lunch deserves your full attention. Finish in Oviedo for its old streets and local cider.

This is not a promise of uninterrupted sunshine; the greenery has to come from somewhere. Nor should you build a rigid itinerary around driving to the Covadonga lakes: access by private car is restricted during busy periods, when buses take over. Check arrangements before setting out. Give the mountains at least two nights, pack walking shoes and choose a short, manageable walk over an ambitious one planned from the comfort of a pub.

The best road-trip itinerary leaves enough blank space for a place you had never heard of yesterday.

Which Alpine road trip earns the detour?

5. Slovenia’s Julian Alps and Soča Valley — allow four to six days locally. Begin around Kranjska Gora, cross the Vršič Pass when conditions allow, then descend through the Soča Valley towards Bovec and Kobarid. There are tight bends, mountain views and a river whose startling colour looks suspiciously edited. The Russian Chapel beside the pass road is a reminder that this landscape has a history more complicated than its holiday photographs suggest.

The pass is a reason to travel, not a reason to take chances: check road conditions and have a lower-level alternative if weather intervenes. For most British readers with a week off, flying and hiring a car nearby is more sensible than driving all the way from the Channel. Check hire-company terms before crossing borders or taking a car on mountain roads. Late spring to early autumn offers the most plausible window for this itinerary, though mountain weather always has the final say.

Two to reconsider: the North Coast 500 and the Amalfi Coast are splendid places, not automatically splendid driving holidays. Attempt the NC500 in a rushed peak-season circuit and its single-track stretches and advance-booking demands can take over the trip; choose Kintyre instead, or give the north coast substantially more time. On the Amalfi Coast, the villages are the attraction, not the task of negotiating a narrow, busy road and finding parking. Base yourself in one place and use local transport rather than insisting on driving every scenic mile.

What should UK drivers sort before leaving?

Start with the crossing, not the dream route. Ferries from Portsmouth and Plymouth serve France and northern Spain; LeShuttle runs from Folkestone to Calais. Compare the whole journey, including fuel, tolls, overnight stops and time off work, rather than the crossing fare alone. For the Moselle, the Channel route is logical. For Asturias, sailing closer to the destination may buy you more actual holiday.

GOV.UK says UK licence holders visiting the EU generally do not need an international driving permit, although holders of paper licences or licences issued in some Crown Dependencies should check. Carry your licence and the car’s V5C log book, or a VE103 for a hired or leased vehicle taken abroad. UK insurance provides minimum third-party EU cover and a green card is not required there, but confirm what your own policy covers beyond that minimum, including breakdown recovery.

The UK identifier rule catches people out. Since 28 September 2021, the sticker has said UK rather than GB. A number plate bearing UK and the Union flag usually removes the need for a separate sticker, but Spain requires a UK sticker regardless of the plate. Check each country’s road rules, required equipment, tolls and any restrictions along your route; sort your headlights for driving on the right if your car needs adjustment.

Finally, check current FCDO advice and entry requirements for every country you will visit, including passport validity. Take a valid GHIC for eligible healthcare in the EU and buy travel insurance as well: the card is not cover for everything, least of all getting you home. It is less exciting than choosing a mountain pass, admittedly, but considerably more useful when something goes wrong.

In short

For a road trip from Britain, choose Kintyre, coastal Brittany, Germany’s Moselle or Asturias according to the time you have; choose Slovenia’s Julian Alps when you can devote several days to the mountains themselves. Avoid turning the NC500 into a race or the Amalfi Coast into a parking exercise. Leave space to stop: the places, not the mileage, make the journey.

Sources

• VisitScotland – Kintyre 66 route and driving advice
• Brittany Tourism – Pink Granite Coast itinerary
• Germany Travel – Moselle towns, walks and sights
• Spain Tourism – Asturias and the Picos de Europa
• Slovenian Tourist Board – Kranjska Gora and the Vršič Pass
• Brittany Ferries – UK ferry routes to France and Spain
• LeShuttle – Folkestone–Calais car crossing
• GOV.UK – Driving in the EU and foreign travel checklist