European road trip (travelling for 27 days!)
Traveling through Europe has always been our dream: discovering new places, sleeping in a tent, living from day to day... However, we kept putting it off for later. In the end we decided: now or never. We bought a tent, packed up and spontaneously, we went on a journey without any special preparation.
Day 1
We drive from Krakow to Königssee. The journey with 2 stops take us about 8 hours.
Travelling by car through Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia and Hungary we need to have a valid vignette. In Italy we pay the highway tolls at the toll gates.
Prices and validity of vignettes:
Czech Republic: 12.50 EUR, 10 days
Slovakia: 10 EUR, 10 days
Austria: 9,2 EUR, 10 days
Switzerland: 40 CHF, 1 year
Slovenia: 15 EUR, 7 days
Hungary: 3500 HUF, 7 days
Day 2 & 3 - Germany
We visit 2 lakes: Königssee oraz Obersee. First, we buy a ticket for a boat trip (19 EUR per person, return). We go to “Salet” (on the way you can also get off at the “St. Bartholomä” and visit the famous church. From Salet it’s a 10 min walk to the Obersee lake. Then another 20-30 minutes to get to the other side of the lake. From there we admire crystal clear water and mountain panorama.
The next day we visit the church in Ramsau and spend the afternoon at the Hintersee Lake.
Campsites around Köningssee:
Camping-Resort Allweglehen (https://www.allweglehen.de/en/)
Camping & Pension Mühlleiten (http://www.camping-muehlleiten.de/en/)
Campingplatz Grafenlehen (http://www.camping-grafenlehen.de/en/)
Campingplatz Winkl-Landthal (https://www.camping-winkl.de/en/home-2/)
Day 4 - Liechtenstein
In the morning we leave for Switzerland. On the way we stop for about 4 hours in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. We stamp our passports (3 EUR) and walk around the city. In the evening we check in in Switzerland.
Campsites around Lucerne:
Camping Ebnet Organic Farm (https://camping-ebnet-bio-bauernhof.business.site/)
Campingplatz Hostetten (https://www.camping-hostetten.ch/)
Camping Bachmattli (https://bachmattli.ch/)
Camping Seefeld (https://www.seefeldpark.ch/)
Day 5 & 6 - Switzerland
We go to Engelberg where we take the cable car to the Titlis summit (3238 m), admire the panorama of the mountains, walk through the highest suspension bridge in Europe (3041 m), visit the ice cave carved in glacier and have dinner in a panoramic restaurant.
The next day we visit Lucerne.
Day 7 & 8 - Switzerland
We visit Engelberg and surroundings and have a picnic dinner in the evening.
The next day we set off to Lauterbrunnen, which is considered the most beautiful valley in Europe. We visit the town and take a train to Wengen (resort town above Lauterbrunnen). We walk around and admire the magnificent views of the valley and Jungfrau peak (4158 m).
Day 9 - Switzerland
We pack in the morning and set off to Zermatt. Park the car in Täsch (Zermatt is car free) and hop on the train (16.40 CHF return). The journey to Zermatt takes about 10 minutes. From Zermatt take the cable car to Blauherd (2571 m). From here it’s a 15 minute hike to the lake where we can admire probably the most famous mountain in Europe: Matterhorn. We spend here about 2 hours and go back to the city. We walk around Zermatt before taking the train back to Täsch and setting off to Italy. We take the scenic route through the highest pass in Europe - Simplon Pass (2005 m). We cross the Italian border and in about an hour later we reach Stresa - a town at the Lake Maggiore.
Day 10 & 11 - Italy
We rest a little bit, visit Stresa and the surrounding area.
The next day we take a boat to Isola Bella (8 EUR), visit the island and Borromeo Palace along with the impressive gardens (17 EUR). In the evening we drive to the another lake: Como.
Day 12 - Italy
We visit the famous Villa Balbianello (10 EUR for gardens only). In the afternoon we set off on a journey to Cinque Terre.
The villa is located near the town of Lenno where we can find Campeggio La’ Vedo (http://www.campinglavedo.it/index_en.php). The walk from the campsite to the villa takes about 15 mins.
Day 13 & 14 - Italy
Due to bad weather we stay longer at the hotel. In the afternoon we drive to La Spezia. From here, it’s the most convenient to visit Cinque Terre. We park the car at the train station and continue the journey to Vernazza by train. We visit the town in which it is much calmer in the afternoon and evening (the largest crowds are usually here between 9.30-16).
The next day, we repeat the journey to La Spezia early in the morning. This time we get off at the first stop: Riomaggiore. We visit the town, have breakfast and catch another train - this time to Manarola. In the afternoon we return to La Spezia and drive to Florence.
Day 15 & 16 - Italy
We go by bus to the center. The journey takes about 30 minutes. We visit the most important monuments of the city: the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore, Palazzo Vecchio and Vecchio bridge. We end the tour admiring the city from the vantage point: Piazzale Michelangelo. We grab some gelatos and go for the sunset to Fiesole: a town located on the picturesque hills. From Fiesole there are wonderful views of Florence and the surrounding area.
The next day we get up at dawn and set off for the next round of exploring. Łukasz pays a visit at a traditional Italian barber. In the afternoon we leave the city and head towards Montepulciano.
Campsites in and around Florence:
Firenze Camping in Town (https://humancompany.com/en/destinations/villages-camping-in-town/firenze-camping-in-town)
Camping Village Panoramico Fiesole (https://www.campingpanoramicofiesole.com/en/)
Camping Village Internazionale Firenze (https://www.campinginternazionalefirenze.com/en/)
Day 17 & 18 - Italy
We visit Montepulciano and surroundings, chill a little bit. In the evening we admire the famous sunset at a farm house near Asciano.
The next day we get up early and drive to Bagni San Filippo for a morning bath. After that, we visit Pienza and Madonna di Vitaleta chapel for the sunset. We’re unlucky - there is a concert at the chapel and we can’t enter without tickets. We return to Montepulciano where we spend the evening tasting wine.
Day 19 - Italy
We leave our farm house in Montepulciano and head towards San Gimignano. We visit the town and climb the highest tower. We spend the night at a campsite nearby (Il Boschetto di Piemma - https://www.boschettodipiemma.it/en/)
Day 20 - Italy
We drive to Siena in the morning. We park the car on the outskirts of the city and continue the trip to the center on foot. We have to visit Piazza del Campo and the Cathedral. And like everywhere else in Italy - we have gelato, pizza and espresso. In the afternoon we start driving towards San Marino. We manage to catch the sunset in the new country, which we admire from the square in front of the Palazzo Pubblico. It offers wonderful views of the surrounding area.
Day 21 - San Marino
The next day we visit the center of San Marino, climb the Guaita tower. In the afternoon we set off towards Venice. After about 3 hours, we leave the car on the outskirts and take a vaporetto to the center. We get off at “Ponte Rialto” and check in at the hotel.
Day 22 & 23 & 24 - Italy
And again we get up as early as possible and explore the city. We start with the Piazza San Maro, Palazzo Ducale and Ponte Rialto. We have breakfast and wander the streets endlessly. In the afternoon we visit the famous Acqua Alta bookstore where we buy magnets and postcards. In the evening we admire the sunset from the roof terrace of the Tedeschi department store and get lost in the romantic Venetian streets.
The next day we get up before dawn and visit the city in the first rays of the sun. In the afternoon we leave Venice and go… to the mountains. We drive to the Dolomites. In the evening we check in at the charming hotel with a view of the Pelmo peak. The next morning we wander the mountains, in the afternoon we go to the area of Cortina d’Ampezzo. We spend the night in a hotel.
We have a long day ahead. We get up before dawn and drive to Lago di Braies. We spend about 3 hours there, return to the hotel and leave Italy. We go to Slovenia.
Day 25 - Slovenia
At sunrise we go to the lookout point with a panorama of Lake Bled. We admire the view and go back. Have breakfast, rent a boat (20-25 EUR/1h) and visit the small island on the lake. After lunch we leave for Budapest.
Campsites around Bled:
Kemping Bled (https://www.sava-camping.com/en/bled-camping)
Camping Sobec (https://www.sobec.si/en/)
Camping Perun (https://www.camping-perun.si/en/)
Turistična kmetija Hribar (http://www.turisticna-kmetija-hribar.si/en)
Day 26 & 27 - Hungary
A bit of a chilled day. We rest and walk around the city center.
The next day we go to the castle hill to capture the sunrise. We visit the Fisherman’s Bastion and the Castle. After breakfast we keep exploring the city. In the afternoon we leave for Poland. Late in the evening, we arrive in Krakow.
Full list of places we visited on this trip:
Germany - Königssee, Ramsau, Hintersee, Liechtenstein, Switzerland - Engelberg, Titlis, Luzern, Lauterbrunnen and Wengen, Italy - Stresa, Isola Bella, Lake Maggiore, Lake Como - villa Balbianello, Cinque Terre - Vernazza, Riomaggiore i Manarola, Florence, Montepulciano, Pienza, Asciano, San Gimignano, Siena, San Marino, Venice, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Lago di Braies, Slovenia - Bled, Hungary - Budapest
