Romantic Road Trips in Europe: Five Routes for Couples

Five road trips for two, ranging from a long weekend on the Rhine to a week in Provence. Late May, June and September suit all of them: warm enough in the south, light late in Scotland, and without the August crowds. Two can be driven from the UK in a day, and the rest work well with a flight and a hire car.

1. The Amalfi Coast, Italy

The SS163 runs along the cliffs between Positano and Salerno, and with the stretch from Sorrento it's about 60 km. Allow two hours without stops, though you'll stop constantly. The road is narrow and full of coaches, so the best plan is to drive between two or three bases and then leave the car.

• Positano: stay a night to see it after the day-trippers leave.
• Ravello: up a side road above Amalfi. The gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone have the best views on the coast. Wagner visited Villa Rufolo in 1880.
• Cetara: a working fishing village. Try colatura di alici, the local anchovy sauce, with pasta.

Which direction? Heading west towards Positano and Sorrento, you're in the inland lane. Heading east towards Salerno, you're on the sea side, and in a left-hand-drive hire car the passenger sits nearest the view. Nervous drivers usually prefer the inland lane. Parking is scarce and expensive in July and August, and traffic limits have been used on peak days in recent summers, so check before you go. Our Amalfi Coast drive has the route.

2. Provence to the Riviera, France

Start in Avignon, go east into the Luberon hill villages, cross to the Gorges du Verdon, and finish on the coast at Nice. Five days is the minimum, a week is better.

• Avignon to Gordes (about 40 km): Gordes sits on a cliff edge. Sénanque Abbey, just north, is the lavender photograph, usually in flower from late June to mid-July.
• Roussillon: a few kilometres away, built in ochre. Walk the Sentier des Ocres through the coloured cliffs.
• The Gorges du Verdon: drive the Route des Crêtes loop from La Palud, then go on to Castellane. Our Verdon Gorge route has the details.
• Castellane to Grasse: this stretch follows the Route Napoléon (N85) down to the coast.
• Nice to Monaco: three corniche roads at different heights. The Grande Corniche is the highest with the widest views, and the corniches appear in Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief.

Book a chambre d'hôtes (B&B) in a Luberon village for a couple of nights. Many are farmhouses with a pool and a table d'hôte dinner. Driving down from home? See London to Nice.

3. The Rhine Gorge, Germany

The UNESCO-listed Middle Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen is about 65 km of castles, vineyards and wine villages. It's under 90 minutes without stops, so give it a full day or two. The B9 follows the west bank and looks across at the castles on the far side. There are no bridges on this stretch, so you cross by car ferry, for example from Bingen to Rüdesheim or from St Goar to St Goarshausen.

• Koblenz: the Deutsches Eck, where the Moselle meets the Rhine, and a cable car over the river to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.
• Boppard: a chairlift to the Vierseenblick, where the river's loops look like four separate lakes.
• The Loreley: a rock on the east bank, about 130 m above the narrowest bend.
• Bacharach: the prettiest of the villages, below Burg Stahleck (now a youth hostel).
• Rüdesheim: Riesling, and the gondola up over the vineyards to the Niederwald monument.

The KD river boats link most of the towns, so you can park in one, sail to the next for lunch and come back. This isn't the same as Germany's Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse), which runs through Bavaria. That's covered on our Romantic Road page.

4. The West Highlands and Skye, Scotland

This is the trip for log fires, whisky and empty glens rather than sunshine.

• Edinburgh to Callander (about 50 miles): into the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Loch Katrine has a steamship, the Sir Walter Scott.
• Callander to Glencoe (about 65 miles): north via Crianlarich and Tyndrum, then across Rannoch Moor and down the A82 through the glen.
• Glencoe to Mallaig (about 60 miles): through Fort William and along the Road to the Isles past Glenfinnan, with its viaduct and monument, to the ferry to Skye.
• Skye (two to three days): the Quiraing, the Old Man of Storr, the Fairy Pools and Dunvegan Castle.

Book Skye accommodation early for summer, and book the car space on the Mallaig to Armadale ferry. You can skip the ferry by driving round via the Skye Bridge.

5. Santorini, Naxos and Paros, Greece

Santorini itself is small and its roads are busy, but a few days there followed by ferries to quieter islands makes a good week.

• Santorini (two to three days): the caldera road from Fira to Oia, Akrotiri's excavated Bronze Age town and the wineries around Megalochori. Watch the sunset from Imerovigli rather than Oia, which is packed every evening. The access path to Red Beach is often closed because of rockfall risk.
• Naxos: a ferry ride of one to two hours depending on the boat. Bigger and greener, with mountain villages inland and the Temple of Demeter near Sangri.
• Paros: under an hour from Naxos, with better beaches than Santorini.

Many Greek hire agreements don't allow the car on a ferry, or don't insure it on board, and the car adds to the fare. It's usually simpler to hire a car on each island. UK photocard licence holders don't need an International Driving Permit in Greece. See our UK licence abroad guide.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best romantic road trip in Europe for a long weekend?

The Rhine Gorge. It's a day's drive from Calais, the distances are short, and there are good places to stay in every village. Fly to Frankfurt if you'd rather not drive out.

Is the Amalfi Coast suitable for nervous drivers?

Not in July or August. The road is narrow, with blind bends and coaches. Base yourself in one town and use the SITA buses or the ferries between towns, or hire a driver for a day. In May or late September it's much calmer.