Whether you’re behind the wheel of your motorhome or towing a caravan, owning a leisure vehicle offers you countless opportunities to escape.
While staycations are great, heading off to the continent is always an enticing option and there are a number of destinations that are easy to drive to.
Ed Sharp, head of car hire at TravelSupermarket, has put together a list of the best of these places, with travellers able to choose between quick and direct routes or more scenic, leisurely journeys.
Calais, the gateway to Europe
The two main options for driving to Europe are the Channel Tunnel or ferry, with the quickest and most convenient of these being the tunnel.
It connects Folkestone in Kent to Calais in northern France and requires check-in at least 30 minutes ahead of departure and no earlier than two hours before.
Alternatively, you can take a ferry from a number of ports along the south coast of England, although the most common route is from Dover to Calais.
France
French cities worth exploring within a six-hour drive of Calais include:
- Lille – Around an hour and a half away, the capital of the Hauts-de-France region boasts a beautiful historic centre.
- Paris – Approximately three and a half hours from Calais and a cultural hub in need of little introduction.
- Strasbourg – Six hours from Calais, this city blends French and German influences in its architecture and culture.
Belgium
Once in Calais, Belgium is within easy reach via the A16 and E40 motorways, which may be particularly appealing for caravanners who have already explored France.
Some of the options worth discovering are:
- Bruges – An hour and a half from Calais, this city is an enchanting mix of canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings.
- Ghent – Approximately two hours of driving will bring you to a part of the Flemish region known for its laidback population.
- Brussels – Two and a half hours’ drive away is an incredible gastronomic city, where you can indulge in waffles, fries and beer, as long as you’ve parked up first.
Germany
All driving routes from Calais to Germany pass through Belgium, so you can stop off at some of the exciting cities mentioned above on the way.
Once in Germany, head for:
- Düsseldorf – Four and a half hours from Calais and known for its fashion, music and arts scenes.
- Cologne – Also four and a half hours away, this city has more than 2,000 years of history.
- Frankfurt – A six-and-a-half hour drive will take you to this culturally diverse metropolis, featuring lots of modern architecture.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Zhu Yunxiao
