European road trip 2023 – Let’s explore here!

Following our monumental 25,000 mile (40,000 km) European road trip in 2023, this is an approximate map of all of the countries in Europe that we visited and stayed over in. There’s much more detail below.

We travelled to all of the countries coloured orange – hover over the map with your mouse (or touch the map) to highlight the country name.

The distance we travelled throughout the far reaches of Europe amounts to about the same as the circumference of earth, 25,000 miles (40,000 km)!

What route did we plan for our 2023 European road trip map?

For our European road trip in 2023 we initially planned our approximate overland route that we’d be driving, which you can see on the travel map below. Our planned road trip started in Leeds in England, UK, and moved up through Scandinavia, before travelling down through the Baltics, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, through Turkey and over to the far eastern reaches of Europe, Georgia and Armenia, before doubling back to Italy. 

The route we planned in the map below was only ever a rough route – we explored the countries much more in depth than the route states, and also the map is limited in the number of waypoints that can be depicted. We’ve put the actual route that we took further down this page and on the specific country pages.

We headed back toward Italy because we had a wedding to get to in Italy in early September 2023 – which was fantastic!! 

We planned this route because it would take us through most of the countries in Europe, and across multiple time zones, which would enable us to meet loads of interesting people and see some amazing sights. 

Map of our planned route around Europe

However, due to the amount of time that we spent exploring many of these countries, we (inevitably) fell well behind schedule. Also there had been a great deal of very dangerous flooding in Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Because of this, our route changed to ensure we made the wedding in Italy. 

Also, we’re still hopeful that we’ll be able to travel on to the Stans (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan) once (if) the land border between Georgia and Azerbaijan re-opens. See our blogs on the land border issue for more information on this border. 

What route did we actually take on our 2023 European road trip?

Where did we visit on our 2023 European road trip?

This is a list of all of the places that we stayed in as part of this European road trip:

• UK: Leeds – Folkestone
• France: Calais – St Omer – Renescure – Lille. Jougne – Lons-le-Saunier – Saint-Germain-la-Ville – Maisnil-lès-Ruitz – Calais
• Belgium: Tournai – Ave-et-Auffe – Dinant – Bastogne. Charleroi – Mons
• Luxembourg: Harlange – Ettelbruck – Clervaux – Wiltz – Bourscheid – Diekirch – Waldbillig – Echternach – Bollendorf – Vianden – Putscheid
• Netherlands: Nijmegen – Laren, Gelderland – Enschede
• Germany – Gronau – Bremen – Oyten – Fehmarn. Lindau – Ulm – Stuttgart – Karlsruhe – Saarbrücken
• Denmark: Rødbyhavn, Lolland – Nakskov, Lolland – Spodsbjerg, Langeland – Odense – Copenhagen [København]
• Sweden: Malmö – Växjö – Stockholm – Prästhög – Charlottenberg. Karesuando
• Norway: Sundvolden – Kaupanger – Geiranger – Trollstigen – Mjelva – Inderøy – Arctic Circle Centre – Røkland – Bognes – Lødingen – Svensby nr Tromsø – Helligskogen. Aidejavri – Nordkapp – Lakselv – Darvunjarga
• Finland: Kilpisjärvi – Kaeresuvanto – Kivilompolo. Karigasniemi – Inari – Kemijärvi – Rovaniemi – Kemi – Oulu – Pattijoki – Vaasa – Helsinki
• Estonia: Tallinn – Keila – Rummu – Haapsalu – Lihula – Pärnu – Häädemeeste – Ikla
• Latvia: Salacgrīva – coast (South of Salacgrīva) – Sigulda – Riga – Jūrmala – Kuldīga – Lake Usma – Ventspils – Liepaja – Vainode
• Lithuania: Palanga – Klaipėda – Kaunas – Kėdainiai – Vilnius
• Poland: Bialowieza Forest – Siemiatycze – Krasne – Lublin – Poronin – Małe Ciche – Lake Morskie Oko – Sułkowice – Kraków – Kluczbork – Zamek Książ
• Czechia: Adršpach rocks – Jívka – Chlumec nad Cidlinou – Kolín – Kutná Hora – Prague (Praha) – Český Krumlov
• Slovakia: Banská Bystrica – Donovaly – Strba – Smižany – Spis Castle – Dobšinská Ice Cave – Krásnohorská Dlhá Lúka. Bratislava
• Hungary: Tiszaújváros – Debrecen – Lake Balaton – Budapest – Felsőlajos. 
• Serbia: Novi Sad – Sremski Karlovci – Valijevo – Nova Varoš – Uvac canyon – Belgrade – Golubac fortress – Derdap gorge. Gradinje – Niš – Sremska Mitrovicav – Batrovci
• Romania: Clisura Dunarii – Derdap Gorge – Rock sculpture of Decebalus – Reșița – Cisnădioara – Sibiu – Transfagarasan – Bran – Bucharest. Grumăzești – Călacea
• Moldova: Chișinău – Tiraspol (Transnistria) – Sculeni
• Croatia: Osijek – Kopačev – Zagreb – Slunj – Plitvička lakes – Zalužnica – Pula. Lipovac – Slavonski Brod – Bregana
• Slovenia: – Piran – Kotsina – Veliki Otok – Postojna cave – Lake Bled – Zgornje Jezersko – Planšarsko jezero – Logarska Dolina – Triglav National Park – Vršic Pass – Most na Soči – Ljubljana. Šentilj v Slovenskih Goricah – Ptuj – Zgornje Gruškovje. Obrežje – Ig – Staje – Vrtojba
• Italy: Nimis – Refrontolo – Verona – Fermo – Manerba del Garda. Sant’ Andrea – San Bonifacio – Veronella – Cremona – Piacenza – Alessandria – Nus – Aosta – Gt St Bernard Tunnel
• Switzerland: Berninapass – Flüelapass – Davos – Klosters. Interlaken – Grimselpass – Furkapass – Oberalpstrasse – Chur. Gt St Bernard Tunnel – Martigny – Lausanne – Vallorbe
• Liechtenstein – Vaduz – Triesen – Malbun – Schaan
• Austria – Feldkirch – Lustenau – Bregenz. Nenzing – Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße – Innsbruck – Telfes im Stubai – Gerlospass – Krimmler waterfall – Zell am See – Grossglockner Pass – Salzburg – Salzkammergut – Hallstatt – Grundlsee – Graz
• Bosnia – Herzegovina – Banja Luka – Jajce – Travnik – Sarajevo – Jablaničko jezero – Blidinje – Kravice – Mostar – Blagaj castle – Gacko – Jezero Klinje – Mount Maglić – Vrba – Foča
• Montenegro: Mratinje Bridge – Piva Canyon – Plužine – Katun – Durmitor – Sedlo Pass – Šavnik – Kolasin – Drijenak – Biogradska gora – Podgorica – Budva – Becici
• Albania: Shkodër – Theth – Shirokë – Komani Lake – Krujë castle – Tirana – Apollonia – Vlorë – Llogara pass – Sarandë – Ksamil – Përmet – Korçë
• North Macedonia: Ohrid – Galičica National Park – Bitola – Heraclea – Mavrovo National Park – Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery – Mount Korab – Matka canyon – Skopje. Lake Mladost – Strumica
• Kosovo: Strpce – Prizren – Gjakove – Rugova canyon – Pristina
• Bulgaria: Kresna – Bansko – Pirin national park – Blagoevgrad – Stob pyramids – Rila Monastery – Rila national park – Belogradchik fortress & rocks – Montana – Veliko Tarnovo – Central Balkan national park – Shipka – Kazanlak – Nessebar. Ilinden – Sofia – Kalotina
• Turkey: Golibolu/Gallipoli – Selçuk – Ephesus – Bodrum – Fethiye – Antalya – Goreme – Zara – Erzurum – Sarp. Lake Çıldır – Ardahan – Mehmetçik memorial forest – Akşar – Aşkale – Bayburt – Trabzon – Ordu – Samsun – Bolu – Ipsala
• Georgia: Batumi – Mestia – Ushguli – Kutaisi – Tbilisi. Ninotsminda – Kartsakhi Lake
• Armenia: Ptghavan – Vanadzor – Dilijan – Hayravank – Sevan peninsua – Lake Sevan – Yeghegnadzor – Tatev – Kapan – Kadjaran – Meghri – Goris – Noravank – Yerevan – Bavra
• Greece: Alexandroupoli – Kavala – Drama – Exochi

We’re also creating blogs for each country when we have data, or we can find decent wifi, and we have enough power!

If you’d like any information on any of these places, please don’t hesitate to contact us!