Even the most well-intentioned traveller can miss a country’s most remarkable corners. With time at a premium, the focus is often on ticking off as many sights as possible, or, if relaxation is the priority, securing a suitable sun lounger and remaining in place. The humble road trip is the remedy. Winding through country lanes, one is much more likely to stumble across that most cherished of things: a legitimate hidden gem.
These locations are not under-visited because they are a hassle to get to, either. It’s just a case of committing to the journey: setting off with the intention of travelling from place to place. More importantly, a road trip is a holiday of variety, with the diversity of a destination suddenly evident. Take Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, where craggy heathland makes way for dainty coves and wide beaches.
Ultimately, the road trip means the driver (or insistent passengers) are in control of detours. If those passengers happen to be child-size, they might be interested in the off-route gelaterias on a northern Italy tour. Or for those who would prefer to stop the car and stretch their legs, try a journey through the dazzling Norwegian countryside.
For an obsessive planner, the road trip offers an opportunity to pore over maps, plotting routes and organising the most scenic places to pause. The more leisurely traveller – the one who wants to dawdle and linger – will find pleasure in adaptability. Many reputable travel companies offer flexible fly-and-drive itineraries, while also providing car hire, some meals and accommodation. Or for the very brave, it can all be booked independently. Regardless, all that’s left to do is pick the epic route that most appeals, and hit the road.
Route One is one of Iceland’s most iconic journeys
Credit: Getty
The Ring Road
Starts: Reykjavik
Ends: Reykholt
Length: 820 miles
Route One, or the Ring Road, is Iceland’s most iconic route. It winds through fairytale towns and villages, displaying the country’s extraordinary geological features from the road. As the name suggests, this is a circular route – locals tend to choose a direction based on which way promises better weather. If time is on your side, however, wind round to the south, to places like Selfoss and Hofn, to see valley glaciers up close. Heading east, the road twists around fjordland; in the north, expect hot springs and serene beaches. And should you tire of the natural beauty, museums and galleries in Reykjavik and the surrounding area provide something more cosmopolitan, too.
Be warned – inclement weather can lead to road closures, especially in the more mountainous areas. If you are considering a hilltop detour, check the Safe Travel website for up-to-date information.
Trailfinders offers a 12-night trip, Iceland’s Spectacular Ring Road, starting at £1,749 per person including car hire, bed and breakfast and activities, plus entry to the blue lagoon. Excludes flights.
Play operates return flights from London Stansted to Reykjavik from £71.
Forget the Greek Islands, visit the mainland instead
Credit: Andrey Khrobostov/Alamy
The Peloponnese
Starts: Athens
Ends: Nafplion
Length: 450 miles
A road trip is the perfect way to see the Greek mainland, especially if plenty of time for mezze and ouzo is built in. Driving through the country also allows for numerous types of holiday in one: here, you’re within the city limits of Athens one day, travelling through rambling countryside to the heart of Delphi the next. To see the very best of the country, head even further south into the Peloponnese: expect tiny monasteries, family-owned bakeries and incredible views. By this point in the journey, you’ll have seen ancient wonders like the Temple of the Oracle, but finish the journey in Nafplion for a glimpse of how various Greece’s history is: spy Italianate architecture and Turkish mosques alongside the traditional tavernas.
From Nafplion, it’s possible to rent kayaks and other watersports equipment for exploring the town from the water. For those who are even more adventurous, join the local scuba centre for a dive among reefs and wrecks.
Responsible Travel offers a 12-night self-drive tour from £1,198 per person, including car hire, bed and breakfast and activities. Excludes flights.
Wizz operates return flights from London Stansted to Athens from £69.
Starts: Bergen
Ends: Trondheim
Length: 490 miles
The Atlantic Road might just be the most spectacular in Europe. Dispel any notions about utility – this is all about the scenery. Start in Bergen, where brightly coloured houses line the waterfront, and travel through waterfall-fringed valleys to Forde. The most breathtaking stretch, however, is that between Bud and Kristiansund. Threaded together by eight bridges, the road soars between tiny islands, typified by red-panelled summer houses. Pause on one of the islands for a picnic (you’ll be entertained by seabirds and seals frolicking on the shore), and make time for the myriad hiking and cycling opportunities along the route too (Eldhusoya is a particularly good spot). The route ends in Trondheim, where medieval buildings dot lush parkland.
Kristiansund is known as “the clipfish city”, after its split and salted cod, traditionally dried on rocks by the sea. Most restaurants will serve their own version, usually served with chips.
Regent Holidays offers a 10-day Coastal Explorer & Atlantic Road Fly-Drive tour from £1,645 per person, including car hire, flights, transfers, accommodation and breakfast.
Explore Bordeaux at a leisurely pace
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Bordeaux and the Loire
Starts: Calais
Ends: Calais
Length: 1,165 miles
Some road trips are about really getting to know a region and its way of life. France is ripe for this sort of investigation, especially as it is relatively easy – by using the ferry or Eurotunnel – to take one’s own car. The west of the country, in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley, makes for particularly excellent road-tripping at a leisurely pace. The area’s chateaux-studded estates should be lingered at, their wines (responsibly) tasted, the charming towns explored. Using the city of Tours as a base, travel along the winding minor roads of this verdant part of the country, before heading to the once-royal commune of Amboise and then south, to the market gardens of Médoc. Try the local vintage at Saint-Estèphe, enjoy picnic lunches in the vineyards, and toy with the notion of never going home.
For a longer trip, delay the crossing and add extra nights in other departments. Taking the A1 or A10, you’ll pass through Paris on the way to Calais, twinning a country road trip with a city break.
Grape Escapes offers five-day self-drive wine tasting trips, including Folkestone to Calais Eurotunnel crossings, accommodation, breakfasts, lunches, a private guide, chateaux tours (including tastings of 19 wines) and e-bike hire.
See the best of Lake Como and Lake Garda in early summer
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The Italian Lakes
Starts: Cannero
Ends: Lake Garda
Length: 250 miles
The roads around Lombardy really ought to be explored in early summer, when the region is at its languid loveliest. This is the perfect road trip for the traveller who likes things lazy: take a break in Cannobio, or saunter over to the beguiling Orta San Giulio. A suggested route starts in Cannero, then takes drivers past shimmering Lake Maggiore before heading east, towards Switzerland. Enjoy bustling Lake Como (keep an eye out for its starry residents) and when the crowds start to grate, wind towards quieter Lake Iseo, where nearby vineyards produce excellent sparkling wines. Clamber up rugged stone steps to hilltop villages, wander among olive trees, and pay a visit to peaceful monasteries. Finish at Gargnano on Lake Garda, where lemon orchards and lavender meadows will make it hard to leave.
Celebrating a special anniversary? Extend your stay with a trip to Verona, the setting of Romeo and Juliet and still, centuries later, one of the most romantic spots in Italy.
Inntravel offers a 10-night Italian Lakes Explorer holiday from £1,815 per person, including car hire, accommodation, breakfasts, six dinners and a cultural information pack. Excludes flights.
EasyJet operates return flights from London Gatwick to Milan Bergamo from £62.
Spain’s north coast is bursting with highlights for drivers
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The North Coast
Starts: Bilbao
Ends: Santiago de Compostela
Length: 435 miles
Once the way of pilgrims, Spain’s striking north coast is now determinedly modern. Start in the ever-transforming Bilbao, stopping in at the Guggenheim for an artistic amuse-bouche. Then it’s on to the colourful towns of Calabria, where villages like Santillana del Mar offer ample photograph opportunities (and very good seafood). Travel further west for the Picos de Europa National Park and unique Asturian architecture before arriving at Santiago de Compostela, a major site of Christian pilgrimage for millennia.
The Picos de Europa National Park is home to both the brown bear and the Iberian wolf. Visit information points within the park to find out more about them, and to hear about recent sightings.
Wexas Travel offers a Best of Northern Spain self-drive holiday from £1,390 per person, including car hire, flights, accommodation and breakfasts.
Slovenia is one of Europe’s underrated gems
Credit: Richard Baker
The Julian Alps
Starts: Ljubljana
Ends: Ljubljana
Length: 260 miles
Slovenia’s reputation as a secret gem may be dwindling, but – with most visitors opting for city breaks in Ljubljana or brief sojourns to the lakes – there’s still plenty of little-known charm for those who venture deeper. A road trip is, of course, an ideal way to do just that, winding through the immense Julian Alps, across the Triglav National Park, and towards the quiet, locals-only bars of the country’s tiny coastline. Slovenia’s natural beauty really is spectacular, with ice-fresh rivers, charming villages and spectacular mountains making it a weighty contender for Europe’s most striking spot.
Postojna Caves is a vast network of subterranean caverns, explorable via the world’s first underground railway. Expect illuminated stalagmites and shimmering blue pools, home to a type of translucent salamander.
Responsible Travel offers an eight-day Slovenia Highlights holiday from £695 per person, including car hire, accommodation, breakfasts and a detailed itinerary. Excludes flights.
British Airways operates return flights from London Heathrow to Lljubljana from £172.
Starts: Dublin
Ends: Dublin
Length: 1,615 miles
The Wild Atlantic Way celebrates the end of its first decade this year, and what a remarkable 10 years it’s been. Of course, the rugged, ocean-facing route has always been there, in some form, with some stretches serving local communities for millenia. Now, however, the official route takes drivers from the spectacular to the more prosaic, through the sorts of villages one might not normally visit. Expect astounding, strange landscapes, like the unusual Burren, or the wide beaches of the Beara Peninsula, and pick up a few useful phrases in Gaeltacht areas, dedicated to preserving the Irish language.
Travelling with children? Pick up the Wild Atlantic Way Passport from Post Offices on the route, and collect stamps as you go.
McKinlay Kidd offers a 10-night Wild Atlantic Way EV Road Trip holiday from £2,795 per person, including electric vehicle rental, accommodation, breakfasts, and five guided tours. Excludes flights.
Aer Lingus operates return flights from London Heathrow to Dublin from £123.
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