This group I’m talking about are those who love to drive, petrolheads to be more precise. Blasting around the continent is their idea of a dream getaway to enjoy some routes through mountain ranges, valleys and other beautiful scenery and also what Europe has to give them in terms of demanding roads.

Even individuals with a ‘rep mobile’ and a European fuel card would enjoy such a trip and although it would be an advantage to take a car that matched the roads, having pretty much any modern car will still be enjoyable.

The following is a small selection of such routes to take that span over a few of Europe’s most break-taking countries.

Nufenen Pass, Switzerland by Andrew and Annemarie

Nufenen Pass

Situated just inside Switzerland and just short of the Italian border is the Nufenen Pass, one of the less used passes in the vicinity, but one of the most enjoyable and testing when it comes to the road ahead.

Going through a mountain range, you’ll experience a smooth, quiet road that gradually ascends through tight 180 degree turns as the range becomes more demanding. For your efforts, you’ll be rewarded with a spectacular lake at the peak where it can pay to make a stop and take it in.

Ruhestein to Oppenau

Sticking with mountain routes, Germany’s Black Forest offers various enthralling driving experiences, with one particular drive in the west between the towns of Ruhestein and Oppeneau.

This route is another great place to enjoy a drive with minimal traffic, whilst being able to race through the various easier corners and test your skills in the more challenging hair-pins. It can get quite steep at times, but offers much better scenery than the Nufenen Pass.

Taking a short cut will allow you to see Lutenbach Falls which is the highlight spectacle during the trip, with the views getting better and better as you get higher within the range.

Stelvio Pass by Kylie & Rob (and Helen)

The Stelvio Pass

One of the more famous routes to take for driving enthusiasts in Europe is the Stelvio Pass, which runs along the border between Switzerland and Italy and is one of the most demanding roads on the continent.

Hair-pin after hair-pin, the pass will invigorate the most experienced drivers, whilst showing a keen beginner what a real road is and will test their perseverance as they either descend or ascend the route that wraps itself around the mountainous geography.

Stelvio as a town has a few hotels to stop at if you want to explore the area further, with many different roads that will offer anybody with the slightest hint of petrol (or diesel) in their blood.

Like I say this is just a small selection of what’s possible and it can be a great way of tying together one large trip, for example, a trip down Route Napoleon could end up on the French Riviera and the likes of Nice or Monaco.

Of course it can be quite expensive to do such a break, but saving some money for the inevitable amounts of fuel you’ll need and some accommodation, it will be entirely worth it if you enjoy your driving.

About the author: Sam writes for European Fuel Cards who offer businesses diesel fuel cards for refuelling in and across Europe. 

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Jiuguang Wang

And how did the period get its name? Just after Hallstatt village, which was at that time an important trading center. There was the salt mined in its vicinity, which was also exported to far away places. The history of the local salt mining extends at least from 2nd millennium BC up to the present and gave the region not only wealth and prosperity, but also created a specific cultural landscape, where nature blends with human activity in unusual harmony. It also led the Commission of UNESCO to add this area “Hallstatt-Dachstein Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape” on the list of World Heritage in 1997.

Very interesting on Hallstatt is that it has long been accessible only by boat across the lake, or along narrow mountain trails. The first road was built along the shore in 1890, but only thanks to the power of explosives. Despite of this apparent inaccessibility the people settled here anyway seven thousand years ago. The rich history recalls not only architecture of Hallstatt, but also the local museum, which collects extensive archaeological excavations. Many of them come from the necropolis on the plateau above the town, where were discovered the remains of 4,000 people. And those remains were the main reason to name the period as “Hallstatt period”.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Party Lin

It is understandable that many places in Hallstatt are related to salt. The local salt mines are reportedly the oldest in the world and you can see them in an unusual museum. Why unusual? Well, how many museums have you visited which had 64 metres long wooden roller coaster…? But the underground salt mines offer much more than this unusual attraction. You can learn about the life of people who mined salt here for thousands of years. The body of one of them was found here in 1734, perfectly preserved by salt. Notable is also an underground salt lake with an area of ​​1400 m2.

If you already have enough salt, you can target the other wonders of the underground world – Dachstein ice caves. And because we are in the Alps, it is not necessary to say that you can see lots of interesting also on the surface. Whether it’s a remarkable historical buildings, or simply “just” beautiful countryside with fresh air and a nice panorama of mountain giants.

There are lots of Austria hotels in the town as well as camp sites at the shores of the lake. Hallstatt is also a great starting point for your hiking tours around the mountains.

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Poulnabrone Dolmen is a portal tomb, which consists of a huge stone boulder weighing 5 tons, that is supported on two sides by raised stones. The entire formation is a 9 m deep burial chamber whose entrance is turned over to the east. Thus gives the impression that it was used as a sacrificial place in the Celtic period. This mysterious place is most impressive at sunset, when setting sun is lighting surrounding field with clearly purple color.

Archaeological research in 1985 showed that there were buried about 16 to 22 adults and 6 children, including personal belongings of deceased, as it was believed that the deceased needed them on their way to the next world. There were found such as bone pendants, ceramics, quartz crystals, weapons, and stone axes.

As regards natural conditions, vegetation in the Burren area is very poor and there is not enough soil. In the tomb Poulnabrone there is only about 25 cm of the soil and below it there is only a rock. The method of burial is still unclear. The bones of the bodies were separated from each other.

Poulnabrone Dolmen is situated on the R480 road, about 9 km south of the town Ballyvaghan. Admission is free. In the vicinity there are about seventy other tombs.

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The top of Mont Blanc is covered by a thick layer of ice and snow. In 1893 the observatory was built at the top, but due to unfavorable conditions it was abandoned in 1909 and it finally fell. Mont Blanc is very popular for rock climbing, hiking, skiing and snowboarding. In the vicinity there are two towns – Courmayeur in Italy, and Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in France —the site of the first Winter Olympics, there is also a ski resort.

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Walibi Belgium was opened on 26th July 1975. It is a medium sized park where all the people from children to older one can find fun. In total there are 50 different attractions. Walibi Belgium is not divided into thematic parts, but into categories according to severity – children, family, for teens and The Big 7 (this is for the bravest ones). There are the roller coasters, free fall, water rides, 4D cinema, and many more. The biggest attraction of the park is the roller coaster “Vampire” and free fall from the 77 meters “Dalton Terror”. The Walibi Belgium has also a plenty of food stalls and souvenir shops. Accommodation right in the park is not possible, but in the vicinity there are lots of accommodation opportunities. There is also the campsite. Otherwise it is a good idea to book tickets over the interent, it will cost you less.

Walibi Belgium is open from late April to early November 10 to 18 hours. Outside the main season is open only on weekends. It should prefer to see the opening hours at the park site. Tickets prices start at 25Eur/person/entrance or you can buy the whole year ticket for 55Eur.

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This rock cliff is one of the symbols of the Slovak Paradise National Park and it is the most visited and most popular tourist destination in the area. The fastest way how to get to Tomášovský výhľad is from Čingov village or from Spišské Tomášovce village, following the green or yellow tourist trail and it takes 30-45min.

Tomášovský výhľad is a popular place for climber training. Under the rocky terrace in the immediate vicinity of the tourist trail is the cave “Michalova džura”.

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