Check out five more essential European road trips!
Check out five more essential European road trips!
Here is a continuation of the prior post, with five more essential European road trips.
Amsterdam, Netherlands to Brugge, Belgium
This could be a day trip from Amsterdam after you’ve strolled along the canals and feasted on cheese, stroopwafels, and poffertjes (and managed to avoid getting run over by a bicycle). Or you might want to go on from Brugge to explore other cities in Belgium. The three-and-a-half hour drive along the coastal route takes about an hour longer than the inland route, which I would suggest for the return trip, if your plan is to end up back in Amsterdam. From Amsterdam, take A-4 South toward Den Haag (The Hague), home of the Dutch Parliament, the United Nations’ International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court. Set on the North Sea, the city offers several museums and landmarks dating to the 11th century. The next main city along the way is Middelburg, founded in about the ninth century and once an important trading port. The city has been restored to its original style after bombing during World War II. If your final destination is Brugge, you’ll want to spend a few days exploring the city of canals, history, and medieval buildings. Its background includes evidence of ancient Roman settlements and Viking invasions before its settlement in the ninth and tenth centuries. Stay and explore or head back to Amsterdam on A-27 and E-19, about a three-hour drive.
London to Cape Cornwall, England
This straight-through drive should take about six hours, so it’s not a turn-around day trip. With stops for photos, meals, and enjoying the scenery, it will be a full day of driving, so plan to spend at least a day or two in the Cornwall area. There’s a lot to see on what has been called the Cornish Riviera. Heading southwest on A-303 and then A-30, you’ll end on the tip of the peninsula with hundreds of beaches, quaint villages, and towns such as St. Ives, Mousehole, Penzance, Lands End, and Porthgwarra. Decide where you want to stay, and then settle in to explore this historic part of Britain. You can walk part of the 630-mile South West Coast Path, England’s longest footpath, bordering the coast of Devon and Cornwall, see a show at the open-air Minack Theater, high on the cliffs above the Atlantic, visit castles such as the Pendennis Castle, which was built by King Henry VIII to protect Cornwall, or enjoy fresh seafood at one of the many fishing villages and explore the history of this area dating back to the Stone Age.
Lisbon to Estoril, Portugal
Lisbon is the starting point for this visit to another coastal city. This road trip takes you inland on A-5, paralleling Portugal’s southern coast until it reaches Estoril. The drive is less than an hour, but you’ll probably stop as you pass through towns along the way. In Estoril, you’ll find picturesque beaches, restaurants, bars, and the Estoril Casino, one of the largest in Europe. Nearby is the fishing town of Cascais, also a popular tourist destination, with beaches, historic buildings, and elegant nineteenth-century architecture. Both Estoril and Cascais can be explored during your day-trip visit. For the drive back to Lisbon, consider taking the inland rout, which adds only about fifteen minutes to the trip: Drive north on A-5 and then east on IC-19 for a circular drive to Lisbon in time for dinner in Portugal’s capital.
Killarney to Dingle, Ireland
The lovely town of Killarney is the perfect blend of history, city, and nature, with lodging that ranges from quaint guesthouses to luxury five-star hotels. Killarney National Park, Ireland’s oldest and a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is lush, green, and enchanting. From Killarney, it’s about a two-hour drive west to the coastal town of Dingle on R-563 and R-561. This small port town offers rugged scenery, friendly pubs, fresh seafood, and the starting point for one of Ireland’s most interesting and beautiful drives—the Dingle Peninsula. Parts of the Star Wars movie “The Last Jedi” were filmed there, and the drive is lined with historic monuments, partial stone houses, and remnants of Bronze Age settlers and medieval buildings. Heading back to Killarney can be done via a slightly different route, taking N-86 north towards Tralee (definitely worth a stop for lunch and a look around) and then south to Killarney on N-22. The trip should take less than two hours.
Vienna to Graz, Austria 
There are a few routes to choose from for this day trip. The most direct route is on A-2, for about two hours of drive time. The medieval town of Graz, with its Renaissance and Baroque architecture, invites browsing and strolling through its streets. For a view from above the city, take a funicular to the top of Schlossberg, the forested mountain overlooking Graz. The nearby wine country features rolling hills, vineyards, restaurants, and ancient castles, so you may decide to extend your visit with some wine tasting and an overnight in Graz. You’ll find many lodging options, and you’ll be fresh and ready for the return drive to Vienna the next day. Take the longer scenic route on B-72 and A-2, which adds about an hour to the trip.
Twist’s Take: Any of these five road trips would make for a different kind of Europe vacation!