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From the Black Forest to the Isle of Skye
With all due respect for the Great American Road Trip, a day behind the wheel in the Lower 48 has a way of leaving you in the same state of mind -- and, generally, the same state too -- as where you started. There comes a time when one must awaken next to a quiet Venetian canal, lunch beneath the pristine Slovenian Alps and watch the sun set from over a frothy Melange coffee in Vienna's Ringstrasse.
Sure, Europe’s legendary trains can help get the job done -- but how often is a Eurailpass going to put you in the driver’s seat? Road tripping in Europe is an odyssey all its own, where shopping detours and croissant breaks happen on your schedule. And in your zippy little European set of wheels.
For travel writer Amanda Castleman, such a trip is about the succession of dramatic changes you'll observe in a continent of small countries: Vineyards can give way to Alpine meadows before you know it; sleepy Chateaux country yields to the buzzing Mediterranean coastline in what can seem like hardly any time at all.
Robert Hallstrom, Associate Publisher and Senior Editor at European Car magazine, has a different perspective.
"When I think of the European road trip, I think of the incredible roads over there -- and of the unrestricted speed limits on the Autobahn."
Indeed, when a pokey 55 miles per hour just won't cut it, get thee to Germany. But really the entire continent scoots along briskly. A perfect excuse then, as with a good wine pairing, to match the right vehicle to the right road.
After all, certain routes just cry out for specific vehicles:
"Traveling by car on the Amalfi Coast...it's visceral," Castleton says. "It’s extremely vivid driving."
Such conditions lead to that age-old Italian decision: Lamborghini or Ferrari. With the former, Hallstrom admits a fondness for the sleek new Gallardo. Still, he calls the Ferrari 430 an all-time favorite.
"The horsepower, the acceleration, that incredible engine revving so high -- there's nothing that sounds like a Ferrari," he says. "Plus it has the wheel-mounted paddle shifters of an F1 racecar. It's like driving in a video game."
For a German trip – whether it’s the the fabled Black Forest or verdant Neckar River Valley -- Hallstrom gives thumbs up to the Mercedes S63, the BMW M5 and the Audi S8, but reserves ultimate loyalty to the Porsche 911 GT3, manufactured in nearby Stuttgart: "Probably as close as you can get to the ultimate road/track car. It's everything wrapped in one: All the performance required to be competitive on the track, but street-legal, too."
Rolling lavender hills, winding seaside roads -- is an American driver fit to operate a performance machine on such spectacular terrain? Good news: These cars are "so well-refined that you almost can't tell you're going that fast," Hallstrom says.
"At least not until you notice that blur effect, passing other cars," he adds.
About that blur: Foreign highways can be jarring enough even without an Andretti cousin throttling up behind you. It's worth acquainting oneself with certain aspects of European driving -- the fast and aggressive driving in the north, for instance, arising from a deep faith in fellow drivers' respect for traffic laws. Passing on the right? Unheard of.
Whereas the rules set a Dutch or Austrian driver free, southern Europe can have a different drive vibe altogether. (It's long been rumored that Sicilian drivers rely on eye contact rather than signs at intersections.) Still, one must remember that fast drivers have the right of way throughout the continent. Want to avoid an international incident? Yield.
As for those ostensibly snooty French? Downright modest behind the wheel, it turns out. A recent EuroTest survey of drivers in 12 countries found France to be home of the least-confident motorists, with a mere 13 percent describing theirs as "very good." Most assured, by far, were the Croatians.
Having mastered the basics, one is free to enjoy all that makes a European trek singular: The half-hidden castles and fortresses. The dramatic seaside cliffs. That refreshing lack of sprawl -- from Lisbon to Zagreb, ancient villages clustered in tight, leaving the countryside unspoiled. The gravelly voice of Serge Gainsbourg crooning on the stereo as you roll into Paris or across Provence.
Lest you doubt that motoring in Europe differs fundamentally from driving in the States, consider one last bit of evidence -- an important safety message from Europe's Automobile Association on the hazards of overloading your vehicle.
"Remember, carrying five cases of wine is equivalent to having another passenger in the car."
Well, perhaps not in terms of conversation skills, but the point is well-taken: American road trips are indispensable, but sometimes they just lack that certain je ne sais quoi.
See our slideshow of 10 Classic European Road Trips.
Carole Goldstein
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