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• Scenic Drives
• Road Trip Planner

Road Trip Planning Made Easy

Create custom day trips, weekend getaways, and cross country adventures worldwide

Powerful features for planning your epic road trips (and the shorter adventures in between)

Unlimited stops.

Add unlimited stops and sub-stops. Combine your own stops with our pre-planned routes and recommended places of interest.

Smart Scheduling

By the minute, hour, or overnight, set preferences for each stop. Export your trip to your own Calendar.

Set Vehicle Type

Car, RV, camper trailer, truck, motorcycle, pulling a boat? Get a realistic estimate of driving time. Adjust travel speed by percentages for each unique situation.

Divide Trips Into Days

Divide your trips into manageable driving days based on your custom settings by time or distance. And of course you can customize each day differently.

Route Preferences

Configure route preferences such as avoiding highways or tolls for each day or any segment of your trip.

Use Any Device

Plan trips from your desktop computer, iPad, Android tablet, and mobile phone with the same easy-to-use interface. No app to download or software to install.

Automated To Do List guides you through the road trip planning process.

Manage Your Budget

Track expenditures before you go and along the way. See a summary of expenses for entrance fees, activities, restaurants, and lodging, etc.

Gas Calculator

See the estimated fuel cost for your vehicle type.

EV Charging

Find EV charging stations along your route. Get reminders to recharge. Use Charging Ranges to display icons on the map where your vehicle will require recharging.

Export Options

We support Google Earth (KML), Garmin Communicator, BaseCamp and MapSource (GPX), Co-Pilot Live (TRP), Microsoft Streets and Trips, TomTom itineraries (ITN), TomTom Places of Interest (OV2), Comma Separated Files (CSV), and Tab Separated Files (TSV).

Directions on paper come in handy. Print your road trip with turn-by-turn maps and full directions, divided into your day-by-day itinerary.

Is This Really Free?

Yes! It is free to use our Scenic Drive Itineraries and Road Trip Planner. Please consider purchasing your National Park or National Forest passes on myscenicdrives.com.

Why Do I Need An Account?

A free account is only required for the Road Trip Planner, enabling you to create, edit, and save your trips. Your account is secure. We never share your information.

Do I Need to Download An App or Install Software?

No app or software is needed. myscenicdrives.com works in any browser. Simply go to myscenicdrives.com

More Resources

Documentation, myscenicdrives.com, how it works.

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"Trippy is the best road trip planner"

Get advice from real travelers who have done the same trip:, recent questions.

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Plan epic road trips

Plan multi-stop routes.

Easily plan your trip itinerary on an interactive map and see distances and driving times

Find places along the route

Find attractions, restaurants or accomodation along your driving route

Find inspiration

Explore our growing collections of ready-made road trip routes.

Share your itinerary

Invite family and friends to plan your route together. Or share your trip itinerary as a neat document

Discover Inspiring Routes

Explore our curated selection of epic road trips for every taste. Get inspired and use our guides as templates for your own planning.

Plan Your Road Trip

Build the perfect trip itinerary and pin as many locations on the map as you like. You’ll see distances connecting the waypoints and know the driving times between multiple stops. Search points of interest like attractions, trails, or national parks. Choose if you’re traveling by car or RV to optimize your route accordingly.

road trip planner

Miss the turns on your terms.

Use real dates, find interesting places, book hotels with ease.

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Dates, distances and directions

Always wanted to travel across US but were not sure if you have enough time for that? Did you ever try to figure out how long it takes to drive from Yosemite to Yellowstone or from Lisbon to Rome?

Start clicking on the map. Choose your destination and have Furkot calculate how much time you need to get there. Set daily limits on the travel time so none of your sightseeing has to be done under moonlight — unless, of course, that's what you want.

Don't worry about putting stops in order. Furkot attempts to plan a route for your trip in the most efficient way. If you don't want efficient, you can drag your stops around or even reverse your itinerary .

Tell us how long you want to drive every day, and we will show you where to stop for the night Furkot suggests overnight stops along the route based on your schedule and preferences.

Furkot can help you with all your travel plans: a day trip, a weekend getaway, or a continent-crossing road trip. And driving is not the only option . You can also schedule motorcycle rides, biking excursions and walking tours with Furkot.

Read more …

It's not just about driving

It's also about all the things you do on the way. Leave your car parked for a couple of hours and hike one of the trails from the vast Everytrail collection.

Need some hints? Make sure to check interesting places described on Wikipedia . They are one click away from ending up on your road trip stop list.

If your car resembles ours you can't drive on water, but Furkot will route you to the closest dry land point for those spots that do require a boat ride. You can drive and dive with Furkot.

Are you after fresh powder? Or maybe shredding corduroy is your thing? Trees or bowls? Skis or snowboard? Regardless of the answer, you can use Furkot to find ski resorts — courtesy of Liftopia .

You can even plan meal stops and add gas stations to your itinerary. Not to mention biking paths, museums, monuments, climbing routes , national parks, scenic views — add as many as you want. Furkot will keep you on track. You just need to show up.

Campgrounds? Motels? Hotels? Staying with friends?

Whatever your lodging preference is — hotel, campground, apartment — Furkot will show you scores of accommodations on the map and will help you find the perfect place for every night of your trip.

Furkot makes it easy to decide which hotels offer the best combination of cost, amenities and convenient location. Whenever available, Furkot displays exactly what you are going to pay (including taxes and service fees). You are in charge of what they charge.

When you are ready to book, Furkot will take you directly to your favorite booking site and pre-fill the check-in and check-out dates so that you don't have to worry about reserving that hard found lodging on the wrong night.

Booking all hotels for your trip can be a daunting experience: multiple cities, multiple booking sites and many dates and details to mistype? Let Furkot help with that. We will take you through the whole process page by page and hotel by hotel. All you need to do is to keep pressing Next until you are Done .

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This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com .

This website uses the list of ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada from pure-gas.org licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported with the explicit permission of the rights holder.

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Hit the road with TripIt

From car rental pickup to driving directions, TripIt can make sense of all your travel plans and create a single itinerary for every road trip.

You handle the booking, we'll take it from there

Plans are accessible on all devices

Adds travel plans from your Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo inbox

Plans are always available, even offline

Find the latest guidelines, restrictions, and requirements for your destinations

Upload PDFs, photos, and other documents to keep your travel plans all in one place

Get where you need to be, effortlessly and safely

Plots out your entire trip on a map

Pulls up driving directions between two points

Locates the closest restaurants, cafes, parking and more to where you’re staying

Shows safety scores for the areas you’re visiting with COVID-19 data included

Quickly get your upcoming travel plans without taking your eyes off the road

More from our blog

Download the TripIt app

The world’s highest-rated travel-organizing app has plenty of free features to make road trips easier. Whether you want your plans in your hand or you need your hands free, TripIt is available anywhere you need it.

Roadie: road trip planner & rv

About this app

Data safety.

Ratings and reviews

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What's new

App support, more by ori app studio.

Similar apps

IMPORTANT COVID - 19 Travel Restrictions. Learn More

• Trip Canvas
• Digital TourBooks
• TripTik Help

BOOK YOUR FLIGHT

Book your hotel, save more when you bundle, all packages, map layers (*available when zoomed in), app language, dropdown lists, triptik options, enhanced options, email your triptik, covers & inserts, roadtrip names goes here, saved places name here, restaurants, attractions, campgrounds, auto repair, aaa/caa offices.

EXPLORING THE OPEN ROAD MADE EASY

The one travel planner for every road trip get directions and maps. find gas stations. know where to stop. plan things to do..

Maps & Directions Get directions for a cross-town drive or map an epic journey.

Saved Trips Save TripTiks to make planning your journey quick and easy.

Mobile-friendly On the go? No worries everything you need in the palm of your hands

THE RETURN OF THE GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP IS ALREADY UNDERWAY!

Looking for a summer vacation option for you and your family? AAA TripTik helps you plan road trips to millions of destinations and now includes easy access to your favorite National Park! Check out some of our signature road trips to these National Parks!

SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND ROAD TRIP

229.4 miles : 5 hours , 19 minutes

BLACK HILLS ROAD TRIP

169 miles : 5 hours

NORTHERN CA & SOUTHERN OR COAST ROAD TRIP

380.1 miles 8 hours , 3 minutes

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIP

307.4 miles : 6 hours , 52 minutes

YELLOWSTONE TO GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARKS ROAD TRIP

401.6 miles : 10 hours , 26 minutes

Why AAA TripTik is the ultimate road trip planner

For a basic drive, simply enter a starting point and destination to map your route and get turn-by-turn directions, or enter up to 25 stopovers to create a complete road trip.

Use the points of interest icons to locate and get information about nearby restaurants, attractions and events, and to find and book hotels that meet AAA standards for quality and cleanliness.

Display the gas station icons to know where to fill up along the way. Station listings show the fuel grades offered and the latest per-gallon gas price.

Planning to bike or walk instead? Choose the icon to adjust the routes.

Traveling with your pet? No problem.  AAA has quick and easy ways to let you know which hotels are pet-friendly.

EXPLORE TOP DESTINATIONS WITH AAA

LEARN more with AAA TRIP CANVAS

The Best Apps for Planning a Road Trip

This arsenal of apps will upgrade any road trip. easily find hotels, restaurants, secret swimming holes, day spas, restrooms, and gas stations so you can fully enjoy the freedom of the open road..

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Paper maps are classic, but with these apps, you can plan your best road trip yet.

Courtesy of Unsplash.com

Remember when planning a road trip meant busting out your best paper maps and highlighting various routes with multicolored pens? Today, road trips still bring out the old-school adventurer in all of us—whether it’s a winter or fall foliage trip or a cross-country or EV-charged drive—but planning them has certainly become more streamlined. Thanks to these travel apps, there are more ways than ever to maximize planning for your next long drive.

1. Google Maps

• Download : Apple App Store | Google Play

Let’s begin with the free Google Maps app. It’s the most multifunctional road trip map app out there, whether you’re looking for directions, the quickest route, a nearby hotel or restaurant, grocery stores, pharmacies, ATMs, gas stations, or EV charging stations. You can type or talk a term in the search bar, or filter by the categories just underneath that field (scroll over to the “More” button to see dozens of additional options).

Once you’ve put in your search term, additional filters are offered. For example, to find a place to eat, you can narrow your search using options such as cozy restaurants, group-friendly dining, new restaurants, and cheap eats. When you search for nearby gas stations, the app will tell you how much gas costs at each place, allowing you to select the cheapest fuel. And when you search for EV charging stations, the app will tell you how many chargers each has, how fast they are, and if they’re compatible with your car. (Pro tip: Learn these other secrets to using Google Maps for travel too.)

Google Maps gives you so much more than directions.

Photo by AngieYeoh/Shutterstock.com

But while Google Maps is incredibly convenient, it doesn’t do everything. Add these fun, functional, and free road trip planning apps to your collection for your best road trip yet.

2. Drive Weather

Weather can make or break your road trip adventure. While you can’t control Mother Nature, you can stay safe by downloading the Drive Weather app to anticipate when and where inclement weather is expected to strike and adjust your plans accordingly—whether that means planning to stop for a few hours until a storm abates or altering your route. The free version of the app allows you to compare weather forecasts along different routes and offers up to two days of National Weather Service forecasts, so you can plan for snow, rain, thunderstorms, haze, and other natural phenomena that could affect road conditions. Upgrade to the paid pro version for up to seven days of forecasts and an icy pavement indicator.

3. Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is a do-it-all, know-it-all website and app that asks you to enter your destinations and calculates the best route. It shows you everything you can see and do along the way, including parks, restaurants, and hotels. Essentially, this road trip planner deals in logistics—making it a perfect option for those who need a plan but hate doing the legwork.

4. GasBuddy

• Download: Apple App Store | Google Play

Gas prices inevitably spike every summer as travel demand increases. Fortunately, GasBuddy is a great way to stay on top of your road trip budget and take advantage of the best gasoline deals in your area, wherever you might be. The app provides real-time price information for more than 150,000 gas stations in the United States and Canada. GasBuddy also has a function that allows you to estimate how much gas you’ll need on your travels based on your planned destination and make and model of your car, making it one of the most convenient and practical road trip gas calculators out there.

5. PlugShare

If you’re cruising around in an electric vehicle, you know all too well that finding a charging station can be a source of stress. Eliminate the uncertainty by downloading the PlugShare app, which displays public charging stations across North America and Europe that are compatible with your car brand and model. Use this free app ahead of your departure to identify charging stations along your expected route, or reference it during your trip to locate nearby stations. PlugShare’s filter allows you to tailor your search results based on criteria such as connector type and charging speed, as well as additional amenities like food or bathroom availability.

This is the traffic app to beat all traffic apps. While other route-planning apps like Apple Maps and Google Maps can tell you when traffic is about to get bad, the community-sourced Waze provides more of-the-moment information. Users give and receive real-time updates on accidents, speed limits, hidden police cars, and road conditions. The app also provides a variety of navigation routes, which can be especially handy when you need to take back roads to avoid a brutal traffic jam.

7. HotelTonight

If, after a long day of driving, you suddenly hit a (figurative) wall and need to stop and rest, this is the service for you. HotelTonight specializes in same-day booking at quality boutique hotels. You can reserve rooms in advance, but because hotel prices often drop as it gets closer to your stay, you’ll likely end up saving money when you book at the last minute. If you use the app instead of the website, you’ll save even more with exclusive mobile deals.

8. Flush Toilet Finder

As any seasoned traveler knows, a good, clean restroom can be hard to find on the road. But with a database of more than 200,000 bathroom options across the world, the Flush app can take some of the edge off of the nail-biting urgency of finding a toilet in an unfamiliar place. Flush also makes it easy to see whether restrooms are accessible to people with disabilities, require a fee to use, or need a key to access. Simply open the app and Flush will search for nearby restrooms using GPS, providing directions using Apple Maps or Google Maps. Users can also add newly discovered toilets to the app and rate washrooms they come across on their travels.

9. The Dyrt: Tent and RV Camping

As anyone who’s tried to orchestrate a camping trip knows, finding a decent place to camp can be one of the most difficult parts to plan. The Dyrt app gives campers a way to research potential campgrounds in depth without the guesswork of solely using traditional park websites, all from the comfort and convenience of a phone. You can browse reviews of potential campgrounds you’d like to visit, use the app’s “near me” function to find nearby places to hunker down when you’re on the go, or even connect with other campers for tips and feedback on campgrounds you’re thinking of visiting. Though the app is available to download for free, the premium version ($35.99 per year) will also give you access to downloadable maps, a trip planner, and big discounts on gear and campgrounds.

The Outbound app allows road trippers to find outdoor activities along their route.

Courtesy of Outbound

10. The Outbound: Hike, Camp, Roadtrip

Being cooped up in a car for hours on end can often be the worst part of a road trip. One solution? Consult this GPS-based, crowd-sourced app that gives local recommendations for nearby outdoorsy activities. The app will point you to national parks , good hiking trails , secret swimming holes , and more—and the user reviews are fact checked by the Outbound Collective staff, so you can trust the advice (especially important if you’re hiking in an area you don’t know well).

11. DayPass

Similar to the Outbound, DayPass helps you find activities when you absolutely can’t be in the car any longer. However, it’s not a hiking app —instead, DayPass focuses on pools, beach clubs, gyms, and spas at hotels and resorts around the world. Just type in the destination (or let the app pull up a current location based on your GPS), and you can see all of the hotels and gyms that offer day passes to their facilities. Some properties don’t allow booking through the app, so you may have to call instead.

12. Psych! Outwit Your Friends

Can you even call a road trip a road trip if you don’t spend hours playing pointless games ? From the creators of Ellen DeGeneres’s popular Heads Up! , this game app tests your ability to pick real answers to trivia questions—and avoid the fake answers made up by the other players. There are four styles of play: the word game “Word Up!” the classic trivia game “Is That a Fact?,” the truth-telling game “The Truth Comes Out,” and the movie trivia game “Movie Bluff!”

Part of the fun is trying to guess who wrote which answer based on everyone’s sense of humor. There’s even an option to “play with Ellen,” which means an Ellen bot will also contribute hilarious answers. The game requires some screen time, so it’s not driver friendly—but if you read the questions and answers out loud, whoever is behind the wheel can certainly join in on the laughs. (It’s another reason to regularly rotate drivers, too.)

13. Magic Hour

• Download : Apple App Store

One perk of a road trip is that you can pull over somewhere beautiful for Magic Hour, or Golden Hour: the term professional photographers use to describe the hour after sunrise or before sunset when the light is at its prettiest for taking pictures or video. This app lets you know exactly when Magic Hour begins and ends each day based on your location, helping you time your stop—and your cinematography—just right. If you pay $0.99, you can add locations, allowing you to plan for future Magic Hours, too. (Magic Hour is only available for Apple devices, but Google Play offers similar apps for Android users.)

14. SoundHound

Although there are many ways to find and stream new music, turning on the radio during a road trip adds an element of fun. Not only is it nostalgic, but listening to what the local DJ has to say and play also helps you get a feel for the local culture. When you hear a song you like but don’t know, open up SoundHound, hit the orange circle, and the app will tell you its name. Bonus: The app keeps a dated history of the tunes you identify.

If you have Spotify or Apple Music, you can even sync your accounts with SoundHound, and all of your discoveries will automatically show up in a playlist called “SoundHound.” By the end of the trip—especially if it’s a road trip to a famed music destination —you’ll have a curated playlist of your song discoveries that you can enjoy long after you’ve returned home.

Mr. D’s Diner, an old Route 66 staple that has been open since 1978, serves homey American cuisine.

Photo by Heidi Kaden on Unsplash

15. Roadside America

Sometimes the best part of a road trip isn’t even the final destination but the stops made along the way. The Roadside America app can help you find all of the kitschy highway attractions the country has to offer. Giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Ox? Sure, why not. The world’s largest garden gnome or a museum dedicated entirely to hammers? Yes, please. A clown motel in Nevada ? Well…maybe. Available on the Apple App Store (starting at $2.99), the app points users to hundreds of quirky locations across the United States and Canada organized by city, state, or province. Users can plot their route in the Roadside America app to learn about all the fun stops that might be worthy of a pit stop on their journey.

16. Star Walk

To catch some truly spectacular, au natural nocturnal sights, download the free Star Walk app. The Star Walk app gives users an easy way to see what constellations will make an appearance whenever and wherever they are. This astronomy program is simple to use—just point your phone at the sky and see which stars, constellations, and planets drift above you.

This story was originally published in 2019 and was most recently updated on April 30, 2024, with new information. Mae Hamilton and Nathalie Alonso contributed original reporting.

Road Trip & Vacation Travel Planning Simplified

Plan a trip with multiple stops, and mobile driving directions..

Personalize your settings and select "SEARCH". If you receive no results or don't like them, just select "CANCEL" and then "SEARCH" again. Repeat as needed for new results.

Your travel All-In-One-Place with Geovea.

Here’s some inspiration to get you started.

(falling into the rabbit hole is entirely up to you!)

At Geovea, we have a world of travel options to discover for your next Road Trip Plan or Vacation Travel itinerary. We've divided up travel ideas and destinations into different sections to make your trip planning easier. Visit as many times as you want, and as often as you'd like to plan your special trip. Then customize your road trip or vacation itinerary here to your heart's content.

• HAWAII & ALASKA
• NATIONAL PARKS

Las Vegas Travel Guide 2024

U.S. Route 1, Boston to Bar Harbor, Maine

Best Arizona Small Town Hidden Gems 2024

Best Places In Florida To Travel 2024

Best Cross-Country U.S. Road Trip: Southern Route

Gulf Coast Beaches - Alabama to Florida

Florida Keys Scenic Highway US 1

Route 1 - Big Sur Coast Highway Southbound

Charleston, South Carolina

Best Cross-Country U.S. Road Trip: Northern Route

Red Rocks Scenic Byway - Arizona

Scottsdale - Arizona

Phoenix - Sedona - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff

Route 1 - San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway

Breckenridge - Colorado

Epic Colorado Adventure: Ultimate Road Trip Guide

Vegas and Southwest National Parks

Southwest USA Four Corners

High Road from Santa Fe to Taos - New Mexico

Olympic Peninsula Loop – Washington

Nashville - Tennessee

17-Mile Drive Pebble Beach - California

San Juan Skyway - Colorado

Denver to Breckenridge - Colorado

Florida Coast to Coast

Oregon Highway 101 Costal Trip

Key West - Florida

Million Dollar Highway - Colorado

Seattle - Washington

Chicago - Illinois

New York City - New York

Los Angeles - California

Sedona - Arizona

Santa Fe - New Mexico

Memphis - Tennessee

Asheville - North Carolina

Kancamagus Scenic Byway - New Hampshire

Northern California Mountain Loop

Loreto - Baja California Sur

Highway 93 - Alberta

Mt. Desert Island - Acadia National Park

Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway - South Dakota

Lake Champlain Scenic Loop - New York and Vermont

Mountain Escape - Georgia and South Carolina

North Shore Scenic Drive - Duluth, MN to Canada

Skyline Drive - Shenandoah National Park

Route 12 - Utah

Denver, Colorado Springs & Summit County

Beartooth Highway - Montana & Wyoming

Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway - Colorado

Trail Ridge Road - Rocky Mountain NP - Colorado

Going To The Sun Road - Glacier NP - Montana

Texas Hill Country - Texas

Marco Island - Florida

We have the latest daily travel ideas and inspiration on the Daily Feed , or all of the official USA travel websites right here for you. (Easy-peasy!)

Get the latest travel news from the best travel sources from all across the web delivered to your inbox. perfect for planning your next dream road trip or vacation plan..

How to Plan a Road Trip with Google Maps: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I (The Winding Road Tripper) earn from qualifying purchases.  Read more . 

This post was originally published on August 8, 2021, and updated on February 16, 2023.

Ready to start planning your road trip using the power of Google Maps?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

Google has two amazing tools to help you plan your road trip: Google Maps and Google My Maps.

Google Maps is a great tool for plotting out your route, while Google My Maps is an amazing tool for road trip planning and organization.

In this post, I’ll teach you how and when to use each of these powerful free tools.

Let’s start by looking at Google Maps since it’s the simpler of the two.

But if you are looking for how to use Google My Maps, then click here .

How to Use Google Maps to Plot Your Road Trip Route

Google Maps is a great tool if you want to plot out your road trip route.

We use it as a starting point for all of our road trip planning to get a sense of how long our trip will be or what we can accomplish in the time we have.

Step 1: Open Google Maps

Start by opening up Google Maps on your desktop or phone.

When trip planning, we like to use our desktop computers to make use of the bigger screen.

Step 2: Plot Your Road Trip Route

To start plotting your road trip route, click on directions.

Then enter your starting point and your first destination.

Continue to add stops to your road trip by clicking on the (+) to add destinations.

Stop when you have all your road trip stops added to your map. Google Maps allows you to add up to 10 points to your map. If you want to add more, then Google My Maps is the tool for you.

Step 3: Reorder Road Trips Stops

If you want to play around with your route and reorder your stops, Google Maps makes it easy to do so.

On the left, where your stops are listed, you can drag and drop the stops to reorder them.

Step 4: Move the Driving Route

Google Maps will choose the fastest route between your road trip stops. But sometimes, there may be a scenic route you want to take.

You can easily move your driving route as desired by dragging and dropping your route.

Step 5: Send the Driving Route to Your Phone

Once you plan your road trip, you can send the directions to your phone for easy access during your trip. Directions can be sent via text message or email.

Note: You will have to have a Google Account to send directions to your phone.

Google Maps is a great starting point for planning a road trip.

But if you want to harness the power of Google and use it to plan your road trip and as a resource throughout your trip, Google My Maps is the choice for you.

Google My Maps: The Best Road Trip Planning Tool

Planning a road trip can be a daunting task. It’s hard to know where to start, and all the research can feel overwhelming. But that is where the ultimate road trip planning tool, Google My Maps, comes to the rescue.

Google My Maps is a very similar tool to traditional Google Maps, but it’s much more powerful and customizable.

In this section, we’ll start with detailed information on the features of Google My Maps. And then, we’ll get into exactly how we use Google My Maps to plan each one of our road trips.

Using this tool will help you seamlessly organize and plan your road trip.

Once we tried it, we never looked back.

Let’s start by giving you a little introduction to Google My Maps.

What is Google My Maps?

Google My Maps utilizes all of the data in Google Maps to allow you to create your very own custom map for your road trip. It’s a way for you to create a map containing the places important to you .

Once you create your map, you can access all of the personalized information you’ve added, so you never miss a beat while on the road.

Why is Google My Maps the Ultimate Road Trip Planning Tool?

Google My Maps is our favorite tool for planning a road trip. Here is why:

• It Helps You Visualize Your Trip Plotting all of your points of interest on a map helps see how your road trip may take shape. At the start of road trip planning, we typically have no idea what route we may take until we see all of the things we want to do on a map. And this is where Google My Maps can help.
• It Helps Organize Your Research When planning a road trip, you are likely gathering information from many sources, including websites, tourist bureaus, and recommendations from friends and family. Google My Maps can help you organize all of your research so you can more easily plan your road trip itinerary.
• It Consolidates Your Entire Itinerary Using Google My Maps allows you to have all of your road trip information in one place. There will be no need for a separate spreadsheet with your day-to-day itinerary or to bring your travel books with you.

What Are the Limitations of Google My Maps?

• Google My Maps Can Not Be Used Offline You will need access to wifi or cellular data to use your map on your road trip. But don’t let that stop you from using it to plan your road trip. There are ways to download your map to other apps for offline use, which I’ll take you through in the tutorial.
• You Can Only Add 2,000 Locations to Your Map Likely, you will not need over 2,000 locations when planning your road trip. And if you do, you can make separate maps, possibly divided by days or weeks, to get around this limitation.
• You Can Only Add 10 Layers to Your Map Layers are ways to categorize your location points. When using Google My Maps, you can only have ten layers per map.
• Planned Routes Can Not Be Accessed for Driving Directions on Google Maps When planning your trip, you may add a direction layer on your map to display the route you plan to take. Unfortunately, you can not use those directions to give you turn-by-turn navigation on your road trip. You’ll have to use Google Maps or click on a destination point on your custom Google My Map to bring up directions. I go through this in detail here .

How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Road Trip

Now that you know why Google My Maps is the best road trip planning tool, let’s dive into the nuts and bolts of Google My Maps.

We’ll start with an in-depth overview and then show you exactly how we use Google My Maps to plan our road trips. Use the screenshots I’ve provided to help guide you through all of the steps.

Overview of Google My Maps

If you want to know how we use Google My Maps to plan our road trips, then feel free to skip down to the step-by-step guide for planning a road trip here .

But if you want to learn the ins and out of Google My Maps, this is where to start.

You can start from the beginning or jump to the section you want to learn more about by clicking on the links below.

Here is what we will cover to familiarize you with how Google My Maps works so you can start road trip planning like a boss.

Google My Maps Layout

• Markers/Locations

Google My Maps allows you to add locations and driving directions to your map while allowing you to organize them as you wish.

To get started, let’s get familiar with the layout of Google My Maps.

I suggest creating your first Google My Map and playing around with the functions of the map to help you get familiar with them.

Note: You must either create a Google Account or sign in to your Google account to start using Google My Maps .

Location Markers

Location markers are points that you add to a map. They can be things like restaurants, hotels, sights-to-see, bathroom stops, etc.

Find things to do along your route with our Favorite Tools to Find Things to Do Along Your Road Trip Route .

Each point you add to a map will include any information that Google already has for that point.

These include things like:

• GPS coordinates
• Website address
• Phone Number

Three Ways to Add Markers to Your Google My Map

You can add markers to your road trip map in three ways:

• Using the search function
• Selecting a Point already on Google Maps to add to your own map
• Add a point manually

Let’s look at how to do all three.

Search Function

You can find a marker by typing in the name, address, or GPS coordinates into the search bar.

Adding a Marker That is Already on Google Maps

Google Maps already has many markers in its database. When you zoom into an area, many points of interest will start to show up. If any of these markers look appealing to you, you can add them to your own map by clicking on them.

Adding a Marker Manually

You may need to add markers manually when you can not find them via the search function and don’t have the location’s GPS coordinates.

For example, sometimes, I struggle to find the exact location of a trailhead via the search bar. In these cases, I find the location of the trailhead via a different resource and plot it on the map myself.

Color Code and Change the Icons of Your Markers

To keep your map organized, you’ll want to customize and color-code your icons to help you group locations together.

Luckily, Google lets you fully customize your markers.

Map layers are a great way to organize your maps.

But before we dive into adding layers, let’s talk about map layers.

What are Map Layers?

A map layer is a set of markers that are layered on top of an existing map. You can see your different layers on the left-hand side of your map.

When you add a marker to a map, Google My Maps will add it to a layer. You can then use these layers to organize your map.

The added marker will appear on the selected layer. If you want to move a marker to a different layer, click and drag that marker to the desired layer.

For example, I made a map of Wisconsin Campgrounds to help me find campgrounds nearby during our road trips.

I have chosen to use separate layers for different types of campgrounds; National Forests, State Parks, and County Parks.

The benefit of using separate layers versus adding all of the campgrounds to a single layer is that I can check and uncheck specific layers depending on what information I want to see on my map.

If I don’t want to see the State Parks on my map, I can uncheck “Wisconsin State Parks,” and they will not be plotted on my map until I recheck the box.

How to Add Layers

Within Google My Maps, you can have up to 10 layers on a single map.

To add layers, click on “add layer” on the left-hand side of your map just below the map title and description.

Google My Maps then adds an “untitled layer” to your map.

To change the title, click on “Untitled layer,” and it will give you the option to rename the layer.

The current layer selected will have a solid vertical blue bar on the left side of the layer panel. Any new markers created will be added to the selected layer.

You can use Google My Maps to plot your driving route. Unfortunately, you can’t use these routes for navigation in Google Maps. This is one of the downfalls of Google My Maps.

But that is not to say that adding driving directions to your Google road trip map isn’t helpful. Adding driving directions helps you visualize your route so you can better understand where you are going while on your road trip. It also will help you figure out how long you can drive in one day .

Here’s how to add and use Directions on your Google Map:

Start by clicking on the direction icon located below the search bar.

You will then continue to add stops along your route to get a visual of your driving route.

Google Maps will default to the quickest route when creating your driving route. The quickest driving route will likely be the main highways and not always the most scenic. Therefore, there may be times you want to deviate from the quickest route and take a more scenic route.

Fortunately, you can adjust your route by dragging it to where you want it to go.

Start by clicking on the route, and a small circle will appear.

Then drag this route to where you want the route to go.

How to Plan a Road Trip with Google My Maps – A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Now that we know the ins and outs of Google My Maps let’s learn how to use it to create your very own customized road trip map.

• Create a New Google Map
• Add Layers for Different Types of Locations
• Add Locations to Your Map
• Plan Your Road Trip Route

Step 1: Create a New Google Map

You will need to sign in to your Google Account or create a new account to create your own Google My Map.

Once you’re logged into Google, follow this link to bring you to Google Maps .

Click on the hamburger ( 𝄘 ) in the top left-hand corner of Google Maps.

Click on “Your Places”.

This brings up any saved information you’ve stored in Google maps, like your favorites

Now it’s time to bring up your very first map.

Click on Maps on the top left →, then click “create map” on the bottom left.

You now have your blank map! 

Give your map a title, and get ready to create your first custom road trip map.

Step 2: Create Layers for Different Types of Markers

I like to start trip planning by creating different layers for the types of markers I plan to add to my map.

The layers I typically use are: – Places to Sleep – Places to Eat – Places to Drink – Things to Do

You can always add layers while you plan. But I find it easier to stay organized if I start with some layers on my map before adding locations.

Step 3. Add Markers to Your Map

This is the best part of planning your road trip with Google My Maps.

Whether you are in your brainstorming stage of travel prep or you already know where you want to go, this step is where your trip starts to come together. 

To start, you’ll research your destinations to find markers to add to your map.

I like to use the following resources for trip research:

• Google: Search for things to do, places to eat, places to stay, etc., in the areas you plan to visit or pass through
• Visitor Centers: Find tourism information online or request info from your destinations’ tourism bureaus to be mailed to you
• Travel books: We like to get ours from the library
• Facebook groups: Join a Facebook Group for the area you are traveling to. They are filled with tons of suggestions on the best things to do in the area.

When you find a location you want to make note of, add it to your map.

Do this by entering it into the search bar.

The great thing about Google Maps is that it pulls up all of the information on a location that Google has. If available, you can find the exact address, reviews, and website address. 

If the location looks good, you can then add it as a marker to your map by clicking “add to map”.

Once added to your map, you can customize your marker by changing your icon’s color and/or shape by clicking on the paint bucket icon labeled “style”.

I like picking a specific color and icon for each marker category. For example, my “restaurants” may all be blue with a fork and spoon icon, while my “sights to see” will be yellow with a binocular icon.

One of my favorite features of Google My Maps is that I can add my own info to the marker. Typically, this info comes from the research I’ve done on the location. If I found a blog post recommending a specific restaurant, I’ll add that to the marker, so I have that info at my fingertips when we are on the road.

Add any info you want to your marker and click save.

Your marker will now be added to your map.

You can see your marker in two places: one on the map and the other in the layer it was added to in the layers menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

Continue to add locations until your map starts to take shape.

Here is an example of a map we made for a West Virginia Road Trip .

Step 4: Determine Your Route / Itinerary

Now that you have location markers on your map, you can determine your route and day-to-day itinerary.

Take a look at where all your location markers are situated and start planning your route.

Start by creating a directions layer on your map.

Once you have your directions layer, rename it, and begin plotting your route.

First, you will need to enter your starting point. This can be done by either entering an address manually or clicking on a marker on your map.

Continue to add stops until your route is complete.

Here is an example of what our Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Trip looked like.

Google Maps will default to the quickest route from two points. If you want to go a different route than the one suggested, you can drag the route to force it to go a different way than it was originally displayed.

You now have your own customizable Google Map for your road trip.

We use these maps for both planning our trip and for reference during our trip.

Now let’s look at how to use your awesome map during your trip.

How to View Your Google My Map on Your Phone

Now that you have your map customized, you’ll likely want to be able to view it on your phone.

You will first need to download the Google Maps app from your phone’s app store.

Once you have the Google Map app, here is how you access your map:

• Click on “Saved” on the lower toolbar on your phone
• Click on “Maps” on the lower right
• Select your customized map

Now you can view your location markers and all the customized information you added to your map.

Click on your marker to bring up basic information. For the more detailed information you added, swipe up.

How to Use Your Google Map to Get Directions During Your Road Trip

Unfortunately, you can’t use the turn-by-turn directions you may have added to your map for actual driving instructions for your trip.

But not all is lost; you can still get directions to the next stop by using your customized map and Google Maps.

To do this, click on the location you want directions to and click on directions.

This will launch your Google Map app and allow you to get turn-by-turn directions to your next stop.

How to Export Your Map for Offline Access

Google My Maps works great when you have cell phone service on your trip. Unfortunately, you will not always have service, and you can’t download your Google My Map for offline use like you can in Google Maps.

Thankfully, there are ways to export your map for use offline.

To do this, we use Gaia GPS .

Let’s walk you through downloading your Google My Map for importing into Gaia GPS, an offline mapping app.

On your computer, click on the ( ⋮ ) in the top left corner by the map’s name. Then click on Export to KML/KMZ.

A pop-up will appear. Keep the default of “entire map” and click “download”.

Now you can import this map into Gaia GPS.

Start by creating a Gaia GPS account .

Once logged in, click “Import Data” and select the .KMZ file you downloaded from Google My Maps.

Your locations will now populate in your Gaia GPS map. Make sure to click “save” .

You can now access your map locations offline on your phone via Gaia GPS.

To do this, download the Gaia GPS App on your phone and log in.

Once logged in, you will see a notification that you have a saved location available.

Click on the Saved folder

You can now see all your locations on your Google My Map. Including the details, you added.

More Road Trip Tips: Road Trip Hacks for a Stress-free Trip Road Trip Activities for a Long Car Ride Road Trip Meal and Snack Ideas Money-Saving Tips for Your Next Road Trip How to Budget for a Road Trip

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The Best Road Trip Apps That Help You Find Cheap Gas, Avoid Traffic, and More

Download these before you hit the highway.

Elizabeth Rhodes is a special projects editor at Travel + Leisure , covering everything from luxury hotels to theme parks to must-pack travel products. Originally from South Carolina, Elizabeth moved to New York City from London, where she started her career as a travel blogger and writer.

Carmen Martínez Torrón/Getty Images

Technology has revolutionized the way we travel in countless ways. Paper maps and GPS navigation systems have been replaced by Google and Apple Maps, old-school CDs by music streaming services, and guidebooks by apps that can notify road-trippers of roadside attractions in real time. One thing is certain: the smartphone has made road trips infinitely easier and, arguably, cheaper.

Whether you need a digital road trip planner to map out your next journey or something to help you avoid traffic jams, here are 11 of the best road trip apps to download ahead of your next adventure.

Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is one of the most practical and popular road trip planning apps out there. Maybe you want to see national parks or the quirkiest roadside attractions. Perhaps you want to stop for the night at an iconic or underrated hotel. You can plan your stops right in the app, adding up to three waypoints for free or 150 with a Roadtrippers Premium account. There are also Basic and Pro memberships that allot you 20 and 50 waypoints per trip, respectively. The higher-tier memberships allow you to collaborate with friends and family and use navigation. The app features lodging, sights, outdoorsy destinations, restaurants, activities, shopping, fuel, and more all around the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The app is free, but you have to upgrade to a membership plan to enjoy all the bells and whistles. The Basic plan costs $40 a year, the Pro plan $50 a year, and the Premium $60 a year. It's available on iOS and Android .

Google Maps

Every road-tripper needs a trusty navigation app in their arsenal, and Google Maps is consistently one of the most — if not the most — downloaded in the U.S. every year. Its dominance can be attributed to how comprehensive its data is, which allows it to generate the very best directions based on distance, road conditions, and traffic patterns.

Google Maps gives you route options and provides accurate estimates of how long it takes to get from A to B. Plus, you can plot several waypoints along your route — be it a mid-morning coffee stop or a hotel for overnighting (you can see reviews right in the app).

Google Maps is free and available on iOS and Android .

Waze is another one of the top navigation apps. With real-time updates that help you avoid traffic jams, construction, and more, it will have you navigating new cities and unfamiliar streets like a seasoned local. It's perhaps a little more proactive than Google Maps in changing up a route when problems arise, and that means Waze users should prepare for their drive to be a little unpredictable.

No one wants to spend hours sitting in traffic instead of exploring, so the fact that Waze collects data from other drivers to streamline the driving experience is a huge help. The app is free and available on iOS and Android .

Paying for fuel can eat up a good chunk of your road trip budget, but GasBuddy can save you a few bucks. The app crowdsources up-to-date fuel prices for more than 150,000 gas stations around the U.S. and Canada. The app also tells you how recent the submission is so you know whether it's outdated.

GasBuddy is not just helpful for finding cheap gas but also for finding gas stations in general (and parking), which can be difficult in foreign territory. The app is free and can be downloaded on iOS and Android . While using it, be a good road-tripper and submit gas prices you see as you travel.

Roadside America

Barry Winiker/Getty Images

The offbeat and kitschy roadside attractions you can find throughout the U.S. are often some of the most delightful parts of a road trip. The Roadside America app helps you find the most unique attractions worth stopping for, like the large sculpture of a cartoon mouse holding a cheese platter in Plain, Wisconsin — where else? — or the decidedly odd larger-than-life-sized three-way electrical plug that rests on a lawn in Philadelphia. The app features museums, murals, tours, quirky restaurants, and photo ops.

Roadside America costs $3 to download, which gets you access to one region in the app. You can purchase more regions for $2 or get access to all of the U.S. and Canada for an extra $7. The app is available only on iOS .

iExit Interstate Exit Guide

Knowing where to stop for road trip snacks, a drive-through latte, or a public restroom can be challenging with all the exit signs whizzing by at 70 mph, but iExit Interstate Exit Guide takes the guesswork out of it. The app will list which exits are coming up on your route, what's there, and what they offer — including food, lodging, fuel, and even hospitals. It pulls fuel prices from OPIS (the Oil Price Information Service) and displays Yelp reviews for businesses.

The app is free to download. Find it on both iOS and Android .

HotelTonight

Even if you've planned out all your stops ahead of time, you might find that you need to pull over for a night unexpectedly. Driving is tiring, and unplanned naps can be life-saving. HotelTonight can help you find accommodations in a pinch. The app offers day-of deals on unsold rooms, and the user-friendly interface means you can book a discounted room in minutes. There are well over 1,000 properties to choose from in cities all over the world, from Mexico City to Jakarta (in case you happen to take your road-tripping global).

It's free to download and available on iOS and Android .

If staying in a tucked-away A-frame cabin, a yurt, or a private guest house in someone's garden is more your travel style than bouncing between hotels, then Airbnb is the ticket. On the Airbnb app, you can search properties (millions in the U.S. alone) on a map and read reviews before you book, which you can do in advance or at the last minute.

The app features not just vacation homes but also activities, so if you're keen to experience a city like a local you can do so via a pottery class or a guided walking tour, for example.

The Airbnb app is free. You can download it on iOS or Android .

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Travelers who dream of camping out under the stars should download The Dyrt , a free app that helps you find tent, RV, and cabin sites across the U.S. One of the top camping apps on iOS and Android , it has more than a million registered users who submit reviews, pictures, and tips. On The Dyrt, you get real intel on campsites and a built-in community that makes camping on a road trip especially fun and safe. You can even book some of the campsites right on app.

The app is free, but there's a premium version for $36 a year that allows you to plan trips and search campsites while offline — convenient for remote regions.

What is a road trip without a perfect playlist? Whether you're keen to create a soundtrack of nostalgic singalongs, modern pop songs, or music inspired by your destination, you'll find even the most obscure tunes on Spotify , a catalog of more than 100 million tracks. When you tire of Taylor Swift, you can turn to podcasts or an audiobook to keep you company. Road trips are a great opportunity to delve into a docuseries like "Serial," an all-time favorite.

Spotify is free to download and listen to, but the ad breaks are annoying and streaming can chew through your phone data. A better option is to purchase a premium membership for $11 a month. It's ad-free and you can download music to listen to offline. The Spotify app is available on iOS and Android .

Electric vehicles are increasingly commonplace and great for more environmentally friendly road-tripping. The problem is often finding charging stations, as most EVs can go 100 to 300 miles before they need to be plugged in. PlugShare lists 700,000 charging stations across North America, Europe, and beyond. Users share their reviews of the stations, helping to guide EV drivers to the best, fastest, and most reliable charging spots.

PlugShare is free and available to download on iOS and Android .

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The 10 Best Road Trip Planner Apps for 2024

Save time, money, and energy with these apps so you can focus on the fun instead

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We love road trips! Planning them can be fun but, let's be honest, also stressful. The right road trip planner apps can take some of that stress away by helping you plan, organize, and manage travel before and during your trip. We've researched and tested these apps to help give you peace of mind so that you can spend more time enjoying your trip.

The Ultimate Map App for Planning Your Route: Roadtrippers

Access to free and convenient travel guides.

Share-ability so friends can join in on the planning process and suggest places to visit.

The app can use up the battery life of your device quickly. Take a car USB charger with you.

Built for travelers, Roadtrippers helps you create your route while allowing you to discover great places as you plan it out. Add a new place to your itinerary to work it into your trip.

The app features an easy-to-use interface. In addition to covering the U.S., it also covers Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Download For:

Automate Your Trip Planning and Organization: Google Travel

Automatic trip organization via Gmail integration. 

Offline access so you can see your trip information even when you don't have an internet connection.

Limitations with customizing some day trips exactly the way you want.

You can count on Google to make your trip planning a breeze. Pre-constructed day plans are available for hundreds of the world's most popular destinations, which you can customize to your liking.

It's one of the most versatile travel planner apps out there, giving you one convenient place to see your hotel, rental car, and restaurant bookings.

Find and Book a Last-Minute Place to Stay: Hotels.com

A fast, easy-to-use booking feature.

For every 10 nights you book through Hotels.com, you get one night free, provided it's the average daily rate of those 10 nights.

No option to easily cancel if you change your mind.

Whether your road trip itinerary changed, or you haven't decided on a place to stay yet, Hotels.com can help you find a place and book it when you're on the go, even when it's super last-minute. You can sort and filter hotels, see the amenities they have to offer, compare prices, and catch a glimpse of how many rooms are available.

This is the app you'll want to have handy if you want to see in-depth hotel details at a glance and need to find a place to crash ASAP without breaking the bank.

Find Local Restaurants, Read Reviews, and Make Reservations: OpenTable

Lots of great filter options and suggestions.

Access to gorgeous, high-quality images of menu items and informative reviews from other users.

Reported problems and inconveniences with their built-in reward system.

Searching for specific restaurants is more difficult than simply looking at what's around in the area.

Deciding on a place to eat in a new area is quick and hassle-free with OpenTable. See what's nearby, filter restaurants by cuisine, see photos of what's on the menu, make reservations, and get personalized recommendations based on your preferences.

OpenTable is known to be one of the top  location-based food apps  available, so you know you can trust its information when you're dying for something to eat.

Navigate Like a Local: Waze

Hands-free navigation with voice commands.

Alerts-only mode for road hazards and police.

Share up-to-date ETA with friends.

Spotify and Apple Music widgets get in the way.

Cluttered maps can be confusing.

Higher battery usage than Google Maps.

Waze  is a community-driven travel app that shows you the shortest possible route to your destination. Like Google Maps, Waze makes real-time adjustments for traffic jams and other obstacles—but Waze is often more accurate since it caters specifically to drivers.

The app syncs with your Google Calendar and can tell you when you should leave for appointments based on traffic. There's also a cool option to record your own voice and use it for directions .

Know Exactly When and Where to Make a Pit Stop: iExit Interstate Exit Guide

Access to detailed summaries of what's at the next exit (including gas prices at nearby gas stations).

Search for the next 100 exits from your location.

The app can only be used on major U.S. exit-based highways.

No offline access, so you'll use your data plan while you're on the road.

Making a pit stop for food, gas, or a bathroom break is easy when you have the iExit app. Using your device's GPS, the app offers helpful suggestions for when and where to stop based on your location along the highway.

Whether you're looking for well-known franchises like Starbucks and Walmart to convenient amenities like free Wi-Fi and truck or trailer parking, this app has you covered.

Find the Cheapest Fuel Nearby: GasBuddy

An in-app gas payment feature.

Opportunity to save 10 cents per gallon on your first fill-up and five cents per gallon on every fill-up after.

The app can take up a lot of data and battery life as it runs in the background.

GasBuddy is an app specifically designed to find nearby gas stations and save money on gas. Use it to find the cheapest gas in your area and filter gas stations by amenities like car washes, restaurants, and bathrooms.

It's the app you want to have if you're serious about finding the cheapest gas around. Information comes from users like you, so you have the most up-to-date prices.

Download For :

Never Forget an Item: PackPoint Premium Packing List

Access to a built-in library of items to pack with the ability to add or remove items as needed. 

An elegant, intuitive app interface.

Can't input multiple destinations for a single trip.

Not a free app.

PackPoint helps you make sure you have everything you need based on where you're going and what you're doing. In addition, the app takes into consideration the length of your trip and the expected weather conditions. Perhaps best of all, this app turns a mundane chore into something that's actually quite fun.

Find Out Where to Park and How Much It Will Cost: Inrix ParkMe

ParkMe is the only app that also includes street parking and parking meter rates where available, in addition to parking lots.

Real-time updates on available parking spots.

Rates and hours may be inaccurate in some areas.

ParkMe claims to be the world's largest and most accurate parking database. It allows you to purchase your parking spot through the app and compare prices across parking providers to help you save more money.

If you're road tripping around major cities in the U.S., Canada, or Europe, this app can be a huge help. You can even compare parking options and prices so that you always get the best deal.

Automate Your Itinerary: TripIt

Automatically creates itineraries from your inbox.

Widget displays trip details on your home screen.

Annoying amount of alerts by default.

If you're planning a trip, you'll likely have a lot of confirmation emails for hotels, appointments, restaurants, and attractions. TripIt syncs with your inbox and uses that information to compile an itinerary so that you don't have to scramble for it.

The free version is fine for road trips, but if you ever fly, the premium version gives you the option to upgrade seats and track reward miles.

In addition to your phone, laptop, and tablet, other travel tech essentials include chargers, headphones, travel adapters, cameras, luggage trackers, and off-grid communications

Yes. You can use Google Maps as a trip planner through the “Places” and “My Maps” features. Both the Google Maps website and app let you save locations to lists and get directions.

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7 of the most spectacular road trips in Switzerland

May 24, 2024 • 8 min read

There are picturesque landscapes at every turn in Switzerland © ake1150sb / Getty Images

Switzerland might look tiny on paper, but with most of its land gobbled up by the Alps, this little European nation packs in a lot of elevated space.

Wherever you go, you’re in for one hell of a drive: roads unfurl along the shores of great lakes and glaciers, mountain passes corkscrew up to fairy-tale medieval castles, and on the high roads, every glorious bend makes you want to screech to a halt and yodel in delight.

Neatly wrapping it all up is the big one – the 1,643km (1,021-mile) Grand Tour of Switzerland – an epic, efficiently signposted lap of the country that links 12 UNESCO World Heritage sites and shows off the Alpine nation from its most flattering angles.

Short on time? Don’t worry – here are seven alternative road trips in Switzerland to give you a head start.

1. Furka Pass

Best road trip for glaciers and mountain peaks Obergoms–Andermatt; 35km (22 miles)

The wows never leave your lips, and the Alps never leave your rear-view mirror on this astonishingly steep, snaking, stop-the-car-and-grab-the-camera drive from the remote valley of the Goms in Valais to mountain-encrusted Andermatt in Uri.

If you begin to feel rather Bond-like behind the wheel, it’s no coincidence: this road starred in the car chase scene in the 1964 movie Goldfinger and brings out the 007 in everyone.

Swerving precariously around switchbacks, it tops out at the 2,429m (7,969ft) Furka Pass, where you can peer across the lunar rockscape of a wind-battered plateau and park to see the deeply crevassed Rhône Glacier and its ice grotto before the long, sweeping descent to Andermatt.

Planning tip: Drive the Furka Pass west to east for full-on, hairpin-riddled drama and views of austere peaks and glaciers that will draw constant gasps. Open roughly from June to October, the best time to go is the summer, as the road closes when the snow arrives. Check conditions before heading out.

2. The Appenzell rural route

Best road trip for rural Switzerland Appenzell–St Moritz; 200km (124 miles)

Switzerland’s rural, folksy heart beats loudest in the Appenzell region, snuggling up to Liechtenstein in the country’s northeast. It’s a terrifically unsung region for a road trip, with rolling dairy country giving way to lavishly frescoed towns. A week? Doable. Two weeks? Now you’re talking…

The route passes Säntis mountain (at the summit of which you can see six countries), the seven wavy limestone peaks of the Churfirsten range and the pretty medieval hamlet of Werdenberg before crossing little-but-lovely Liechtenstein, with an essential stop-off at its castle-topped capital, Vaduz .

The mountains soar ever higher as you cruise south to vine-rimmed Maienfeld – the setting of the beloved Swiss children’s book Heidi – and the gorge-spanning Salginatobel Bridge, a feat of engineering described as a work of art. 

Storybook Engadine villages with fountains and frescoed houses like Guarda and Zernez entice you into the nature-gone-wild Swiss National Park before your drive south to St Moritz , where sky-high peaks are ripe for Alpine adventures.

Planning tip: Factor in time to break from the wheel and stretch your legs with a properly wild hike in the Swiss National Park. The national park visitor centre in Zernez can hook you up with rangers. 

3. Southern Switzerland's peaks 

Best road trip for mountain scenery Lugano–Zermatt; 264km (164 miles)

The Alps are your constant companion on this ravishing drive through the high mountains of southern Switzerland, which takes in both the Gotthard and Furka passes. You'll want to allow at least a week to do it justice. 

Begin at the route’s end in lakeside Lugano , which shoulders up to Italy and delivers a shot of la dolce vita in its cafe-rimmed piazzas and palm-fringed parks. From here, the road cruises north to Locarno – another beauty with its botanical gardens and palazzo-filled Renaissance Old Town – and UNESCO World Heritage Bellinzona with its trio of hilltop medieval fortresses.

The language flicks from Italian to German as you power north into the Alps proper and Airolo at the foot of the Gotthard Pass. This drive is simply too good to rush, so factor in time for a break in Andermatt, where big wilderness, high-elevation hikes and sensational Alpine scenery await.

Just west of here, the heart-quickening, hairpin-bend-riddled Furka Pass leads you up and over into the glacier-encrusted mountains of Valais. The final stretch of the trip encompasses Bettmeralp, the epic Aletsch Glacier and Brig, with its whimsical Stockalper Palace, building to a crescendo in Zermatt , where the mighty Matterhorn holds you in its thrall.

Planning tip: This route is seasonal, with both the Furka and the Gotthard Passes closing over winter. Check the Alpine Passes website for details on opening dates and current snow and road conditions.

4. Gotthard Pass

Best road trip for gorges and canyons Andermatt–Airolo; 26.5km (16.5 miles)

Sure, you could take the tunnel (one of the world’s longest) through the St-Gotthard Massif, but where’s the fun in that?

If it’s Alpine highs you’re after, the old road over the 2,108m (6,196ft) Gotthard Pass enthralls. Buckle up, roll down the window and prepare for a feast of wild, lonely, bleakly beautiful mountain scenery on this serpentine road linking the Italian-speaking Swiss region of Ticino to the German-speaking region of Uri. If the curvy road seems a challenge today, just think of the poor souls that once made the arduous journey on foot and with pack animals.

In a former customs house at the top of the pass, the seasonal Museo Nazionale San Gottardo gives insight into the history and culture of the pass, but it’s the heart-quickening views you’ll remember most.

Even the Romans shied away from the Gotthard, and it wasn’t until the Devil’s Bridge was built in the 1300s that the pass became properly accessible. The bridge straddles the Schöllenen Gorge, where walls of sheer granite plunge to the raging Reuss River far below. On the south side of the Gotthard Pass, the cobblestone Tremola is a tour de force of 37 switchbacks that send you pinballing down to Airolo.

Planning tip: The road is weather-dependent – it's usually open from May to November.

5. Julier Pass

Best road trip for getting off the beaten track Chur–St Moritz; 157km (98 miles)

Scenery like this should come with a drumroll. Unfurling through the otherworldly gray, jagged, moraine-streaked Alps of Graubünden , the 2,284m (7,494ft) Julier Pass is the icing on the cake of a lovely, long, winding drive that connects the Alpine city of Chur to St Moritz in the Engadine Valley.

Little-trafficked and thrillingly wild, the pass has been used since Roman times, and remains of a Roman temple are still visible. The road dives deep into the heart of the Albula Alps, ticking off pristine mountain landscapes like Parc Ela , Switzerland’s biggest nature park, where you might be tempted to temporarily swap the open road for a hiking trail or two. 

Unspooling like a ribbon, the Julier Pass frequently tops polls of Switzerland’s most beautiful drives, and for good reason: its remote, far-away-from-everywhere feel adds to its appeal tenfold.

Planning tip: While the drive is technically open year-round, take care with snow and ice. You’ll need winter tires and snow chains in the cold months.

6. Wheel through Western Switzerland

Best road trip for lakes and forests Geneva–Neuchâtel; 190km (118 miles)

The Alps get a lot of love, but sidling up to France in Switzerland’s not-so-wild west, the deliciously off-the-radar Jura region has its own quiet, unexpected beauty with lakes and vineyards rolling to châteaux and pine forest-cloaked hills. 

Begin with a powerful hit of culture in worldly Geneva , reclining gracefully on the shores of its croissant-shaped lake. From here, the route tiptoes off the beaten track north into the Jura Vaudois Nature Park for hikes with lake views and tastings of Gruyère cheese at rural Alpine huts.

Devote at least a couple of days to the second half of the drive as you cruise north to serene Lac de Joux, with its watchmaking heritage, and Vallorbe, where Switzerland’s most astounding limestone caves reveal a wonderland of subterranean rivers, waterfalls and rock formations.

Near Lac de Neuchâtel, you’ll find the lushly rolling Val-de-Travers, birthplace of the “green fairy” (absinthe) and the great crescent-moon canyon of Creux du Van . The drive ends with a metaphorical bang at Neuchâtel , topped off by a turreted fantasy of a medieval castle.

Planning tip: The drive is part of the well-signposted and mapped Grand Tour of Switzerland . See the website for details on stages and route highlights.

7. Switzerland's top cities

Best road trip for nature amidst urban Switzerland Zürich–Bern; 315km (196 miles)

Bookended by Switzerland’s de facto capital Bern and the country's largest city Zürich (commonly mistaken for the capital), this sensationally varied road trip leaps joyously from the urban to the outdoors, winging you from culture-crammed cities to great abbeys, medieval castles, lakes and mountains of myth.

Bidding Zürich’s big-hitting museums and cool waterfront bars a reluctant adieu, the drive swings south along the shores of Lake Zürich with tantalizing views of the Alps on cloudless days. Stop off at ludicrously pretty towns, such as vine-ribbed, castle-topped Rapperswil, before heading south to Einsiedeln and its whopping Benedictine abbey.

Lucerne hits the cultural sweet spot with its perfect-looking Old Town and galleries. Detour to fjord-like, exquisitely turquoise Lake Uri for a taste of the country’s geographical and spiritual heartland. Squeeze in dairy tours and meadow strolls in mellow Emmental as you ease your way southwest to Bern, the city of Einstein, elegant arcades and wild swims in the Aare River.

Planning tip: Aim for at least a week behind the wheel – preferably more.

Ready to plan your trip to Switzerland? Here are your next steps:

• Save these top places to visit to your profile
• Start crafting your budget with these tips
• Traveling with kids? They'll love these activities
• And here's everything you need to know before you go

This article was first published Dec 16, 2020 and updated May 24, 2024.

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9 of the best road trips in Europe

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If you've got wheels, wanderlust and a spot of time, a road trip in Europe offers the chance to see the continent at a relaxed pace. From the sunny shores of Portugal to the dungeons of Dracula's castle in Transylvania in Romania , the following itineraries can be easily combined, shortened or altered to suit your wayfaring tastes. Here are 9 of the best road trips in Europe.

1. From the glamour of Paris to the glorious grit of Berlin (France to Germany)

2. surf and sun in the basque country and beyond, 3. the arctic fjords from bergen to trondheim (norway), 4. the unexplored east: bucharest to vienna (romania to austria), 5. to portugal and beyond.

• 6. High-altitude adventure on Germany's Alpine Road

7. Godly beaches and ancient highways in Greece

8. london to edinburgh and the highlands, 9. the secret shores of sicily and calabria, planning your european road trip, travel ideas for spain, created by local experts.

9 days  / from 2468 USD

Andalucía Explored

Discover the best of Andalucía's breathtaking palaces, churches, museums, vineyards, and more, as you travel through spectacular scenery dotted with pueblos blancos and bordered by rugged mountains and coast en route to Granada, Seville, Ronda and Jerez de la Frontera.

4 days  / from 643 USD

A culinary experience in Seville

Explore the cuisine and surroundings of Seville in Andalucia. From Iberian ham over sherry wines to the production and secrets of olive oil, this tour is an ideal weekend getaway. Decide yourself if you prefer a rental car or a chauffeur-driven car to explore the beauty of Andalucia.

10 days  / from 3791 USD

Spanish Honeymoon

Discover Andalusia, starting with the cultural city of Seville, then on to Córdoba and Granada, home of the stunning Alhambra Palace. Next you'll visit Granada and the Albayzin Arab quarter, then enjoy a stunning hot-air balloon ride, before ending your trip with a luxury boat trip from Marbella!

5 days  / from 1480 USD

Made for Madrid

Take to the Spanish capital for art, culture and a taste of life in the city, Madrileño-style. Explore age-old churches and pretty plazas, stroll through the lovely Buen Retiro Park and visit captivating Toledo. Then, come sundown, discover the city's vibrant barrios and lively nightlife.

4 days  / from 1399 USD

A Madrid getaway

Spend four days discovering the wonders of Spain's capital Madrid: from fascinating museums like El Prado and Reina Sofia over exploring unknown corners with your private guide to a day trip to the surroundings, this itinerary packs the best of Madrid.

18 days  / from 4590 USD

Hidden Spain - From Barcelona to Basque Country

Do you want to explore highlights in Spain while staying in nature at the same time? Look no further. Start your Spanish adventure in Barcelona before heading off to the mountains - drive your rental car to Andorra and further on to Basque Country. Decide between driving yourself or guided tours.

Leaving Paris , cruise through the gentle hills of Champagne and Reims to the quaint capital of Luxembourg City, and explore the small country’s many fairy-tale castles.

Trier , Germany’s oldest city, is less than an hour’s drive north-east, where ancient Roman baths and basilicas stand marvellously intact.

Spend a night in the medieval village of Bacharach in Riesling wine country, before wandering the riverside streets of Heidelberg . Onward to Nuremberg , and then to Leipzig for a strong dose of hot caffeine with your Cold War history, classical music and cake. Make sure to check out the complete guide to the UNESCO world heritage sites in Germany to visit some of the palaces and gardens , industrial heritage sites or historic town centres along the way.

Detour to Dresden , restored after the ruinous bombing in WWII, before ending in one of Europe’s coolest cities: the creative paradise of Berlin .

For a longer trip, start in London and take the ferry or channel tunnel to France , transforming this road trip into a pilgrimage between Europe’s holy trinity of artistic hubs.

• Best for: Culture vultures looking for bragging rights.
• How long: 1–2 weeks.
• Insider tip: If you’re driving in France, you’ll legally need to keep safety equipment in your car (a reflective vest and hazard signal). Additionally, be prepared with a cash or credit card to pay the French road tolls on the way.

Thinking exclusively about a vacation in France? Start planning your trip by finding out how to get there .

Panoramic aerial view of Trier featuring the famous Trierer Dom © S-F/Shutterstock

Begin in Bilbao , where the surrounding beaches boast world-class surf, then drive along the Atlantic to San Sebastian : watersports wonderland and foodie heaven. From there venture south through the rugged wilderness of the Pyrenees to Pamplona . Climb the Roncesvalles Pass before looping back to the coast. Or continue along the Bay of Biscay to the attractive seaside resort of St-Jean-de-Luz.

Travellers with a little extra money lining their pockets will be happy to spend days lingering on boho beaches in Biarritz, while those looking for gargantuan swell can do no better than the surfer hangouts in Hossegor.

Finish the trip northward in Bordeaux – the Pearl of the Aquitaine – where café-strewn boulevards and world-class wines are your trophies at the finish line.

Bilbao to Bordeaux

• Best for: Sun-seeking surfers and foodies.
• How long: 1 week.
• Insider tip: Check seasonal surf forecasts before you go, and look into coastal campsites if you're on a budget.The Basque roads beg for a convertible – or a colourful camper van with surfboards strapped to the roof.

Biarritz City and its famous beach © Boris Stroujko/Shutterstock

Kick off in the city of Bergen , on Norway’s southwest coast, and make way past mighty fjords to Voss and the colossal Tvindefossen waterfall. Then check the world's longest road tunnel off your to-do list, a cavernous 24.5km route under the mountains.

Catch a quick ferry across the Sognefjord and carry on to the Fjaler valleys, a land of glaciers and snowy mountain peaks, to the waterside towns of Stryn or the mountain village Videster.

Work your way northward to the well-touristed towns of Geiranger, down the death-defying hairpin turns of Trollstigen (literally “The Troll Path”).

After the descent, ferry across the Eresfjord to Molde and Kristiansund. For the final stretch, drive the iconic Atlantic Road with its roller-coaster-style bridges, and conclude with some well-deserved downtime upon the still waters and stilted homes of Trondheim .

• Best for: Thrill seekers and landscape junkies.
• How long : 5–7 days.
• Insider tip : This route is best tackled from late spring to early autumn. If you plan on road tripping during Norway’s winter months, be sure to check online ahead of time for road closures due to snow and ice.
• Ready to explore Norway? Start preparing by finding out how to get there .

The idyllic surroundings of Stryn in Norway © Mikolajn/Shutterstock

Start from Bucharest , travelling northward through the Carpathian mountains to Transylvania, and make a mandatory stop at Bran Castle (claimed to be the old stomping grounds of Dracula himself).

Take the Transfagarasan mountain road, one of the most scenic routes in the world, towards the age-old cities and countless castles of Sibu, Brasov and Sighisoara. Then set course to the unexplored architectural gems of Timisoara.

Carry on towards the tranquil hot springs and hip ruin pubs of bustling Budapest, and be prepared to stay at least a few days. Depart for Bratislava – a capital full of surprises – from where it's only an hour further to the coffeehouses and eclectic architecture of Vienna .

• Best for: Anyone looking for a break from the conventional tourism of western Europe.
• How long: 7–12 days.
• Insider tip: Exercise caution when driving through tunnels. Though the weather outside may be fine, tunnels are often slippery.

Bran (Dracula) castle in Transylvania, Romania © Kanuman/Shutterstock

Start in Braga , before driving south to the medieval town of Guimarães , a UNESCO World Heritage site. Then it’s onward to the breathtaking "second-city" of Porto , though it's nothing less than first-rate. Check here for the best places to stay in Porto .

Drive east to the vineyards and steep valleys of Penafiel and Amarante before hitting the coastal road to the vast white beaches of Figueira da Foz - among the best beaches in Portugal . From here it’s on to Peniche, Ericeira and then Lisbon : the country's vibrant capital that's on course to beat out Berlin for Europe’s coolest city. Check out the best areas to stay in Lisbon as well as the best places to eat to match your taste.

Drive south to Sagres , Arrifana and Carrapateira. After soaking up the sun on the picturesque shores of the Algarve, wrap this road trip up in the Mediterranean dreamland otherwise known as Faro .

If you’ve still got itchy feet when you reach Faro, take the ferry from nearby Algeciras in Spain to Morocco . Imagine the satisfaction of parking your ride in the desert village of Merzouga, before exploring the Sahara – that's right, it would feel awesome.

• Best for: Beach bums and oenophiles.
• How long: At least 10–14 days.
• Insider tip: As Portugal is among the more affordable destinations in Western Europe, this can be an especially great trip for travellers on a budget . 

Oliveira Square, Guimarães © Patricia Henriques Barros/Shutterstock

6. High-altitude adventure on Germany's Alpine Road

The Alpenstrasse, or Alpine Road, is your ticket to a bonafide Bavarian odyssey: a safe route through the unforgettable vistas of Germany 's high-altitude meadows, mountains, crystal-clear lakes and cosy village restaurants. Start lakeside at Lindau on the Bodensee and head to Oberstaufen for a therapeutic beauty treatment in the country’s “Capital of Wellness”.

Venture eastwards to the Breitachklamm gorge, where the river Breitach cuts through verdant cliffs and colossal boulders. Carry on to the town of Füssen – famous for its violin makers – stopping along the way at any quaint Alpine villages you please. The iconic Neuschwanstein Castle , the same structure that inspired Walt Disney to build his own version for Cinderella, isn’t far off either - one of those places even more beautiful in winter.

Speaking of winter, hit the slopes of Garmisch-Partenkirchen for some serious skiing if the season’s right. Stop at Benediktbeuern on your way to the medieval town of Bad Tölz, then up through the stunning wilderness scenes of the Chiemgau Alps before ending in the regional capital of Munich . If you’re missing the mountain roads already, carry on to Salzburg in Austria and stop in the ice caves of Werfen on the way.

Lindau to Oberstaufen

• Best for: Outdoorsy types.
• How long: 5–8 days.
• Insider tip: Give your road trip an extra purpose and pack your skis or snowboard. Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski season starts early December and ends early May. In the summer months, you can go hiking or climbing instead.

Church in Benediktbeuern © FooTToo/Shutterstock

Start in Athens and take the coastal roads south through the Athenian Riviera to Sounion, situated at the tip the Attic peninsula. Watch a sunset at the Temple of Poseidon, then drive northward through mythic mountains to the fortress of Kórinthos before posting up in the legendary city of Mycenae (home of Homeric heroes).

If you’re craving a luxurious seaside stay, look no further than the resort town of Nafplio. If not, carry onwards through the unforgiving landscapes to Mystra, the cultural and political capital of Byzantium.

Want more? Then it’s on to Olympia, sporting grounds of the ancients, and the mystic ruins of Delphi. Loop back towards Athens, approaching the city from the north.

• Best for: Sun-worshippers,and anyone who’s ever read Homer or watched overly action-packed flicks such as Troy and 300 .
• How long: 5–10 days, though it’s easy to trim a version of this road trip down to a long weekend.
• Insider tip: If you’re parking in central Athens keep an eye out for coloured parking spaces – these are reserved for locals, so if you park here you’ll get a ticket.

Aerial view of Nafplio city in the summer © Olga Kot Photo/Shutterstock

Leave the hectic pace of England ’s capital London behind. Make for Oxford, home of the world’s oldest English-language university, and a place of storied pubs where the likes of J.R.R Tolkien and Lewis Carrol regularly wet their whistles.

If you’ve got the time, it’s a quick drive to the cottages of the Cotswolds - check our guide to the prettiest villages to visit . If not, cruise up to Stratford-Upon-Avon, birthplace of Shakespeare.

Take the two-and-a-half-hour drive north to Manchester for a city fix and watch a football match. Carry on north to the Lake District National Park, one of the most beautiful places in England . Drink in the scenery that inspired England’s finest romantics, then head across the Yorkshire dales to the quirky medieval lanes of York, founded by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago.

From there it's north again past tiny villages to the majestic wonders of Edinburgh . If you’re craving the rugged comforts of the highlands go to Stirling, Inverness, or the Western Isles – worth the drive indeed. And if you are going by electric car, check out this great guide to plan your electric car road trip in Britain .

London to Inverness

• Best for: Locals that want to feel like foreigners, and foreigners that want to feel like locals.
• How long: 5–10 days.
• Insider tip: Destinations like Stratford-Upon-Avon and York (not to mention London) are true tourist hotspots in the summer. Plan your road trip for spring or autumn and you’ll enjoy the beautiful scenery along with fewer crowds.

Catbells  in The Lake District © Michael Conrad/Shutterstock

Hit the gas in the Sicilian capital of Palermo, the biggest historic centre in Italy after Rome and arguably the country’s most chaotic metropolis.

Adventure onwards along the Tyrrhenian coast to the golden sands of Cefalù – a great holiday spot for families, with a mellow medieval town centre to boot.

Get to the island’s heartland and the ancient city of Enna. Surrounded by cliffs on all sides, and built atop a massive hill, you'll feel as though you've walked on the set of Game of Thrones . Head southeast to the shores of the Ionian Sea and dock in Siracusa, once the most important in the western world while under ancient Greek rule with much of its historic architecture intact.

Then it’s up to Catania for a trip to molten Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano on the entire European continent.

Finish the trip in Messina, or ferry across into the Italian province of Calabria where rustic mountain villages, friendly locals and the idyllic sands of Tropea and Pizzo await – refreshingly devoid of foreigners.

• Best for: Anyone looking for a truly authentic Italian experience, and of course, hardcore foodies.
• How long : 6–12 days.
• Insider tip: Remember that southern Italy can get very hot in July and August. Avoid the heat of the day with a leisurely lunch (go easy on the wine if you’re driving!) and travel in the early morning or evening instead.

Want to explore Europe even more? We have prepared the most convenient European itineraries for you to explore the continent.

Cefalù on a beautiful day with clear skies © Cezary Wojtkowski/Shutterstock

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The Ultimate New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary

With its snow-capped mountains, ancient glaciers, rolling verdant hills, incredibly friendly locals, and abundant world-class wine, New Zealand is as wonderful as you’ve heard. In fact, take what you’ve heard and times it by ten. Because New Zealand will simply blow your mind when you visit.

People think because it’s a small country, you can see it all in two weeks. Unfortunately, that’s not true. There’s a lot to do here. From the north island to the south island, you need a lot of time here to see the highlights. You could literally fill months with activities and still only scratch the surface. New Zealand may be small but it punches above its weight with things to do.

But what if you don’t have months? What do you do then? What route do you take? What island should you start with? Where do you go?

Or what if you do have a month to spend? Then what? Where do you begin planning your New Zealand itinerary?

Below are my suggested itineraries that can help you plan your New Zealand road trip for maximum efficiency. Whether you have two weeks, one month, or even longer, these itineraries will ensure that you see the highlights and get off the beaten path.

New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary

New Zealand Itinerary Highlights

Choosing the right vehicle.

• Two-Week North Island Route
• Two-Week South Island Route
• One Month Itinerary
• Things to Remember

Note : Two weeks is the minimum recommended time for a New Zealand road trip. There’s so much to see and do here, yet you still don’t want to be rushed or spend all your time in the car. If you only have two weeks, focus on one island.  

• Hike the Franz Josef Glacier
• See the Waitomo Glowworm Caves
• Visit Hobbiton
• Experience a Maori Cultural Show
• Hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing
• Go skydiving or bungy jumping
• Explore Fiordland National Park

Want more info on these activities (and many others)? I cover them all below!  

• Travellers Autobarn
• Wicked Campers

Prices vary a lot. Your daily rate will change depending on where you pick up the vehicle, if you are dropping it off at a different place, how long you are renting it for, how far in advance you book, and when you book (in the high season, prices seem to double!).

If living out of a van for a few weeks doesn’t sound like your idea of a fun time, simply rent a normal car and book accommodation along the way. To book a car, check out Discover Cars , which searches rental agencies big and small to find the best deals.

If you plan to drive New Zealand, you can use this widget to get a free quote for your car rental:

New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary: A Two-Week North Island Route

Days 1–2: auckland.

Spend some time hanging out on the Auckland Domain, go snorkelling on Goat Island , and if you love wine like I do, take a wine tour on Waiheke Island .

For a list of more things to do in Auckland, check out my guide to the city!

Where to Stay : The Albion – This historic accommodation began as a “pub hotel” in the 19th century. Today there’s still a nice old tavern in the hotel. The rooms are comfortable and the place is quiet.

Days 3-4: Bay of Islands

While you’re here you can visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds (one of the most important historical sites in the country), explore Cape Reinga (the northernmost point of New Zealand), and see wild dolphins on a boat tour .

For a list of more things to do in Bay of Islands, check out my complete guide!

Where to Stay : Haka Lodge – Located in Paihia, Haka Lodge has a lot of common spaces, a large kitchen, and great views over the harbor. Everything is super clean and the beds are comfortable. It’s a good place to meet people.

Day 5: Hobbiton

To see Hobbiton, you’ll have to take a tour that starts with a drive through the owner’s 505-hectare (1,250-acre) sheep farm, offering epic views over the Kaimai Range. From here, you can explore Bag End, wander around the hobbit holes, and visit the Green Dragon Inn. Tours start at 89 NZD.

Where to Stay : Cosy Country Stay B&B – This is a cute bed-and-breakfast located in Matamata just a few miles from Hobbiton. The hosts are fantastic, there’s complimentary breakfast, and the property is quiet and tranquil, with roaming cats and goats for added atmosphere.

Days 6–7: Rotorua

The Maori were the original inhabitants of New Zealand, having arrived from Polynesia between 1320 and 1350. This is the best area to learn about Maori history and culture . Don’t miss seeing a Maori cultural show while you’re here (the Te Pa Tu Maori Cultural Experience is the one I attended).

The region is also known for its geothermal activity, and the dynamic landscape makes for exciting nature walks, trips to smelly sulfuric geysers, and soaks in luxury spas with water from the hot springs.

Where to Stay : Rock Solid Backpackers – This is a centrally located hostel with an expansive array of facilities, including a cinema, a bar, a communal kitchen, and even a rock-climbing wall.

Day 8: Waitomo

You can walk, abseil, or float down an underground river to see them. A 45-minute rafting trip is the standard visit, but if you want to go abseiling (also known as rappelling) there’s a five-hour option too. Prices start at 55 NZD for a boat tour and 195 NZD for extended tours with abseiling.

For a complete list of things to do in Waitomo, check out my guide on the town.

Where to Stay : Juno Hall – Close to the glowworm caves, Juno Hall has a swimming pool and tennis court on-site. There’s a large kitchen as well as an outdoor grill for barbecuing.

Days 9-10: Taupo

It’s also one of the best places to go skydiving in New Zealand thanks to the views and clear skies (though I didn’t do this while I was there).

I loved the small-town feel of Taupo, sitting by the lake, and being able to do so many hikes. I could have stayed here for weeks.

For a list of more things to do in Taupo, check out my guide!

Where to Stay : Finlay Jack’s has a huge kitchen, a big common room, a spacious patio with BBQs, fun and welcoming staff, bike rentals, and a super friendly hostel dog. Everything in the hostel is updated, with new, modern pod-style beds so you can get a great night’s sleep. In short, everything a backpacker or budget traveler would want from a hostel.

Day 11: Tongariro Alpine Crossing

As you wind your way through Tongariro National Park, you’ll walk through volcanic terrain (including where Mordor in Lord of the Rings was filmed), past high peaks and sulfur lakes, and end the day in a dense forest. It’s easy in parts (the beginning and end) and steep in others (especially the portion after “Mount Doom”), so you’ll get a good mix of difficulty levels.

Be sure to bring water, sunscreen, a hat, toilet paper, and a sweater or jacket (the weather can change rapidly). Expect to pay around 50 NZD per person for a round-trip shuttle to and from the trail or 325 NZD for a full-day guided hike .

Where to Stay : National Park Alpine Lodge – Located in National Park Village (the best place to stay if doing the trek), this lodge features budget-friendly private rooms, a communal kitchen and common area (with a cozy fireplace for cold nights!), and a helpful staff.

Otherwise, you can stay in Taupo, which is where people usually base themselves when they do this trek.

Days 12–14: Wellington

For a list of more things to do in Wellington, check out my detailed guide to the city.

Where to Stay : The Marion – This boutique hostel is just blocks away from everything you’ll want to see. It’s cozy, with comfy beds and large bathrooms, and the staff really go out of their way to make you feel welcome. It’s a clean, social spot to relax and meet other travelers.

If you’ve only got two weeks and are ending your 14-day New Zealand itinerary in Wellington, you can fly out of the airport here to wherever you need to go next. If you have more time, you’ll take the car ferry (around 3.5 hours) to Picton on the South Island to continue your trip (in which case, follow the following two-week South Island itinerary, but in reverse).  

New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary: A Two-Week South Island Route

If you choose the South Island for your two-week road trip, start in Queenstown. Even if your international flight lands in Auckland on the North Island, you can easily get a cheap flight to Queenstown. Queenstown also has direct flights to many major cities in Australia if your trip to New Zealand is part of a larger adventure in Oceania.

Days 1-3: Queenstown

Known as “the adventure capital of New Zealand” (it’s the launching pad for every sort of adventure activity you can think of), Queenstown lives up to the hype. Even though it has become hugely popular, I cannot express my love of Queenstown enough. I love sitting by the lake, watching the sunset with a bottle of wine, and hiking the nearby trails.

Explore nearby vineyards, enjoy the waters of Lake Wakatipu, or go bungy jumping, ziplining, rafting, or skydiving . There’s a lot to do here.

For a list of more things to do in Queenstown, check out my detailed city guide.

Where to Stay : Nomads Queenstown – Most rooms have balconies, the showers have excellent water pressure, and the pillows are thick. There are activities every night and a free dinner and quiz night on Sunday. Overall, this is a great place to stay.

Days 4-6: Fiordland

Milford Sound is an amazing fjord that’s best known for the towering Mitre Peak and its surrounding rainforest. You can walk the wooded trail along the sandy shore for perfect views of the peak, or take the Chasm Walk on the Cleddau River to get close to powerful waterfalls.

The fjord itself is home to seal and penguin colonies. You can often see pods of dolphins frolicking in the waters too. Explore by boat and check out the Milford Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory to see rare black coral and other underwater life. Southern Discoveries is the only company doing cruises that include the Underwater Observatory. Cruises start from 165 NZD .

While less well-known than Milford, Doubtful Sound is the deepest and second-largest fjord in the country. You can only get to Doubtful via boat. A wilderness cruise of Doubtful Sound costs 299 NZD.

Where to Stay : Milford Sound Lodge – This is quite literally the only place to stay within about 50 kilometers (31 miles). It’s not cheap, but the views are unmatched, the complimentary breakfast is delicious, and the contemporary rooms are cozy yet modern. Otherwise, if you have a car, you can stay in the closest town, Te Anau where you’ll find cheaper accommodation.

Days 7-8: Wanaka

For a list of more things to do in Wanaka, check out my detailed city guide.

Where to Stay : Mountain View Backpackers – This hostel has a huge outdoor space with a grill, space to lie in the sun, and a big table to congregate around (there were many enjoyable nights spent drinking wine outdoors).

Day 9: Franz Josef Glacier

Hiking the glaciers here is an unforgettable experience. Sadly, because they have receded and are melting quickly due to climate change, the caves and walks have been shut down. Now, the only way to trek on the glaciers is via heli-hike ( an epic half-day or full-day helicopter/hiking experience ). These are expensive (500 NZD), but the helicopter ride, trekking, and experience as a whole are worth the price in my opinion.

Conversely, you can just hike to the glacier face and take photos from a distance. There are tons of viewing points (and you’ll see photos of just how far the glaciers have receded over the years).

Where to Stay : Chateau Backpacker & Motels – Just a ten-minute drive from the glacier, this lodging offers free homemade soup every night, free breakfast (homemade waffles and pancakes!), two communal kitchens, and a hot tub.

Days 10–11: Abel Tasman National Park

The best way to see the park is by kayak, so you can explore the little coves and beaches that really make the area special. Full-day rentals start at around 110 NZD, or you can join a guided kayaking tour starting at 190 NZD. You can also take a scenic cruise around the park for 95 NZD.

Where to Stay : Marahau Beach Camp – Offers both dormitories and small private cottages, a communal kitchen, and a seasonal restaurant. There are also tent and campervan sites if you want to save money.

From here, pick your last stop: either drive onwards to Christchurch and end there or take the ferry over to Wellington (an adventure in and of itself!) and end there. Either way, you’ll be able to catch a cheap and quick flight back to Auckland for your international flight home.

If you’re heading to Christchurch, keep reading. If you’d like to visit Wellington, scroll back up and follow the tips in the North Island itinerary section.

Days 12-14: Christchurch

While there’s not a lot “to do” per se, the vibe here is really relaxed, and it’s worth not rushing through if you aren’t short on time. Be sure to ride the gondola , visit the Canterbury Museum, and tour Quake City (a unique and interactive museum that recounts personal stories from the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes).

For a list of more things to do in Christchurch, check out my city guide.

Where to Stay : Urbanz – This is an awesome hostel located in downtown Christchurch with friendly staff and a huge kitchen. There’s also a hostel bar, a pool table, fast Wi-Fi, laundry, movies, and comfy couches, as well as a parking lot.

If you need to get back to Queenstown, it’s a 6 hour drive from here. Alternatively, you can fly to Auckland. The flight is just over an hour and tickets can be found for as low as 65 NZD if you book in advance.  

New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary: One Month

Again, these are just recommended itineraries — I encourage you to adapt as needed!  

Things to Remember When Road-Tripping New Zealand

To help you make the most of your road trip, please remember the following rules:

• Traffic flows on the left here (not the right, like in the US or Canada).
• You must always park your car in the direction that traffic is going (or risk a fine).
• There are plenty of pull-off points for taking photos — use them instead of stopping at a random spot along the side of the road, which can be quite dangerous given how tight the roads are here.
• Roads here are winding, so remember that it might take longer than you expect to cover a particular distance.
• As long as your current and valid driver’s license is in English, you don’t need an International Driver’s Permit.
• If you’re traveling by campervan, use the CamperMate app to find nearby campsites, gas stations, and dump stations.

New Zealand is an unforgettable country, loaded with epic landscapes, friendly Kiwis, and a rich culture. Due to its remote location, visiting is usually a once-in-a-lifetime trip for most travelers. Taking a road trip is the best way to make the most of your time here, tailoring your itinerary to your own preferences and New Zealand bucket list.

Book Your Trip to New Zealand: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Use Skyscanner to find a cheap flight. They are my favorite search engine because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned!

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the biggest inventory and best deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.

If you’re looking for specific places to stay, here is a complete list of my favorite hostels in New Zealand .

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• Safety Wing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Looking for the Best Companies to Save Money With? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use to save money when I’m on the road. They will save you money when you travel too.

Want More Information on New Zealand? Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on New Zealand for even more planning tips!

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Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

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