Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way ranks among top European road trips

Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, considered one of the most scenic drives in the world, has been named one for the top road trips in Europe in a new study.

Filled with iconic cities, beautiful scenery and opportunities to explore, Europe is the perfect destination for excited travelers looking for a quick getaway. With a total of 71.4 million #roadtrip posts on social media, Carlease.co.uk  wanted to reveal the most popular road trip routes to take this summer to help inspire those summer getaways.

Utilizing the TomTom Route Planner, predetermined road trips were analyzed for the study. To determine which routes were most popular, researchers analyzed the number of instagram posts with related hashtags  and each road trip was ranked by this popularity ranking.

The Wild Atlantic Way route placed ninth on the list, after receiving 1.8 million hashtags on Instagram. This Irish road trip is the only route from Ireland in the top 10.

The perfect tourism trail on the west coast skirting rocky headlands and cliffs, this route passes through nine counties and three provinces reaching a total of 151 km.

The top three spots on the list all went to Italy, with Sicily ranking first, with a grand total of 17.8 million posts on Instagram. 

Filled with ancient cities and beautiful vineyards, taking this 315 km road trip will allow travelers to experience the rich culture across numerous cities such as Palermo, Zingaro and more.

With its traditional white villages and calm coastlines, Puglia ranks second, with a total of 15.1 million Instagram posts. At 180km,  this scenic trip takes you to the best spots of the easternmost province, including the famous Caves of Castellana.

The third most popular road trip is Tuscany, with 11.7 million posts online. Filled with picturesque villages, mountains and hills, this 310 km route offers the best Tuscan experience among the most magical regions of Italy. 

In fourth place is Galicia, in the northwest corner of Spain. This 724 km route is the longest on the list and has received a total of 7.8 million hashtags on Instagram.

In fifth place with 5.7 million posts, the French Riviera is perfect for an iconic and scenic trip across Europe. This trip is the definition of luxury as you travel through some of the poshest towns, cities and regions across a total of 291 km.

Read on below for the complete top 10 list.

Top 10 Popular Road Trips in Europe:

1. Sicily, Italy
2. Puglia, Italy
3. Tuscany, Italy
4. Galicia, Spain
5. French Riviera, France
6. Amalfi Coast, Italy
7. Black Forest, Germany
8. Lake Como, Italy
9. Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
10. Lake Garda, Italy