The road atlas of Europe, the Michelin, the A4, the spiral-bound, the scale of the 1:200,000, is the essential tool of European road trip, and the atlas, the page turned from the France to the Italy over the Col de la Lombarde, the border that is the cattle grid and the sign, the mountains that have changed from the French to the Italian in the 10 km of the climb, is the most beautiful way to travel the Europe. European road trip is the freedom that no other form of the travel can equal: the detour to the village, the picnic at the viewpoint, the hotel that was not in the guidebook, and the discovery that is the reason for the trip. Travelling in Europe by the car is the essential European experience. Here is your guide.

Travelling in Europe by Car

• The essential roads, the best drives in Europe: The Route des Grandes Alpes (the France): the 684 km from the Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean, the 16 mountain passes, the highest, the Col de l’Iseran (the 2,764 metres, the highest paved road in the Alps), the Col du Galibier (the 2,642 metres, the most famous of the Tour de France), and the Col de la Bonette (the 2,802 metres, the optional loop to the Cime de la Bonette, the 2,860 metres, the highest paved road in Europe). The Route des Grandes Alpes is the best drive in Europe, the 5–7 days, and the essential season: the mid-June to the mid-October (the passes are closed by the snow outside the window). The Amalfi Coast road (the Italy): the SS163, the 50 km from the Sorrento to the Salerno, the most beautiful drive in Europe, the sea, the cliffs, the villages, and the most terrifying (the narrow, the hairpins, the buses, the scooters, the tourists in the rental cars that are the too wide. The essential strategy: the early morning, the 6am departure from the Sorrento, the road is the empty, and the drive is the best hour of the trip). The Atlantic Road (the Norway): the Atlanterhavsveien, the 8.3 km of the road that leaps from the island to the island, the bridges, the sea, and the best drive in the Scandinavia. The essential section: the Storseisundet Bridge (the “drunk bridge,” the curve, the angle, and the most dramatic driving photograph in Europe). More travel tips →
• The practicalities, the essential rules: The driving licence: the UK licence is valid in Europe (the post-Brexit, the UK driving licence is valid for the short-term visits, and the essential check: the International Driving Permit, the IDP, the £5.50 from the Post Office, the 1-year, and the required in the some countries). The right side of the road: the UK drives on the left, and the rest of Europe drives on the right. The essential reminder: the sticker on the steering wheel, the “Drive on the Right” arrow, is the most important £2 investment of the trip. The tolls and the vignettes: the France (the autoroute tolls, the péage, the ticket, the credit card, and the €100 for the Calais–Nice journey), the Switzerland (the vignette, the CHF40, the sticker, the valid for the year, and the essential purchase at the border), the Austria (the vignette, the €10 for the 10 days), the Italy (the autostrada, the ticket, the €50 for the Milan–Rome), and the Spain (the autopista, the tolls on the some sections, and the most of the network is the free). The essential car: the small car (the narrow streets of the medieval villages, the parking, the fuel, the diesel, the most efficient for the long-distance, and the essential for the motorway), the automatic (the essential for the driver who is not confident with the manual on the other side of the road), and the full insurance (the excess buyout, the €0 excess, the €20/day, and the essential peace of the mind)