On the Road: 10 Great Summer Drives Around Europe (WSJ)

Into the Moors North Yorkshire Moors, England
From Whitby to Lastingham and back, in an afternoon

This drive begins in Whitby, in northeast England, the atmospheric former whaling town where Bram Stoker set much of his classic horror novel "Dracula." The town is looked over by the cliff-top ruins of an 11th-century abbey.

The village green at Hutton-le-Hole, in the North Yorkshire Moors.

Head west on the A169, turn off at the village of Sleights and go to Grosmont, a village that takes its refusal to move with modern times seriously. Restored steam trains pull period carriages to local villages from a platform that is a slice of 1940s Britain.

Continue west along winding roads through Egton and Glaisdale. The land is part of the North York Moors National Park, and so remote few roads have names. Follow the signs from village to village, or take a look at the maps on the park's Web site (www.moors.uk.net/content.php?nID=18). The route takes you through some of the prettiest villages in England, with stone buildings clustered round village greens and few of the bland additions you'll see elsewhere. But drive slowly, as sharp bends hide oncoming traffic.

At the village of Danby you leave the rolling green countryside of the Esk Valley and head to higher ground and the moors. The rugged windswept landscape, peaty and dominated by grasses and heather, is given over to sheep, curlews and grouse. A carpet of purple covers it from June to early September when the heather blooms, while otherwise its browns and dark greens are like the palette of a melancholic artist. It's hard to explain how a landscape as remote and seemingly barren as the moors can be attractive, but seeing a lone tree against an expanse of sky or an ancient stone wall as the only sign that others have ever been here before draws many back to this lonely landscape.

There are plenty of opportunities to stop and test the hundreds of walking tracks as you head down Blakey Ridge. Small roadside signs will often point you to an entry onto one of the paths that crisscross the moors (take a map with you on the hike).

At the moor's highest point, 1,325 feet, is the Lion Inn, a 16th-century alehouse where you can test northern English bitters under a low-beamed ceiling and near an open fireplace. The journey's furthest point south is Hutton-le-Hole, the drive's most pleasant village, with Moorland sheep grazing on a village green. The Ryedale Folk Museum here covers village life of the past -- but it doesn't seem like much has changed.

On the drive back to Whitby stop in Lastingham, with a Norman church famous for its immaculately preserved crypt. Look out for the signs and you can park the car and walk across moorland to the Wheeldale Moor Roman Road, the remains of a Roman road that seems to begin nowhere and end likewise, and whose isolation from modern life just about sums up the joys of this drive.

Romanian Pastures Northern Romania
From Sighetu Marmatiei to Campulung Moldovenesc, in a day

Leaving Sighetu Marmatiei, a dowdy Romanian market town on the Ukrainian border, and heading east along the Iza River on tiny Route 186, modern life recedes in the rearview mirror. Here you are rolling back into the 19th century, into the timeless pastoral lands of the Maramures region, where traditional timbered houses line the road, horse carts outnumber cars and hay rolls are stacked in the fields like totems on Easter Island.

I was here to see the wooden churches of the northern region before heading to the painted monasteries of the Bucovina region in the east. The first half of the 170-kilometer route parallels the river, passing through tiny villages. Each has a steepled wooden church and houses with enormous and intricately carved wooden gates, a custom dating back several hundred years when the bigger the gate, the more important the owner. (Despite the villages there are few restaurants along the way, so have a good breakfast in Sighetu and pack some food for the journey.)

At Sacel, bear left on route 17C and then turn right on Route 18 in the direction of Borsa, an overgrown lumber town. Leaving Borsa behind, you ascend into the Rodna mountains, through green and unspoiled valleys with soaring peaks in the backdrop. As you climb, the villages thin out to a few scattered farming hamlets and Roma encampments.

Thirty kilometers beyond Borsa you reach the Prislop pass, at an elevation of 1,461 meters. The Bucovina region begins here, not far from where the Austro-Hungarian empire once found its natural eastern border. The road today is quiet, almost eerily so, but for one weekend each August, the pass comes alive for the "Dance at Prislop" folk dance festival (this year Aug. 18-19).

Beyond the pass, follow Route 18 to Route E576. Turn left, following the signs another 30 kilometers to Campulung Moldovenesc, a good base for exploring the region's fabled 15th- and 16th-century painted monasteries, each richly covered with frescoes.

Baltic Time Capsule Rügen, Germany
From Stralsund to Cape Arkona and back, in a day

A drive around Rügen, Germany's largest island, on the Baltic coast, is a journey as evocative for Germans as a hike in the Alps or cruise down the Rhine.

Lighthouse at Cape Arkona on Germany's Rügen Island.

After you cross the Rügendamm -- the old causeway that connects the island to the charming Hanseatic port of Stralsund on the mainland (a new bridge is scheduled to open in October) -- avoid the highway, B96, and turn right onto the Deutsche Alleenstrasse. It's a scenic route through the center of the island, lined with oak, beech and linden trees. Take a left when you reach Granitz, towered over by a 19th-century hunting lodge, and drive along the east side of the island toward Jasmund, a hilly peninsula known for its dramatic, chalk cliffs, a favorite subject of romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich. The cliffs form the centerpiece of the Jasmund National Park, which with its dense pine forests and steep climbs makes a perfect place to stop for a hike or to take in the spectacular views of the Baltic.

Back in your car, continue north to Wittow, where the landscape turns flat and windswept, reminding you that you're 125 kilometers or so from the Swedish coast. After impressive views of the sea on the right and the steep-sided inlet on the left, you will eventually reach Cape Arkona, Germany's northernmost point. It has two lighthouses: The shorter, with beautiful classical proportions, is by early 19th-century Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The second, built in 1902, is more conventional, but is 36 meters high and has an observation deck.

The drive back along the island's western side takes you through farmland and offers views in the distance of Hiddensee, a rustic, car-free island of isolated fishing villages. Frequented by Berlin artists and writers since the end of the 19th century, it's an ideal place to stay over. There's a short ferry from Schaprode; cars can be parked overnight at the harbor.

The return trip over the sound between Rügen and the mainland offers its own spectacular view -- the red-brick grandeur of Stralsund's skyline, which has scarcely changed since the late middle ages, when it was one of the Baltic region's wealthiest cities.

The Coves of Corsica Corsica From Calvi to Murato, in a day

The most difficult thing about driving from Calvi to Murato has little to do with the ubiquitous signs that warn against wild boar (I have yet to see one of the animals). Rather, it's keeping your eyes fixed on the road. At every turn, expect arresting panoramic views: secret coves of pale turquoise with patches of indigo, violet and emerald, and hillsides dotted with ancient granite villages, Romanesque churches, lemon orchards and vineyards.

The waterfront at Calvi, in Corsica.

Without stopping, the journey takes two and a half hours, but there's plenty to see and do along the way. From Calvi, head east on N197 (have a quick morning dip at Aregno-Plage, a lovely sandy beach bordered by a Genoese citadel), turn right (inland) on the D551 to Aregno, then left on the D151. The road snakes up to Pigna, a tiny traditional artisan's village with picturesque cafés and shops (don't miss the Corsican flutes and rare string instruments at La Casa Musicale).

Turn left on D551 to return to the coastal N197, where botanical-garden enthusiasts should explore the seaside Parc de Saleccia, about four kilometers past the village of l'Ile Rousse. Continue east on N197 -- last stop before the desert: an organic roadside farm stand called La Domaine d'Ostriconi that sells exceptional jams -- to the narrow but well-paved mountain road D81, which crosses the stark, surreal Agriates Desert. In late afternoon, this quiet lunar landscape of towering, oddly shaped granite rock glows pink and dark mauve.

On the other side, at the port of St. Florent, sample some homemade ice cream at Salge & Fils -- best flavors: chestnut or myrtle sorbet -- then continue straight on D81 toward Patrimonio. Corsica's miniature Napa Valley, this wine-tasting area includes 30 vineyards. Best bets: Domaine Gentile, Domaine Arena (a small, unmarked gray house after the junction of D81 and D80), Domaine Orenga de Gaffory (which also holds contemporary art exhibits) and Domaine Yves Leccia (on D238).

Plan to spend the night in the nearby village of Oletta (on the D82), at the newly opened Hotel La Dimora, a lovely stone auberge in a landscaped park. But before stopping, end the day's drive with dinner in the dizzying heights at La Ferme de Campo di Monte.

To get there from the hotel, turn right back onto D82, head southwest past the village Olmeta-di-Tuda, and at the crossroads, take the D5 (direction Murato), where you'll catch a glimpse of the stunning San Michele de Murato church, in white marble and dark green serpentine stone. In the village of Murato, pass Victor's Bar, cross a little bridge, stay to the left and look for the signs.

The restaurant, an ivy-covered, ancient stone farmhouse, is headed by chef Pauline Juilliard, renowned for her versions of her grandmother's traditional recipes. After dessert -- fritters macerated in eau-de-vie and candied tangerines -- coffee is served in the starlit garden overlooking the entire countryside.

Downhill to the Aegean Aegean coast, Turkey
From Istanbul to Assos, in a day

My favorite summer drive in Turkey is from Istanbul, where I live, to Assos on the Aegean Sea, particularly the stretch from Kesan, atop the Thracian plateau, along E87 down to the Dardanelles and the Gallipoli peninsula.

Columns from the Temple of Athena in Assos, Turkey, on the Aegean Sea.

In Kesan, two and a half hours from Istanbul, you leave the sunflower fields of Thrace behind and begin to smell salt air as you drop toward the sea. My wife and I always stop for a bite to eat just below the crest of the ridge at Tepe Restaurant -- although you won't see a sign anywhere. But it's the only restaurant on this part of the drive, set amid pines and flowers. A farmer's market stand outside sells honey and almond-stuffed green olives, while the rustic wooden lodge offers lamb shish kebab and other tasty dishes on its terrace.

After that it's a cool downhill run, with the thrilling first sight of the turquoise blue Aegean coming up on your right as Saros Bay comes into view. This is some of the cleanest water in the Mediterranean, because for the past century Turkey forbade any kind of industry or development along the shore.

You can stop here to visit the battlefield monument at Gallipoli honoring the hundreds of thousands of Turks, Australians, British and New Zealanders who died fighting here in 1915. You can walk the battlefields for free; there's a small fee (€3) to visit the museum.

Straight ahead lies the entrance to the Dardanelles, and the road curves along the coast to the ferry at Eceabat, which takes you over the strait into Asia Minor. From the ferry, look back for the best view of the heart-shaped fortress honoring the doomed love of Hero and Leander. In the Greek myth, Leander swam the strait -- then called the Hellespont -- each night to be with Hero, until he drowned in a storm; Hero then killed herself in grief.

When you've crossed into Asia Minor you can stop to visit the ruins of ancient Troy -- the Trojan horse replica at the highway marks the spot -- but it depends on how anxious you are for a swim at Assos. After Troy the road winds through scrub forest to Assos, also known by its modern-day Turkish name of Behramkale. A keen eye can catch remnants of the ancient Roman road along the way -- the same road said to have been walked by Paul the Apostle when he came to preach here. Locals today walk their cattle along it. It's mostly hidden by trees, but you will catch a glimpse of the worn slabs of basalt that look like they've carried two thousand years of traffic.

In Dante's Footsteps Provence
From Saint-Rémy-de-Provence to Les Baux de Provence, in an afternoon

The distance from Saint-Rémy to Les Baux, in the south of France's Bouches-du-Rhône department, is 10 kilometers -- and meter for meter, it makes for one of the loveliest drives I've ever taken. But don't take my word for it; the same scenery inspired Dante and Van Gogh.

Les Baux de Provence, built on a rocky outcrop near Arles.

A midday trip starts in Saint-Rémy, a posh Provençal town bursting with good hotels and restaurants, a couple of historical draws (the birthplace of Nostradamus and the sanitarium where Van Gogh spent some of his last, feverish days) and the world's best cookie shop (Le Petit Duc, which uses recipes from the Middle Ages that feature local honey, nuts and butter).

The first stop, on the edge of town, is Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, the monastery and mental hospital to which Van Gogh had himself committed in 1889. You can see the tiny room where the artist lived and also hike a themed footpath, with placards marking the very spots where he made some of his most famous paintings, including "Starry Night." On each sign, the finished work is shown; in many cases, the real-life view is still the same.

Heading south out of town on the D5, stop off at the remarkably well-preserved ruins of a Roman town called Glanum -- a smaller version of Rome's Forum.

Just after it, the road enters a narrow pass, with stark rock formations in vivid shades of gray, brown, white and green. The poet Dante made this same trip around 1310, and it is said the dramatic geology of what the locals call the "Val d'Enfer" inspired his descriptions of the landscape of purgatory in the "Inferno." To me, it's more like heaven.

The road winds through the Alpilles mountains before emerging onto the coastal plain, with vineyards and olive groves stretching into the distance, where they meet the salt ponds of the Camargue. But instead of heading into that irresistible panorama, take a right turn on the D27 and start climbing.

The village of Les Baux, perched on a rocky outcrop, offers even more stunning vistas. Park outside its walls and walk through narrow streets to a fortress at the far end, where you'll enjoy a breathtaking view in all directions. In the rock of the surrounding mountains you see the bold colored deposits of the mineral bauxite, which was discovered here in 1821 and named for the town.

Hungry? Oustau de Baumanière, in the valley below, has Michelin two-star cuisine and luxury accommodations if you decide to stay the night.

Or continue on the D27, which loops around and leads you back to Saint-Rémy. Perhaps you'll be tempted to start all over again, just to see the same stunning rocks and sky in the changing evening light.

Grape Expectations The Weinstrassen, Austria
From Jois to Mörbisch, in an afternoon

In deep summer, the glowing, green carpet of grapevine-covered hills seems to swallow the two-lane wine routes, or Weinstrassen, threading through eastern Austria an hour south of Vienna. Grapes grown here are made into some of the world's best wines, until recently seldom exported.

Vineyards near Rust, Austria.

As the B50 heads south, the hills lighten and melt into the flat, grassy Hungarian steppe toward the east, until you see the pale-blue disc of the Neusiedler See, a salty, shallow lake whose shores are home to sweet-wine vintners.

They depend on its moist microclimate to foster the Botrytis cinerea "noble rot" grape fungus that is key to the intense flavor of these wines.

The speed limit on B50 is 70 kilometers an hour, but you will want to slow for the scenery -- white-washed stone chapels, frequented by elderly ladies, or sudden yellow flashes of sunflower and pumpkin fields -- even if local drivers urge you on with their horns, gesturing at the bike lane as they pass.

Well-marked wine routes connect the villages of stuccoed cottages in pastel blue, yellow and pink, where you can sample the popular white burgundies and chardonnays, as well as reds, such as Blauerzweigelt and Blaufränkisch, and the region's sweet vintages -- Spätlese and Eiswein, both pressed from the last grapes of the season.

Producers that I like in this area include Birgit Braunstein in Purbach, best known for her burgundies, and Feiler-Artinger and Ernst Triebaumer, both in the village of Rust. In Jois, don't miss the minimalist glass tasting room of Leo Hillinger's vineyard.

Keep on as far as Mörbisch, the last village before the Hungarian border, or until you feel like a stop at a Heurige. These wooden wine taverns, often with inner courtyards, are open from late spring to fall and offer homestyle buffets of roast eel, goose liver and salads, with wines from the local vineyards.

But summer doesn't last forever and warnings were already sounding on my visit in late July: the grey-white storks of Rust, nesting atop the low Magyar houses, clacking their beaks loudly to announce their intentions to go south in August.

The Land of Centaurs Mt. Pelion, Greece
From Volos to Milies and back, in a weekend

I recently went back to visit a childhood holiday spot: the thickly forested Greek village of Tsangarada on the Mt. Pelion peninsula, about 300 kilometers north of Athens. My memories weren't disappointed; one can still find beautiful beaches, traditional stone-and-wood architecture and locals selling bunches of oregano.

A fishing boat in Volos, Greece.

A drive I like begins at Volos, at the start of the peninsula, goes to the village of Zagora (a 1½-hour drive), winds northeast past the village of Portaria, then heads south for 20 minutes to Tsangarada before finally reaching Milies village, in the heart of the peninsula. From there back to Volos is an additional 40 minutes, passing Agria village along the way. (Take note that Pelion roads are winding, narrow in places and sometimes damaged from winter weather.)

Zagora is Pelion's largest village -- in Byzantine texts the entire region was called Zagora. It was prosperous during the 17th and 18th centuries as a producer of silk (you can still see the mansions), and today is known for its apples -- there's a festival in early September.

Tsangarada is covered in lush vegetation. Visit the square of Agia Paraskevi church, with its famous 1,000-year-old plane tree and old-style café and tavernas, and have a dip at Fakistra or Milopotamos beaches (although they can be crowded in high season).

In Milies, you will find fish tavernas, cafés and bars to the west of town in the coastal village of Kala Nera, where during the Ottoman occupation many scholars found refuge. It is also the legendary home of the centaur Chiron, whose cave you can visit near the train station (itself famous: built by Evaristo de Chirico, father of the surrealist painter Giorgio de Chirico).

Aviking We Go Norwegian fjords
From Oslo to Volda and back, in three days

The refrain on this trip was, "Please pull over." That's because any drive in the western fjords of Norway is full of views that are impossible to believe or capture: an ever-changing, majestic landscape of mysterious blue waters ringed by green cliffs, barren, snowy peaks, stark lunar landscapes and glaciers.

The Geirangerfjord, in Norway.

My boyfriend and I started our three-day drive here last month from Oslo, cruising northwest on the one-lane Highway 7 before turning off about three hours later onto the deserted Highway 50. Almost immediately, the landscape became more stark, with barren moors dotted with silvery lakes. It was the first sign of what glaciers have done to this landscape. The fjords themselves are the most dramatic remnants of the Ice Age -- the narrow, steep estuaries were carved in rock by retreating glaciers and later flooded by seawater.

The road descended to Flam, at the mouth of the lovely Aurlandsfjord. From here, boats make their way to Gudvangen though the incredibly narrow Naeroyfjord. And though packed in peak hours, both Flam and Gudvangen are pleasant in the evenings and good places to pick up Norwegian handicrafts and kitschy Viking souvenirs. Near Gudvangen, the Stalheim Hotel, high above the Naeroyfjord, is a stunning place for a meal or to overnight. Don't take the local access road if you are afraid of heights -- I wasn't able to look down. (I found out later there is a road past the first turn off for Stalheim on the E16 that takes you on an easier route.)

From Gudvangen, we made our way north to Geiranger, and then west to Volda. We went "aviking" -- Old Norse for exploring. Fjord-hopping involved a series of spectacular mountain roads, ferries across the deep waters and highways through stark valleys.

One of the loveliest stretches is Highway 13 north from Vinje through the Myrkdal valley and the Vikafjell mountains, to the ferry at Vangsnes that crosses the mighty 200-kilometer-long Sognefjord. The route passes through snowy mountains, glacial lakes and deep valleys before rising to offer a vast vista over the fjord.

Across the fjord, the Highway 55 north from Hella to Lom traces the green Lustrafjord before climbing 1,434 meters across a black and misty mountain landscape, with views of the Jostedalsbreen glacier.

The most incredible part of this trip was the nerve-wracking single-lane Highway 63, the "Ornevegen" (Eagle's Highway), which makes its way slowly down thousands of meters through hairpin turns to the Geirangerfjord below. Stop at the viewpoint about five kilometers before town for a great panorama of the valley, or turn off for the Dalsnibba viewpoint to climb higher. We stayed overnight in Geiranger, at the Grande Fjord Hotel, with a balcony overlooking the majestic fjord. There is nothing more stunning then waking up to that.

The natural splendors of the region overshadow most everything, but the area is rich in Viking history. Worth a look is the 12th-century Urnes stave church near Solvorn that has Viking wood carvings of snakes, lions and other beasts.

Exploring Village Lanes Dorset, England
From Wareham to Milton Abbas and back, in a weekend

Slow meandering in an open-topped car is the best way to see the little-known Dorset countryside, where I spent my childhood. The coastline offers clear, crisp views and unspoilt beaches, while inland are tiny winding lanes, softly rolling hills and sleepy villages with sweet-sounding names (Tincleton, Puddletown and Plush, which has a great pub -- the Brace of Pheasants).

The writer Thomas Hardy's cottage in Dorset, England.

With Wareham as your base (the Priory Hotel is excellent), drive west on the A352, then cut north at Worgret for high hedgerows of cow parsley and hawthorn, and thatched cottages with impossibly pretty gardens of foxgloves, hollyhocks and Canterbury bells. One of these belonged to Thomas Hardy, who wrote "Far from the Madding Crowd" in it. The building is now owned by the National Trust and can be visited. Another National Trust cottage worth seeing is Clouds Hill, the tiny rural retreat of "Lawrence of Arabia," T.E. Lawrence.

Nearby is the much grander Athelhampton House (on the A35), a boisterous 15th-century manor famous for its topiary pyramids. It was used as the backdrop for the 1972 Michael Caine film "Sleuth."

After Athelhampton, head northeast along the A354, then at Milborne St. Andrew turn north for Milton Abbey. The remains of the Benedictine pile is set in the lee of a hill, and its lake, Capability Brown-designed gardens and golden Ham stone will make you swoon. The nearby village of Milton Abbas is thatched perfection.

From Milton Abbey, get happily lost driving via Hilton and Piddletrenthide to the Cerne Abbas Giant, a priapic prehistoric carving in the chalk hills.

For the best of the coastline, drive south from Wareham on the A351 into the Isle of Purbeck, an "almost island" of low hills jutting into the sea. The giant ruin of Corfe Castle is, literally, unmissable, but don't overlook the villages Creech and Worth Matravers, or the striking coastline at Kimmeridge, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. The pristine sands of Studland Bay are beach bliss.