Road trips work for some European trips and not others. Here's the honest sort of starting points.
Tier 1 — destination road-trip starts
- Reykjavík (Ring Road): Iceland's Ring Road is the canonical European road trip. 7-10 days minimum.
- Edinburgh (Highland loop): Skye + Cairngorms + Loch Ness in 5-7 days.
- Florence (Tuscany loop): Siena + San Gimignano + Val d'Orcia.
- Aix-en-Provence (Provence loop): Lavender + villages + Pont du Gard.
- Split or Dubrovnik (Dalmatian coast): Coast drive + national parks.
Tier 2 — strong road-trip bases
- Munich (Bavarian Alps + Salzburg): Romantic Road, Neuschwanstein.
- Barcelona (Catalonia + Costa Brava): Coastal drives north.
- Lisbon (Algarve + Alentejo): Atlantic coast.
- Catania (Sicily): Etna + Taormina + Syracuse loop.
- Tirana or Kotor (Albanian Riviera + Adriatic): Underrated road-trip route.
Tier 3 — niche road trips
- Bergen (Norwegian fjords): Atlantic Road + western fjords.
- Cluj or Brașov (Transylvania): Castles + Saxon villages.
- Galway (Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland): West-coast loop.
Where you don't want a car
- Most central European cities: Parking expensive, transit excellent.
- Italian cities (especially old towns): ZTL zones cause fines.
- Most Greek islands: Smaller islands aren't worth driving.
- Cinque Terre: Specifically don't bring a car.
Strategy
- Pick up at airport, drop in city centre: Often cheaper than reverse.
- Manual vs automatic: Manual is far more available; automatic doubles the price.
- International driving permit: Some countries require US AAA permit.
- Insurance: Verify before you travel — credit-card coverage often patchy in Europe.