New Year Carnival Road Trip & Map – Venice, Nice & Cologne Festival Trail 🚗
If you fancy kicking off the year with maximum colour and minimum chill, this is your trip. You’re doing Venice for masks and dreamy canals, Nice for seaside winter sun and carnival chaos, then Cologne for the kind of street party where your “quick drink” becomes a full evening and you somehow end up wearing glitter you didn’t buy. 😂
It’s the perfect winter road trip if you want festivals without ski boots, and cities that feel properly alive.
Carnival Road Trip
🚗 Quick Trip Facts
- Total distance: roughly 1,750–2,200 km (depends on your detours and snack decisions)
- Suggested length: 12–16 days
- Route: Venice → Nice → Cologne
- Driving style: fast roads with a few scenic “pull over NOW” moments
- Best time: late Jan to late Feb for the best overlap of carnival energy 🎉
- Car tip: Pick your car up after Venice (mainland), because Venice + car = pointless drama
- Book ahead: Carnival weeks can get pricey, so sort your stays early via Booking.com 🛏️
- Car rental: compare and grab a decent deal with car hire 🚗
- Don’t skip: travel insurance (because winter roads + big crowds = “just in case” energy)
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Create a “Carnival Kit” bag you can grab in 10 seconds: a small zip pouch with cash + card, plasters, hand warmers, mini tissues, lip balm, and a spare phone cable. On parade days (especially Cologne), you’ll be standing around longer than you think, and this stops you doing the classic festival waddle back to the car like a frozen gremlin. 😅
🚗 Recommended Car Rental: DiscoverCars
Itinerary: Carnival Road Trip 🎭
Days 1–4: Venice 🎭🛶
Venice in winter is a vibe. Less sweaty crowds, more moody canals, and if you’re hitting Carnival season, the city turns into a beautiful masked fever dream (in a good way). Expect wandering, tiny bridges, and losing track of time in the most charming way possible.
📍 Things to do
- St Mark’s Square early morning (the calm before the chaos) 🌅
- Cicchetti crawl in Cannaregio (small bites, big happiness) 🍷
- Murano + Burano day trip (colour overload, camera roll destruction) 📸
- Mask shop or workshop (go on… become the main character) 😌
🔹 Good to know: Venice is best done car-free. Plan to pick your rental up on the mainland after your Venice days so you’re not paying to park a car you can’t use.
🏨 Where to stay: grab something central-but-not-mad on Booking.com Venice.
🗺️ Related Guide: 3 Days in Venice: Romance, Canals, Magic
Recommended Tours and Tickets From Get Your Guide
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Day 5: Venice → Turin (or Milan, or both) 🚗☕
A reposition day, but you can still make it fun. Think: coffee, a wander, and one “wow” building before you hit the road again.
📍 Things to do (pick 1–2)
- Verona for a quick piazza break 🏛️
- Lake Garda (Sirmione) for waterfront vibes 🌊
- Milan for cathedral drama + a shopping wander 🛍️
🔹 Pro tip: If your sat-nav tries to drag you into old city centres, don’t trust it. Park outside and walk in. Your wallet will thank you. 😅
🗺️ Recommended Read: Milan, Italy: An In-Depth Guide for First-Time Visitors
Days 6–8: Nice 🌊🍋
Nice is the winter reset. Sea air, pastel buildings, sunshine that tricks you into thinking you don’t need a coat, then a breeze that humbles you immediately. 😂 Carnival season here is bright, loud, and properly fun.
📍 Things to do
- Old Town wandering (snacks basically required) 🥐
- Castle Hill for the views 💙
- Promenade sunset stroll (even if you’re frozen, it’s worth it) 🌅
- Day trip loop: Èze + the Corniche roads + Monaco (if you fancy a glam detour) ✨
🔹 Fact: Nice is brilliant for a “festival trip” because you can mix carnival vibes with coastal chill. It’s one of those places that makes winter feel less… wintery.
🚶 Want a no-stress day out? Book a Riviera-style day trip with Get Your Guide.
🏨 Where to stay: Nice base on Booking.com Nice, and choose an area you can actually walk back to after dinner without hating life.
Day 9: Nice → Strasbourg (or Lyon) 🥐🏙️
This is your “less confetti, more carbs” breather day. Split the drive so you don’t roll into Cologne already feeling like a raisin.
📍 Things to do
- Lyon: pick a cosy restaurant and eat like you’ve earned it 🍽️
- Strasbourg: old town canals and that storybook feel 🏘️
🔹 Good to know: Winter road trips are way nicer when you build in a calm overnight stop. It turns a slog into a proper trip.
Days 10–13: Cologne 🎉🍻
Cologne Carnival is full send. Costumes, singing, packed pubs, and the kind of atmosphere where even introverts end up chatting to strangers like they’ve known them for years. You’ll see everything from pirates to unicorns to someone dressed as a traffic cone. Respect. 🫡😂
📍 Things to do
- Old Town pub crawl with Kölsch 🍺
- People-watching near the main squares (bring snacks, you’ll be there a while) 🍬
- Parade day: claim a spot early and prepare to catch sweets flying at your face like edible confetti 😄
🔹 Pro tip: Cologne accommodation can get wild during carnival week. Book early on Booking.com so you’re not paying “festival panic prices”.
Access to the map
No sign up required and totally FREE. Literally just using Google Maps to plot your route! Saves you messing! We don't gatekeep here! Enjoy.
Map will be located under "YOU" and then under "MAPS".
ℹ️ Add the map to your Google Maps app.
After opening Google maps, click YOU and then scroll down to MAPS. It should be located there. Any issues, just get it touch, it’s no problem!
🛑 Pit Stops & Side Detours (aka the “we were only stopping for 10 minutes” list) 😅
- Verona 🏛️
- Sirmione (Lake Garda) 🌊
- Genoa (quick old town wander) ⚓
- Menton (pretty border-town citrus vibes) 🍊
- Annecy (if you want canals but make it alpine) 🏔️
- Luxembourg City (underrated and surprisingly lovely) ✨
- Aachen (easy pre-Cologne stop) 🏰
🍽️ Local Eats Worth Chasing
- Venice: cicchetti + spritz, plus carnival-season sweet treats 🍩
- Nice: socca (must), seafood, and anything with olives and lemon 🍋
- Cologne: Kölsch + hearty comfort food that laughs in the face of winter 🥨
🎶 Road Trip Playlist
- Daft Punk, One More Time
- ABBA, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
- Queen, Don’t Stop Me Now
- Lady Gaga, Bad Romance
- The Killers, Mr Brightside
- Stromae, Alors on danse
- David Bowie, Let’s Dance
- Blur, Song 2
- Mark Ronson, Uptown Funk
- Beyoncé, CUFF IT
👉 Good to know: Download playlists offline before you leave.
🎙️ Podcasts to Queue Up
- The Travel Diaries (perfect for road trip mood)
- Stuff You Should Know (easy, addictive)
- Off Menu (you’ll be hungry constantly)
- Casefile (motorway miles go quicker)
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Pre-download a mix of 30–60 minute episodes. That way you can match an episode to each leg of the drive without ending up parked outside your guesthouse waiting for the last five minutes to finish.
🎒 Road Trip Essentials
- Car prep: check tyres, lights, screenwash that won’t freeze
- In-car bits: phone mount, charger, power bank, snacks (non-negotiable) 🍫
- Crowd survival: a small crossbody bag + zipped pockets
- Booking strategy: lock stays in early via Booking.com
- Car rental: get sorted with car hire and filter for winter-friendly options
- Peace of mind: travel insurance (because life loves plot twists)
Rent a Car
Access to the map
No sign up required and totally FREE. Literally just using Google Maps to plot your route! Saves you messing! We don't gatekeep here! Enjoy.
What to know How to Plan or Save for a Trip? Here are our best:
FAQs
Do I need a car for Venice?
Nope. Do Venice on foot and public transport, then pick your car up on the mainland.
Can I do Nice and Cologne in one long drive?
You can, but you’ll hate yourself. Break it overnight and arrive with actual energy.
Is this trip doable in 10 days?
Yes, but it’ll feel rushed. 12–16 days gives you breathing space and more “fun” than “motorway”.
Can I do this triWhat’s the best way to keep costs down?p without a car?
Travel midweek, book stays early, and be realistic about carnival pricing. Booking.com is your friend here.
Travel Planning Resources
Ready to book your next trip? These trusted resources have been personally vetted to ensure a smooth travel experience.
Book Your Flights: Kick off your travel planning by finding the best flight deals on Trip.com. Our years of experience with them confirm they offer the most competitive prices.
Book Your Hotel: For the best hotel rates, use Booking.com . For the best and safest hostels, HostelWorld.com is your go-to resource. Best for overall Hotel ratings and bargains, use TripAdvisor.com!
Find Apartment Rentals: For affordable apartment rentals, check out VRBO. They consistently offer the best prices.
Car Rentals: For affordable car rentals, check out RentalCars.com. They offer the best cars, mostly brand new.
Travel Insurance: Never travel without insurance. Here are our top recommendations:
- EKTA for Travel Insurance for all areas!
- Use AirHelp for compensation claims against flight delays etc.
Book Your Activities: Discover walking tours, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more on Get Your Guide. They have a vast selection of activities to enhance your trip. There is also Tiqets.com for instant mobile tickets.
Book The Best Trains: Use Trainline to find the most affordable trains or Rail Europe for rail passes!
Travel E-SIMS: Airalo Worldwide! Use your mobile phone anywhere!
Need More Help Planning Your Trip? Visit our Resources Page to see all the companies we trust and use for our travels.
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Nick Harvey
Hi, I am Nick! Thank you for reading! The Travel Tinker is a resource designed to help you navigate the beauty of travel! Tinkering your plans as you browse!
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