Best Short Road Trips: 10 Spectacular Scenic Drives

The best short road trips deliver world-class scenery in a single day or a long weekend, no two-week sabbatical required. Below are ten iconic drives, ranked, that pack more drama per kilometre than routes ten times their length. Every one is short enough to slot into a bigger holiday or a spare Saturday, and every one is pulled from real catalog data: distances, durations, and the months each road is at its best. Most are mountain passes, so if you want to browse the wider collection, start with our Mountain Passes hub.

Short does not mean lesser. A tight, concentrated route can be the most memorable driving of your life, because nothing is filler. On these roads the corners never let up, the views never flatten out, and you finish grinning instead of exhausted.

The 10 best short road trips at a glance

1. Stelvio Pass, Italy

Nowhere else packs so many switchbacks into so few kilometres. The classic one-way ascent from Prato allo Stelvio climbs through Gomagoi, Trafoi and Franzenshöhe to the 2,758 m summit in just 49 km, then drops to Bormio on the far side. The stacked hairpins are the most photographed in the Alps, and the whole crossing takes a single unforgettable day between June and October. It is the definitive short road trip: pure driving, no padding. Read the full stop-by-stop plan in our Stelvio Pass guide.

2. Atlantic Ocean Road, Norway

At just 36 km, the Kårvåg to Bud stretch is proof that the best drives are not the longest. This Norwegian Scenic Route leaps between skerries on a chain of low bridges, the Storseisundet span curling so sharply it looks like a road to nowhere. Stop for the island boardwalk at Eldhusøya and the fishing village of Bud, and time your visit for a windy day when the Atlantic hurls spray across the tarmac. Best driven from late spring to early autumn, it is our Atlantic Ocean Road run.

3. Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria

Often cited as the finest drive in the Alps, the Grossglockner rollercoasters 48 km past glacier-encrusted peaks, waterfalls and jewel-coloured lakes. The climb to Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe faces the retreating Pasterze Glacier below Austria's highest summit at 3,798 m, and detours to Fuschertörl and Edelweiss-Spitze add high viewpoints for almost no extra distance. Gates open from early May to early November when conditions allow. See the full drive in our Grossglockner guide.

4. Trollstigen, Norway

The Troll's Path stacks eleven hairpins on a 10 percent gradient, rising 850 m above the Istra valley with the 180 m Stigfossen waterfall crashing alongside the road. It runs about 105 km including the ferry, and the reward at the end is a descent toward Geiranger, Norway's most celebrated fjord. One dramatic day from May to October buys you two of the country's signature landscapes. It is all mapped in our Trollstigen route.

5. Road to Hāna, Maui, USA

Maui's Hāna Highway threads 84 km of northeastern coastline through 59 bridges and 620 curves, past bamboo forests, black-sand beaches and waterfalls tumbling toward the sea. It is one of the lushest drives on Earth, and because the road is narrow and slow you should give it a full day, or overnight in Hāna to do it justice. Non-residents must reserve parking and entry at Waiʻānapanapa in advance, so build the day around that window. Plan your stops with our Road to Hāna guide.

6. Beartooth Highway, USA

From Red Lodge, Montana, the Beartooth climbs 110 km onto a treeless plateau of glacial lakes and open tundra, one of the highest paved roads in North America. You can drive the core in two to four hours, but the switchbacks, the Rock Creek Vista and the run down to Cooke City reward anyone who lingers. The window is short and weather-dependent, roughly late June to September, so start early with a full tank. Our Beartooth Highway guide has the full sequence.

7. Amalfi Coast, Italy

The SS163 is only 50 km long, yet it may be the most beautiful road on Earth: hairpins cut into cliffs, pastel villages stacked above an impossibly blue sea, lemon groves scenting the air. This is the rare short route worth stretching to three unhurried days, basing in Sorrento, Positano or Ravello and letting the traffic thin between stops. Come in May or from September to October to dodge the worst crowds. Everything is in our Amalfi Coast guide.

8. Gorges du Verdon, France

France's answer to the Grand Canyon is a limestone gash nearly a kilometre deep, and the drive around its rim is about 130 km of near-constant viewpoints. Start in the hilltop town of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, trace the turquoise Lac de Sainte-Croix, then loop the 23 km Route des Crêtes with its 14 lookouts and circling vultures before finishing in Castellane. Two easy days from April to October is plenty. See it laid out in our Gorges du Verdon guide.

9. Hai Van Pass, Vietnam

The Hai Van Pass carries you about 120 km from Da Nang over a coastal ridge, through the Hai Van Gate and down past the mirror-flat Lap An Lagoon and the beaches of Lang Co toward Hue. It is a single spectacular day of sea, mountains and shifting weather that gave the pass its name, the Pass of the Ocean Clouds. March to August is the driest window. Our Hai Van Pass guide covers the full run from coast to imperial city.

10. Sani Pass, South Africa

The wild card. Sani Pass is a boulder-strewn 4WD track that climbs 1,332 vertical metres in just 9 km through the Drakensberg escarpment into the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. At the top wait the highest pub in Africa, a blanket of stars and a Basotho world entirely apart. It demands low-range four-wheel drive and is best attempted from March to November. Read the safety detail first in our Sani Pass guide.

If you only do one

Drive Stelvio Pass. No route on this list delivers more sheer driving theatre for less time behind the wheel: 49 km, one day, and a wall of stacked hairpins that has defined what a great mountain road looks like for a century. It sits an easy hop from the Dolomites and the Swiss passes, so it slots neatly into a wider Alpine trip. Go on a clear morning in July or August, arrive early to beat the coaches, and let the mountain do the rest.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best short road trip in the world?

Stelvio Pass in Italy is our top pick. Its 49 km one-day crossing packs more famous hairpin switchbacks and high-Alpine drama into a short distance than any other route, which is why it consistently tops best-drive lists. The Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway and Austria's Grossglockner are close runners-up.

Can you do a great road trip in one day?

Absolutely. Most routes on this list, including Stelvio Pass, the Atlantic Ocean Road, Grossglockner and Hai Van Pass, are designed as full one-day drives. A concentrated route where every corner earns its place often beats a longer trip padded with dull motorway miles.

Which short road trips are best for summer?

For a northern-hemisphere summer, the high-altitude passes are at their peak: Stelvio (June to October), Grossglockner (early May to early November), Trollstigen (May to October) and the Beartooth Highway (late June to September) are all reliably open and snow-free. Browse the full seasonal picture on our Mountain Passes hub.

Do any of these short drives need a special vehicle?

Most are fine in any car, but Sani Pass is the exception: its upper switchbacks are an unmaintained boulder track that requires low-range four-wheel drive. Everywhere else, a standard vehicle is enough, though the Amalfi Coast rewards a small, narrow car for its tight lanes and parking.

Short does not mean forgettable. Pick a route, check its opening dates and any reservation rules, and build a day or a weekend around it. Start with the top pick in our Stelvio Pass guide, browse the wider Mountain Passes collection, or plot your own drive on the interactive map.