Many of us dream of driving through Europe for a wonderful road trip, especially somewhere as picturesque as Italy.
That’s why we asked Willem Main to put together a travel guide for those who wish to take a campervan across Europe (this checklist will help), travelling from the UK to the Dolomites in Italy.
Day 1 – Getting the ferry to France
Drive down to Dover before getting the ferry to either Calais or Dunkirk. From there, take a four-hour drive from the port in France to Remich in Luxembourg. I always stop here because it’s got some of the cheapest fuel in Europe, and a full tank will get you to the next destination.
Day 2 – Luxembourg to Austria
Drive from Luxembourg to Innsbruck, Austria. You should get there in one tank of fuel. If you get there nice and early, you can take the cable car up to the Nordkette, which is the mountain range above Innsbruck. It is amazing.
You can even stay the extra day and do the Nordkette Klettersteig, which is via ferrata (protected climbing route) across the range.
Day 3 – Exploring Austria
Spend the day exploring Innsbruck, where you can visit the klettersteig and the town, or even take a local hike.
Day 4 – Austria to Italy
Drive from Innsbruck to St. Magdalena, a beautiful village in Italy, to see the famous church and then head further up the valley to Malga Zannes, where you can begin the Adolf Munkel Trail for a beautiful day out. It’s a 10km loop for moderate hikers.
Day 5 – Explore one of Europe’s largest alpine meadows
Drive to Parkplatz Seiser Alm Bahn to get the cable car up to Alpe di Siusi, one of the largest alpine meadows in Europe. Please note you can’t drive up to the meadow unless you have a hotel booking. So you will need to either get a bus up, or take the cable car to explore the picturesque views. It’s worth noting that there can be overnight parking bans for campervan parking at the cable car parking area.
Day 6 – Take a rest day and enjoy the views
Just before the week is over, you should take a rest day. But don’t rest too much, as you can make your way towards Lago di Carezza/Karersee and take a small 60-minute walk around the lake, taking in beautiful views.
Day 7 – Take a tour of the Sella Ronda mountains
Drive to Campitello di Fassa where you can get the “Col Rodella” cable car up to Passo Sella. From here you have a few options. If you get there early enough you can hike to “Rifugio Friedrich August” to get some fresh Italian Krapfen (donuts) as seen on social media.
You can also take a tour around the whole of the Sella Ronda mountains, which is around 20km and will take you between six and eight hours.
Day 8 – Take a scenic route to Passo Giau
Drive to Passo Giau one of the most scenic and higher passes in the whole of the Dolomites. There, you can take a small walk around and stop at the rifugio, if you have time in the day to do this early.
In the afternoon you can head to “Cinque Torri” to see the old war ruins and spectacular five rock formations that climbers are often seen on.
Day 9 – Take a trip to Cortina d’Ampezzo
Drive to Cortina d’Ampezzo to explore the beautiful mountain town, grab some food from the supermarkets and some souvenirs.
Day 10 – Visit the Passo Tre Croci
Make your way to Passo Tre Croci for the famous Lago di Sorapis hike. Be aware, this will take up a large portion of your day, roughly four to six hours, as you do this stunning 10km walk to the serene alpine blue glacier lake.
Day 11 – Take in the views of Tre Cime National Park
Drive only a short 30-minute trip up the road to “Lago di Antorno” or Lake Antorno, where you can either drive up to Tre Cime Natural Park early in the morning before the parking spaces get filled, or get some public transport up to Tre Cime.
From there you have a bucket full of easy-to-hard hikes. A simple suggestion would be to do the tour around the three towers. Also, there are many nice via ferrata routes from there, one moderate one I could recommend is Ferrata Innerkofler.
Day 12 – Final stop of the tour
Make your way to Pragser Wildsee or “Lago di Braies” for your final stop of the tour. The road is closed to the public in the summer season between 9am and 4pm, but doesn’t apply if you visit before July 1 2026.
From the lake you will have beautiful views and also a nice circular easy hike around the lake.
Campervan insurance, with EU cover included as standard
Whichever European country you plan on driving to, be it Austria, Italy or another, you will need to ensure you have the right campervan insurance. Sterling can help you find policies that can cover you in Europe for up to 90 days as standard, or even a full 365 days on the road if you’re looking at the trip of a lifetime.
We can also find policies with European breakdown cover and annual van life insurance for trips, so you can have peace of mind on your next road trip.
Call us on 0344 381 9990 for a quick, no-hassle quote or book a callback at a time that suits you.