When asked about the vacation of their dreams, most people picture themselves on some remote exotic island. However, covid has taught us that you don't necessarily have to travel that far to have a great time! Moreover, pandemics aside, travelling great distances for long periods of time just isn't feasable for everyone. Fortunately, even with limited time or resources it is still possible to make a wonderful trip. Codeword: Europe! Last summer we roadtripped through Europe for nine days (1 week + 2 weekends) and were pleasantly surprised time and again... There's so much beauty waiting to be discovered in our little nook of the world!

In this article we describe our travel route, but you can of course easily adapt this trip to your own needs and wishes. For example, we slept on a mattress that we had crammed into the back of our car, but maybe you prefer to sleep in a proper hotel bed? To keep costs down, we also opted for 'wild' camping (leave no trace!), but if you fancy a little more comfort you can spend your nights in official campsites. The choice is yours! Allrighty then, time to take you along on our route through the old continent!

Luxembourg

As Belgians, we kick off our roadtrip in Belgium after some mandatory beers, (belgian!) fries and waffles. So should you! Hitting the freeway, you'll be surprised that just a couple of hours later you'll already cross your first international border. Time to try out your best French, because the first stop is Luxembourg. Culture lovers will have a great time dicovering the capital, and you'll find beautiful pieces of nature here as well. Discover the 'Our' nature park and the 112 km long 'Mullerthal Trail' path, which was awarded the label 'Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe'.

Switzerland

The next bit of driving takes about 4h30. Strap on your hiking boots, because we're heading for the mountains! In the Seealpsee region you'll find dozens of hiking opportunities. We made the hike to the lake itself (ie Seealpsee) and then took the cable car to Berggasthaus Aescher-Wildkirchli. Peace descends on you as soon as you arrive in the valley. All that matters from then on is the distant sound of tinkling cowbells and the glass of fresh alpine milk that you can sample in the small farms scattered across the valley. Meanwhile you're gradually sliding into full blown holiday mode. Curious about what this walk looks like and how to get there? We described it all in this blog post.

On to the next destination! Less than 30 minutes from Seealpsee you'll come across another beautiful alpine landscape. The breathtaking views at Saxer Lücke are to die for. The walk is about 17 kilometers with the necessary altimeters, but for those who don't have much time or just aren't big fans of long mountain walks, there is good news! A recently installed cable car takes you high into the mountains. From there it's only a 3 kilometer walk to the viewpoint of Saxer Lücke. Those who aren't easily tired can walk all the way to Falensee. This lake can only be reached on foot, making it wonderfully quiet. If you want, you can also spend the night there to enjoy the peace and quiet in these remote mountains. For those interested, you'll find more details about this place in this extensive article.

Liechtenstein

Next up on our schedule was Liechtenstein (about an hour's drive from Saxer Lücke), and this place pleasantly surprised us. Outside the ski season, Liechtenstein is very nice and quiet. Enjoy the beautiful mountain vista's and medieval castles! We stayed in the town of Malbun, which is located in the southeast of this tiny country. Because this place is completely focused on skiing, there's pretty much nothing else to do besides hiking in the mountains in summer. Fortunately, that's exactly what we like to do when traveling, hooray! Care for some more information about this destination? You'll find it here!

Austria

We hope you love the mountains as much as we do, because we have another tough climb in store for you! After a 4 hour drive to Austria we hike towards the Kebema Panoramabrücke. This is a suspension bridge over a river, but way up in the mountains. From this spot you'll have a beautiful view over the Schlegeis dam and the reservoir. The hike is tough, but certainly achievable for everyone. 'By persevering, even the snail reached the ark 😉'. In this articlel we describe in detail how to reach this beautiful viewpoint.

Got some spare time? Be sure to visit Plansee! The perfect place for some complete relaxation. You can hike up to a stunning viewpoint or have a swim in the lake. It's also the perfect place to get acquainted with the popular 'SUP's' or rent a kayak. Here we write about all things to experience at this beautiful alpine lake.

Slovenia

Time to hit the road again, driving to the last destination on this road trip, unfortunately! From the Kebema Panoramabrücke it takes about 4h30 to reach Lake Zelenci. This is where we start our visit to the Triglav National Park. By the way, it's a nice bonus to plan your route from Austria to Slovenia via the Grossglockner High Alpine Road This is a panoramic toll road of about 50 kilometers that takes you past beautiful panoramas on some of Austrias highest peaks. The Grossglockner is with its 3798m the highest mountain in Austria, definitely worth the detour! In Triglav National Park we climbed to the viewpoint 'slemenova spica' and spent the rest of our time relaxing on the banks of the pristine Soča river. Curious about what you can do in the Triglav National Park? You'll find all you need to know right here!

We only had about a week to travel around. Are you lucky enough to have some extra days? Then, after Austria, also pay a visit to the Dolomites in Italy. We were here once before and made a short but stunning hike hat takes you to the most spectacular view point of the Tre Cime area. You will find all information about this place here.

Germany

After Slovenia it is time to return home. From the Triglav National Park, about 12 hours of driving will take you right back to your doorstep. Still a pretty long ride, so we chose to make an extra stop in Germany: the picturesque Königssee. Here you can find a special waterfall that you can bathe in, right before it plunges into the depths. Crazy, isn't it? Unfortunately, the road to it is not an official hiking trail and is therefore not marked out with accurate signs. However, if you click here we'll tell you step by step how to reach this place!

For those who can make their journey a little longer still, Eibsee is also a nice place to stop! Eibsee is best combined with Plansee as both are only an hour's drive away from each other. We also wrote a dedicated article about this place article.

Okay, we'll admit, traveling for one week certainly isn't very long. But with this itinerary, you'll make the most of the little time you have! Visiting six countries in one week and discovering one beautiful nature reserve after another, sounds pretty exciting, right? Forget about far away places, you can find plenty of awesomeness right here in Europe!