ADVENTURE • May 2016
The greatest weekend fly-drives in Europe
It’s the new way to holiday: touch down in the city, spend a couple of nights, then jump behind the wheel to discover somewhere new. Motoring journalist Simon Heptinstall recommends the best six destinations to do it
Barcelona
Fly: Immerse yourself in the Catalan party town, amid tapas, Gaudi’s melted-wax architecture and beaches full of beautiful people. To cool down, stroll along the Ramblas photographing eccentric street life.
Drive: Head northwest to La Seu d’Urgell (2.5 hours, 120 miles) through forests high into the Pyrenees. Urgell (pictured above) is the perfect foil to Barca’s bling: a hilltop town with mountain views, clustered around medieval religious landmarks.
Vienna
Fly: Absorb the culture in grand palaces, galleries, museums (pictured Kunsthistorisches Art Museum) and concert halls. Then relax while nibbling cakes in coffee shops on tree-lined boulevards.
Drive: Go west along the Danube, through mountain vineyards to Durnstein (1.5 hours, 60 miles). Under the imposing medieval castle, this walled monastic village squeezes onto a cliff jutting into the river. Enjoy local white wine and strudels before storming the castle to discover why Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned here.
Dublin
Fly: Investigate ‘the craic’ while drinking Guinness and Bushmills; chatting to locals in an O’Connell Street bar, and listening to ragamuffin Celtic bands. Then tour churches, galleries, shops, riverside restaurants and (of course) breweries and distilleries.
Drive: Go down the coast and through the wilderness of Wicklow Mountains to Glendalough (1.5 hours, 60 miles; pictured above). Amid beautiful lakes and woods, discover a magical land full of mysterious features, including a strange round tower and hermit’s cell.
Copenhagen
Click the image above to go on a drive across the Øresund Bridge, from Copenhagen to Malmö.
Fly: Test the ‘Europe’s happiest city’ claim. It seems likely: they’re all on bikes, drinking Carlsberg or shrieking with the thrills of Tivoli Gardens, a beguiling mix of theme park and historic gardens.
Drive: Travel east across the Øresund bridge-and-tunnel combo into Sweden and east along the coast-hugging road to Ystad (1.1 hours, 57 miles). The breathtaking scenery is worth it: pavement cafes on cobbled streets and flower-bedecked cottages by the beach.
Florence
Fly: It’s like starring in your own BBC2 arts programme, with a backdrop (above) of Renaissance palaces, fabulous churches and world-famous art. The ice cream isn’t bad either.
Drive: Head north on mountain roads to Cinque Terra on the Italian Riviera (2.5hrs, 125 miles). This is a fantasy spot for a picturesque potter through steep vineyards, between five beautiful Mediterranean harbour villages.
Billund
Fly: Kids love the capital of Lego and its mega Legoland theme park, but it’s easy to escape the plastic brick tyranny at the huge Lalandia waterpark.
Drive: Meander through Jutland countryside and lakes to the old harbour city of Aarhus (1.5 hours, 75 miles). Denmark’s second city (above view from Aarhus Art Museum) is full of quirky shops, bars, restaurants and long sandy beaches. For the more serious side of Danish culture head for the impressive Moesgaard Museum of Viking archaeology.