6 European Road Trips for Wine Lovers

Languedoc and the French Riviera are very different places. One is a land of rusticity; of charming simplicity and rural warmth. The other is a land of opulent splendour, dotted with centres of metropolitan magnificence.

To journey from the historical, cobbled citadel of Carcassonne to the illuminated boardwalks of Cannes is to experience two halves of France. And if you want to really do it in style, do it in a classic car. It’ll be like something out of a film.

If you love a challenge, then driving the Amalfi Coast is the one for you. Amalfi’s roads are notoriously difficult to drive on, due to their narrowness and the sheer cliffs which drop down to the sea, but it’s a region which well rewards those brave enough to travel its roads.

The ocean views are nothing short of jaw-dropping, and it’s a great opportunity to get out of Amalfi itself and visit the smaller towns and villages which are scattered along the coast.

Okay, we know what you’re thinking. But just imagine it. You start your journey in Lisbon, head up to Porto, then east into Spain – through Ribera, Rioja, along to Barcelona – and up into France. From there, you head across Bordeaux, then through the Loire Valley, east to Paris, and next down through Champagne, Burgundy, the Rhône (Alsace is pretty out of the way, but we suppose if you’ve got the time to do this then you can probably manage a detour), Languedoc and along the French Riviera and Provence.

Then, cross over the Alps into Italy and head down from Piedmont to Tuscany via Cinque Terre, south towards Amalfi and finish your tour in Puglia. It’ll probably take a few months, sure, but the whole thing will be so unforgettable that even your great-grandchildren will remember it.