Christmas markets, 600+ miles and lots of snacks: the ultimate Christmas road trip in the Carwow Car of the Year

I’ve just got back from a marathon drive across Europe, and I reckon that a festive road trip across Europe should be on everyone’s Christmas bucket list

Christmas markets in the UK are a bit tragic these days, aren’t they? It’s mostly the same tat that costs more and more each year, the locations are hardly very festive, and if you get hungry your option is a tiny bit of pork in a roll for £14.

So what’s the solution? Why, nipping across the Channel of course, and exploring the bounty of European Christmas markets. This year, I did just that, joining a festive road trip that would see us cover more than 600 miles through France, Belgium, and Germany.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

We started out in Kent, where I met the cars I’d be driving – the Chery Tiggo 7, Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 9. One of the goals of the trip was to cover the whole distance on a single tank of fuel – not always a given in a plug-in hybrid car, as they often have small fuel tanks and terrible economy when the batteries are discharged.

The Tiggos of various hybrids all use Chery’s ambitiously named ‘Super Hybrid’ system, though – which gives you a big, 60+ litre fuel tank, and holds back 20% of the battery capacity to improve economy on a run.

After brimming the tanks, it was a quick hop onto the Eurotunnel and a pretty easy three-hour drive from Calais to Liege, in Belgium for the first of our Christmas markets.

The atmosphere was fantastically festive, and interspersed with the shops and stalls were dozens of food stands and bars where locals and tourists alike were getting rather merry. I enjoyed a good browse, a go on the ferris wheel, and a supposed dinner which was actually just a slab of ham and a whole baked camembert. It was delicious.

One final proper Belgian waffle later, we loaded up for the two-hour run to our next market, and our overnight stop in Bernkastel-Kues, a riverside town about 90 miles to the west of Frankfurt.

I’d spent this first day driving the Tiggo 7, and was very impressed. For a car that comes in at a fiver under £30,000 I’d found it very comfortable on the motorway, and the hybrid system is one of the quietest and smoothest I’ve tried.

I remember a similar road trip to the Brussels Motor Show in a much more expensive Mazda CX-60 plug-in hybrid, which I’d found to be a fairly miserable experience, so this was a good way to banish those demons.

Day 2 dawned bright and early with a two-hour drive to Heidelberg for our third and final market. The Black Forest region of Germany is truly stunning to drive through, and it made a change from the autoroutes of France and Belgium. I was in the larger, more expensive Tiggo 9 for this stretch, which was as comfy as the Tiggo 7 – though the extra power wasn’t much use on a steady, economical motorway run. Nice massaging seats, though.

We stopped off right in the depths of the Black Forest for a coffee and a loo break, before driving back into France for our final night in the Alsace region. The Tiggo 9 ran out of petrol before we made it the full distance, but thankfully it has 90+ miles of electric range. So, even with the 20% we had remaining, there was enough juice in the battery to get us the rest of the way. The total tally for the trip had been over 1,000km, or 620 miles, which is diesel-rivalling range.

The next day I was able to spend some more time with our Carwow Car of the Year for 2026 – the Chery Tiggo 8. This is basically a Tiggo 7 with two extra seats and a more up-to-date dashboard, and it’s hard not to be impressed by what you get for the price. It drives well, feels posh inside and had made it the full 1,000+km on a single tank just like the other two cars.

None of Chery’s cars will appeal to keen drivers, but as I’d found out over the last few days, they’re very impressive whether you’re desperately navigating your way through a crowded Belgian city centre or cruising down the autoroute at 80mph. And the 7 and 8 especially are such good value, you’d be mad not to at least take them for a test-drive if you’re in the market for a family SUV.

While I flew back home from Basel airport, the Chery team drove the cars back to the UK. While battling through airport security and cramming myself into a middle seat, I wondered which of us was having the better time…

Five top tips for the ultimate festive road trip

Fast route or scenic route?

There’s a lot of distance to cover if you want to cross continental Europe, so you need to decide at the outset what your priority is. You can go slowly and enjoy beautiful scenery and picturesque towns, or you can take the autoroutes. These are beautifully well-maintained, fast and efficient compared to the motorway network in the UK – but they’re not very scenic. They’ll get you where you need to go much quicker, though.

Get the playlist locked in

I don’t care how much of a curmudgeon you are – a Christmas road trip demands Christmas music. The beauty of Spotify and other music streaming services is that you only need to select a few songs before the algorithm keeps you going in the same vein – but the control freaks can just as easily co-ordinate a hundred-song playlist before you even set off.

Take frequent stops

You’re never too far from a rest stop on a continental motorway, which means you don’t need to plan too heavily. Particularly in France, you’ll find a basic ‘aires de repos’ every 15-20km (around 9-12 miles), with a larger service station every 40-60km (around 25-37 miles). These may be little more than a parking space, a picnic bench and a loo, but that means you can stop for a genuine five minutes, rather than a half-hour battle through a giant WHSmiths to find the toilets in a UK services.

Plan your nights around Christmas markets

In December, where you stop matters as much as where you’re going. Many European towns revolve around their Christmas markets, which become the evening’s main event. Aim for walkable towns with central squares, where you can park up, check in and be wandering among lights, mulled wine and food stalls within minutes. Just check closing dates first – some markets shut before Christmas itself.

Pack like you might get stuck

Winter driving is well managed in Europe, but delays can still happen – and when they do, it’s cold and dark. Bring proper coats, gloves, a blanket, snacks, a flask and phone chargers. Top up with cold-weather screenwash. You’ll probably never need it, but knowing you’re prepared makes the whole trip calmer, more relaxed and far more enjoyable. Make sure your breakdown provider covers Europe, too.

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