Europe has many charms, and its wide variety of wildlife is certainly among them.
Across the continent, travellers can spot everything from flamingos and starlings to deer, seals and golden eagles. Many of them can be spotted from the road, meaning they’re accessible to a majority of tourists.
Now, car rental company Avis has ranked Europe’s best wildlife driving routes, taking into consideration the reliability of sightings, proximity to airports, how practical and compact each road trip is, and its popularity online, specifically in terms of Google search volume and appearances on Instagram.
Southern England’s New Forest topped the list, followed by Denmark’s part of the Wadden Sea, while Spain appears twice in the top 10.
These are the best driving routes for spotting wildlife across Europe.
Five European scenic drives where you can spot wildlife
New Forest wildlife drive, England
At the top of the ranking is the New Forest in the south of England. This beautiful spot scores 93 out of 100 on the Avis wildlife routes index, for various reasons.
A 32km drive starting in Lyndhurst and travelling through Bolderwood and Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and finishing up in Brockenhurst takes just 45 minutes to one hour – one of the speediest wildlife drives on the list.
This area is particularly famous for its native, free-roaming native New Forest ponies, but visitors can also expect to see the likes of fallow and roe deer and buzzards soaring overhead.
Autumn is an ideal time to visit, with October playing host to the deer rut, the annual mating season for the creatures.
Wadden Sea (Route 11), Denmark
In second place is Denmark’s Wadden Sea – or Route 11 – route, which comes in with a score of 80 out of 100.
Driving from Ribe via the Gammel Hviding marshes to Skærbæk covers around 65km and takes approximately one to 1 hour and 25 minutes to drive.
Expect to see migratory birds, seals and harbour porpoises around the wider Wadden Sea landscape.
This route is also the most accessible in the ranking, as Esbjerg Airport is just 30km away.
In the autumn, visitors can experience Denmark’s famous Black Sun phenomenon, where starling murmurations flock overhead in shifting patterns before heading to roost.
Ebro Delta birding drive, Spain
Third on the list is the Ebro Delta birding drive in Spain’s Catalonia, scoring 74 out of 100.
The route runs for just 25km, which can take approximately 45 to 60 minutes to drive, although there’s so much to see here that wildlife lovers may want to allow a full day for stops.
The route takes in Poblenou del Delta, Pont de Través, Encanyissada, Migjorn and Alfacada and encompasses lagoons, wetlands and rice fields which are variously home to bird species including flamingos, glossy ibis, purple herons, spoonbills, marsh harriers and waders.
While the late spring and summer are particularly good for spotting breeding birds, September and October bring spectacular displays of migrating species.
Camargue wildlife drive, France
The Camargue wildlife drive in France, with a score of 73 out of 100, is in fourth place.
The route is approximately 90km long and takes 2.5 hours, although it can take longer if drivers take more stops. It runs from Arles to Étang de Vaccarès and Pont de Gau and on to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
Pink flamingos are the star attraction here, but visitors can also spot herons, the famous white Camargue horses and black bulls.
September is the best time to see the flamingos, but all the other creatures can be easily seen all year round.
Scotland’s North Coast 500
The iconic North Coast 500 in Scotland ranks in fifth, scoring 71 out of 100 – and it’s by far the longest route in the top five.
In fact, the full circuit covers some 830km and requires about 14 to 16 hours of driving, which most people usually choose to spread across several days.
The route takes drivers from Inverness through Black Isle, Wester Ross, Durness, Dunnet Head and John O’Groats and to Inverness. Those who take it can see habitats which are home to red deer, pine martens, harbour seals and golden eagles.
May to September might provide the most favourable conditions for a road trip, but autumn is a great time to visit for those who want to see the red deer rut.
Europe’s top 10 best driving routes for spotting wildlife
- 1. New Forest wildlife drive, England
- 2. Wadden Sea (Route 11), Denmark
- 3. Ebro Delta birding drive, Spain
- 4. Camargue wildlife drive, France
- 5. Scotland’s North Coast 500
- 6. A149 North Norfolk Coast, England
- 7. Monfragüe National Park roads, Spain
- 8. Hortobágy Route 33, Hungary
- 9. Lake Kerkini wildlife drive, Greece
- 10. Andøya scenic route, Norway