You are braver than I am if you fancy taking a winter road trip in Europe. I’ve taken a few myself and while I don’t mind travelling in winter, in fact I love winter in Europe, I’m not that crazy about driving in the rain and especially not snow.
I’ll never forget one road trip, driving through Germany and Belgium in one of the worst snow storms in history. It wasn’t even a long trip, driving from Cologne across the border to Bruges in northern Belgium. It should have only taken three hours or so but ended up taking more than eight.
The snow must have been unexpected as the motorway wasn’t cleared and traffic was at a crawl. The scariest moment for me was almost running out of petrol thanks to a couple of petrol stations being closed for some reason. I was so relieved when I finally spotted an open station but the road to exit was covered in snow and I couldn’t see the lane markers. I was worried I was going to drive into a ditch and never get out.
I remember eventually making it to Bruges at around 10pm only to be yelled at by a restaurant owner because I didn’t understand the sign in Flemish saying they were closed. That’s probably why I’ve always preferred Ghent over Bruges. That one bad experience scarred me for life.
5 Winter Road Trips in Europe
It makes sense to take a winter road trip in a warmer region of Europe. But that’s not always going to be practical and maybe you actually want to enjoy the cold weather during the day and retreating to a cosy hotel each night. It’s not a terrible idea.
Be aware that in some more touristy areas and smaller towns, you might find some attractions and even restaurants are closed. But that’s more likely to be an issue if you’re road tripping in typically summer destinations like Sardinia or Croatia.
I hope one of these itineraries will inspire you to get out on the road this winter or maybe later in the year when things warm up.
Germany: A Winter Drive from Cologne to Berlin
If you’re not fussed by the cold weather and are actually looking forward to some snow, this road trip in northern Germany could be for you. I’ve visited most of these cities in winter and they really do look beautiful when covered in snow, in particular Dusseldorf and Hamburg. Experiencing snow on the beach in Rostock was also an incredible experience I’ve never come across since.
Despite my winter driving ordeal during that snow storm, Germany is one of the best countries when it comes to keeping the roads clear and safe for driving in winter.
Germany: Cologne – Dusseldorf – Bremen – Hamburg – Rostock – Berlin
Posts to help you plan your trip:
- A Winter Drive Across Northern Germany
- The Best of Germany’s Awesome Big Cities
- 5 Tips for Visiting Cologne
- Bremen’s Unesco Site and Weird Statues
- Eclectic Hamburg
- Rostock and Warnemuende Day Trip
- Exploring Berlin’s Kreuzberg Neighbourhood
- Crossing the Berlin Wall
French Riviera: 7 Day South of France Itinerary
If a warmer seaside road trip is more to your liking, the south of France has a lot to offer even though it’s typically a spring and summer destination for most visitors. Smaller towns and villages on this itinerary might be partially closed or at least very quiet in the off-season but if you stick to staying overnight in the larger cities, you’ll still have plenty of things to do and great restaurants to try.
Besides, a road trip along the coast is more for the views than anything else and the views along the riviera are incredible all year round. Even though you’re likely to get rain during this time of the year, there’s also a good chance you’ll have sunny days in the south of France in winter.
French Riviera Road Trip: Nice – Eze – Monaco – Cannes – St Tropez – Marseille
A detailed guide to help you plan your trip:
Tuscany’s Hilltop Towns
Tuscany is Italy’s most famous region. It’s known for its small hilltop towns filled with character and great food. I’ve visited this region in both spring and winter and I’m not going to lie, it’s way better in spring. The highlights are driving through the countryside, stopping in a little agriturismo for long lunches followed by exploring the towns and aperativo in the warm evenings.
The only stress from this kind of holiday is from the crowds which can be a little overwhelming at times. And also maybe driving during the busy season when the roads are clogged with tour buses. That’s the benefit of touring Tuscany in winter; you’ll have the place to yourself, the streets and piazza will be quiet and driving and parking is relatively stress free.
Tuscany in early spring is amazing but if you can only make it in winter, it’ll still be a fun experience.
Tuscany & Lazio: Bagnoregio – Pienza – Siena – San Gimignano – Florence
A detailed guide to help you plan your trip:
Northern Portugal
The temptation might be to head to southern Portugal for a winter road trip. It would be warmer after all. But it’s not warm enough to swim so I think it’s better to head to Lisbon and further north to explore some of the country’s cultural centres and less visited cities. If you decide to include Lisbon in your itinerary, I’d recommend at least four days there and preferably longer. It’s an incredibly vibrant, historic city with many interesting neighbourhoods worth exploring.
After that you could hire a car and drive north to Porto, another fascinating city known for its colourful tiles and namesake drink. Even further north you have smaller cities filled with history like Guimaraes and Braga.
Northern Portugal Road Trip: Lisbon – Porto – Braga – Guimaraes
Posts to help you plan your trip:
- Northern Portugal Road Trip
- Eating Our Way Around Lisbon
- Guimaraes: The Birthplace of Portugal
- Cruising Around Porto
Spain: Costa Brava Road Trip
Thinking about warmer winter road trip destinations reminds me of my first ever road trip through Spain. I had driven from Paris, down to south-west France and across the border at San Sebastian. The first mistake was not spending time in San Sebastian. It’s a city known for its food culture and food is one of the great reasons for travelling. But we were short on time and wanted to get to Barcelona.
We stopped instead in Pamplona, a city with little of interest, and where we had our car broken into while in a guarded car park. Luckily we interrupted the thieves and they disappeared without taking anything. Not wanting to spend more time there than necessary, we drove early the next morning to Zaragoza, another underwhelming destination. It was only after a few days in Barcelona that I finally started to warm to Spain and a later trip when I fell in love with Barcelona.
Costa Brava Road Trip: Barcelona – Montserrat – Girona – Besalu – Cadaques
Posts to help you plan your winter road trip in Spain:
- Hot Air Ballooning over Costa Brava
- Medieval Besalu
- Banyoles Lake and Old Town
- Catalan Cuisine in Palafrugell
- Salvador Dali, Cadaques and Cap de Creus
Those are my top five recommendations for road tripping in winter in Europe. Have you willingly taken a road trip at this time of the year? What was your experience? Read on for more road trip ideas and itineraries.
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