Ranked: The best countries for a European road trip

Detour Life

Mar 20

Italy, Malta and Denmark have been named as the best road trip destinations in Europe.

The Škoda European Adventure Index is described by the Czech car maker as the “guide of guides” as it uses data from hundreds of existing online reviews.

To help filter the results Škoda selected three different categories: Environment, Adventure and Road Safety and Camping.

The Environment group rated each country based on air pollution, carbon emissions, Environmental Performance Index and the number of World Heritage sites within its borders. Italy came top with and overall score of 83.4 points, with Germany only a fraction behind on 83.3 and France following on 82.9 points. The UK didn’t even make the top ten.

To score countries for Adventure Škoda turned to TripAdvisor reviews and tallied up the number of average reviews, activities per 1,000km and activities per 100,000 people. The island of Malta took firts place with 98.1 points, with Cyprus and Portugal completing the top three.

The Road Safety and Camping category sought to identify the countries with the safest driving and the most campsites, and measured the number of campsites per 10,000km, the number of traffic incidents per 100,000 people and the number of road deaths per million people. All considered Denmark did the best, with a score of 83.8, while the Netherlands and Ireland came in second and third.

The full index can be found on the Škoda website.

However, what is noticeably absent in Škoda’s study is any mention of how enjoyable the roads of Europe are to drive. Thankfully, that’s where Detour comes in with our hundreds of different road trip ideas, all based on real driving experiences. A small sample of some of our favourite European road trips is below or you can use our site’s search feature to find inspiration for your next adventure.

Our favourite European Detours

Detour #666: Britain’s Most Spooky Motorway

If you’re heading up the M6 this Halloween you might want to call Ghostbusters.

Detour #271: Going Topless on the Kentish Riviera, UK

A roof-down road trip along the Kent coast from Margate to Dungeness reveals a gallery of art, nature and science.

Detour #270: Turbo Charging in the Stuttgart Hills, Germany

Time to cosplay a Seventies Porsche development driver in the original ‘widowmaking’ 911 Turbo.

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Detour #269: Beachcombing in London, UK

Did you know that London has a string of seven beaches? Neither did we until we got hold of a beach car and went exploring the city.

Detour #267: Following Don Quixote from Madrid to Ciudad Réal, Spain

Miguel de Cervantes’ hero defined the term quixotic for his fantastical adventures. A road trip from Madrid to Ciudad Réal is very real, but no less fantastic.

Detour #265: The Wolds and Bends of Lincolnshire, UK

Across the flat fenlands of Lincolnshire you’ll find some of the straightest roads in the UK, but if you know where to look there are brilliant bends to be discovered.

Detour #264: Revisiting the Old Military Road, Scotland

Time travelling in a futuristic MG Cyberster, John Mahoney returns to a road full of memories.

Detour #261: The Col du Portillon is Borderline Bonkers, France/Spain

High in the Pyrenees mountains, on the Col du Portillon, there’s a brief moment where your front wheels will be in Spain, while the rears remain in France.

Detour #260: The Great Alpine Highway, New Zealand

Ben Barry explores New Zealand’s epic coast-to-coast route through the Southern Alps in the cheapest hire car available.

Detour #259: Playing Gran Turismo at Lake Maggiore, Italy

There’s more to Italy’s Lake District than Clooney’s Como as Nik Berg finds out – with a little help from Maserati.

Detour #258: Supercar, Super Road, Superbagnères, France

A classic British sports car and this classic French alpine pass make for a perfect Pyrenean Detour.

Detour #257: A Taste of Orkney, UK

Tranquil, mysterious and packed with cracking driving roads Orkney is awesome in any vehicle – even a broken one.

Detour #255: Driving the Picture Perfect Wye Valley, UK

The Wye Valley lays claim to being the first place ever described as picturesque. Detour discovers why – and Wye.

Detour #254: London to Africa and Back in a Budget Hatchback

Griff Gough-Walters drove a tiny Hyundai i10 2,500 miles from London to North Africa in four days, and then a month later, did the return journey in three.

Detour #253: A Capital Run Around W.O. Bentley’s London, UK

What better way to explore Bentley’s London history than in a modern interpretation of his most famous model?

Detour #250: The Glorious Gotthard Pass, Switzerland

No longer a main route, this fair weather alpine adventure leads to the epicentre of Swiss mountain driving.

Detour #247: A Twiddle on the Cat and Fiddle, Derbyshire-Cheshire, UK

Now home to the highest distillery in England the cat and fiddle has a sobering reputation.

Detour #245: Foot Down to the Heel of Italy

The curvaceous coastal roads of the Ionian and Adriatic, beautiful Baroque architecture – and a Maserati – make for a perfect Puglia road trip.

Detour #241: Racing through history from Boulogne to Pau, France

This classic route across France is a celebration of gallic guts and glory.

Detour #239: Coast to Coast through Italy's Unsung Basilicata Region

Italy's little-known Basilicata region lays claim to two coastlines, one on the Tyrrhenian Sea and one on the Ionian. You can drive between the two directly in around two hours, but the area has a knack for making travellers pause, stop, detour and digress.

Detour #238: The Steepest Road in England, Yorkshire, UK

Rosedale Chimney Bank is so steep that cyclists call it The Chain Breaker, but what’s it like to drive?

Detour #237: Tied up in knots on the Lacets de Montvernier, France

Claustrophobia and vertigo sufferers turn away now. The climb to Col du Chaussy in the Auvergne-Rhône Alpes is a narrow, steep and nerve-wracking ascent.

Detour 235: Bowling through the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, UK

Enjoy a rollercoaster ride across Lancashire thanks to our friends at Rush Magazine.

Detour #233: Across the New Forest in a silent classic, UK

It’s good to take your foot off the pedal once in a while. To slow down and take in the surroundings instead of watching them rush by in a blur, and a drive across the New Forest will force you to do just that.

Detour #232: The road that Calum built, Raasey, Scotland

It’s less than two miles long but it took one determined man over a decade to complete Calum’s road.

Detour #229: The best of Buckinghamshire and beyond in an exceptional E-Type

A half-million-pound Jaguar and some delicious diner food make this road trip on the edge of the Chilterns even more charming.

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As the first snows of winter arrive, many of the world’s most marvellous mountain roads are closed until the thaw. However, these five perfect passes in the Swiss Alps remain open all hours and ready for an Alpine adventure.