10 Epic Road Trips in Europe

If you ask me, one of the best ways to experience Europe is on an epic road trip. There’s something liberating about taking to the open road and discovering new destinations along the way.

Winding through stunning landscapes, quaint villages and historic sites, the best road trips in Europe offer heaps of beauty and adventure. Some are full-country loops that take the best part of a fortnight, others are shorter drives you could comfortably finish in a long weekend.

From the sun-drenched coasts of the south to the rugged fjords of the north, I’ve handpicked each of these road trips for their scenery, activities and diversity.

Here’s my pick of the best road trips in Europe.

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At a glance

Hiring a car for these road trips

Every route on this list is built around having your own car, so it’s worth arranging your hire well ahead of time rather than leaving it to the last minute.

Prices can vary considerably between providers for the same dates and vehicle, so I’d always compare a few options rather than booking through the first search result.

It’s also worth checking what’s included as standard, since excess cover and mileage limits differ more between providers than you’d expect.

I use Discover Cars to compare rental prices across multiple providers, helping me find the best deal for my trip.

👉 Compare car hire prices for your Europe road trip

Map of the best road trips in Europe

Use my map below to see where each of these road trips is located across Europe.

1. Amalfi Coast, Italy

This drive starts in Sorrento and follows the SS163 along one of the most photographed coastlines in Europe, ending in the ceramics town of Vietri sul Mare. 

Positano is the classic postcard moment, with its pastel houses tumbling down the hillside towards the sea. Rounding the bend towards it for the first time is one of the best moments on the whole route.

Praiano is quieter and less visited, and I’d recommend stopping for lunch here rather than in the busier towns either side. Amalfi itself is worth a slow wander. It’s home to the striped, Byzantine-influenced Arab-Norman Cathedral, and it’s also where the coastline’s limoncello reputation is best experienced. Just not before you’re back behind the wheel!

Before you reach Vietri sul Mare, take the short detour up to Ravello, where the gardens at Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone offer some of the best elevated views over the coast below.

👉 Discover more of the best Italian coastal towns.

2. Ring Road, Iceland

Iceland’s Ring Road, or Route 1, circles the entire country and takes you through some of its most extreme landscapes.

Vik is your first major stop, with its black sand beach and basalt sea stacks. It’s a good base for visiting the nearby Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach further along the route.

Höfn, a small fishing town beneath the Vatnajökull glacier, is a good spot to break the journey and try the local speciality, langoustine.

From there, the road climbs into Iceland’s quieter east before reaching Egilsstaðir. Continue north to Akureyri, often called the capital of the north, with waterfalls and whale-watching close by.

Borgarnes makes a good final stop before looping back to Reykjavík, especially if you’re driving between September and March and want one last chance to pull over and watch the Northern Lights.

👉 Read my Iceland travel guide before you go, as well as my ultimate guide to the Golden Circle and everything you need to know about the Blue Lagoon.

3. North Coast 500, Scotland

Known as Scotland’s answer to Route 66, the NC500 is a circular route starting and ending in Inverness.

The road climbs over the Bealach na Bà towards Applecross, one of the most dramatic mountain passes in Britain. Before following the coast up to Ullapool, a good spot to break the journey with fresh seafood by the harbour.

From there, the road becomes wilder still through Durness and Tongue, with long stretches of empty coastline and only heather-covered hills and grazing sheep for company. 

Thurso and John O’Groats mark the northernmost point of the route, and the views out towards Orkney on a clear day are hard to beat.

The return leg passes one of my favourite stops on the whole route: Dunrobin Castle, with its fairytale spires and manicured gardens. Finally, the road heads back south towards Inverness.

👉 Read my guide to the most beautiful places to visit in Scotland before you go, or discover more of the best road trips in the UK.

4. Romantic Road, Germany

Germany’s Romantische Straße begins in the wine town of Würzburg and winds south through Bavaria to Füssen, taking in half-timbered towns and fairytale castles along the way. 

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is an early highlight, its cobblestone streets and preserved medieval walls making it feel frozen in time. I’d really recommend visiting around Christmas if you can, when the whole town turns into a real winter wonderland.

Dinkelsbühl is quieter but just as charming, with its own set of colourful, well-preserved medieval buildings. While Augsburg brings a change of pace with Renaissance architecture and a livelier city feel.

The clear finale is Neuschwanstein Castle, the 19th-century palace some say inspired the castle in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, standing high on a rugged hill just outside Füssen.

Füssen itself, tucked against the Austrian border, makes a lovely spot to end the drive.

👉 Discover more ideas for your Europe bucket list.

5. Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland

This route runs the length of Ireland’s western seaboard, starting at Malin Head, the country’s most northerly point, and finishing on the Ring of Kerry in the south-west. 

Early on, the Crohy Sea Arch and Downpatrick Head make for dramatic, lesser-visited stops. Achill Island offers some of the best beaches on the entire route, along with Ireland’s tallest sea cliffs at Croaghaun.

Galway is a good place to break the journey for a night or two, with lively pubs and live music most nights. The road continues through the limestone landscape of the Burren and on to the Cliffs of Moher, rising 214 metres above the Atlantic.

Further south, the Dingle Peninsula is one of my favourite stretches, with colourful harbour towns and some of the best seafood on the coast. While the quieter Skellig Ring and the classic Ring of Kerry make a fitting finale to the drive.

6. Basque Circuit, Spain and France

This loop starts and ends in Biarritz, taking in some of the best food, beaches and architecture on either side of the Spanish-French border.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a lovely first stop, with a sheltered bay and a pretty old town. The road then crosses into Spain towards San Sebastián, or Donostia in Basque, a highlight for both its beaches and its world-class food scene.

Bilbao is worth at least a night, home to the Guggenheim Museum and a beautifully revitalised old town. Then the route turns inland towards Vitoria-Gasteiz, the underrated Basque capital with an attractive medieval quarter.

Pamplona, famous for the Running of the Bulls, makes a fitting stop before the road loops back north towards Biarritz. It was once the preferred retreat of European aristocrats and still proudly shows off its Belle Époque roots.

👉 Discover more of the best Spanish and French coastal towns.

7.  Dalmatian Coast, Croatia

This route runs down Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast from Zadar to Dubrovnik, taking in medieval towns, Roman ruins and some of the clearest water in Europe.

Zadar is a good starting point, known for its Roman ruins and the unusual Sea Organ, before the road continues to Šibenik, home to the UNESCO-listed Cathedral of St James.

Trogir is a highlight for many, its entire old town a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right. Split follows soon after, built around Diocletian’s Palace, a 4th-century site later used as a filming location for Game of Thrones.

Makarska brings some of the best beaches on the route, backed by the dramatic Biokovo mountains. The road finishes in Dubrovnik, whose walled old town needs little introduction. 

Roads and beaches here are busiest from June to August, so the shoulder months make for a noticeably calmer trip.

8. The Dolomites, Italy

This route through the Dolomites takes in some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in Europe.

It starts at the Passo Giau, one of the range’s most photographed passes, with its switchback road framed by jagged peaks.

Cortina d’Ampezzo, which co-hosted the 2026 Winter Olympics, makes a good early stop, with a food scene blending Italian and Austrian influences.

From there, the route continues towards Tre Cime di Lavaredo, three instantly recognisable peaks best appreciated on the walking trail that loops around them. The quieter Val Fiscalina nearby is a good spot for a slower afternoon.

Lago di Braies, with its almost impossibly turquoise water and wooden boathouse, is one of the most photographed lakes in the Dolomites. Try to visit early to beat the crowds.

The route finishes among the meadows of Val di Funes and Alpe di Siusi, Europe’s largest high-altitude Alpine meadow.

👉 Read my ultimate guide to visiting the Dolomites.

9. Transfăgărășan Highway, Romania

This route begins in Curtea de Argeș which makes a good base for exploring the surrounding Carpathian foothills.

The road then climbs towards the Vidraru Dam, an impressive feat of Communist-era engineering with a lake stretching out behind it.

From here, the Transfăgărășan itself begins in earnest, built in the 1970s as a strategic military route and twisting upward through steep hairpin bends that make it one of the more thrilling drives in Europe.

Bâlea Lake, a glacier lake near the road’s summit, is worth stopping for if you enjoy photography. The nearby Bâlea Waterfall is an easy detour if you have a little extra time.

The route ends in Sibiu, one of Transylvania’s most attractive cities. Its well-preserved old town makes a fitting reward after the drama of the mountain road behind you.

👉 Discover more of the most beautiful lakes in Europe.

10. The Fjords, Norway

Driving from Bergen to Geirangerfjord takes you past snow-capped mountains, thundering waterfalls and some of the deepest fjords in the world. 

Aurland is an early highlight – it’s a quiet village on the Aurlandsfjord known for the Stegastein viewpoint, which juts out dramatically over the water below.

Flåm follows soon after, which is best known for the Flåm Railway, one of the steepest standard-gauge railways in the world. It’s a worthwhile detour even if you’re sticking mostly to the road. 

From Flåm, the drive continues north towards Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visited spots in Norway.

Along the way, look out for the Seven Sisters waterfall tumbling into the fjord. 

FAQs

Do I need an international driving permit for a European road trip?

It depends on the country and your home licence. UK licence holders generally don’t need one within the EU. While US licence holders officially need one in Spain, Italy, Croatia and Romania; it’s recommended, though not required, in France, Norway and Germany.

Either way, it’s worth checking the specific requirements for wherever you’re driving before you go.

What’s the best time of year for a European road trip?

Late spring and early autumn tend to offer the best balance of good weather and manageable traffic across most of these routes, though Iceland’s Ring Road is the exception if you’re chasing the Northern Lights.

Can I combine more than one of these road trips into a single holiday?

Some pair up naturally, such as The Dolomites with a wider Italian Alps trip, but most of these routes are substantial enough to deserve a dedicated trip of their own rather than being rushed together.

Planning these road trips from the US

Two of these 10 routes, the North Coast 500 and the Wild Atlantic Way, are left-hand drive, since the UK and Ireland are the only countries on this list where you drive on the left.

Every other route runs right-hand drive, the same as at home, so it’s really only Scotland and Ireland that need a mental adjustment.

An International Driving Permit is officially required alongside your US licence in Spain, Italy, Croatia and Romania, so it’s worth arranging one through AAA before you fly if your route touches any of those countries.

France, Norway and Germany don’t legally require one for short-term visitors, though some rental firms ask for it regardless, and Iceland, the UK and Ireland don’t require one at all.

Every country on this list except the UK and Ireland is part of the Schengen Area, so US visitors can stay across all of them, Iceland and Romania included, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

The UK and Ireland sit outside Schengen entirely, so time spent there doesn’t count against that allowance.

Continue planning your trip

Whether you’re after hairpin mountain passes, fjords, or a slow cruise along the coast, these 10 routes cover a remarkably wide range of what a European road trip can look like. 

If you’re planning your next trip, you may also like my guides to underrated European cities, hidden gems in Europe, and the best road trips in the UK.