Practical
Driving in Europe in 2026: the checklist we run before every trip
Documents, mandatory equipment, vignettes, tolls and low-emission zones - the practical basics that keep a European road trip fine-free, in one place.
Europe, one backroad at a time
We drive Europe slowly, and write down what actually helps.
Two people, one well-worn van, and eight years of wrong turns. Honest routes, real costs, and the practical stuff nobody tells you before you cross the first border.
Start with the essentialsStart here
Latest from the road
Routes
Crossing the Pyrenees: coast to coast on the mountain roads
Seven days from Hendaye to Cerbère over the Tourmalet, Aubisque and Envalira, dipping into Spain and Andorra - our route, the col heights, and the rules that changed in 2026.
Van & gear
What actually lives in our van: the kit that earns its space
Three summers and about 40,000 km on, here is what stayed in the van, what got thrown out, and the two pieces of paper that campsites and police actually ask for.
Country guides
Driving in France: tolls, Crit'Air and the good roads
What the autoroute actually costs, why a sticker you order by post decides whether you can enter Paris or Lyon, and the free roads we take instead when the day allows it.
Practical
What a month on the road actually costs
Thirty-one days, four countries, 4,300 km and one diesel van: our real spend, line by line, and the costs you can price before you leave.
Country guides
Driving in Italy: ZTLs, autostrada and not getting fined
The cameras never flash and the fine arrives months later. How we handle Italy's ZTL zones, what the autostrada really costs per kilometre, and which parking lines you can actually park on.
Routes
A week in the Dolomites by car
Seven slow days on the Great Dolomite Road, from Bolzano to Cortina and up to the Tre Cime - plus the booking rules that now decide whether you get up the famous roads at all.
Routes
Driving the Norwegian fjords: ferries, tolls and the slow road
Five days from Ålesund to Kristiansund, with ferry decks instead of motorways, cameras instead of toll booths, and the Atlantic Road saved for last. Here is how the paying part actually works.
Practical
Road-tripping Europe in an EV: charging, apps and range reality
We crossed four countries in an electric car and lived on public chargers the whole way. Here is what actually works: the one plug that matters, the card that saves you money, and how far you really get between stops.
Practical
Low-emission zones explained: can you drive into European cities?
Crit'Air, Umweltzone, ZTL, Area C: how the sticker and camera systems work, per city, and the one official database we check before every city run.
Practical
Tolls and vignettes in Europe, country by country
Which countries make you buy a sticker, which charge by the kilometre, and how we avoid paying twice - the paid-road map we wish we'd had on our first trip.
Routes
Ten days on the great Alpine passes: Stelvio, Grossglockner and the Dolomites
A slow, switchback-heavy loop through the Italian and Austrian Alps - how we planned it, what each pass is really like to drive, and what it costs.
Routes
Up the Atlantic in a van: Portugal to Brittany in three unhurried weeks
Following the coast north from Lisbon to the granite headlands of Brittany - surf towns, pine forests and where we actually slept, in a route built for a slow van.
Seasonal
Winter road trips in Europe: what the Alps and the Arctic taught us
Winter tyres, chains and the small habits that keep a snowy European drive calm - the rules that vary by country and the technique that doesn't.