European road trips 2026 — 10 routes actually worth taking time off for

A road trip is one of the most underrated ways to see Europe. The train is fast but you miss everything between stations. Flying gets you there but not all the way. With a car you get the freedom to stop whenever you want, and logistics that are surprisingly cheap once two of you are splitting the petrol.

Here are ten routes we think are actually worth taking vacation time for in 2026 — with approximate distances, suggested number of days, and one specific thing we think you shouldn't miss on each route.

1. Stockholm — Rome (the classic)

~2,700 km · 14-21 days · 6-7 countries

The ultimate European road trip for Swedes. From Stockholm via Copenhagen, down through Germany (Munich is a good midway stop), over the Alps at Innsbruck and down to Florence and Rome. Suburbs and motorways but also medieval villages and alpine glaciers.

Don't miss: Innsbruck for an afternoon and evening. It's not just a pit stop — the small town nestled between dramatic Alps is worth at least one night, and the drive through the Brenner Pass down towards Italy is something special entirely.

2. Stockholm — Sicily (Stockholm-Rome extended)

~3,800 km · 21-28 days · 7 countries

Take Stockholm-Rome as your base, add two weeks and drive down to Naples, take a ferry to Palermo, drive around Sicily counter-clockwise (Palermo → Cefalù → Catania → Syracuse → Agrigento → back), and ferry back to the mainland via Messina. Sicily is like a miniature Europe of its own.

Don't miss: Mount Etna at dusk. Drive up to the parking area around 1,800 meters roughly an hour before sunset. You don't need to hike above it — just seeing the light over the Catania bay is worth the trip.

3. The coastal route around Norway (Atlantic Road + Lofoten)

~3,200 km · 14 days · 1 country

From Oslo up via Bergen, along the dramatic Atlantic coast with the Atlantic Road and Trollstigen, further to Lofoten and back. One of the world's most beautiful roads, all the way.

Don't miss: Trollstigen early in the morning before the day-trip buses arrive. You'll have all 11 hairpin turns to yourself if you're there before 9 am.

4. Scottish Highlands (North Coast 500)

~830 km · 7-10 days · 1 country (UK)

Inverness as your start and end. Left-hand traffic. Few petrol stations in the northern parts — always fill up past half tank. Wind can be brutal in April/May so go for autumn (September) if you can choose.

Don't miss: Smoo Cave near Durness — a cave with a waterfall inside, completely free to visit. Takes 20 minutes, it's one of the coolest things on the whole route.

5. Tuscany and Umbria (the slow-travel route)

~600 km · 7-10 days · 1 country

Florence as your flight-in/car start. Volterra, San Gimignano, Siena, Cortona, Assisi, Spoleto, maybe down to Orvieto. Short drives between stops so you have time for wineries and long lunches.

Don't miss: Sansepolcro on a Saturday — just to see Piero della Francesca's "The Risen Christ" in its original setting. One of Europe's underrated Renaissance masters.

6. German-Austrian romance (Romantische Straße + Tyrol)

~700 km · 7 days · 2 countries

Würzburg as your start, then down via Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen (the crater!), Augsburg, Munich, down into Tyrol — Innsbruck, Hall, Salzburg. German medievalism + Austrian alpine valleys.

Don't miss: Rothenburg ob der Tauber before 9 am or after 6 pm. Between those times it's a tour bus nightmare. Early or late it's one of Europe's most beautiful medieval towns.

7. Croatian coast (Pula — Dubrovnik)

~700 km · 10-14 days · 1 country

Start in Pula (the ancient Roman arena), drive south along the Adriatic via Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Hvar (ferry), Korčula (ferry), down to Dubrovnik. Lots of ferries — good to have longer driving days between ferries.

Don't miss: Krka National Park instead of (or in addition to) Plitvice. Equally beautiful waterfalls, fewer crowds, and you can swim in them.

8. Baltics loop (Estonia → Latvia → Lithuania)

~1,200 km · 10-14 days · 3 countries

Tallinn → Riga → Vilnius as the classic axis, but it's on the side roads where it gets interesting. Include Lahemaa National Park, Sigulda in Latvia, and Trakai (the red castle island) near Vilnius.

Don't miss: Hill of Crosses (Kryžių kalnas) outside Šiauliai in Lithuania. 100,000+ crosses on a hill, free to visit, completely inexplicably compelling.

9. Iberian loop (Lisbon → Madrid → Barcelona)

~1,400 km · 14 days · 2 countries (PT, ES)

Lisbon-Porto first (can be done as a detour north), then across Spain via Salamanca → Madrid → Toledo → Valencia → Barcelona. Tons of contrasts: coastal Portugal, plains, Madrid city life, the Mediterranean.

Don't miss: Ronda — a town built on two cliffs with a bridge 100 meters over the chasm. Slightly off the main route but worth the detour.

10. Poland — Czech Republic — Slovakia (Central Europe unplugged)

~1,500 km · 10-14 days · 3 countries

Krakow → Zakopane → over Slovakia to Bratislava → up to Brno → Prague → back or over to Germany. Underrated, beautiful, and much cheaper than Western Europe.

Don't miss: Kutná Hora outside Prague — the bone chapel where literally everything is decorated with human skeletons. Strange, dark, fascinating. Takes a half day on the route between Prague and Brno.

How to plan your own

All ten routes above can be planned in RouteRover in under 30 minutes:

1. Create new route → give it a name ("Stockholm — Rome 2026")
2. Add stops for each city you want to visit — search by name, click the correct result from Google Maps
3. Click "View route" to see total driving distance and time between each stop
4. Add dates per stop so you see when you're actually where
5. Click "Share" to send the route to travel mates (or challenge them to a quiz about the cities)

The Premium version (179 kr, one-time) gives you up to 50 stops per route, PDF export of your entire travel plan that you can keep in the glove compartment, and GPX export for car navigation. More than enough for even the biggest European journey.

Start planning your trip