Europe 2025

3 month road trip in Europe

We are back to Europe again – flying from Auckland to Amsterdam on July 17th. After spending a few days in Amsterdam with our son (Lars) and his lovely wife Derya, we then bus to Frankfurt to pick up our wheels via Euro lease.

Our next 2 months on the road will take us through Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy – finally dropping the car in Lyon, France.

We then take a flight to Athens where we will island hop for 3 weeks to Crete, Santorini, Naxos and Paros.

After 95 days away we will then fly back to Auckland to hit the start of summer.

Itinerary

Below are some of the bigger towns we are staying in but we will also be bunking down in many smaller places . Our itinerary will have us staying in 45 different towns and villages in 10 countries.

Bring it on!

We have a dog Frankie who was picked up to go and live with our great friends – Liz and Cros in Tauranga. What a godsend to have them look after him.

*Cros – will need to stop babysitting to dogsit*

The Netherlands July 18th – 23rd

Amsterdam

Our son Lars and his wife Derya live in the suburb of De Pijps. It is just South of the city but an easy walk or cycle into the city. Everyone cycles in Amsterdam. It is so flat and with cycleways throughout is the best way to get about.

*It is great to just jump on a bike and explore*

It was wonderful to catch up with Lars and Derya as well as their two cats!

We packed quite a lot into our 4 days in Amsterdam. Apart from checking out the city centre , we hired a car and went North to explore the lovely small towns of Edam, Volenham, Monnickham and Marken. We also hired bikes and cycled just out of Amsterdam to the historic village Zaanse Schans.

*Bikes end up in the canal – free to a good home*

*We spotted a windmill on our early morning stroll*

Edam

Yes it is a cheese named after this lovely little town about 30 minutes North East of Amsterdam.

Edam is a very quaint village to walk around.

Volenham and Monnickham

A couple of small towns on the coast near Edam.

Marken

Another very cute village on a causeway.

Zaanse Schans

We cycled out to this small village with lots of old windmills.

After a wonderful few days catching up with Lars and Derya and seeing the sights of Amsterdam and some of the surrounds – it was time to leave.

Germany July 23rd – 25th

We caught a Flexbus from Amsterdam to Frankfurt to pick up our Eurolease car which will be our wheels for the next 70 days. We picked up a brand new Peugeot 2008 – 40 kms on the clock!

Gelnhausan

What a lovely historic town.There are many lovely towns in Bavaria which weren’t bombed in the war and therefore have retained there wonderful charm.

Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber

An absolute gem of a place. The old town is a fortress and you can walk the walls and wander the streets.

*The old town is perched high above the river*

Bamberg

We only stayed a night here but could have stayed longer.

Czech Republic July 25th – August 3rd

We only spent a couple of days in Germany as we were keen to get the Czech Republic.

Loket

This was our first stop in the Czech Republic- a small village with a castle above the river.

Karlovy Vary

Our first two nights in the Czech Republic. What an absolutely stunning town! Built for the rich and famous to come and enjoy spas as the area is full of natural mineral springs. The hotels are opulent and OTT! Not that we stayed in one but we could only admire the magnificent buildings.

We walked up the hill above the old town with great views below.

I wandered the neighborhood behind the old town and was in awe of all the amazing stately homes.Karlovy Vary was a very much a place for the wealthy!

We loved our first taste of the Czech Republic.

Pilsen

Where pilsner beer was first brewed in 1842.

We don’t typically do tours but I couldn’t resist a brewery tour! There are 9 kms of tunnels under the brewery that stored thousands of barrels but it is no longer used.

*A freshly brewed pilsner in the cellar*

Prague

Everyone we spoke to before going to Prague raved about it. So our expectations were very high.

We knew it would be crazy busy and it was !

Over two days we walked around 40 kilometers! Prague is divided by the Vltava River. Prague Castle sits proudly on the Northern side and is impressive.

Charles Bridge is the oldest bridge in Prague- construction started in 1357 – it was finally completed in 15th Century.

*Lots of things are happening on Charles Bridge*

*Changing of the guard at the Royal Palace*

*Mariansky – looks like something from Transvania*

We enjoyed Prague. Fortunately the weather played ball and it was a great temperature to walk and absorb everything Prague had to offer.

Did Prague blow me away. No. I preferred Karlovy Vary- that did blow me away but maybe I had no expectations.

Trebon

Enroute to Cesky Krumlov we visited the town of Trebon.

The area around the town is a haven for cyclist- there were a heap in town after cycling around the lakes. A great place to wander and stop for lunch.

Cesky Krumlov

What a great vibe. The old town is surrounded by water and on one side an imposing looking castle.

We stayed in the old town with a small garden to chill out in and have a beer and wine.

Our Airbnb is in the attic of a 15th century building.

*Our place is the brown house on the right*

We had a tour of the castle. It was built in the 12th century and had many family dynasties own it until the communists took it over in 1947.

The rooms were all stunning – adorned with tapestries, old furniture and paintings of the owners. People back in those days all looked a bit weird!

We loved Cesky Krumlov. It is a small village just oozing charm.The castle gardens were also lovely to wander through and enjoy.

*There are lots of great vantage points*

Telc

On our way to Brno we went to a small historic town,Telc.

Brno

After the amazing places we had just been to in the Czech Republic, Brno didn’t really do it for us.

It had an old town square that was the hub of all activity with an underground network of tunnels that had been used mainly to store food and wine.

*Helle was happy – she found a vege market*

*Underground tunnels where food was stored*

Vienna

We were less than 2 hours drive from Vienna so popped down for a few hours before hitting Slovakia.

We wandered about and took a few snaps. Many very grand buildings – museums, cathedrals and palaces.

Slovakia August 3rd – August 10th

Our first real taste of an Eastern Bloc country. We viewed Bratislava, the capital , from a distance and all we saw was large concrete apartments. As we got closer it didn’t get any better!

Bratislava

We were shocked as we drove into Bratislava how awful it looked. The communist regime didn’t serve it well! It was a bleak, uninspiring concrete jungle with seemingly no redeeming features. Sorry Bratislava.

We thought my god what a shit hole.

We did find a small pocket of the old town that lifted our spirits.

*There are always a few churches to admire*

Apart from that sorry Bratislava it was dismal! So much so we canceled our second night and headed as far away as possible.

Trnava

We headed North and found a town which had a bit of character.

Trencin

We found a fantastic Airbnb in Trencin which had a balcony overlooking the castle. What a top find!

Trencin was great! Thank goodness we bailed from Bratislava otherwise we wouldn’t have discovered it.

Banska Stiavnica

A Lovely historic town in the middle of Slovakia. It was once a thriving mining town for silver. The drive today was great – beautiful forest.

*Banska Stiavnica was a wealthy mining town*

Banska Bystrica

The bigger brother of Banska Stiavnica. However like all big brothers not as good!

We found a very quaint village just outside the town – Spania Dolina

*Spania Dolina Cathedral – 13th century*

We took a walk up in the hills and it was beautiful lush forest.

Levoca

A small historical fortified town in the North of Slovakia. The nearest town in Poland is less than 100kms away and Ukraine only 200 kms away. Helle is not keen to venture any closer to Ukraine!

Enroute we visited another castle – Orava Castle. We love castles. I think it is just the way they are built, their age and mystic that surrounds them – they are always perched high on a hill with massive walls, ramparts, dungeons, spiral staircases, towers, tunnels, moots and fascinating history.

*Helle would have been tall back in the day*

*They don’t make doors like they use to*

*A lovely wedding at the Mariansky church*

As we drove to our next destination we spotted a other castle in the distance. We thought we had better check it out.

*Spis Castle – the largest castle in Eastern Europe*

*Great views of the surrounds from the top tower*

Kosice

A town close to the border with Ukraine and Hungary.

Hungary – August 9th – 16th

Eger

Our first night in Hungary. We finally hit some hot wearher – 35 degrees C.

Eger is one of the wine regions in Hungary. In Eger the rather strange name “Valley of Beautiful Women” houses about 40 different cellars. So we had to go and have a wander. We spotted a lot of wine but not beautiful women – apart from Helle of course!

Nagymaros

A small village right on the Danube.

*Town square and our Airbnb on the right*

*We took a ferry across the river to Visegrad*

Szentendre

A lovely small historic town just outside Budapest.We picked up our good friend Rebecca in Budapest who will be joining us for the next 3 weeks.

Budapest

We had heard wonderful things about Budapest. It didn’t disappoint. As soon as we drove into the centre we got a sense of the grandeur of the place.

We stayed right on the Danube overlooking the magnificent Parliament buildings.

*It was awesome at night from our balcony*

Budapest is sort of bike friendly. We enjoyed cycling through the parks and the streets – you just had to keep your wits about you.

It was 35 degrees in Budapest. We cycled one day and walked the next. We loved Budapest – the buildings, the parks, the river and the tree lined streets.

*Helle loves dogs – even bronze statues*

In the Second World War hundreds of Jews were shot on the banks of the Danube by the Hungarian fascists. Before they were shot they were ordered to take their shoes off. There is a memorial on the banks of the Danube to remember the victims.

We have loved our 3 days in Budapest.

Keszthely

We drove about 3 hours South of Budapest to a town on Lake Balaton. It’s the largest lake in Hungary and heaps of Hungarians hit the shores in the heat of summer.

We stopped at a small village,Tihany, for lunch – known for its lavender and peppers.

Inside was adorned with furniture and paintings from the 18th and 19th century.

Slovenia August 16th – 21st

Ptuj

A lovely old town enroute to our first night in Slovenia- in fact the oldest town in Slovenia.

Top drive through small country villages and lovely countryside. We followed the border with Croatia and never quite knew which country we were in.

Celje

*Looking from the tower – a long way down*

Ljubljana

What a wonderful city. Probably my favorite small city – it has a population of only 300,000 people.

Like many European cities it has a castle nestled on a hill with the old town and canal below.

The old town has heaps of character. We just wandered about and enjoyed the vibe and very relaxed atmosphere.

*The girls loved it so much they went house hunting*

Lake Bled

On our way to Lake Bled we visited a lovely small village – Skofja Loka. An historic town with a river running through it and a Cathedral on the hill. A common theme back in the day!

*The girls enjoying a coffee in the town square*

For lunch we stopped off in Lake Bohinj

Lake Bled was great. The main town is awful. Built clearly with little concept of beauty in mind! However the walk around the lakes with the island cathedral and hilltop castle is spectacular.

*I love the castle nestled high above the lake*

We stayed in a small village about 5 minutes from Lake Bled. Absolutely glorious away from the mayhem of the main town.

Piran

Our last town we visited in Slovenia. Right on a small peninsula and oozing with charm.

We loved Slovenia. The country is small but the people seem happy and friendly. It was quite a contrast coming from Hungary where the people seemed more distant and disinterested. Perhaps unfair but it was our observation and feeling albeit in a short space of time !

Slovenia rocks!

Croatia August 21st – Sept 1st

Rovinj

Welcome to Croatia! Rovinj – what an absolutely magical place on the coast.

*Little nooks and crannies around each corner*

Bale

Only 20 minutes inland from Rovinj was the tiny village of Bale.

*The girls deep in conversation with a local*

Labin

Another top town.

Moscenice

We headed down the Adriatic coast to a very small village nestled high above the sea. Our base for a couple of nights.

*Our own spot to enjoy a 5 o’clock tipple*

*We walked 900 stairs to the town below*

Plitvica National Park

We drove about 3 hours into the interior of Croatia to visit this amazing park – lovely turquoise lakes and waterfalls everywhere.

*Water colour is from calcium carbonate*

We walked about 8 kilometers into the park with a boat ride midway.

Trogir

We drove back about 3 hours to the Croatian coast to an idyllic fortified town – Trogir.

*Even a few shops to entertain the girls*

*View from our Airbnb balcony across the water*

Split

We only had 1 night in Split as we are heading back after Dubrovnik to catch the ferry to Italy.

Split has a wonderful old town within walls right on the waterfront.

*Our Airbnb courtyard after another tough day!*

Dubrovnik – Cavtat

Dubrovnik is supposedly the jewel of all old walled towns!

I had visited in 1986 which was far less chaotic.

*The smaller more interesting lanes were empty*

Dubrovnik for me is over rated. We found many lovely little towns and villages with no people, that had more charm than Dubrovnik. Sadly it suffers from over tourism. There was tour group after tour group clogging the main street and squares.

They also overcharge – 40 euros each to walk the wall! Are you kidding!

Outside the wall along the coast was impressive.

Dubrovnik is worth visiting but I wouldn’t stay there. We stayed in Cavtat – a small coastal town about 20 kilometers South of Dubrovnik. Very chilled and relaxing. We took a boat to visit Dubrovnik.

*Famous steps apparently- Game of Thrones* fame

Cavtat

Cavtat was a great base. It is a small charming little port village.

We stayed in an Airbnb for 3 nights up on the hill with great views across the town, water and Dubrovnik in the distance.

*We were on the flight path – Dubrovnik lights*

*There must have been a thousand lightning strikes*

We drove back to Split from Cavtat up the Adriatic coast. The water is so clear and lovely with everyone enjoying the end of summer sun after the stormy night.

We stopped at the small fortified town of Ston.The landscape down the coast is very hilly and barren but the drive has great views of the Adriatic and the immediate islands off the coastline.

Italy Sept 1st – Oct 1st

Our month in Italy will take us to all the hotspots around Italy.

We took the car ferry from Split to Ancona in Italy. 10 hours – an old dunger but inside had all the comforts .

*I am not normally up at the crack of dawn*

Puglia

Vieste

Our first taste of an Italian whitewashed town. Picture perfect and very charming old town from the 15th Century.

*I enjoyed just wandering the small streets*

Trani

A small coastal town en route to Polignano a Mare.

Polignano a Mare

We stayed a couple of nights in this magical coastal very old town.

*From our rooftop – free Palestine ! We joined in.*

Monopoli

Just 10 kilometers from Polignano a Mare is the wonderful old town of Monopoli. Again fantastic to just walk and absorb the 17th century town.

Ostuni

A wonderful hilltop white washed town. Probably our favourite Puglia town although all were great with their own flavour and charm.

We spent a couple of days in Ostuni . It’s a great base to then check out a few towns close by.

Alberobello

The town of “cone shaped ” houses known as a trulli. Originally built as agricultural dwellings to be easily demolished.When the tax man arrived to collect property tax they could easily dismantle the building to avoid tax.

Rebecca’s lovely daughter Charlotte joined us in Ostuni and our trip to Alberobello.

The town is fascinating to just walk the small streets and look at all the buildings – they are unique to the area and the town has around 1500 trullis.

Martina Franca

Somewhat of a bonus town ! We hadn’t really planned to visit but what a small gem.

Lecce

We headed South ,just for a night to this “Italian Baroque ” style town.

Matera

The oldest town in Italy! What an amazing place. 9000 years ago people were living in caves in this area.

We walked into the valley and up the hill where there was the first signs of habitation 9000 years ago.

Amalfi Coast and Pompeii

We didn’t drive the Amalfi Coast. We based ourselves in small town just North of Sorrento called Vico Equense. We then used the public transport to get along the coast – trains,busses and boats.

The landscape along the coast is very dramatic. The towns sit perched high up the cliff faces. The road is very narrow and windy. The boat trip was certainly the best option!

We enjoyed a walk around Amalfi. Many seem to think Positano is the prettiest town – I didn’t find that.

Positano is lovely and picturesque from the water.

Vico Equense

Fortunately not swarming with tourists – we used it as a base for 3 days. It’s a small seaside town only 15 kms north of Sorrento. Quite charming in its own right.

Pompeii

Certainly is a must see tourist attraction. Buried by ash in 79AD the town is large and many buildings have been bought back to life to get a glimpse of how people lived 2000 years ago.

*A Bakery – where they ground the wheat*

Pompeii is very impressive. But I am a fan of ruins!

Roma

I was looking forward to Rome. We stayed about a 30 minute walk from the colosseum and beside a pyramid! On arrival there was an animal rights march so we were keen to join in!

We had 2 days beating the feet. Probably walked about 40 kilometers in the 2 days.

The main attractions were jam packed!

*Vatican City – the corridor to the Sistene Chapel*

*The chapel* – *we didn’t see the Pope !*

*A very happy camper – a concert was about to start*

*The line for the colosseum – at 8.30 am!*

*50000 spectators use to watch gladiators kill*

Rome didn’t disappoint. Yes it was crowded but wandering the streets and seeing all the great buildings of another era was awe inspiring.

*The Catholics sure went crazy on the ceilings!*

*Loved the old streets in the centre of Rome*

LOVED ROMA!

Tuscany

We spent around a week in Tuscany.

It is a lovely area – although this time of year a lot of the fields have just been ploughed so not as lush and green as I imagine it would be in other seasons.

The whole region has many medieval villages and towns nestled high on hills to best protect against invasion.

We stayed in a very quaint fortified village, Montefollonico. The photo above was taken from where we stayed – the towns use to battle each other!

*The buildings are all made from stone and brick*

Siena

One of the larger towns in Tuscany – just South of Florence.

Florence

What a wonderful city! We drove in from the South and you look over the city – you can feel and see the granduer immediately. Dominating the skyline is the magnificent dome.

We had an apartment right above the old city looking down on all the fantastic buildings.

As we were right in the centre we got up early ( very unusual for us) to catch a glimpse of the famed sights before the masses.

*Helle and the golden girl exchanging numbers*

*The famous leather bag market – Helle bought 2*

We loved our 2 days in Florence. It is just a great place to wander the streets and absorb everything around you!

*Some crazy looking statue on the river*

Venice

Everyone raves about Venice and I can see why!

We stayed in a fabulous place overlooking a canal and in a top street – just away from all the hustle and bustle but close enough to walk the island and take in the atmosphere and all the sights.

Lars joined us which was a great bonus.

*There are many Gondola chaps ready to take you for a ride*

*Our preference was to just walk the streets*

If you don’t like Venice then I have no idea what city you would enjoy. It just oozes romance and charm.

We took a ferry out to the island of Murano .It is well known for its fancy glass.

*View from our balcony – a storm was on full flight*

*Men at work – repairing the side of the building*

Cinque Terre

We drove about 4 1/2 hours to the wonderful region – Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre is a coastal strip in North West Italy – made up of 5 small villages nestled into the hillside and you can walk along the coast from one village to the next.

Absolutely stunning coastline. We stayed in Vernazza.

*On the walkway- Montorosso in the distance*

*Looking down on Vernazza where we stayed*

Genoa

Last stop in Italy. Genoa took us by surprise – It is a lovely setting around the harbour with some very fancy boats.

*Genoa also had some stunning buildings*

We dropped Lars off at the airport and then drove to France to drop our car off in Lyon – to then fly to Athens.

What a great drive into France through the Alps.

We paid today 100 euros in tolls to drive from Genoa to Annecy in France. One tunnel was 12 kms long through the mountains.

France

Annecy

What a lovely spot! It reminded me a bit of Queenstown – Annecy sits on a lake amidst mountains.

It is a very charming place.

The thing to do in Annecy is hire a bike and go around the lake – about 40 kms.

*Close to the Swiss border – some influence there?*

It was a top ride.

*View from the plane flying over the Alps*

Greece – Oct 1st – 22nd

Athens

I havent been to Athens since 1986 and it hasn’t got any better! It is a sorry sight – graffiti everywhere, buildings in disrepair and footpaths are in similar condition! What happened to the great Greek Empire.

My first impressions of Athens all those years ago hasn’t improved. The city is not pretty and an architectural eyesore!

We did of course go and see the Acropolis which shows 2500 years ago Athens did rule the world.

The day we went it was absolutely bucketing down so visitors were scarce!

Crete

I was last here in 1986 with my old mate BK.

We have about a week and are staying in a few different places around the island.

Rethymon

Our first night on Crete. Top little place with an old castle and town to explore. Also a lovely beach.

*Helle striding on the beach keen for a swim*

*Cat very chilled outside the cannibas shop*

Chania

Charming Chania. It has a wonderful Venetian port which is great for a stroll. It is a very chilled place.

*Our balcony – perfect place for a beer*

*A beachfront taverna getting ready for a celebration a baptism!*

*Wall of the old Venetian port – built 14th Century*

Loutro

We drove to the Southern Coast of Crete to a town Hora Sfakion to catch a boat to a small seaside village – Loutro. You cannot drive there – you either walk 9 kms 600 meters up and then down or take a boat – we opted for the latter!

There is a memorial in Hora Sfakion of the Battle of Crete in 1941 for all the fallen soldiers – the allies v Germans.

*671 kiwis were killed in the the Battle of Crete*

*Remnants above Loutro of the ancient city – Phoenix*

Agia Galini

We stayed a couple of nights in the fairly” touristy” town of Agia Galini.

The drive along the South Coast was very slow through gorges and small villages.

*A few animals to contend with on the way*

*View from our digs – it was very rough in the Med*

Matala

A small beach town on the Southern Coast of Crete. It is a bit of a throw back to the 60s – flower power and hippie days. It still has that vibe.

*Caves everywhere in the limestone cliffs*

Agia Nikolaos

We headed about 3 hours east to Agia Nikolaos and stayed a couple of nights.

The water was beautiful and clear.

*Dinner on the balcony – best view in town*

Santorini

Santorini is famous for its whitewashed buildings and blue domes. We didn’t stay in Oia which is the main town tourists flock to. We stayed just outside in a small village called Finikia- about a 20 minute walk to Oia.

*Our digs* *with Nellie the resident cat*

*Blue and White is the name of the game*

We did a 10 km walk from Oia to Fira. Fabulous walk around the cliffs with great views across the water.

*Oia in the distance – we walked on top of the cliff*

*Spa at our digs after a tough day walking*

Santorini is a very picturesque island. However it is very touristy and we are pleased we saw it in the off season! The vistas are spectacular from many parts of the island and you are never very far from the water.

We hired a car for a day and it’s very easy to explore the whole island in a day.

Naxos

The Greek Islands just get better and better! Naxos is more authentic than Santorini- much better beaches even if it doesn’t have the views and dramatic cliffs.It isn’t overrun with tourists – I like the feel of the place.