Europe’s best road trips to try in your lifetime

Europe offers a vast array of cities, attractions and natural wonders; but outside its metropolises, some of the continent’s most beautiful landscapes are easily missed if you just fly in and out.

From the dramatic coasts of Ireland to the waterfall-pocked inlands of Iceland, from the German Alps to the banks of the Danube, some of Europe’s highlights are best viewed by taking the time to pass through them.

As well as giving travellers access to our neighbours’ best bits, road trips also enable visitors to wrap several different regions into one trip; and, with the absence of land border checks between Schengen countries, it’s usually easy to travel around much of the continent without encountering unnecessary red tape.

Numerous bucket-list road trips await just a quick hop over the Channel, offering the chance to sample several destinations or even countries in a cheaper and more efficient way.

Whether you want to traverse the length of Portugal or see the best cities along the Croatian coast, there’s a trip for you; we’ve rounded up some of the best below.

Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland

Considering that you can drive from the far north of Ireland to the far south in around eight hours, you’d be forgiven for not believing that the country contains a winding coastal route that is 1,600 miles long. However, the Wild Atlantic Way is just that; 2,600 kilometres of coastal road that stretches from the Inishowen Peninsula in the north to Kinsale in the south. The Way is divided into 14 stages, with notable (potential) stops in Donegal Town, Galway, Kilkee and West Cork, among others.

Along the way you’ll see some of Ireland’s most stand-out scenery and important natural landmarks. Beaches are in abundance, with Tulland Strand and Barleycove Beach among some of the finest on the route. Other natural highlights include the Slieve League Coast (home to some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe), the Erris section, (characterised by spectacular rock formations such as Downpatrick’s Head) and the Cliffs of Moher (one of the country’s most-visited sites). The city highlights are Galway and Cork, before finishing in Kinsale, a charming harbour town with colourful storefronts.

Rome to Naples (via the Amalfi Coast), Italy