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Join Which? Travel5 favourite scenic European road trips picked by travel experts
Which? Travel experts share their top scenic routes past wild waves, peaceful Alpine lakes and hidden hilltop towns
Guy is an award-winning travel writer with 20+ years' experience. He runs a crack team of researchers, unearthing everything from the best beaches to the worst car hire companies.
Few experiences offer the freedom of a road trip. You can ditch the airport queues, leave tourist hubs far behind and head off on your own terms, and with your favourite tunes on the stereo.
Across Europe you’ll see scenery transform from Mediterranean cliffs to dense forest and winding mountain passes in just a few hours, and find little-known viewpoints, isolated villages and friendly tavernas in destinations untouched by overtourism.
Between them, the Which? Travel team has spent many holidays criss-crossing the Continent by car, and here they pick out some of their highlights to help you plan your next adventure.
The Gargano Peninsula, Italy
Last year I drove the length of Italy, but the journey into the Gargano Peninsula, with its dramatic limestone cliffs and secluded turquoise coves, was one of the most astonishing.
Following the coast road north from Polignano a Mare with its whitewashed houses dangling above the Adriatic, we passed flocks of bright pink flamingos wading in the shallow salt pans of the sunbaked Foggia plains.
From there the road winds up pine-clad mountains and twists along sheer sea bluffs as it traces the outline of the peninsula. We took a short diversion into the interior to picnic beside a shady pool in the Foresta Umbra – which turned out to be teeming with wild terrapins – before descending back to sea level, and to the empty beaches that flank the blissfully secluded seaside town of Vieste.
Guy Hobbs, principal researcher/writer
The Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
Savage tides and storms have moulded Ireland's west coast, leaving behind towering cliffs, pristine white-sand bays and remote islands.
With limited time, we spent five days driving from Derry to Galway, but you can continue all the way to Cork on the official route – more than 1,600 miles in total. There are plenty of breathtakingly scenic coastal stretches to enjoy, plus winding, single-track lanes where you'll find yourself hugging dry-stone walls and braking for the odd procession of sheep.
Attractions en route are even more epic. Our highlights included climbing Donegal's highest peak, Mount Errigal, tapping our toes to live folk music in the traditional pubs of Letterkenny and feasting on local oysters and Guinness at Moran's Oyster Cottage in Galway.
Jo Rhodes, senior researcher/writer
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The Datca Peninsula, Turkey
This route in southwest Turkey is so long and narrow that you’re never more than a few miles from the sea. When you drive down its winding main road there are glorious views of the Aegean on one side, before you turn a bend and see glimpses of the Mediterranean on the other.
There's a moment when you're deep in the shade of a pine forest before bursting out past a bay, Orhaniye, where bathers seem to be walking on water as they pick their way along a sand spit that runs just below the surface.
From Datca town to the pretty village of Bozburan it's about an hour and a half drive, and I recommend doing what I did and taking a taxi, rather than driving yourself, so you don't miss a thing.
Trevor Baker, senior researcher/writer
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The Black Forest High Road, Germany
The magical mist-shrouded Black Forest covers more than 2,000 square miles of southwestern Germany, and the only practical way to take it all in is to road trip right through it. Most journeys follow the iconic Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse (Black Forest High Road), a scenic sweeping central ridge of high-altitude pine forest with dramatic valley views and wide-open lookouts over the Rhine Valley.
If you’re in a rush you could cover the route south from Baden Baden in under three hours, but we were so taken with its fairy-tale villages and cascading waterfalls that we spent two glorious summer weeks travelling south, stopping off at the Treetop Walkway at Bad Wildbad and the bear sanctuary at Schapbach as well as enjoying Alpine lake swimming at Titisee and the exhilarating Blackforestline suspension bridge at Todtnau, all fuelled by slice after slice of Black Forest gateau.
Guy Hobbs, principal researcher/writer
Lisbon to Serra da Estrela, Portugal
You’ll see a different side of Portugal if you take this road trip into the mountainous natural park of Serra da Estrela, whether you’re seeking lakeside summer picnics or joining the Portuguese on their winter getaways, snow chains at the ready.
Take the A1 North from Lisbon and before long the road plunges into valleys and Portuguese pastures onto the A23. There are several detours to historic buildings, like Almourol Castle, along the way – but it’s also worthwhile making a detour to the Gates of Ródão, where the river cuts a stunning gorge into the quartz cliffs.
You’ll also drive past the city of Castelo Branco and through the Gardunha mountain range, and on to the city of Covilha, known as the ‘gateway to the mountains’. Then it’s on to lakes, glacial valleys and miradouros (viewpoints) from granite peaks, before arriving at the stunning mountaintop town of Serra da Estrela.
Kate Pasola, senior researcher/writer