3 road trips planned for you by DiscoverCars.com with costs estimated

We planned two road trips through Europe, where you can experience two beautiful and very different landscapes, although both follow the coast.

The North Coast 500, launched in 2015 by the North Highland Initiative, might just be the UK's most famous road trip route. Starting and ending in Inverness, this scenic journey follows the North Coast of Scotland for 830 km, offering plenty of beautiful views.

So what would a 4-day trip on the NC500 look like (and how much would it cost)? Well, we’ve crunched the numbers and can share that if you picked up a car at Inverness Airport off-season in the winter, the total cost for the car, fuel and hotel accommodation would be €582.

We recommend booking a small car like a Fiat 500 for this journey. The manufacturer’s fuel efficiency estimate for a Fiat 500 is 60.1 MPG. With a price per litre of €1.61, this adds up to a total fuel cost of €65, to the nearest euro.

The United Kingdom came third in our ranking of countries with the most beautiful views, according to a survey of drivers who rented a car through us. The Scottish Highlands are among the UK’s most incredible landscapes.

Day 1: Inverness Airport -> Wick

Recommended stops:

• Inverness City Centre to visit the castle, Victorian Arcade and Inverness Museum & Gallery
• Glenmorangie Distillery
• Golspie Beach – lunch stop
• Dunrobin Castle
• Dunbeath Heritage Museum
• Evening walk to the Castle of Old Wick

Start your journey in Inverness, the cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands. You can stay the night at Norseman Hotel, Wick for €118. This 3-star hotel on the banks of the Wick River has free on-site parking, as well as an on-site bar and restaurant where guests can get a complimentary breakfast.

Day 2: Wick -> Tongue

Recommended stops:

• John O’Groats
• Castle of Mey
• Thurso – lunch stop & North Coast Visitor Centre
• St Mary’s Chapel, Crosskirk
• Strathnaver Museum

You can stay the night in The Tongue Hotel in this historic village for €155. Breakfast is included at this 4-star hotel, which also has free on-site parking and a restaurant.

Day 3: Tongue -> Ullapool

Recommended stops:

• Smoo Cave, Leirinmore
• Durness – lunch stop
• Scourie Beach
• Clashnessie Falls
• Ruins of Ardvreck Castle

After a day exploring Scotland’s natural beauty, head into the charming port village of Ullapool for the evening, where you could stay at the Caledonian Hotel on Quay Street for €99. This 3-star hotel is only a street away from the harbour, and it has free on-site parking as well as a restaurant and coffee shop.

Day 4: Ullapool -> Inverness Airport

Recommended stops:

• Ullapool Museum
• Ardessie Falls
• Inverewe Gardens
• Poolewe – lunch stop
• Victoria Falls & Loch Maree
• Torridon Deer Museum
• Applecross Beach & Gallery

Stop for lunch in the attractive village of Poolewe before you return to Inverness — the joy of a circular road trip is that if there’s anything you wish you saw at the start, you can see it at the end!

Here’s another very popular road trip — a journey from Dubrovnik to Split. If you’d rather travel in the spring and enjoy some warmer weather, we planned this route for May 2026, when temperatures in Croatia can be expected to be between 17 and 25 degrees. According to our estimates, this 225 km road trip should cost €516 including car hire, fuel and accommodation costs.

For this journey, we recommend choosing a small car like a Fiat 500. The Fiat 500 has an MPG of 60.1, and with a price per litre of €1.44, the total cost of fuel, rounded up to the nearest euro, is €15.

In our recent spring city break research, we found that Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, was the fourth best location for a vacation, with plenty of fun, affordable attractions to check out.

Day 1: Dubrovnik Airport -> Komarna

Recommended stops:

• Dubrovnik Old Town for the Ramparts, Luza Square and Sponza Palace. 
• Franciscan Monastery Museum, Maritime Museum and the Natural History Museum.
• Spilja Cave (near Zaton)
• Trsteno Arboretum
• Rector’s Palace, Slano
• Mali Ston

Start your trip in the historic city of Dubrovnik with its UNESCO-recognised Old Town. Mali Ston could be somewhere perfect to stop for a seafood lunch, before making your way to the peaceful village of Kormana. For €107, you could stay the night at Villa Vedran in Kormana and book yourself a private 1-bedroom beachfront apartment with a kitchen and balcony.

Day 2: Komarna -> Makarska

Recommended stops:

• Opus Vineyard or Terra Madre Winery
• Dolina Neretve Viewpoint (near Pizinovac)
• Blace for views across the Neretva Delta
• Bacina Lakes
• Vodice
• Zale’s Tower, Igrane
• Makarska Breakwater and harbour wall

Stay the night in Makarska, and be sure to take a walk along the harbour wall and explore this pretty town. A night’s stay at Valamar Meteor Hotel – very close to the beach as well as the town’s nightlife – costs €129. The hotel has an on-site restaurant as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a spa! Overnight parking costs €8.

Day 3: Makarska -> Omiš

Recommended stops:

• Makarska – City Museum, Malacological Museum, Osejava Forest Park and Observatory
• Symbol of Brela
• Omiš Sculpture Park
• Punta Ljola (near Pisak)
• Plaža Ravnice

There’s lots to see in Omiš, like the historic Old Town. You can stop the night at Hotel Plaza Omiš for €122, and overnight parking costs €7. This city centre hotel, in walking distance of the harbour, has an on-site restaurant and offers free daily breakfast.

Day 4: Omiš -> Split

Recommended stops:

• Omiš – Mirabela Fortress, Omiš Town Museum
• Detour via mountain road to Mila Gojsalić Monument and Poljica Museum
• Stobreč Beach & Marina
• Split – Croatian Maritime Museum, Old Town Hall, Ethnographic Museum, Diocletian’s Palace, Venetian Castle, walk up Marjan Hill.

Make sure you make the most of your time in Split, Croatia’s second-biggest city after Zagreb. Take a stroll along the Riva, the pedestrianised promenade, often referred to as “Split’s living room”. As well as stunning historic architecture, Split has a great bar and restaurant scene.

Next up, here’s our plan for a 3890km road trip across the United States, going coast-to-coast. Starting in Jacksonville, Florida, our route takes you all the way to San Diego, California, over a period of two weeks, off-season in the winter when prices are a little lower but temperatures are often still warm. Overall, we estimate that this would cost €2662, for hotels, parking, fuel and car rental costs.

We’d recommend renting a compact car, like a Kia Soul. The Kia Soul’s MPG according to manufacturers is 43.5, and the price per litre is on average €0.73, so we estimate the fuel cost for the trip to work out to €183.

Day 1: Jacksonville, FL -> Amelia Island, FL

Recommended stops:

• Jacksonville Zoo & Botanic Garden
• Boneyard Beach (Big Talbot Island)
• Fort Clinch State Park

Stay the night at Surf & Sand Fernandina Beach at Amelia Island for €147 with overnight parking at a cost of €15. It’s just off the beach and provides a complementary hot breakfast buffet for guests.

Day 2: Amelia Island, FL-> Tallahassee, FL

Recommended stops: 

• Amelia Island Museum of History
• Osceola National Forest
• Tallahassee Automobile Museum

After you’ve arrived in Tallahassee and explored a bit, you can stay a night at the Clarion Pointe Tallahassee-State Capitol for €212. Situated close to plenty of this vibrant college town’s bars and restaurants, this hotel offers free breakfast in the morning so you can fuel up for the next day of your road trip!

Day 3: Tallahassee, FL -> Mobile, AL

Recommended stops:

• Museum of Florida History (Tallahassee)
• Constitution Convention Museum (Port St Joe)
• Panama City Beach
• Harbor Walk Village (Destin)

Today’s drive will take you from Florida to Alabama. For €132, you can stay the night at The Admiral in Mobile, with hotel valet parking priced at €22. This city is known as one of the Gulf Coast’s cultural hotspots, with a lively arts scene and lots of restaurants to pick from.

Day 4: Mobile, AL -> New Orleans, LA

Recommended stops: 

• Mobile Carnival Museum
• National Maritime Museum of the Gulf
• Fontainebleau State Park
• New Orleans – Bourbon St & Café du Monde at night

New Orleans is an amazing city for nightlife so why not take a stroll down historic Bourbon St before or after dinner. You can stay the night at Holiday Inn Express New Orleans (Arts District) for €88, with hotel parking costing €35.

Day 5: New Orleans, LA -> Baton Rouge, LA

Recommended stops:

• New Orleans – Voodoo Museum & Jazz Museum
• Lunch Jazz Cruise on Steamboat Natchez
• Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area
• Burden Museum & Gardens

Your next day’s travels will take you through Louisiana to Baton Rouge. Burden Museum & Gardens is a lovely place for a wander so if you want to see the gardens, aim to reach town before closing time. For €127 and a €17 parking fee, you can stay at Hampton Inn & Suites Baton Rouge (Downtown).

Day 6: Baton Rouge, LA -> Seabrook, Houston, TX

Recommended stops:

• Baton Rouge – Louisiana Old State Capitol, USS Kidd & Old Arsenal Powder Magazine Museum
• Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point (Lake Charles)
• Village Creek State Park

When you arrive in the attractive coastal neighborhood of Seabrook, just outside of Downtown Houston, Texas, why not grab dinner out at a restaurant – fresh local oysters are a popular pick. It costs €76 to stay the night at Melrose @ Seabrook, BW Premier, with breakfast included.

Day 7: Seabrook, Houston, TX -> Austin, TX

Recommended stops:

• NASA Space Center Houston
• Lone Star Flight Museum
• LBJ Museum, San Marcos
• Sunset Cruise on Lady Bird Lake

Austin is famous for its live music scene so why not catch a show while you’re in town? You can stay the night Hilton Garden Inn Austin (Downtown) for €104 plus a valet parking fee of €60.

Day 8: Austin, TX -> Big Spring, TX

Recommended stops:

• Austin – Bullock Texas State History Museum, George Washington Carver Museum & Museum of the Weird
• Inks Lake State Park & Buchanan Lake
• Brady Lake Park
• Big Spring – Live Music at The Train Car

At the end of a day’s travel that gives you the opportunity to stop at several lovely parks, Big Spring is named after the spring that now sits within the Comanche Trail Park. Stay at Hotel Settles for €145. This 1930s hotel has been beautifully restored to its original splendour. It has a spa, swimming pool, restaurant and fitness studio.

Day 9: Big Spring, TX -> El Paso, TX

Recommended stops:

• Big Spring Heritage Museum & Potton House
• Hangar 25 Air Museum
• Ellen Noel Art Museum (Odessa)
• West of the Pecos Museum (Pecos)
• County Line Lake (US/Mexico Border near Tornillo)

Our schedule for today recommends several fascinating local museums, before you arrive in El Paso, a city that’s well known for its fantastic Tex-Mex restaurants. You can spend the night at Holiday Inn Express El Paso Downtown for €101, with breakfast included.

Day 10: El Paso, TX -> Santa Fe, NM

Recommended stops:

• El Paso – Wigwam Museum, Museum of History, Chihuahuan Desert Gardens
• Geronimo Springs Museum (Truth or Consequences)
• Elephant Butte Dam & State Park on the Rio Grande
• Sevilleta National Wildlife Reserve

Leaving Texas behind, today you’ll cross into New Mexico, arriving in Santa Fe, the beautiful state capital. Stay the night at El Sendero Inn for €103 plus a €9 parking fee.

Day 11: Santa Fe, NM -> Albuquerque, NM

Recommended stops:

• Santa Fe Plaza
• New Mexico History Museum
• Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
• Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
• Sandia Peak Tramway & Sandia Crest

There are plenty of art and history museums to check out between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. This city is famous as the filming location for the show Breaking Bad. Across New Mexico, you can see sunsets with incredibly vivid colors. Stay the night at The Monterey Motel for €108.

Day 12: Albuquerque, NM -> Kohl’s Ranch, AZ

Recommended stops:

• Albuquerque – Turquoise Museum, Telephone Museum & Wheels Museum
• Tingley Beach
• Ice Cave & Bandera Volcano (Grants)
• Petrified Forest National Park
• Sitgreaves National Park

Lots of beautiful places to stop for a walk along the way to this tranquil place in Gila County, Arizona. A night’s stay at Kohl’s Ranch Lodge costs €84, and you can have a meal in the on-site restaurant or enjoy facilities like the pool or putting golf.

Day 13: Alpine, AZ -> Tucson AZ

Recommended stops:

• Paleo Site Monument (Payson)
• Tonto National Forest
• Roosevelt for Salt River & Theodore Roosevelt Lake
• Catalina State Park

Make your way from Kohl’s Ranch to Alpine, then travel past parks and forests to reach Tucson, the first city in the US to become a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015. You can stay the night at Hampton Inn Tucson Downtown for €104 with an additional €17 fee for parking – breakfast will be included.

Day 14: Tucson, AZ -> Yuma, AZ

Recommended stops:

• Tucson – Southern Arizona Transportation Museum, Presidio San Agustin, Gem & Mineral Museum
• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
• Castle Dome Mine

From the window of your car, you’ll experience magnificent desert landscapes as you drive across Arizona. Stay at the Historic Coronado Motor Hotel by OYO for €58. It’s sunny almost all year round in Yuma, and November-March is in fact one of the most popular times to travel to this city.

Day 15: Yuma, AZ -> San Diego, CA

Recommended stops:

• Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park
• Plank Road Memorial (US-Mexico Border near Heber)
• San Diego – USS Midway, Old Town State Historic Park & Little Italy at night

Our road trip across some of the South’s most fascinating places ends in San Diego, California — this laidback beach town is well worth exploring, so be sure to factor in time to check it out!

Car costs

• Overall, choose a smaller car if you can, to reduce costs; however, if you’re taking a bigger group of friends or traveling as a family, of course, you’ll need something with enough space for everyone to sit comfortably!
• Always set aside a bit of budget for fuel. Even if you follow a plan like ours, it’s likely that you’ll need a bit more fuel as you’ll be making extra stops to see all the wonderful things along the way.
• Check fuel prices as you go — you can expect them to be higher in major cities.

Accommodation

• Compare hotel prices across different platforms as well as the hotel’s own website, as prices for the same room might vary based on the website you’re looking at.
• Hotels that offer free breakfast and free overnight parking will help cut down your road trip costs.

Eating and drinking

• Set aside sme budget for your meals, and look up places you’d like to eat in advance so you can plan for costs — especially if you’ll be going to any upscale restaurants for a special dinner.
• Bear in mind that costs will likely be higher in bigger cities, as well as taking into account the exchange rate if you’re traveling to a country that uses a different currency.
• Consider value options like roadside diners or cafes. As we discovered in our recent research into the world’s gas stations, some have their own cafes and can be a relaxing place to stop for a bite to eat! Alternatively, make yourself a packed lunch for some of the days on the road to keep costs down.

Attractions

• Check out admission fees in advance for any museums, galleries or other attractions you’d like to visit – and check whether they take cash or card or whether it’s best to prebook. Prebooking might actually save you money!

We hope our guide to three fabulous road trips has given you some inspiration for your next vacation! Wherever you want to explore by car, please consider booking with us. We’re a global car rental comparison site who can help you find the perfect rental car in 164 countries around the world.