Road Trip in Western Europe Itinerary: 11 Routes in 5 Days
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Although it’s often said that a trip to Europe during Christmas time is special, we recommend autumn or spring for those who, like us, don’t enjoy layering up and prefer to explore every street on foot. For this reason, we planned our road trip through Western Europe for the spring.
Additionally, we continued working remotely throughout this trip and took advantage of the 2-hour time difference, starting our explorations around 2:30 PM in the afternoon. So, when you consider it from a time-performance perspective, we were quite efficient.
In this article, we will share our experiences for those who want to take a road trip through Europe and for those who wish to see many places in a short time with an accelerated schedule.
Road Trip Plan Through Western Europe
First of all, let’s clarify that this wasn’t a trip starting from Turkey by car. When we say a Western Europe tour, don’t think of all the Western European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Switzerland) 🙂 We only visited Germany, France, and Switzerland.
Frankfurt
We tried to create the best possible plan for a one-week trip. One of the key factors in this plan was our sibling living in Aalen, near Stuttgart. We planned our road trip through Western Europe to start in Frankfurt, Germany, and end in Stuttgart. Here are all the places we visited over the 5 days:
- Frankfurt
- Idstein
- Strasbourg
- Colmar
- Basel
- Zurich
- Baden
- Stuttgart
- Ulm
- Blautopf
- Aalen
How to Rent a Car in Europe?
Here are the most important details you need to know when renting a car to use in different countries:
- We rented our car from Europcar after doing a price-performance comparison, and we recommend renting from well-known companies.
- We paid 365 euros for 5 days, which included a 30-euro cross-border fee and a fee for returning the car in a different city.
- The cross-border fee is a mandatory charge you have to pay if you plan to use the car outside the country where you rented it.
- We didn’t opt for insurance, but it’s advisable to get it just in case.
By the way, there are no attendants at gas stations in Europe. You have to pump your own gas, and cashiers won’t help with this either.
3 Countries in 5 Days: Accelerated Western Europe Tour
Now that we’ve gotten past the most tedious part—renting a car from the airport—let’s move on to the unique Western Europe routes that awaited us, particularly the 11 different destinations that captivated us with their architecture.
Frankfurt, Germany
Known as the ‘Manhattan of Europe,’ Frankfurt was our first stop after arriving by plane. The city is called this because it’s a major financial hub, filled with banks and numerous skyscrapers.
However, Frankfurt offers the opportunity to trace history, especially in the streets leading from Goethe’s house and statue down to the Iron Bridge. You can see many architectural landmarks, such as churches and the old houses in the Römerberg market square.
Iron Footbridge, Frankfurt
Römerberg
We stayed in Frankfurt for only one night. In the morning, we explored Idstein and walked around the city center in the evening. While we couldn’t explore everything in depth, we believe we managed to see the most important sights in a quick tour.
However, if you plan a longer stay in Frankfurt, we recommend taking advantage of guided tours.
Frankfurt City Tours
Idstein, Frankfurt
After arriving in Frankfurt and checking into our hotel in the city center, our first task was to drive for 40 minutes to Idstein, a quiet and peaceful town known for its charming houses. If you don’t have a car, you can also take a train from Frankfurt to Idstein.
Idstein is a small and charming town that will captivate you with its beautiful houses. To spend more quality time here, you can join local tours or opt for experience-focused guided activities.
Idstein Guided Tours
Strasbourg, France
On the second day of our 5-day Western Europe tour, we set off from Frankfurt to Strasbourg. The reason we paid the cross-border fee was to switch countries, and our first stop was Strasbourg, located in northeastern France.
In the morning, we wandered through the quiet streets of Strasbourg, took plenty of photos, and visited the Notre Dame Cathedral.
With a height of 142 meters, the Strasbourg Cathedral is as impressive inside as it is outside. It should definitely be one of the first places you visit when you’re here.
Afterward, don’t forget to stroll through the streets, treat yourself to a coffee, and take lots of photos.
Make sure to visit Strasbourg’s Le Petite France, the area known as “Little France.” As you wander through the streets, you’ll suddenly find yourself there. Enjoy it!
If you want to hear the stories behind these historical streets, you can always book a guided tour.
Strasbourg City Tours
Colmar, Strasbourg
Before nightfall, our goal was to reach Colmar, a popular destination in recent times. We planned to stay the night here, so we had the chance to experience both its night and day. As soon as we dropped off our luggage at the hotel, we began exploring on foot.
Although Colmar is known for attracting tourists during Christmas, visiting during Easter was also very vibrant and fun.
The Collégiale Saint-Martin de Colmar, a Catholic Church, was one of the key places to visit.
The La Petite Venice area, also known as Little Venice, is just one of the colorful spots in Colmar that will provide you with picturesque views as you wander around.
Maison Pfister, with its unique architecture, stands out from the other houses. It was built in 1575 and was named after the Pfister family who lived there. Don’t leave without reading the details on the plaque at the door.
But now, it’s time for us to continue our journey to Basel
Basel, Switzerland
Basel, located at the border of Germany and France, was another destination we included in our accelerated Western Europe tour. It was the perfect stop before heading to Zurich, and a city we didn’t want to miss.
We didn’t expect to encounter such a quiet, peaceful, and serene city. Basel, Switzerland’s third-largest city, felt like it belonged solely to us that day.
Of course, there was a shopping street similar to Istanbul’s Istiklal Avenue, but due to roadwork, it was empty. It was likely the busiest area of the city, as evidenced by the chestnut vendors 🙂
Despite the cold, you should definitely walk along the banks of the Rhine River, which runs through the city center, and cross the Mittlere Rheinbrücke (Middle Bridge).
Europe always feels cold and grey to us, and Basel initially gave the same impression. That is, until we saw the Basel Town Hall. Suddenly, we wondered if we had arrived in Portugal 🙂
This is the Basel Cathedral. We didn’t explore the interior, but we’re sure it’s as impressive as the exterior. If you have time, you can visit it and share your thoughts with us.
Our time in Basel came to an end, and next, we headed to Zurich…
However, if you plan to spend more time in this city, you can explore tours for a more in-depth visit.
Basel City Tours
Zurich, Switzerland
We are in Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, the one that immediately brings to mind the swans on the Limmat River. And yes, we saw those swans in person.
But more than anything, we realized up close that Zurich is primarily a student city, highly advanced in terms of art and culture, and its electric transportation network reaches every corner.
The best part was seeing young people getting off the buses with their ski gear. Being able to go skiing in the Alps for the day must be quite a luxury.
This is the train station. From here, you can travel by train to countries like Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.
If you have more time, you can also explore Zurich and nearby destinations through guided tours.
Zurich City Tours
However, since our concept was a road trip through Europe, we are now heading towards Baden, where we will spend the night.
Baden, Switzerland
Baden is located 25 km from Zurich and can also be reached by a 15-minute train ride.
This peaceful, small town is situated along the Limmat River. We were greeted by rainy and misty weather, but the views as we headed towards Stuttgart were breathtaking.
In short, if you’re planning to rent a car and take a similar Western Europe road trip, we highly recommend stopping in such charming towns. We chose Baden because accommodation in Zurich’s city center was very expensive, but we fully enjoyed the benefits of budget-friendly travel.
As we head to our final destination, Stuttgart, you can also stop by Baden for a quick coffee break, even if it’s just to spend an hour on the road.
Stuttgart, Germany
We will end our Western Europe tour, which started in Germany, in another German city—Stuttgart. Since our sibling lives in Aalen, we planned it this way and continued the rest of our trip with four people. They took us around Ulm, Blaubeuren – Blautopf, and Aalen 🙂 This part of the plan was in their hands.
But first, let us share some snapshots from the center of Stuttgart. In the bustling marketplace, where almost everyone speaks Turkish and you’ll find a Turkish döner shop at every corner, there were also many historical sites worth seeing in Stuttgart.
Stuttgart, New Palace
Altes Schloss (Old Castle)
Schillerplatz, Stuttgart
If you’re feeling tired and think, ‘Well, we’re in Germany, let’s take a beer break,’ you can stop by places labeled ‘Biergarten’ to relax. However, since we were driving, we just passed by without stopping.
Schicksalsbrunnen, Stuttgart
Yes, that’s all we saw in the center of Stuttgart. We strolled around Schiller Square and had döner. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to visit the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums. Of course, we can’t claim to have fully appreciated any city on such an accelerated European tour. However, we made sure to dedicate plenty of time to the underrated natural beauties that most travelers overlook.
If you have more time, we recommend exploring these historical sites at a slower pace with guided tours.
Stuttgart City Tours
Ulm, Tübingen
Stuttgart is the capital of the Baden-Württemberg state, and Ulm is a city in the same state, connected to Tübingen. Ulm is located along the banks of the Danube River. You can walk along the river, sit at cafes or restaurants, and watch rowers on the river.
Afterward, you can easily explore Ulm’s key attractions on foot within half a day, including the Ulm Minster, the Albert Einstein Museum, the Ulm Armory, the town hall, and the Water Museum.
Ulm Minster
Ulm Town Hall
Zeughaus (Armory)
Ulm Water Museum
Albert Einstein Museum and Statue
Blautopf, Blaubeuren
We dedicated the other half of the day to visiting the Blautopf spring in Blaubeuren. If you’re interested in natural beauty, make sure to stop by here when visiting Stuttgart and Ulm.
There are trails around the spring where you can take nature walks. Many people come here for sports and cycling. You can also consider these activities as options.
Aalen
Aalen is a very quiet city located in the Baden-Württemberg state, 48 km from Ulm and 70 km from Stuttgart city center.
The Renaissance fountain located in Aalen’s market square.
While strolling around the square in Aalen, you can discover places to eat and drink, mostly frequented by locals and university students.
We chose Aposto and tried some local beers.
The next day, we returned our car at Stuttgart Airport, concluding our one-week Western Europe tour. We hope we’ve been able to inspire and provide useful information to those planning a similar road trip.
