Bled Castle overlooking Lake Bled, Slovenia

The day started with a cappuccino in Venice, fresh off our Simplon Tunnel crossing, silk workshop tour and night in Piazza San Marco, our spirits as high as the tide. Shehzadi, our trusty Toyota Tundra, and Chetak, the Odyssean Journey Toyota Hilux, were humming with anticipation. Today we would not just cross one, but two international borders — three countries, a shimmering lake, a wine-soaked sunset and at least six kinds of road trip snacks.

We were headed for Slovenia, then into Croatia, in one of the most charming cross-border days of our Silk Road expedition so far. The route was postcard-perfect: Venice → Valico di Sant'Andrea → Lake Bled → Ljubljana → Maribor → Obrežje border → Zagreb.

Luigi Bevilacqua Silk Weaving Mill, Venice, Italy

We woke up in the alpine calm of our campground near Chandolin, the birds chirping, the air so fresh it could probably be bottled and sold to stressed-out city folks. After a hearty breakfast (which may or may not have included a final farewell fondue), we bid adieu to the legacy of Ella Maillart, slung our packs into Shehzadi, our ever-reliable Toyota Tundra and hit the road with our fellow adventurers Odyssean Journey in Chetak, their Toyota Hilux Invincible-X.

Sierre, Switzerland

Our heading? Italy! But not the usual boring border crossing with passport stamps and yawns. Nope. We decided to ride through the belly of the Alps — literally — on the Autoverlad Brig-Iselle car train, rocketing through the legendary Simplon Tunnel like caffeinated hobbits in pickups.

Igoumenitsa Ferry Terminal, Greece, where Shehzadi waited for the overnight ferry to Italy

After our Skopje loop, we pointed Shehzadi back into Greece and toward Igoumenitsa, because the Silk Road had apparently decided it needed a maritime intermission. This leg carried us from Greece to Spain by way of two ferries, one cross-Italy drive, and several vehicle decks designed by people who clearly enjoy suspense.

We had just come from Skopje and North Macedonia, and the road now turned west again: Igoumenitsa to Ancona by ferry, Ancona to Civitavecchia by road, Civitavecchia to Barcelona by ferry, then south through Spain to Mar de Pulpí in Almería (MAP). Three countries. Two ferries. One American pickup. Europe, bless it, had become a very large board game with fuel receipts.

Lamborghini is a name synonymous with unparalleled luxury, speed, and innovative design in the automotive world. 

By MarkSweep - Own work, Public Domain, Link

However, the brand's influence extends beyond the roar of high-performance engines and sleek car designs into the realm of lifestyle and dining with Tonino Lamborghini Cafés. These upscale cafés, scattered across the globe, are more than just eateries; they are a celebration of the Lamborghini brand's ethos, offering a fusion of high-end dining, sophisticated ambiance, and an immersive brand experience. 

Piazza San Marco from Venetian Lagoon The water approach reveals why Venice was called La Dominante - the dominant sea power. That Campanile you see collapsed in 1902 and was rebuilt exactly as before (reconstruction finished in 1912), because Venetians hate change.

Our Trenitalia Frecciabianca screeched into Venezia Santa Lucia station at the ungodly hour of 10:30 PM, having hauled us from Zurich via Milan. The station opened in 1861 (construction began in 1860) on the site of the demolished Santa Lucia church - a move that caused such outrage among Venetians that they did not exactly celebrate it. Welcome to Italy, where even architecture decisions require pitchforks.

Quick note. This Venice travel guide was last updated on February 28, 2026. We built it around our own photos in this post and the simple, street-level stuff that actually helps in real life - routes, landmarks and what to expect when the city is doing its best impression of a crowded aquarium.

The next morning's mission: execute the classic Venetian tourist trifecta - gondola ride, St. Mark's Square gawking and Murano glass factory wandering. But first, we needed to learn Venetian transportation vocabulary, where "bus" means boat and "land bus" means something they begrudgingly tolerate.

Switzerland, France and Germany: A Trifecta of European Shenanigans

German side of the Three Countries Bridge Flags of Switzerland, France, Germany, the European Union and Weil am Rhein This bridge is so international it needs a passport just to cross itself

We did Switzerland, France, and Germany in one swing because borders here are less dramatic than our coffee needs.

Quick planning cheatsheet

• Currencies: Switzerland uses Swiss francs (CHF). France and Germany use euros (EUR).
• Emergency number: 112 works across the EU, and it also works in Switzerland.
• Power plugs: Switzerland uses Type J. France commonly uses Type E. Germany uses Type F.
• Getting around: Cities are built for walking plus public transport. Trains between countries are routine.
• Driving in Switzerland: Motorways require a vignette (toll sticker).

• Language: French is the default. Alsace also has a regional dialect (Alsatian) you may hear.
• Getting around: The historic center is very walkable, and Strasbourg has a modern tram network.
• What to pack: Rain happens. Umbrellas are helpful. So are shoes that don’t hate cobblestones.

Strasbourg basics we actually used

• Languages: German is the most common language in Zürich. Switzerland has four national languages overall: German, French, Italian, and Romansh.
• Water: Zürich’s public fountains are widely used for drinking water.
• Public transport: Trams and S-Bahn trains make it easy to skip driving inside the city.

Zürich basics we wish our wallet had read first

If you just want a simple route: Basel area for the “three countries” flex, Strasbourg for storybook streets, and Zürich for lakeside calm with big-city prices.

This long and juicy roadtrip travel guide takes you overland through the stunning heart of Europe:

• Cities: Paris (France) → Zürich (Switzerland) → Basel (Switzerland) → Huningue (France) → Three Countries Bridge (France, Germany, Switzerland) → Strasbourg (France) → Kehl (Germany) → Baden-Baden (Germany) → Heidelberg (Germany) → Triberg (Germany) → Meiringen (Switzerland) → Lucerne (Switzerland) → Venice (Italy)
• Provinces (Regions): Île-de-France (France) → Grand Est [Alsace] (France) → Canton of Zürich (Switzerland) → Canton of Aargau (Switzerland) → Canton of Basel-Stadt (Switzerland) → Baden-Württemberg (Germany) → Canton of Bern (Switzerland) → Canton of Obwalden (Switzerland) → Canton of Lucerne (Switzerland) → Canton of Glarus (Switzerland) → Veneto (Italy)

Europe has this funny habit of cramming multiple countries into spaces smaller than some American parking lots. Switzerland, France and Germany decided to play a particularly intense game of border hopscotch in this corner of the continent. We'd just finished ogling Parisian opulence and decided to trade baguettes for bratwurst via Switzerland, because why take the direct route when you can involve three currencies, four languages and enough bureaucracy to make a paperwork enthusiast weep with joy?

Our route was essentially a literary pub crawl with better scenery. We followed Victor Hugo's hunchback inspiration in Strasbourg, chased Dostoevsky's gambling demons in Baden-Baden, hunted Goethe's ginkgo poem in Heidelberg and nearly tumbled down the Reichenbach Falls like Sherlock Holmes' inconvenient demise. All this while dodging cuckoo clocks in the Black Forest that probably contained more intricate machinery than our first car.