Since having kids we’ve been enjoying Europe road trips like they are going out of fashion. We ditched our backpacks for car hire as it’s a really convenient way to travel with young kids.  You can just strap them into their safety seats and off you go! We absolutely love a Europe road trip!!

I’ve loved the adventurous places we’ve reached during our Europe road trips with babies and toddlers.  H and Zizi have too.  In fact, hiring a car allows you to get to some really off-the-beaten-track places! Having your own car also gives you the pick of the the very best AirBnB accommodation in Europe.

For us, visiting ancient ruins with toddlers have proved to be particularly successful days out.  If your toddlers are interested in running around incredible historical sites then a European road trip is a great way to reach archaeological ruins. And if you pack a sling then you can visit pretty much anywhere with a baby.  Babies make fantastic travel companions if you think about it…

Whether you’re interested in incredible geological formations, historic ruins or remote beaches, we highly recommend getting wheels and setting off on a Europe road trip.  So, in no particular order, here are our Top 5 Europe Road Trips with Babies and Toddlers.

1.  Europe Road Trip: 12 Days in Iceland with a Baby

Iceland’s rugged and unique landscape of volcanoes, geysers and glaciers provide world-beating scenery for a Europe road trip. Since it’s an island, there’s a natural route all of the way around the ring-road which we completed in 12 days in Iceland.

Iceland Road Trip Highlights: 

The Golden Circle containing the mighty Gullfoss waterfall, eerie Pingvellir views and the Geysir eruptions is a good start.  Nearby, we loved Seljalandfoss waterfall which you can walk behind.  Beyond these Iceland road trip highlights, the glacier lake at Jokulsarlon is incredible plus there are some unexpected treats like whale watching at some of the outposts around the county.

We did our Iceland road trip when H was 7 months old.  You can read why it was such a successful Iceland road trip here.

2.  Europe Road Trip: 10 days in Montenegro with a Baby

Montenegro is one of the forgotten gems of Europe and so a Europe road trip here is extremely worthwhile. Montenegro has centuries of history but is a relatively new country. These factors combine to make Montenegro a fascinating place. Beautiful walled cities sit beside stunning beaches and further inland, you will find majestic mountains and awe-inspiring national parks.

Montenegro Road Trip Highlights: 

The walled Old Towns of Kotor and Budva are enchanting places to walk around. A drive along the coast offer these treats, both sandy and rocky beaches, plus the picturesque view of Sveti Stefan, jutting over the sea. Further inland, monasteries abound and the one at Ostrog is a sight to behold – neatly carved into a cliff-face.

H enjoyed his 1st birthday in Kotor, which was one of our favourite stops on this Europe road trip. Our Montenegro road trip itinerary and Montenegro highlights are here.

3.  Europe Road Trip: 9 days in Cyprus with a Toddler

The thing that made our Cyprus road trip so memorable was visiting both the contrasting North (Turkish) and South (Greek) sides of the island. The South has great beaches and Roman ruins, and North Cyprus really felt like an adventure.  This Europe road trip has a great mix of things to interest a toddler including ancient ruins, sandy coastlines and forts – oh and some good playgrounds too!

Cyprus Road Trip Highlights: 

The ancient sites need to be top of the list of things to do with a toddler. The ruins at the Tomb of the Kings, Kourion and Salamis were incredible! Nicosia and Kyrenia are two of the most compelling towns we’ve visited in Europe – particularly Nicosia, where a border runs through this capital city, divides the Turkish and Greek sides.  Apart from the sites, it’s worth mentioning that Cyprus is one of the most family-friendly destinations in Europe – the Cypriots adore children.  This makes each stop on a Europe road trip a lot easier with a toddler!

H was 17 months old when we visited Cyprus and in full toddler mode. Watching him run around ruins, play on beaches and interact with locals was an absolute pleasure.  To see how we encapsulated the best of the North and South on our Cyprus road trip, read here.

4.  Europe Road Trip: 8 days in Macedonia and Kosovo with a Toddler

This one really is off-the-beaten-track! You will have some scenic and memorable places to yourself if you do this Europe road trip. We loved this road trip – it was so good, we wrote two blogs on it – one for each of Macedonia and Kosovo. This Europe road trip with a toddler was relaxing, eye-opening and, at times, magical. So, if you fancy something different then this could be Europe road trip for you…

Kosovo Road Trip Highlights: 

All of Kosovo was a highlight because it was so interesting.  It’s still recovering from a horrendous war and there is not a big tourist industry in Kosovo. As a result, everything day-to-day for avid adventurers is a bit more intriguing and there’s a lot to discover from the people, culture and promising future.  As for sights, the capital city of Pristina, the cultural centre of Prizren, unique Vesoki Decani monastery and under-visited Gadime caves on the way to Macedonia are all worth exploring.

H was an 18-month old toddler in Kosovo and I was also expecting Zizi.  Read here to find out why Kosovo made an awesome road trip.

Macedonia Road Trip Highlights:

First of all, Lake Ohrid is mesmerising.  The deep blue lake is magical and days can be idled away on its beautiful shores. But if you get bored, a mini road trip to Albania is doable in a day along the edge of Lake Ohrid. Also, Macedonia’s capital Skopje is absolutely fascinating… hard to explain in a few words…

Read here to find out more about Skopje and the rest of Macedonia.

5.  Europe Road Trip: 11 days in Crete a Toddler and a Preschooler

Crete is the perfect sized island for a Europe road trip.  We meandered across the island to visit different coastlines and the mountains, but no journey was too long.  Again there were unique ancient ruins to visit – this time Minoan – plus a number of open, sandy beaches.  Another thing that made this Europe road trip memorable was the food: the salads and other Cretian dishes were always mouthwatering!

Crete Road Trip Highlights: 

It’s been a bit of a theme with this list, but ancient ruins are an awesome day out with a toddler. H shot up the hill like a rabbit at Lato ruins, clambering over the rock ruins as he went. An enjoyable stop was at Elounda where the deep blue lagoon provided excellent views as the light changed through the day.  Looking across the lagoon you can see Spinalonga Island which is a fascinating former leper colony to stroll around. There are many great beaches around Crete for the kids to enjoy and we particularly liked the beaches at Frangokastello.  And I have to mention the food again – our meals in Crete were amazing.

H turned 4 in Crete and Zizi had recently had her 2nd birthday.  Difficult ages to travel with kids… So it says something that our Europe road trip around Crete makes our Top 5.  Read about our Crete road trip here to find out why.

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