EV Road Trips
Electric-friendly drives with charger coverage along the way — from short coastal loops to multi-day road trips on the EV grid. 225 curated drives with mapped stops, distance, duration, and route notes — including Route 66, Pacific Coast Hwy, Blue Ridge Parkway.
Route 66The Mother Road. From Chicago to Santa Monica, Route 66 is America's original road trip, neon diners, desert motels, and wide-open sky that defined a nation on wheels.
Pacific Coast HwyCalifornia Highway 1 hugs the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles, cliffs, redwoods, Big Sur, and beaches that look designed for film shoots.
Blue Ridge ParkwayThe most beautiful drive in the eastern United States, 755 km of ridge-top parkway through the Appalachians from Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains, with no commercial traffic, no billboards, and no stoplights. Named overlooks appear every few kilometres above a landscape of unbroken hardwood forest turning gold and crimson each October.
Overseas HighwayUS-1 leaves the Florida mainland and drives 230km over 42 bridges across the Florida Keys, the highway that goes to sea. Turquoise flats on both sides, pelicans on every railing, and America's most southerly point at the end.
Icefields ParkwayOne of the most spectacular mountain drives on Earth. Highway 93 runs through the Canadian Rockies from Banff to Jasper, glaciers, turquoise lakes, and peaks over 3,000 m at every turn.
Sea to Sky HighwayBC-99 from Vancouver to Whistler is one of the world's great short drives, Howe Sound's fjord on one side, the Coast Mountains on the other, threading through old-growth forest past tumbling waterfalls and into a world-class mountain town.
Road to HānaThe Hāna Highway winds along Maui's dramatic northeastern coastline through 59 bridges and 620 curves, bamboo forests, hidden black-sand beaches, waterfalls tumbling into the sea, and one of the most lush drives on Earth.
Cabot TrailCape Breton's Cabot Trail is one of the most scenic drives in North America, the road climbs over the Cape Breton Highlands, drops to sea-level fishing villages, and traces cliff edges with 300m drops into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Southern Utah LoopThe greatest concentration of red-rock scenery on Earth. Utah's five national parks, Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches, connected by highways of surreal painted desert, hoodoos, and slot canyons.
Grand Teton to YellowstoneAmerica's ultimate wildlife corridor, from the jagged Teton skyline above Jackson Hole, north through moose meadows and bison herds into the world's first national park, where the earth erupts with geysers, prismatic hot springs, and mud pots.
Natchez Trace ParkwayThe oldest road in America, a 715 km National Parkway following a 10,000-year-old trail used by Native Americans, French traders, and flatboatmen walking home from New Orleans, now a billboard-free parkway of cathedral forest, Civil War earthworks, and ancient mounds.
Seward HighwayThis classic Alaska drive runs from downtown Anchorage south to Seward, following Turnagain Arm past tidal mudflats, glacier-capped peaks, and roadside viewpoints. It’s a straightforward paved route, but the scenery demands frequent stops for hikes, wildlife viewing, and overlooks along Kenai Peninsula’s dramatic coast.
Great River RoadThe Great River Road follows the Mississippi River through ten states, linking river towns, levee roads, historic downtowns, and wide floodplain scenery. Drive from Itasca State Park in Minnesota to the Gulf coast at Venice, Louisiana for a classic American road trip rich in birdlife, steamboat history, and changing river landscapes.
Great Ocean RoadBuilt by WWI veterans as a living memorial, this road winds along the wild Southern Ocean past rainforests, surf beaches, and the Twelve Apostles.
Milford Sound DriveFiordland is New Zealand's wildest corner, a frayed landscape of mountains sliced with fjords. The only road into Milford Sound from Te Anau follows Lake Te Anau's inland fjord shores, traverses the Eglinton Valley, passes the Mirror Lakes, climbs to the Divide through the 1.2 km Homer Tunnel, then descends steeply into mountain-rimmed Milford Sound.
Southern Alps HighwayNew Zealand's South Island SH6 and SH73 cross the Southern Alps through Franz Josef Glacier, the turquoise Hokitika Gorge, Arthur's Pass, and Lake Tekapo, a drive of glaciers, braided rivers, and an outrageously starry Mackenzie sky.
Great Alpine RoadVictoria's B500 climbs over the Australian Alps from Wangaratta to Bairnsdale, the highest sealed road in Australia, through snow gum forests, Mount Hotham ski resorts, and the gold-rush valley of Harrietville.
Pacific Coast Highway, New ZealandNew Zealand's Pacific coast from Whakatane to Napier, through Māori culture, East Cape's remote headlands, Gisborne's chardonnay vineyards, Hawke's Bay's Art Deco cities, and the easternmost point of the North Island. Off the beaten track until the final destination: Napier's extraordinary Art Deco streetscape.
Great Barrier Reef DriveThis classic tropical coast drive follows the Captain Cook Highway from Cairns to Port Douglas, skimming rainforest-clad headlands, palm beaches, and the Coral Sea. It is one of Australia’s most accessible scenic routes, with easy stops for lookouts, swimming beaches, and reef-day-trip departures.
Ring RoadIceland's Route 1 loops the entire island, glaciers, volcanoes, black sand beaches, and the Northern Lights. No other road delivers this much raw nature in one loop.
Amalfi CoastThe SS163 may be the most beautiful road on Earth, hairpin bends cut into cliffs, pastel villages above an impossibly blue sea, lemon groves scenting the air.
Wild Atlantic WayThe world's longest defined coastal route hugs the entire western seaboard of Ireland, sea stacks, clifftop monasteries, stone-walled roads, Gaelic-speaking fishing villages, and pubs where the session never ends.
North Coast 500Scotland's answer to Route 66, the NC500 loops 500 miles through the most spectacular and least-visited landscapes in Europe: the Torridon mountains' Precambrian sandstone, the white-sand beaches of Durness above the Cape Wrath headland, the flow country's peatland wilderness, the castle-dotted Black Isle, and the Bealach na Bà (the steepest road in Britain) above Applecross's seafood bar. The most dramatic drive in Britain.
The Romantic RoadGermany's most celebrated themed route, from the Residenz palace city of Würzburg through the medieval timber-framed perfection of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the walled town of Dinkelsbühl, and the circular Nördlingen (built inside a meteor crater) to the fairy-tale pinnacles of Neuschwanstein Castle above Füssen. The idealised German Middle Ages through the most beautiful medieval townscapes in Europe.
The DolomitesThe Grande Strada delle Dolomiti, the Great Dolomites Road from Bolzano to Cortina d'Ampezzo through the most spectacular mountain scenery in the Alps. Huge cathedrals of rock, the Val di Fassa, the Sella Ronda massif, the Alta Badia, and vertiginous switchbacks between peaks of 3,168m and 3,218m.
Grossglockner High Alpine RoadThere's a reason the Grossglockner Road is often cited as the finest drive in the Alps, a 48 km rollercoaster of sheer glacier-encrusted mountains, waterfalls, forested slopes, jewel-coloured lakes, and 4,000 m peaks on almost every distractingly lovely bend. The crown is Grossglockner itself at 3,798 m, Austria's highest peak, and the rapidly retreating Pasterze Glacier below the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe lookout.
TrollstigenThe Troll's Path, eleven hairpins on a 10% gradient rising 850m above the Istra valley, with the 180m Stigfossen waterfall cascading alongside the road. Norway's most dramatic single route descends to Geiranger, the country's most celebrated fjord.
Transfăgărășan, RomaniaThe road Jeremy Clarkson called the best in the world, the Transfăgărășan Highway slices through the Southern Carpathians from Wallachia to Transylvania with 90 km of hairpin bends, viaducts, and a tunnel through granite. Poenari Castle (Vlad the Impaler's real fortress, 1,480 steps above the Argeș River) guards the route's start; Bâlea Lake sits at the 2,034m summit.
Douro Valley Wine RouteThe oldest demarcated wine region in the world, the Douro Valley winds east from Porto through terraced vineyards carved into schist hillsides, past baroque manor houses and centuries-old quintas that produce some of the world's finest port and table wine.
Cappadocia Valleys LoopA compact Cappadocia route for visitors who want more than one balloon-view stop. The loop links Göreme, Uçhisar, Avanos, underground cities, Ihlara Canyon, Soğanlı Valley, and Ürgüp into a short drive through volcanic rock, cave churches, vineyards, and early Christian hideouts.
Three CornichesThree parallel cliff roads between Nice and Monaco, each at a different altitude, the Basse Corniche past Belle Époque villas, the Moyenne past Èze's eagle's nest, and the Grande Corniche where Grace Kelly drove her last road.
Adriatic Coastal HighwayThe Jadranska Magistrala hugs Croatia's Dalmatian coast, Venetian-walled cities, island ferries, karst mountains plunging to the sea, the marble streets of Dubrovnik, and the most beautiful archipelago in the Mediterranean.
Black Forest High RoadThe Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse (B500) runs along the ridge of Germany's most romantic mountain range, dense spruce forests, cuckoo clock villages, thermal spa towns, glass-clear lakes, and cake made with cream and kirsch.
Swiss Alpine PassesSwitzerland's greatest road trip connects its most legendary Alpine passes, the Grimsel, Furka, Gotthard, and Susten, through glaciers, electric-blue lakes, and mountain villages where the only sounds are cowbells and wind.
Route des Grandes AlpesA true Alpine spectacular, La Route des Grandes Alpes traverses the French Alps from the shores of Lake Geneva to the French Riviera, ascending and descending 16 mountain passes including some of the highest sealed roads in Europe. The route took almost 30 years to construct and passes through three national parks, Vanoise, Queyras, and Mercantour, with views of Mont Blanc from the opening passes.
Gorges du VerdonFrance's answer to the Grand Canyon, a 25 km gash through the limestone hills of Provence where the Verdon River has carved sheer cliffs nearly a kilometre high. The usual route begins in the hilltop town of Moustiers-Ste-Marie, creeps around the gorge rim with roadside viewpoints galore, loops the 23 km Rte des Crêtes with 14 lookouts (keep eyes peeled for eagles and vultures), and ends at Castellane.
Chianti RoadToscana simply doesn't get more bella than the SR222 through Chianti country, linking two great medieval cities through gently rolling countryside striped with cypress trees, olive groves, and vines. Most photogenic during the late springtime eruption of poppies and wildflowers; stop at every enoteca for Chianti Classico, a sangiovese-dominated drop that tastes like the landscape.
Ring of KerryIreland’s classic loop on the Iveragh Peninsula combines Atlantic cliffs, sheep-flecked hills, and bright harbors in a single easy day drive. Expect constant scenery, narrow rural roads, and frequent stops for beaches, stone forts, and mountain passes, with Killarney as the natural gateway.
Atlantic Ocean RoadNorway’s Atlantic Ocean Road traces a short but dramatic coastal crossing between Kristiansund and Molde, leaping across islets and skerries on a chain of bridges above the Norwegian Sea. It is famous for its sweeping curves, big-sky views, and storm-battered seascapes.
Vršič PassThis classic alpine crossing climbs from Kranjska Gora to the Soča Valley through 50 tight hairpins and dramatic limestone scenery. At 1,611 meters, Vršič Pass delivers sweeping views of the Julian Alps, roadside memorials, and short stops for hikes, making it Slovenia’s most iconic mountain drive.
Snowdonia CircuitThis loop threads through the heart of Snowdonia, combining slate-era heritage, mountain passes, and classic Welsh coast views. Start in Betws-y-Coed, climb toward Llanberis and the slopes of Yr Wyddfa, then swing through Beddgelert, Harlech, and the shores of Porthmadog before returning through inland valleys.
Costa VerdeThe Rio–Santos coastal highway (BR-101) threads between the Serra do Mar mountains and the Atlantic, colonial fishing villages, the world's largest urban forest at Tijuca, islands, and Brazil's most spectacular beaches.
Serra do Rio do RastroSC-438 climbs the Serra Geral escarpment in 18km of relentless hairpins, from the subtropical coastal plain to a cold gaucho plateau at 1400m. Above the clouds, apple orchards, frost-dusted dawns, and the sheer-walled canyons of Aparados da Serra await.
Estrada RealThe Royal Road built in the 1700s to carry gold and diamonds from the Minas interior to the coast. This stretch, the Caminho dos Diamantes, connects UNESCO Ouro Preto through the colonial hill towns of Tiradentes and São João del-Rei to the diamond capital of Diamantina, birthplace of President JK.
Cape Town & Garden RouteSouth Africa's most celebrated road trip, from Cape Town's two-ocean peninsula along the Garden Route's coastal forest to Storms River. Chapman's Peak Drive, the whale nursery of Hermanus, the lagoon town of Knysna, the Tsitsikamma forest's 800-year-old yellowwood trees, and the Bloukrans Bridge bungee jump (the world's highest) are strung along a coast of extraordinary biodiversity.
Chapman's Peak DriveLess than 10 km long but with 114 curves and breathtaking views of Hout Bay and the Sentinel, affectionately known as "Chappies," this toll road was originally built during World War I, blasted from the sheer face of the 593 m Chapman's Peak above the Atlantic Ocean. A steep cliffside drive with natural canopy overhangs, the views are unbeatable on a sunny day.
Panorama RouteMpumalanga's Panorama Route strings together the most dramatic escarpment scenery in Southern Africa, canyon viewpoints, gold-rush villages, ancient potholes, and waterfalls spilling off the edge of the highveld.
Hokkaido Flower RouteThrough the patchwork hills of Biei and the lavender ocean of Furano, Hokkaido's interior turns into an impressionist painting each summer as flower farms, canola fields, and potato blossoms roll across the volcanic upland in waves of purple, yellow, and white.
Shimanami KaidōSix islands linked by six bridges across the Seto Inland Sea, Japan's most celebrated drive arcs from Onomichi in Hiroshima to Imabari in Ehime, past lemon groves, castle ruins, and views so perfect they feel composed rather than found.
Taiwan Island LoopTaiwan's extraordinary island circuit from Taipei, through Taroko Gorge's 19-km marble canyon, the East Rift Valley's terraced rice paddies, Kenting's tropical beaches, Sun Moon Lake's indigenous Thao culture, and the high-mountain Alishan Forest Railway country. Asia's most compact great drive through an island that punches far above its size.
Japan's Golden RouteJapan's classic first-timer circuit from Tokyo to Osaka, Mt Fuji's perfect cone above the Hakone caldera, Kyoto's 2,000 temples (Kinkaku-ji, Fushimi Inari's 10,000 torii gates, Arashiyama's bamboo grove), Nara's free-roaming deer and colossal bronze Buddha, and Osaka's legendary street food and castle. The template for Japan travel since the bullet train opened in 1964.
Jebel Hafeet Mountain RoadFrom Dubai across the desert to Al Ain, then up 60 switchback hairpins to the summit of the UAE's highest peak, consistently ranked among the world's greatest driving roads, with the whole Arabian plain at your feet.
A Venetian SojournPink palaces, teal canals, golden domes, the Veneto is unlike anywhere else. From Venice's lagoon by vaporetto to Murano's glass furnaces, then on to the Brenta Riviera's Palladian villas, Vicenza's architectural masterpieces, and Asolo's hundred hilltop vistas.
Abruzzo HighlandsItaly's most underrated region, the SS17 and mountain roads through the Apennine backbone past medieval hill towns, the wolf-and-bear wilderness of Gran Sasso, and a coastline that the Adriatic sun turns an extraordinary turquoise.
Across the Austrian AlpsThe great Austrian crossing from Tyrol to Vienna, from Innsbruck's Golden Roof and Habsburg legacy, over the Brenner Pass and through the Salzkammergut's lake district (where Hallstatt gave its name to the Iron Age), into the Baroque splendour of Salzburg (Mozart, the Sound of Music, the Salzburg Festival) and finally the imperial grandeur of Vienna. Austria's full cultural and natural range in one drive.
Alentejo & Algarve BeachesPortugal's southern Atlantic coast, from the long, uncrowded beaches of the Alentejo costa vicentina through the wild Sagres peninsula to the Algarve. This isn't the Mediterranean; it's the Atlantic with surfable waves, maritime history, pine and rosemary dunes, and beaches so remote that access tracks are unmarked. The drive takes in the finest beaches in Portugal's least developed coastline.
Along the Murray RiverThe Murray, Australia's longest river at 2,500 km, rising in the snow-capped Australian Alps and flowing between Victoria and New South Wales. The road from Albury-Wodonga through the renowned Rutherglen wine region, the horse-drawn-cart port of Echuca, and on to Mildura's citrus and wine country.
Alsace Route des VinsThe Route des Vins d'Alsace winds between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine plain through a string of medieval villages, half-timbered houses hung with geraniums, storks on every chimney, and Riesling in every cellar.
Bahrain Heritage LoopA compact island loop through Bahrain’s key heritage sites, from the UNESCO-listed Qal'at al-Bahrain to old-town Muharraq, traditional dhow yards, and restored merchant houses. It finishes with desert-side forts and a sunset drive back toward Manama, blending history, coast, and easy highway links.
Bay of Kotor to DurmitorThis Montenegro road trip links the Adriatic beauty of the Bay of Kotor with the high alpine landscapes of Durmitor National Park. Expect tight mountain roads, dramatic viewpoints, monastery stops, and a steady climb from sea level to glacial lakes, pine forests, and the iconic Tara River canyon.
Beatles TourThe world's most famous band grew up in the suburbs of Liverpool, a self-guided loop from the Beatles Story at Albert Dock through Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, Paul McCartney's childhood home, John Lennon's Aunt Mimi's house, the Cavern Club, and the NEMS record shop site where Brian Epstein first heard them play. Liverpudlians tell the story with fierce pride.
Belgian Ardennes RouteThis looping drive through Belgium’s forested Ardennes links river valleys, limestone cliffs, medieval towns, and quiet ridge roads. Starting in Namur, it follows the Meuse and Ourthe toward Dinant, Durbuy, La Roche-en-Ardenne, and Bastogne before returning through rolling countryside and castle-dotted landscapes.
Bohemian Paradise and South BohemiaThis Czech road trip links sandstone towers, castle ruins, and lakeside South Bohemian towns on a relaxed loop from Turnov to Český Krumlov. It blends the forested trails and viewpoints of Bohemian Paradise with historic squares, ponds, and river scenery around Třeboň and the Vltava valley.
Boston to New YorkThe east coast's most storied corridor, from Boston's Freedom Trail and Samuel Adams breweries, zig-zagging through Newport's Gilded Age ocean mansions and Hartford's Mark Twain House to the architectural immensity of New York City. Tesla Superchargers every 100 km make this the original electric road trip route in America.
Busan to GwangjuThe route across the bottom of South Korea, from Busan, the buzzing port and Korea's film city, west through Masan, Jinju, and Suncheon to Gwangju, Korea's art capital, with multiple options for short detours south to the beaches and off-shore islands of Korea's southern coast. A beautifully surfaced road through the least internationally known corner of a remarkable country.
Cairo to Luxor Nile ValleyThis classic Nile Valley drive follows Egypt’s main southbound corridor from Cairo to Luxor, passing fertile river plains, roadside markets, and ancient temple towns. It’s the most practical overland link between two of Egypt’s greatest archaeological hubs, with desert scenery framing the route.
Canary Islands DriveThe volcanic islands off Africa's Atlantic coast where summer never ends, Teide National Park's 3,715m lunar volcano (the highest peak in Spanish territory), the UNESCO laurisilva cloud forest of La Gomera, Masca village in a near-vertical volcanic gorge, the black-sand beaches of Tenerife's southern coast, and the endemic Canarian dragon trees.
Cape Ann, MassachusettsThe North Shore route from Newburyport south along Cape Ann, clam shacks on Route 1A, the Parker River Wildlife Refuge's 800 species of birds and plants, Crane Beach (one of the longest and sandiest in New England), maritime Essex, and the working fishing port of Gloucester. A short drive dense with seafood and Atlantic atmosphere.
Cape Cod, Old King's HighwayRoute 6A, the Old King's Highway, traces the Bay side of Cape Cod through 300 years of sea-captain architecture, cranberry bogs, saltmarsh, and shingled villages. The Cape narrows to a sandy hook at Provincetown, where the Pilgrims first landed in 1620.
Captain Cook HighwayQueensland's most scenic coastal road runs from Cairns north to Mossman between the Wet Tropics rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, the only place on Earth where two UNESCO World Heritage sites touch simultaneously.
Castaway on Flores, AzoresThe most remote and beautiful island in the Azores, Flores (the Island of Flowers) is a crater-lake wonderland at the western edge of Europe, 2,300 km from Lisbon. Seven calderas filled with hydrangea-ringed lakes, the vertical sea cliffs of Fajã Grande (the most dramatic coastline in the Atlantic), and the cascading waterfalls of Poço da Alagoinha in a valley of lush green fern. The end of Europe, dripping with rain and colour.
Catalan PyreneesA border anomaly drives this mountain loop, from Olot's volcanic Garrotxa region northeast to Castellfollit de la Roca (a town stacked on a basalt cliff), west through Ripoll and the Vall de Ribes to hair-raising Route C-16 along the Freser gorge, then north through the peculiar Catalan exclave of Llívia (technically Spain inside France) to the ski resort of Les Angles.
Causeway Coastal RouteFrom Belfast through the Glens of Antrim to the Giant's Causeway, the most scenic coastal road in the UK traces ancient volcanic basalt, a Scottish rope bridge, a whiskey distillery in a clifftop cave, and a Game of Thrones landscape.
Caves RoadA short but extraordinary drive through the limestone karst of Western Australia's Margaret River region, above ground, the world's largest karri forests and a hundred world-class wineries; below, four show caves of stalactites and crystal formations accessible on guided tours along a single winding road.
Chain of Craters RoadThe most geological road on Earth, descending 1200m from Kīlauea's active summit caldera to the Pacific coast, past pit craters and still-smoking lava fields, ending where a previous flow swallowed the road whole and entered the sea.
Chapada dos VeadeirosA UNESCO cerrado highland 250km north of Brasília, the ancient quartz-crystal plateau that generates one of the highest concentrations of natural crystal in the world. Waterfalls, cerrado canyons, the New Age capital of Alto Paraíso, and the clearest night skies in Central Brazil.
Châteaux of the LoireThe Loire Valley is the garden of France, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of Renaissance royal châteaux, troglodyte wine cellars cut into chalk cliffs, and river islands of white-sand beaches linking Chinon's medieval fortress to Chambord's Renaissance fantasy.
Circuit of MallorcaA full loop around the Mediterranean's most beautiful island, southwest from Palma through Palmanova to Sóller's mountain village in the Serra de Tramuntana, east through Sa Pobla and the flat grape-growing Manacor plains to the east coast beaches, then back to Palma. Six Endesa EV charging stations make it Spain's smoothest electric island loop.
Cirque de Combe LavalThe D76 through the Vercors Natural Park cuts a ledge into sheer 400m limestone cliffs above the Lyonne valley, a vertiginous corniche through one of France's least-visited mountain regions, ending on the high Vercors plateau with its dark wartime history.
Clarence DriveThe R44 between Gordon's Bay and Hermanus hugs the Kogelberg coastline, mountain cliffs plunging to turquoise sea, fynbos slopes, penguin colonies, and the world's finest shore-based whale watching.
Corsica Island DriveNapoleon's birthplace and the most dramatic island in the Mediterranean, the Col de Bavella's granite needles, the Gorges de Spelunca's ancient Genoese bridges, Calanche de Piana's UNESCO orange granite formations, Ajaccio's Napoleonic legacy, and the limestone cliffs of Bonifacio above the straits. The island that rewards the driver who goes beyond the beaches.
D-Day BeachesThe beaches and bluffs are quiet today, on 6 June 1944 the Normandy shoreline was the destination for more than 6,000 ships and the largest armada ever assembled. This part of the French coast is strewn with memorials, museums, and cemeteries; starting with Caen's Museum for Peace, the route passes Pegasus Bridge, Omaha Beach, the Pointe du Hoc cliff-top battery, and Utah Beach.
Dali Lijiang Shangri-La RouteThis classic Yunnan mountain drive links Dali’s lakeside old town, Lijiang’s UNESCO-listed lanes, and Shangri-La’s Tibetan plateau scenery. The road climbs steadily through Erhai viewpoints, alpine valleys, and the upper reaches of the Yangtze basin, with dramatic weather shifts and plenty of cultural stops along the way.
Danube Bend and Balaton LoopThis loop links Hungary’s most rewarding road-trip scenery: the wooded bends of the Danube north of Budapest and the lakefront villages of Balaton. Expect castle towns, riverside viewpoints, ferry crossings, vineyard hills, and easy A-road driving with frequent stops for viewpoints, thermal baths, and lakeside promenades.
Delta Works and Zeeland CoastFollow the Zeeland coast from the engineering marvel of the Delta Works through island-dotted dikes, beaches, and tidal inlets. This relaxed loop links storm-surge barriers, quiet harbor towns, and wide North Sea horizons, with frequent stops for seawalls, cycling paths, and fresh seafood.
DMZ and Gangwon Mountain RouteThis northbound loop links Seoul with the sobering landscapes of the DMZ fringe and the alpine roads of Gangwon-do. Trace quiet observatories, river valleys and border-adjacent towns before climbing into Seoraksan country, where granite peaks, forested passes and East Sea detours deliver Korea’s most dramatic mountain scenery.
Dragon's Spine, WalesThe Cambrian Way from Cardiff through the spine of Wales, the Brecon Beacons' sandstone moorland and waterfalls, the empty Cambrian Mountains that form the water divide of Wales, Snowdonia's rocky summits, and the walled medieval town of Conwy at the northern end. The longest upland route in Wales through the least-visited highland terrain in Britain.
East Coast TasmaniaThe long way from Hobart to Launceston, up Tasmania's sun-drenched east coast past convict sandstone, Wineglass Bay's perfect crescent, penguin colonies, and the fire-orange boulders of the Bay of Fires.
Emilia-Romagna Food RoadAlong the Via Emilia, the Roman road built in 187 BC that still runs ruler-straight through Italy's gastronomic heartland from Parma to Ravenna. The route takes in Parma ham, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Modena's balsamic vinegar and tortellini, and Bologna's ragù, the most food-dense drive in the world.
Forgotten World HighwayNew Zealand’s Forgotten World Highway follows SH43 through remote hill country between Stratford and Taumarunui. It climbs over the Whangamomona Saddle, threads past lonely farmland and river valleys, and pauses at quirky Whangamomona, a self-declared republic that captures the route’s isolated, frontier character.
Gaspésie LoopQuebec's Gaspésie Peninsula juts into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Route 132 loops around it past fishing villages, the moose-filled Parc de la Gaspésie, Percé Rock rising from the sea, and Forillon's sea-cliff views.
Geiranger–TrollstigenNorwegian National Tourist Route 63, one of the world's greatest drives and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Steep inclines averaging 9%, slam-on-the-brakes-and-grab-the-camera hairpin bends, and views of Geirangerfjord's sheer 1,400 m walls make for terrific slow touring. The Trollstigen (Troll's Path) bombards you with mountains named Kongen (the King) and Dronnigen (the Queen), waterfalls spilling down sheer cliff faces, and fjords of the bluest blue.
German Alpine RoadThe Deutsche Alpenstraße from Lake Constance to Berchtesgaden, through the Allgäu dairy country, Neuschwanstein Castle above its mountain lake, the Zugspitze (Germany's highest peak at 2,962m), the Bavarian alpine lakes of Walchensee and Chiemsee, and the Eagle's Nest above Berchtesgaden. Germany's most spectacular mountain drive.
German Avenues RouteAn 868 km loop through four central German states, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, and Saxony, following the tree-lined baroque avenues commissioned by Prussian and Saxon nobles: 19,000 trees on 150 avenue roads, through Bauhaus Dessau, Worlitz Park (the first English landscape garden in Germany), and Quedlinburg's UNESCO-listed medieval hill.
German Castle RoadFrom the Neckar Valley to the Franconian highlands, 507 km and over 370 castles, ruins, and fortresses following the Burgenstrasse from Mannheim through Heidelberg, the Tauber Valley medieval town of Rothenburg, and Wagner's Bayreuth. No road in Europe has a higher concentration of medieval fortifications.
Gippsland & Wilsons PromontoryFrom Melbourne's fringe to the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, Victoria's south-east corner delivers ancient rainforest, Tidal River wallabies, the mirror stillness of the Gippsland Lakes, and Squeaky Beach's white silica sand.
Grand Pacific DriveAustralia’s Grand Pacific Drive traces a classic coastal day trip from Sydney’s southern beaches to the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. The route crosses the Sea Cliff Bridge, passes rainforest-fringed headlands and surf towns, and finishes among Kiama’s famous blowholes, lookouts and rolling green coastline.
Great Western TiersThis Tasmanian drive traces the Great Western Tiers from Deloraine through Meander and the limestone caves to the forested plateau of the Central Highlands, finishing near Lake St Clair. Expect rolling farmland, highland viewpoints, cool temperate rainforest, and crisp mountain air with frequent stops for short walks and lookouts.
Guilin Karst CircuitThe mountains of Guilin were so improbable they became the default landscape of Chinese ink painting for a thousand years. This circuit links the Li River, the Dragon's Backbone rice terraces, and the karst hills of Yangshuo into the most visually dramatic drive in southern China.
Hainan Island LoopChina's tropical island, the complete coastal loop delivers crystalline bays, rainforest national parks, Li and Miao minority villages in the interior highlands, and the resort city of Sanya. The only drive in China where the sea is warm enough to swim year-round.
Highlights of SloveniaEurope's best-kept secret, Slovenia's tiny, perfectly scaled landscape contains Lake Bled's fairy-tale island church, the Julian Alps' dramatic Triglav National Park, the emerald Soča River valley (the Isonzo of World War I, Hemingway's Farewell to Arms), the UNESCO Škocjan Caves (the largest accessible underground canyon in the world), and the Venetian port of Piran on the Adriatic. An impossible concentration of perfection.
Highway 1, FloridaUS-1 traces Florida's Atlantic spine from the Georgia border to Miami Beach, through the Golden Isles, historic St Augustine, Kennedy Space Center, the Space Coast, and Miami's art deco shore. Not to be confused with the Keys Overseas Highway; this is Florida's forgotten Atlantic coast road through lighthouse towns, rocket launch pads, and Art Deco glamour.
Historic Columbia River HighwayThis classic Oregon drive follows the restored Historic Columbia River Highway through the Columbia River Gorge, linking waterfalls, stone bridges, and bluff-top viewpoints. Starting near Troutdale and finishing in the Hood River area, it blends early 20th-century engineering with constant river-and-cliff scenery, best enjoyed at a leisurely pace.
Hobart to Cradle MountainFrom Hobart's Georgian sandstone waterfront through the Central Highlands to the jagged dolerite spires of Cradle Mountain, Tasmanian devil encounters, Lake St Clair, and the most untouched wilderness in Australia.
Isle of Skye CircuitOver the Skye Bridge and around Scotland's most dramatic island, the jagged Black Cuillin ridge, the Old Man of Storr, the Fairy Pools, Eilean Donan Castle, and a landscape that looks like the background for every fantasy novel ever written.
Izu Peninsula LoopA volcanic peninsula south of Tokyo where the Pacific crashes against black-sand beaches, hot springs rise from the ground mid-forest, and the road clings to sea cliffs past fishing villages that time left behind. One of Japan's great onsen drives.
Jeju Island CircuitSouth Korea's largest island, a UNESCO triple crown of volcanic crags, lava tube caves, and tuff-cone coastlines, compared favourably with both Bali and Hawaii. The best way to experience Jeju is the coastal ring road, hugging the island clockwise through Jungmun Resort, the Seongsan Ilchulbong sunrise peak, and the famous Haenyeo (sea women) who free-dive for shellfish without oxygen tanks.
Jimmy Buffett's Florida KeysThe Florida Keys Scenic Highway, a prestigious All-American Road, is Jimmy Buffett's country. Hemingway lived here, Tennessee Williams wrote here, and Thomas McGuane caroused here. The drive hops one bridge at a time through a magnificent seascape to Key West's Margaritaville.
John Muir's Sierra NevadaWhat the canyonlands were to Edward Abbey, the Sierras were to John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club drove 260 miles of road through three national parks from north to south. Big trees, big cliffs, big waterfalls, and the dramatic descent into Kings Canyon on the alpine Scenic Byway.
Kancamagus HighwayNew Hampshire's "Kanc", NH-112 through the White Mountain National Forest, is the quintessential New England foliage drive. No traffic lights, no commercial strip, no stops for 56km of blazing maple canopy, covered bridges, and cold mountain streams.
Korean Coastal HighwaySouth Korea's southern coastal road (Route 2 / 77) sweeps past terraced rice paddies, cliffside Buddhist temples, haenyeo diving villages on Jeju, and the fortress walls of Suwon, where ancient Korea meets hypermodern.
Kyushu Volcano RouteTrace Kyushu’s most dramatic volcanic landscapes from Fukuoka to Kagoshima, linking steaming craters, lava plains, and hot-spring towns. Highlights include Mount Aso’s vast caldera, the scenic Yufuin basin, and the ferry crossing toward Sakurajima, where active volcanic scenery rises directly above Kagoshima Bay.
La Rioja Wine RegionThe greatest wine region in Spain, La Rioja loops through medieval walled villages above the Ebro River, where Tempranillo ages in oak-scented cave bodegas beneath Haro's streets, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid have designed wineries for marquee estates, and every bar runs a pintxo culture as serious as San Sebastián.
Lake District PassesA classic loop through England’s Lake District, linking narrow mountain passes, mirror-still lakes, and stone-built villages. From Keswick to Ambleside via Honister, Kirkstone, and Hardknott Passes, the drive packs dramatic climbs, sharp bends, and some of the most iconic fell and valley views in the UK.
Lake Ohrid RouteThis relaxed loop traces Lake Ohrid from North Macedonia into Albania, linking Ohrid’s UNESCO-listed old town with cliffside monasteries, clear swimming coves, and the quieter south shore near Pogradec. Expect mountain-and-water views, historic villages, and an easy pace with frequent photo stops.
Lavaux VineyardsA short but sublime drive along Route 9 above the northern shore of Lake Geneva, through the UNESCO World Heritage Lavaux wine terraces that stagger up from the water in sheer stone-walled tiers that beggar belief. The road links the higgledy-piggledy French-speaking city of Lausanne to Château de Chillon, an extraordinary 13th-century fortress immortalised in Lord Byron's poem.
Lisbon to PortoPortugal's essential north-south drive, from Lisbon's sea-facing hilltop capital through the medieval walled town of Óbidos, the university city of Coimbra (where students still wear black capes), the Douro Valley's terraced vineyards producing the world's greatest fortified wine, and into Porto's azulejo-tiled city of port wine lodges and the world's most beautiful bookshop. A Portugal of extraordinary depth.
Long Island LoopBeginning and ending in New York City, this Long Island circuit heads east on the Expressway to Montauk, then returns down the Southern State past 30 vineyards, Hamptons mega-mansions, unspoilt North Fork farmland, Shelter Island, and Fire Island (car-free, visit on foot). Allow four days for the Gilded Age beach resorts, Cedar Point lighthouse, and the Sagamore Hill home of Theodore Roosevelt.
Lycian CoastA focused Turkish Riviera drive from Antalya to Fethiye, following the old Lycian shore through Roman harbors, cliff tombs, pine-backed coves, and turquoise water. It turns the broad Turkey loop into a slower coastal route built for travelers who want ruins, beaches, and dramatic Mediterranean roads in one compact trip.
Mediterranean MeanderFrom the Costa Daurada to the Costa del Sol, from Catalan pride in Sitges to Andalucian passion in Almería, from the Roman ruins of Tarragona to the Modernisme buildings of Barcelona, proving that not all of southern Spain's Mediterranean coast is tourist clichés. Follow the A7 northeast from Málaga through four regions, two languages, the buzzing urban centres of Barcelona, Valencia, and Málaga.
Melbourne to SydneyNot the straight Hume Highway but the longer, scenic route, east through Gippsland's green hills, past remote Croajingolong National Park's wild beaches, across the New South Wales border to the Sapphire Coast's calm bays and surf towns, and north to Sydney. The coastal alternative that takes a few days and arrives relaxed.
Mille MigliaThe Thousand Miles, from Brescia south to Rome and back, run as a flat-out road race between 1927 and 1957 attracting 5 million spectators. Stirling Moss won in 1955 in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR at an average of just under 100mph, his co-driver reading instructions from an 18ft roll of paper. Today it survives as an annual rally for pre-1957 cars.
Minoan CreteCrete's island circuit, the Minoan palace at Knossos (3,500 years old, Europe's first advanced civilization), the 16-km Samaria Gorge (Europe's longest), the Venetian harbour and old town of Chania, the pink-sand beach of Elafonisi, and the Lasithi Plateau's windmills. An island of three mountain ranges, Europe's oldest civilization, and 300 sunny days a year.
Modern Art MeanderThe French Riviera and its hinterland produced more Modern Art masterworks per square kilometre than anywhere on earth, from Matisse's cut-outs in Nice and Chagall's biblical message to Renoir's olive grove studio, Picasso's antibes castle, and Cézanne's Mont Sainte-Victoire, ending with Van Gogh in St-Rémy.
Mount Fuji Five Lakes and Hakone LoopA classic Tokyo-to-Tokyo loop through the Fuji Five Lakes and Hakone, combining lakefront viewpoints, volcanic landscapes, hot springs, and framed views of Mount Fuji. The drive is straightforward on paved roads, with the best visibility usually in the cooler, clearer months of spring and autumn.
Napa Valley Wine RoadCalifornia's Silverado Trail and Highway 29 thread through the most celebrated wine valley in the Americas, grand château wineries, Michelin-starred restaurants, mustard flowers in spring, and golden harvest light in fall.
Nelson & Marlborough ExplorerThe top of the South Island from Nelson's arts scene and Abel Tasman coast to Marlborough's Wairau River vineyards, World of Wearable Art, the Moutere Valley's pinot noir, the turquoise waters of Abel Tasman National Park, and Blenheim's sauvignon blanc (and Framingham's riesling, which you must also taste).
Normandy & BrittanyFrance's northwest corner carries the biggest scars of WWII alongside the most intact medieval coastline in the country, spartan watchtowers and solemn cemeteries haunt the idyllic pine-backed shores of Normandy, while Brittany's rocky coastline of dramatic tides and purple-pink twilight feels like it predates the nation's union. Mont St-Michel rises from the bay at the hinge between the two.
Northland Pacific Coast HighwayFrom Auckland up the Coromandel Peninsula to the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean and a Maori legend says the spirits of the dead depart for Hawaiki.
Norwegian West CoastNorway's National Tourist Routes string together the most dramatic fjord scenery on Earth, hairpin switchbacks over Trollstigen, the Geiranger serpentine road above a UNESCO fjord, Atlantic Ocean Road's storm-bathed bridges, and Flåm.
Noto PeninsulaJapan's most remote peninsula juts into the Sea of Japan, its outer Okunoto coast is all cliff-face fishing villages, pounding surf, lacquerwork ateliers, and ancient salt fields that have been harvested by the same families for 1,400 years.
Oahu's Windward CoastThe Ko'olau pali throws a wall of fluted green peaks above Oahu's windward shore. H3 and the Kamehameha Highway trace the coast through taro fields, ancient heiau, sacred valleys, and turquoise bays where Hawaiians surfed a thousand years before tourists arrived.
Okanagan Valley Wine TourA compact but spectacular wine country drive along Lake Okanagan in British Columbia, ponderosa pine slopes dropping to a desert-climate lake, over 200 wineries producing Riesling, Pinot Noir, and ice wine, and some of the most dramatic winery architecture in the world.
Panama Pan-American HighwayPanama’s Pan-American Highway is the country’s main road spine, running from Panama City across fertile lowlands and rolling cattle country to the border at Paso Canoas. It’s a straightforward long-distance drive with steady traffic near the capital and a more relaxed pace west of the interior highlands.
Picos de EuropaThe Picos de Europa are where the Atlantic meets the Alps, limestone massifs rising 2,600m from a green Asturian coast. The Cares Gorge, Covadonga, and mountain passes through silent medieval villages make this Spain's finest mountain drive.
Pilgrim TrailFrom the tip of Cape Cod where the Mayflower first anchored to the witch trial city of Salem, 178 km of colonial New England history through dune-backed shores, Plymouth Rock, Boston's Freedom Trail, and the most witchcraft-obsessed city in America.
Portland to Bar HarborMaine's rocky Downeaster coast from the peninsula city of Portland north to Bar Harbor, through Bath's shipyards, Rockland's lobster wharves, Camden's perfect harbour, and the spruce-forested headlands of Acadia National Park. The US Northeast's finest short coastal drive.
Qatar Desert and Northwest Coast LoopThis looping drive leaves Doha for Qatar’s wild southeast deserts, then traces the island-dotted northwest coast back toward the capital. Expect shimmering sabkha flats, sculpted dunes, fishing villages, and quiet shoreline viewpoints, with plenty of stops for dhow harbors, mangroves, and sunset desert scenery.
Rila and Rhodope MountainsThis loop links Sofia with Bulgaria’s grand mountain country, climbing to the Rila Monastery, circling the Seven Rila Lakes area, and continuing south into the quieter Rhodopes. Expect forested passes, alpine viewpoints, traditional villages, and excellent roadside taverns before returning via Plovdiv and the foothills west of the capital.
Road Trip the RivierasThe most glamorous coastal drive in Europe, from Nice along the Three Corniches of the French Riviera through Monaco's baroque excess to Menton's lemon festival, across the Italian border into the Ligurian Riviera's fishing villages, the millionaires' harbour of Portofino, and the five pastel villages of the Cinque Terre above their vertical vineyards. The Mediterranean at its most magnificent.
Rota das MissõesThe Jesuit missions route of western Rio Grande do Sul, a UNESCO World Heritage trail through the ruins of seven 17th-century reductions where Guaraní communities and Jesuit priests built the most advanced utopian society in the Americas, before the Portuguese destroyed it in 1756.
Rota RomânticaThe RS-235 through the Serra Gaúcha follows the valleys settled by German and Italian immigrants in the 1820s, half-timbered architecture, sausage and Gemütlichkeit in Gramado, the Parque do Caracol waterfall, and the Vale dos Vinhedos where Brazil's best Merlot and Moscato are made.
Route 62The longest wine route in the world winds through the Breede River Valley and Little Karoo, past fruit farms, ostrich ranches, and the Swartberg Mountains, connecting Cape winelands to the edge of the great Karoo.
San Juan SkywayColorado's Million Dollar Highway, the San Juan Skyway loops through Ouray's "Switzerland of America" canyon town, the 3,358m Red Mountain Pass above collapsed mine workings, Silverton's Victorian mining town, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and Mesa Verde's Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. The most dramatic mountain circuit in the Rocky Mountains.
Sanriku Coastal HighwayThe reconstructed Sanriku coast traces Japan's most dramatic Pacific shoreline, a succession of deep rias, tsunami-warning stone gates, regenerated fishing towns, and wave-lashed headlands. A journey through nature's raw power and remarkable human resilience.
Sarajevo to Mostar and SutjeskaThis Bosnian road trip links Sarajevo’s Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian streets with the turquoise Neretva canyon, the stone beauty of Mostar, and the wild alpine landscapes of Sutjeska National Park. It balances history, mountain driving, and river scenery, with enough flexibility for short hikes and viewpoint stops.
Sarawak Pan-Borneo HighwayThis Sarawak section of the Pan-Borneo Highway runs from the Brunei border near Miri to the Indonesian frontier at Tebedu, linking coastal cities, rainforest interiors, and river towns. It is a practical overland showcase of Borneo’s changing landscapes, with frequent stops for caves, national parks, and local food.
Sardinia Island LoopThe most rugged and authentic Mediterranean island, Cagliari's Phoenician quarter, the Barbagia highlands where banditry and ancient dialects survive, the nuraghe tower civilization's 7,000 bronze-age fortresses, Costa Smeralda's turquoise water, and Alghero's Catalan-speaking old town. Sardinia rewards the driver who leaves the coast for the interior.
Scandi ExplorerThe great Scandinavian road trip through three kingdoms, from Copenhagen's design-forward capital across the Øresund Bridge into Sweden, north through Gothenburg's West Coast seafood, ferry to Oslo's fjord-city glamour, west to Bergen's painted Bryggen wharf and the UNESCO Nærøyfjord, and the dramatic Flåm Railway descent into the world's most spectacular fjord landscape. Northern Europe at its most spectacular.
Scotland, Highlands & HistoryA separatist sentiment and an assertion of independence has long been the hallmark of Scotland vis-à-vis its southern neighbours, this highland drive from the Wallace Monument at Stirling (where the Scots earned their first decisive victory over England in 1297) through Glencoe's massacre landscape and Jacobite country to Culloden, site of Scotland's last battle, and Inverness.
Shek O Road, Hong KongHong Kong's sublime subtropical drive, from Central across to the undulating island beneath the Peak and Mt Cameron, past Repulse Bay and across the Dragon's Back to Shek O, a fishing village at the island's eastern tip. Serpentine switchbacks to Tai Mo Shan, Big Wave Bay, and Wong Nai Chung Gap frame an extraordinary urban escape.
Shikoku Pilgrimage Road TripThis circular road trip follows Shikoku’s famed 88-temple pilgrimage from Tokushima through Kochi, Ehime, and Kagawa, linking sacred sites, coastal scenery, and mountain passes. Expect quiet country roads, historic temple towns, rugged capes, and a deeply cultural drive shaped by centuries of devotion.
Skyline DriveSkyline Drive is the classic ridge-top route through Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, tracing 105 miles along the Blue Ridge Mountains. The road links mountain overlooks, short hikes, and forested valleys between Front Royal and Rockfish Gap, with especially vivid color in spring bloom and autumn foliage.
South West ExplorerThe classic English road trip, from London through the Wiltshire plain to Stonehenge's mystery, Bath's Georgian perfection, Glastonbury's myths, Exmoor's wild ponies, Dartmoor's granite tors, and finally Cornwall's surfer beaches and the granite edge of Land's End. The full cross-section of England's most beautiful and historically dense corner, from the capital to the Atlantic.
Southern Scenic RouteThe long U-shaped journey around New Zealand's deep south, from Dunedin's Scottish history through the Catlins' wild surf beaches, coastal cliffs, and waterfalls, past Invercargill to the remote Fiordland and the sea-kayaking wilderness of Doubtful Sound. The South Island's least-driven great road.
Stephen King's MaineStephen King has two homes in Maine, and many of his gritty stories are set here. US Route 1 runs "downeast" past the LL Bean flagship, the Bath Iron Works, the 1827 Pemaquid lighthouse, and the spectacular Penobscot Narrows Bridge, with Acadia's pink granite coast as the centrepiece.
Susten–Grimsel–Furka LoopThe most concentrated Alpine pass loop on Earth, three legendary roads in a single circuit. The Susten crosses a granite wilderness, the Grimsel skirts black glacial reservoirs, and the Furka passes the Rhône Glacier, where Bond once drove an Aston Martin.
Tamil Nadu Temple RouteThis temple circuit links some of Tamil Nadu’s most celebrated Dravidian shrines, from Chennai’s coastal gateway to Madurai’s living pilgrimage heart. Expect steady highway driving, ornate gopurams, bustling temple towns, and time to linger in Kanchipuram, Chidambaram, Thanjavur, and Rameswaram before finishing in Madurai.
Taranaki's Surf HighwaySH45 around the western flank of Mount Taranaki, a short coastal drive past dairy farms, surf breaks made famous by boardriders seeking the perfect wave, shipwrecks, and lighthouses. New Plymouth's Len Lye Centre kinetic sculpture and the Tawhiti Museum of settler history frame the journey's beginning and end.
Targa Florio CircuitThe circuit of the Madonie mountains in Sicily was the world's oldest motor race, hairpins over sea views, Norman castles on hilltops, towns carved from golden limestone, and the most atmospheric mountain roads in Italy.
Tasmania East CoastThe Tasman Highway from Hobart up Tasmania's beach-lined east coast, through dry hills, Freycinet Peninsula's geometrically perfect Wineglass Bay, the Bay of Fires' white sands and orange lichen-stained rocks, and the Pyengana Dairy Company to Launceston. The gentle counterpoint to the wild west coast.
The Atlantic HighwayEngland's wildest coast, the A39 Atlantic Highway from Barnstaple through the cliffs of Cornwall to the A30's end at Fraddon. King Arthur's Tintagel above the churning Celtic Sea, the fishing village of Boscastle, Newquay's surf beaches, St Ives' Tate gallery above the harbour, and Land's End's granite edge where England runs out. The Atlantic shore of Britain at its most dramatic and most mythological.
The Basque CircuitThe circuit of one of Europe's most distinct cultures, Bilbao's Frank Gehry Guggenheim, San Sebastián's pintxos bars (more Michelin stars per capita than any city except Kyoto), the fishing ports of Getaria and Bermeo, prehistoric cave art at Santimamiñe, and the dramatic Costa Vasca. The best food per capita in Europe, concentrated into 480 km.
The CévennesIn 1879, Robert Louis Stevenson documented an epic, hilarious, and occasionally arduous hike through the Cévennes with a recalcitrant donkey named Modestine. These days you can trace part of his route by car, from the forested hills of St-Jean-du-Gard through the wild causses plateaus, gorges of the Tarn and Jonte, and ending on the world's highest road bridge, the Viaduc du Millau.
The Graceful Italian LakesFormed at the end of the ice age and a holiday destination since Roman times. Lake Maggiore's Borromean Island palaces, the cross-lake ferry to Laveno, then Lake Como, the siren call of Hollywood stars, traced from the silk capital of Como to Bellagio's perfect promontory and beyond to Bergamo.
The Great Outdoors, SpainStarting high in the Sierra Nevada, this Andalucian itinerary swings west and south through Las Alpujarras' whitewashed villages, the bizarre El Torcal rock formations, the wildlife wilderness of Doñana, Costa de la Luz beaches, and finally Tarifa, southernmost Europe, Moroccan coast in view.
The Hidden HighwayThe borderland between England and Wales, the B4368 and B4391 through the Marches from the food capital of Ludlow across the Long Mynd plateau and the Shropshire Hills (the best walking country in the English Midlands), past Powis Castle's Baroque terraced gardens, to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (Telford's iron masterpiece carrying a canal 38m above the Dee Valley) at Llangollen. The quietest and most rewarding drive in the Welsh Marches.
The Long Way Round, IrelandIreland's jagged, spectacular edges, this two-week circuit explores the island's coastline from Dublin through Belfast and the Causeway Coast, west to the dramatic cliffs and mountains of Connacht, south through the Aran Islands and Connemara, the Cliffs of Moher, Kerry's Ring, and Cork to the final destination of Ardmore, one of the southeast coast's loveliest seaside villages.
The Two PassesA four-day loop from Christchurch through the Southern Alps via Lewis Pass and Arthur's Pass, two of New Zealand's great mountain crossings through forests, lakes, rivers, and the West Coast Wilderness Trail. Hanmer Springs thermal pools at the overnight waypoint; Kumara's gold-rush history on the return via State Highway 73.
Thermal Hot SpotsThrough the North Island's geothermal heart, spectacular geysers, steaming hot pools, Māori culture, and Tolkien's Middle-earth at Hobbiton. From Hamilton through Matamata's Shire to Rotorua's boiling mud and Hell's Gate, and south to Lake Taupo, a caldera formed after one of history's greatest ever volcanic eruptions.
Tohoku Coast and MountainsThis loop links the rugged Sanriku coast with the forested mountains of inland Tohoku, pairing sea cliffs, fishing ports, hot-spring valleys, and deep cedar groves. It’s a classic self-drive through one of Japan’s most rewarding regions, with calm highways, excellent food stops, and striking natural contrast.
Trans-Canada HighwayCanada’s classic coast-to-coast drive follows the Trans-Canada Highway from St. John’s, Newfoundland, across rugged Atlantic coastlines, Quebec’s river valleys, the vast Canadian Shield, the prairie heartland, and the dramatic mountains of British Columbia before ending at Victoria. It’s a true national road trip with huge scenery shifts and long, open stretches.
Tunnel du Mont-BlancFrance with extras, hop two borders and drive through a mountain on this riveting route between Switzerland and Italy. From Geneva across the French border to Chamonix (with a cable car ride to the Aiguille du Midi at 3,842 m), then through the 11.6 km Tunnel du Mont-Blanc directly beneath Europe's highest peak to Courmayeur and the Roman aqueduct town of Aosta.
Tyrol & VorarlbergFrom opera-festival Bregenz on Lake Constance east through the Alpine valleys of Vorarlberg and Tyrol to Salzburg, past 50 schnapps distilleries in Stanz, the cheese-making secrets of the Bergkäserei Schoppernau, the monumental abbey at Stift Stams, and the treasures of Innsbruck. Austria's great mountain transect.
Uruguay CoastTrace Uruguay’s Atlantic shoreline from Colonia del Sacramento to Punta del Este, following a relaxed mix of riverfront towns, dune-backed beaches, fishing ports, and polished resort strips. The drive is mostly flat and well paved, with easy detours for sunset viewpoints, seafood lunches, and long seaside walks.
Val d'OrciaThe World Heritage-listed landscapes of Val d'Orcia have featured in Gladiator, The English Patient, and countless Renaissance paintings. Patchwork hills of cypress and wheat, walled medieval cities, Brunello di Montalcino paired with chestnuts and truffles, and the fortress of Radicofani at the end.
Vancouver IslandThe island that out-British-Columbias BC, Victoria's Empress Hotel and Butchart Gardens, the Pacific Rim National Park's Long Beach surfing, Tofino's temperate rainforest and whale-watching, Campbell River's wild salmon, and Telegraph Cove's orca colony in Johnstone Strait. The most accessible wild coastline in Canada.
Waiheke Island CircuitJust an hour's ferry from Auckland, Waiheke has its own warm, dry microclimate and a reputation as a Tuscan facsimile in the Pacific, vineyards, olive groves, and art galleries on a hilly island of excellent beaches. The island drive takes in Man O' War Bay, Onetangi Beach, the Connells Bay sculpture park, and several vineyards with restaurants overlooking the Hauraki Gulf.
Waterfall WayWaterfall Way is one of northern New South Wales’ most rewarding short road trips, climbing from the coastal plains at Coffs Harbour into the cool New England tablelands near Armidale. The drive strings together rainforest, escarpment lookouts, and a run of dramatic waterfalls in national parks along a well-sealed, easy route.
White Mountains KancamagusNew Hampshire's Kancamagus Highway cuts through the White Mountain National Forest without a single traffic light. In fall, the hardwoods burn crimson and gold, one of the great foliage drives in the world.
Willamette ValleyPinot Noir is the grape that put Oregon on the wine map when Eyrie Vineyards beat the French at the 1979 Wine Olympics. The 180km Willamette basin runs between the coast and the Cascades, I-5 and 99W threading past vineyards, hop yards, winding rivers, and bubbling hot springs from Portland to Eugene.
Wine & Whales Electric HighwayAustralia's first dedicated electric highway follows the beautiful southwest coast from Perth to Augusta, 12 RAC fast-charging stations spaced along a route that passes Margaret River's world-class wineries and Busselton's heritage jetty, timed June to August for humpback whale season in Geographe Bay.
Wonders of Ancient SicilyThe most complete collection of Greek temples outside Greece, a UNESCO Roman villa of unrivalled mosaic floors, Baroque cities rebuilt after a 1693 earthquake, a Greek theatre overlooking an active volcano, and Mount Etna, all on the island that was the most fought-over piece of land in the ancient Mediterranean.
Wooden Churches Route, PolandThrough southern Małopolska's UNESCO-listed wooden churches, shaped like dainty wizard's hats, these all-wooden medieval churches survived centuries of wars, Tatar raids, and two world wars. The route east of Kraków visits Lipnica Murowana, Binarowa, Sekowa, and the largest Gothic-style wooden church in Europe at Haczów.
Yorkshire Moors and DalesEngland's great northern landscape circuit, the North York Moors' purple heather, the Gothic ruins of Whitby Abbey where Bram Stoker set Dracula, the Dales' dry-stone-walled valleys, the market town of Hawes (Wensleydale cheese capital), and Swaledale's remote fell farms. The setting of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small.
Zagorohoria, GreeceInto the slate-and-stone villages of the Zagori in the Pindos Mountains of Epirus, one of Greece's most untouched regions where roads are steep and narrow, stone bridges arch over rushing rivers, and village squares are shaded by centuries-old plane trees. The antidote to the Greek islands.
Costa Esmeralda Florianopolis to BombinhasThis short Atlantic-coast drive links Florianópolis to Bombinhas through Santa Catarina’s Costa Esmeralda, with beach towns, offshore islands, and turquoise bays along the way. The route is paved and straightforward, best enjoyed as a leisurely summer escape with stops for swimming, seafood, and viewpoints.
Gobustan and Absheron PeninsulaA compact road trip from Baku into Azerbaijan’s surreal semi-desert landscapes, this loop links prehistoric petroglyphs, mud volcano fields, and the fire-worship heritage of the Absheron Peninsula. Expect paved roads, short museum stops, windswept coast, and dramatic sunset views over the Caspian.
Kuwait Bay Heritage CircuitThis easy coastal loop traces Kuwait Bay from Kuwait City’s restored heritage core to the waterfront landmarks that frame the capital. Expect smooth highways, sea views, and a mix of old souqs, modern skyline stops, and museum-style landmarks that tell Kuwait’s story in one compact day trip.
Mutlaa Ridge and Northern KuwaitA compact day drive from Kuwait City into the open northern desert, this route climbs Mutlaa Ridge for broad views before looping past old pearl-diving coastlines, salt flats, and windswept plains near the Iraqi frontier. It pairs empty horizons with straightforward roads and easy fuel stops.
Samana to Punta Cana Coastal DriveThis eastern Dominican road trip links the lush Samaná Peninsula with Punta Cana’s resort coast, tracing a mix of seaside highways, fishing towns, and palm-lined inland stretches. Expect bay views near Samaná, rolling countryside around El Seibo, and a smooth finish on the white-sand beaches of Bávaro and Punta Cana.
Abergwesyn Mountain PassWales's finest mountain road, the Abergwesyn Pass climbs from Tregaron through hairpin bends known as the Devil's Staircase to staggering views over the Cambrian Mountains. Short but intense: forest, valley, lake, and moorland in a route that rewards anyone willing to leave the A-roads behind.
Algarve Coastal DrivePortugal's golden south, the Algarve runs from the white-cube towns of the eastern barrier islands to the wind-battered sea stacks of Sagres, with the most dramatic sandstone cliff scenery in Western Europe between.
Alnwick to LindisfarneNorthumberland's panoramic coast road from Alnwick north along the A1 to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, through one of Britain's finest stretches of undeveloped shoreline past Bamburgh Castle, Seahouses harbour, and the causeway that connects Holy Island only at low tide. Lindisfarne Priory closes November through January.
Athens to AntiquityThrough the heart of ancient Greece from Athens to Thessaloniki, the Acropolis, the oracle sanctuary of Delphi above the Gulf of Corinth, Meteora's Byzantine monasteries on vertical rock pillars, the ancient sanctuary of Olympia, and the Mycenaean ruins of the Peloponnese. The most historically dense road trip in Europe.
Baeksu Coastal RoadOne of the most famous short drives in Korea, National Highway 77 explores the lush rural province of Jeollanam-do through dramatically changing landscapes from rolling green hills to precipitous coastal cliffs. Hundreds of off-shore islands are visible from the road, with Dombaeseom Island (fishing) and Chilsando Island (extraordinary hiking) the most rewarding short detours.
Baltic Road TripThe three Baltic capitals and everything between, Tallinn's perfectly preserved Hanseatic old town (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the Art Nouveau boulevards of Riga (more Art Nouveau than any other city on earth), the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania, and Vilnius's extraordinary Baroque old town. A drive from the medieval to the Baroque through three of Europe's most underrated capitals.
Bran Pass, RomaniaThrough Romania's medieval Transylvania from Brasov to Rucar, past Râșnov's maze-like citadel on a high hill, Bran Castle's Gothic towers (forever linked with Dracula), and along hairpin bends above forlorn country villages to the Bucegi Mountains. Best driven between May and October; the Bran–Rucar stretch can be perilous in winter.
Central Otago Wine TrailThe world's southernmost wine region hugs valley roads between Queenstown and Wanaka, vineyards fighting for space between rugged schist mountains and the Kawarau River gorge. Central Otago Pinot Noir and Riesling rival anything from Burgundy or Alsace.
Curonian SpitFrom the Hill of Crosses through the Baltic coast to the Curonian Spit, a 98 km slip of dunes and pine forest shared between Lithuania and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The route ends in Nida, a village of painted fishing cottages and Thomas Mann's summer house above the world's tallest moving sand dunes.
Dublin to the Wicklow MountainsFrom Dublin's Georgian streets into the granite mountains of the Wicklow interior, through Sally Gap's bare moorland, the oak forest of Glenealo Valley, mirror lakes, and stone ruins. The Emerald Isle's most accessible wilderness drive, returning via the coast at Bray.
Estrada da GraciosaThe historic colonial road carved through the Serra do Mar Atlantic Forest in 1872, PR-410 descends 900m from the Paraná plateau to the coast through dense rainforest, roadside waterfalls, and the colonial riverside town of Morretes, the home of barreado.
Flamenco TrailFlamenco was born in Andalucía centuries ago, sung, played, and danced in its raw brilliance throughout the region. This drive from Seville through Córdoba to Granada connects three cities where flamenco is not a tourist performance but a living tradition, from the Triana neighbourhood gitano community to the cave-dwelling families of the Sacromonte.
Furka PassSomething of a rite of passage for hardcore Alpine cyclists, Switzerland's Furka Pass is enshrined in motoring legend through its starring role in the Aston Martin/Ford Mustang car chase in James Bond's Goldfinger (1964). An Alpine pass and a half, with hairy switchbacks to an otherworldly 2,431 m plateau, the Rhône Glacier visible from the Hotel Belvédère, and deeply fissured blue ice grotto.
Glasgow to Fort WilliamThe perfect introduction to the Scottish Highlands, from Glasgow's urban grit north through Loch Lomond's pastoral shoreline, the Trossachs National Park villages of Tarbet and Crianlarich, and along the great loch itself before the landscape shifts into the imposing drama of Glen Coe and Ben Nevis.
Great Glen WayThe A82 follows the Great Glen fault line from Fort William to Inverness, a geological crack splitting Scotland in two, now filled by Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, and the most famous stretch of water in the world: Loch Ness.
Guča Festival DriveSerbia is one of the most exciting places to hear live music in the world, the drive from Belgrade to Guča for the Dragačevo Trumpet Assembly is a pilgrimage to the planet's greatest brass band festival: several days of free music, folk dancing, and a final battle-of-the-bands jury that chooses the finest blowers from across the Balkans.
Kaikoura CoastSH1 north of Christchurch is one of the world's great coastal drives, the Seaward Kaikoura Range falls sheer into the Pacific, sperm whales feed in the canyon just offshore, and New Zealand fur seals laze on every rock shelf.
Linha Verde, Coconut CoastBA-099 traces Brazil's most beautiful coastal highway from Salvador north through the "Estrada do Coco" and "Linha Verde", past sea turtle reserves, endless coconut-palm beaches, coral reefs at Praia do Forte, and the dune world of Mangue Seco immortalised in Jorge Amado's novel Tieta.
Livradois-Forez, FranceThrough the Livradois-Forez Regional Park from Vichy's thermal waters south to the volcanic towers of Le Puy-en-Velay, via time-trapped Thiers (knife-making capital of France), creamy Ambert (birthplace of Fourme d'Ambert cheese), and the enigmatic abbey church of La Chaise-Dieu. Deeply provincial, deeply French.
Málaga to SevilleThrough the history of Andalucia, from Málaga's airport hub west through the pueblos blancos (white villages), Arcos de la Frontera's clifftop drama, the mountaintop city of Ronda, and the Moorish legacy of Córdoba's mosques and Granada's palaces to the Alcázar of Seville. Spain's most culturally dense short drive.
Roman ProvenceProvence preserves the densest concentration of Roman monuments outside Italy, in 205 km from Nîmes to Vaison-la-Romaine, this drive passes a complete Roman amphitheatre, a three-storey aqueduct bridge older than the Colosseum, a perfectly preserved triumphal arch, and an entire excavated Roman town still visible under a medieval village.
Route 59 Košice–Banská BystricaSlovakia's most scenic mountain route connects two great historical cities through the volcanic Slovak Ore Mountains, medieval mining towns, thermal lakes, cave systems, and an absence of tourists that feels like discovering Europe in 1985.
Route de TuriniThe most celebrated stage of the Monte Carlo Rally, a sinuous mountain road climbing from the Ligurian coast through chestnut forest to the Col de Turini at 1607m. Every hairpin is banked, every view cinematic.
Salento Coast, PugliaAlong the wild coastline of the Salento, the tip of Italy's heel in Puglia, from Otranto to Gallipoli along a jagged shore of sea stacks, hidden coves, and shimmering water in a hundred shades of blue. Prickly pears line the road; the finibus terrae (end of the world) is at Santa Maria di Leuca.
Seoul to Busan OverlanderThe great Korean south-north drive from Seoul through the ancient Silla capital of Gyeongju to Busan's dynamic port, palaces, UNESCO temple complexes, fortress walls above autumn maples, and Korea's best food city at the end. The country's cultural heartland threaded together in one journey along the old royal road.
Shadow of VesuviusIn the shadow of the volcano that buried two cities in 79 CE, 90 km through Herculaneum's intact Roman houses, Pompeii's extraordinary preserved streets, the crater rim of Vesuvius itself, and Sorrento's clifftop lemon groves with the Amalfi Coast visible across the bay.
Sicily's SoutheastThrough Sicily's baroque southeast, Noto, Ispica, Modica, Ragusa, and Chiaramonte Gulfi rebuilt in Baroque splendour after the 1693 earthquake that levelled the region. The Cava d'Ispica gorge, grey drystone walls, citrus groves, and vivid Mediterranean colours in the sharpest light in Europe.
Sintra to Arrábida LoopA compact loop around the Lisbon peninsula, from the fairy-tale UNESCO palaces of Sintra on the Atlantic clifftops to the westernmost point of continental Europe at Cabo da Roca, then south through Cascais to the impossibly turquoise bays of the Arrábida Natural Park.
Snaefell Mountain CourseThe world's oldest motorcycle race circuit, since 1911 the TT course has looped from Douglas up through mountain villages to the 422-metre Snaefell summit road and back. Outside TT week you can drive the full circuit at your own pace through stone walls, coastal hedgerows, and moorland; during TT the roads close and 250 riders race at an average of 216 km/h.
Sydney to Nelson BayNorth from Australia's largest city into the Port Stephens region, through dramatic dunes, palm-flanked waters, and the quiet coastal communities of Shoal Bay and Anna Bay before Nelson Bay's whale watching and waterfront promenade. The escape that Sydney doesn't talk about.
The Black SpurVictoria's finest short drive, the Black Spur between Healesville and Marysville weaves through stands of colossal Mountain Ash eucalypts and giant ferns, with corner after sweeping corner on a twisty section of tarmac that raises pulses whether you're on a motorbike or in a sports car. Best experienced on a weekday away from weekend traffic.
The Faroe IslandsEighteen volcanic islands in the North Atlantic where sheep outnumber people 2-to-1, connected by sub-sea tunnels and mountain roads above sheer Atlantic cliffs. The sea-stacks of Drangarnir, the turf-roofed villages of Gjógv and Saksun, Gásadalur's waterfall plunging into the ocean, and Tórshavn's coloured wooden capital. A drive that feels like the edge of the world.
Waimea Canyon DriveThe "Grand Canyon of the Pacific", HI-550 climbs from Kauaʻi's red-dirt lowlands to a 1200m lookout above a canyon 16km long and 900m deep, its walls stripped in ochre, violet, and jungle green by five million years of erosion.
Zhangjiajie to FenghuangFrom the quartzite sandstone pillars that inspired Avatar's Hallelujah Mountains, south through the rice terraces and stilted villages of western Hunan, to Fenghuang, the most beautifully preserved ancient town in China. A great short drive through the interior.