Can you help me plan a European road trip please?

[SherlockHolmes]

DH, DS (16) and I have 3 weeks in July where we can go on a road trip. Due to medical reasons we're not able to fly, so our only chance of getting anywhere is by car or train.

Trouble is, there are so many great places to visit that I really don't know where to go!

Could you tell me your best "finds" in Europe. Aiming for a mixture of culture/relaxation/different geography that's doable within our 3 weeks.

Any advice/ideas most appreciated

My Dad use to drive to Malta every single year.
He would get Eurostar and then drive to Italy,
All the way down the leg to Sicily and then get the ferry over to Malta.
He would stop off in different places and he loved doing it.

I'm sure wherever you go that you will have a great adventure.

I'd drive through Belgium and see Antwerp and Brussels en route to Strasbourg and then down via Colmar perhaps to the Black Forest for a few days. Drive back through France.

Or drive through France (loads of options) over the Pyrenees to Spain. We've done that loads of time. It's really nice seeing the changes in crops and food sold by the roadside as you progress.

Have you thought about a ferry? We've taken the ferry to Bilbao / Santander which saves a few days.

Overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Santander.
Santander to Madrid. Three nights
Madrid to Seville. Three nights
Seville to Granada. Two nights. Must visit the Alhambra!
Granada to Valencia. Two nights.
Valencia to Barcelona. Three nights.
Barcelona to Bergerac. This was the longest drive, but also one of the most scenic going through the Pyrenees.
Bergerac to Loire Valley. 3 nights
Loire to the Ardennes. 3 nights. Lots of hiking and biking, which was a nice relaxing contrast to the cities that we had visited earlier in our trip.
Ardennes to Calais. Eurotunnel to Folkestone.