EUROPEAN ROAD TRIP ROUTES
By Savannah Grace
When compared to wild adventures through African in a self-built MAN truck, camel safaris in India or flying into the middle of the Pacific Ocean to reach the mysterious Easter island, some may consider a vacation in Europe underwhelming in comparison. Some of my most rewarding travel experiences have personally been in Europe. And the best way to do it? Road trips!
When I plan a road trip, it’s most often at the very last minute, meaning within a week or couple days before departure. Some basic criteria for me when planning a trip is choosing a few key spots I have a genuine interest in and hitting as many new places, cities and countries as possible. Even if it costs me a few extra minutes or even hours, I will avoid backtracking on the same road at all costs.
Here as some of the best road trip itineraries I’ve created and embarked on since living in The Netherlands for the past 8.5 years. From weekend trips to three week excursions, take a look at these European road trip itineraries and see which suits you best. ENJOY!
Amsterdam to Lisbon: Windmills, Vineyards and Beaches
Amsterdam to Lisbon
Mileage: 3,246 miles (5,225km)
Total Driving hours: 50hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 2.5 weeks
Stops to Consider: Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Andorra la Vella, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Porto
Countries: 6 – The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Andorra, Spain, Portugal
Amsterdam to Pompeii: Casinos, Sun, History, Pizza and World Wonders
Amsterdam to Pompeii
Mileage: 2,771 miles (4,460km)
Total Driving hours: 46hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 3 weeks
Stops to Consider: Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg City, Nice, Monaco, Pisa, Florence, Rome, The Vatican, Pompeii, San Marino, Venice, Innsbruck, Frankfurt, Cologne
Countries: 10 – The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Monaco, Italy, The Vatican, San Marino, Austria, Germany
Amsterdam to Oslo: Canals, Ferries and Vikings
Amsterdam to Oslo
Mileage: 1,727 miles (2,780km)
Total Driving hours: 30hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 6 days
Stops to Consider: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Oslo
Countries: 4 – The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway
Amsterdam to Scandinavia and The Baltic States: 10 Countries, 10 Capital Cities
Amterdam to Scandinavia and The Baltics
Mileage: 2,848 miles (4,585km)
Total Driving hours: 59hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 3 weeks
Stops to Consider: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Šiauliai (Hill of Crosses), Vilnius, Minsk, Warsaw, Berlin
Countries: 10 – The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Germany
Amsterdam to Budapest: Capital Cities, Music, Art, Mountains and Castles
Amsterdam to Budapest
Mileage: 2,181 miles (3,511km)
Total Driving hours: 36hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 2 weeks
Stops to Consider: Amsterdam, Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Lake Balaton, Maribor, Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Triglavski National Park, Bovec, Salzburg, Neuschwanstein Castle (Disney Castle), Ulm
Countries: 8 – The Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy
Amsterdam to Luxembourg: Castle, Rhein River, Churches and Countryside
Amsterdam to Luxembourg
Mileage: 636 miles (1,025km)
Total Driving hours: 10.5hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 3 days (If you want to be crazy like us, it IS possible to do this route in one single day!)
Stops to Consider: Amsterdam, Bonn, Schloss Drachenburg, Luxembourg City, Kenfen (If you have extra time, it’s worth driving down to Metz, France), Liege, Eindhoven
Countries: 5 – The Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Belgium
Amsterdam to Barcelona: Vineyards, Mountains, Sand and Gaudi
Amsterdam to Barcelona
Mileage: 2,174 miles (3,499km)
Total Driving hours: 34hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 2.5 weeks
Stops to Consider: Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Carcassonne, Lloret de Mar, Barcelona, Zurich, Freiburg, Frankfurt, Cologne
Countries: 6 – The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany
Amsterdam to Lichtenstein: Fields, Gorges, Mountains and Palaces
Amsterdam to Luxembourg and Lichtenstein
Mileage: 1,367 miles (2,200km)
Total Driving hours: 23hrs 15 mins
Minimum Time Needed: 1.5 weeks
Stops to Consider: Amsterdam, Luxembourg City, Metz, Zurich, Vaduz, Paris, Brussels
Countries: 6 – The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Lichtenstein
Amsterdam to Bruges: History, Beer, Horse and Carriage
Amsterdam to Bruges
Mileage: 328 miles (528km)
Total Driving hours: 6hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 2-3 Days
Stops to Consider: Utrecht, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges
Countries: 2 – The Netherlands, Belgium
Amsterdam to Pisa: Art, Gelato, Romance and Canals
Amsterdam to Pisa
Mileage: 2,369 miles (3,813km)
Total Driving hours: 39hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 2.5 weeks
Stops to Consider: Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg City, Pisa, Florence, San Marino, Venice, Rijeka, Ljubljana, Bled, Salzburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne
Countries: 9 – The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany
Amsterdam to Paris: Eiffel Tower, Baguettes and Versailles
Amsterdam to Paris
Mileage: 640 (1,030km)
Total Driving hours: 10.5hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 2-3 days
Stops to Consider: Amsterdam, Ghent, Paris, Versailles
Countries: The Netherlands, Belgium, France
The Netherlands – The Complete Dutch Experience
Amsterdam to The Netherlands
Mileage: 715 miles (1,150km)
Total Driving hours: 14hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 2
Stops to Consider: North Holland, Friesland, Groningen, Overijssel, Flevoland, South Holland, Limburg, Zeeland, Drenthe, North Brabant, Gelderland, Utrecht
Countries: 1 – ALL 12 provinces!
Amsterdam to Brussels: The Belgium Weekend Circuit
Amsterdam to Brussels
Mileage: 360 miles (580km)
Total Driving hours: 7.5hrs
Minimum Time Needed: 3 days
Stops to Consider: Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges
Countries: The Netherlands, Belgium
Keep in mind, these are just suggested outlines from trips I have personally taken, but everyone’s road trips should be tailored to their own interests and comforts. I’m the kind of person who can sit in a car for 20 hours a day without flinching. I know others like to stop every 30 minutes and can’t go longer than a few hours max. So decide what is important to you whether it’s seeing famous icons or cities, spending time in the quieter countryside, getting to know the people or visiting as many countries as possible and covering as much ground as you can on a trip. Slow pace, fast pace, it’s all up to you!
Estimates do not include last minute excursions, detours or misadventures along the road. In my opinion the more unexpected turns and bumpy patches the better!
Have some suggestions of your own? Or want some more firsthand stories of road trips that go beyond Europe? Come join us on Twitter this tuesday for a chat with seasoned world travellers about ROAD TRIPS.
Every tuesday we chat about a new travel topic on #TRLT. Search the hashtag #TRLT on Twitter to find us and don’t forget to include the hashtag #TRLT in your tweets to participate with fellow travellers. I am there each and every week hosting with fellow founder and friend Shane Dallas (public speaker, visited 100+ countries, currently living in Kenya) and amazing travel host, and good friend, Jessica Lipowski (accomplished author and “foodie” in USA) and host Anton Magnin (specialist in family travel in South Africa).
Safe travels
Savannah Grace
