DRIVING • April 2022

Five epic springtime drives

Ready for some wind in your hair? Darryl Sleath, author of 1001 Road Trips to Drive Before You Die, shares the most stunning road trip routes across Europe, the US and the Caribbean for the warmer months ahead. From the rugged to the romantic, ride through fairy-tale castles, magnificent mountains and more.

Click on an image below to read the story

Nuremberg and the Romantic Road

The vineyards of Würzburg, a few miles west of Nuremberg (pictured), mark the starting point of Germany’s most famous touring route. For 290 miles, the Romantische Straße winds through the forests, mountains and picturesque towns of Southern Bavaria to the foothills of the Alps and the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle, the real-life inspiration for the Disney logo.
Spring watch: for starry-eyed couples, this quintessentially German road trip is the perfect three-day getaway during the season of love.

Discover our new route to Nuremberg

Barbadian beach hop

Celebrated as the birthplace of rum, Barbados has more than 70 world-class beaches dotted along its coastline. In three hours, you can visit them all, from the tranquil turquoise waters and pink-sand beaches of the west to the rugged east coast and its exhilarating seascapes of foaming Atlantic rollers.
Spring watch: spring is the perfect time to visit this Caribbean paradise, when the climate is most congenial, and its beautiful beaches are far less crowded.

Book your holiday to Barbados

The North East 250

Beginning in the ‘Granite City’ of Aberdeen, a newly created scenic route has everything Scotland is famous for. From the ancient castles of Royal Deeside to the magnificent Cairngorm Mountains and the whisky distilleries of Speyside, there’s something for everyone on this 250-mile Scottish odyssey.
Spring watch: time your visit for late when there are fewer cars on the road and, more importantly, fewer midges in the air.

Find cheap flights to Aberdeen

Chinook Scenic Byway

An hour’s drive from Seattle, the Chinook Scenic Byway weaves its way around the northeastern flank of Washington’s Mount Rainier on a two-hour nature lovers’ road trip. Past rushing rivers, swollen with meltwater, the road slowly climbs through Douglas fir forest on to subalpine meadows that erupt with colour each spring.
Spring watch: when the byway opens in late April /early May, the short-lived bloom of wildflowers is one of the greatest displays in North America.

Book flights to Seattle

Lake Como loop

The clear skies and mild weather of Lake Como in the springtime have inspired countless landscape artists for hundreds of years. Just 50 minutes north of Milan, the 164km shoreline drive now draws in thousands of tourists each summer, who come to experience one of Italy’s most evocative scenic road trips.
Spring watch: savvy motorists should plan their visit for April and May, when humidity is lower, temperatures are mild and a lakeside restaurant table won’t break the bank.

Plan your Italian road trip