The world’s most beautiful drives
Hand-picked roads, checked against real map data: which way to drive, when the light is best and where to stop. Open any of them straight in Google Maps.
66 roads
Alps
German Alpine Road: from Kochel am See to Füssen and NeuschwansteinLakes, monasteries, painted villages and two famous churches and castles
Great Dolomite Road: Bolzano to Cortina over three passesLago di Carezza, Pordoi and Falzarego, right through the heart of the Dolomites
Grossglockner High Alpine Road: Austria's most famous pass road36 hairpins up to 2,500 m, straight towards the Grossglockner
Salzburg to Hallstatt: the lake route through the SalzkammergutThree lakes, one ride: Fuschlsee, Wolfgangsee, Hallstätter See
Como to Bellagio: the lakeside road along Lake ComoThe narrow Lariana road, from village to village along the water
Gardesana Orientale: Riva to Garda along the east shoreLake on your right, Monte Baldo on your left, castles at the harbours
Nockalmstrasse: over the round hills of the Nockberge in CarinthiaA gentle panoramic road over two high saddles, with alpine pastures instead of rock walls
Passo Giau: from Cortina d'Ampezzo over the Giau to Selva di CadoreA short, steep pass with one of the best views in the Dolomites
Salzburg to Hallstatt via Gosausee: the Dachstein mirror routeThrough the Lammertal and over Pass Gschütt to the lake that mirrors the Dachstein
Col du Galibier: from the Col du Lautaret over the Galibier to Saint-Michel-de-MaurienneThe heart of the Route des Grandes Alpes, over 2,642 m
Sella Ronda: the ring of four Dolomite passes around the SellaCampolongo, Pordoi, Sella and Gardena in one loop around a mountain
Silvretta High Alpine Road: from Ischgl to the BielerhöheUp the Paznaun to the Silvretta lake under Piz Buin, while the Montafon side is closed
Stelvio Pass: from Bormio over the top and down the 48 hairpinsUp to 2,757 m and down the most famous wall of hairpins in the Alps
Susten Pass: from Innertkirchen over the Susten to WassenA wide, well-built pass road past a glacier and its lake
Furka and Grimsel: two Swiss passes past the Rhone GlacierFrom Andermatt over the Furka, down to Gletsch and up the Grimsel
Timmelsjoch: from Sölden over the High Alpine Road to St. Leonhard in PasseierFrom the glaciers of the Ötztal down to the chestnut trees of South Tyrol
Vršič Pass: from Kranjska Gora over the Julian Alps to BovecFifty numbered hairpins down to the emerald Soča river
Central Europe
Black Forest High Road: Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt on the B500Along the ridge of the northern Black Forest, with the Rhine plain below
Gorges du Tarn: Ispagnac to Le Rozier along the riverDown a deep limestone canyon, past cliff villages and green water
Moselle Valley: Koblenz to Bernkastel-Kues along the riverEvery bend of the Moselle, with Cochem castle and steep vineyards
Wachau Valley: Krems to Melk along the DanubeVineyard terraces, Dürnstein's blue tower and Melk Abbey at the end
Mediterranean
Amalfi Coast road: Sorrento to Ravello on the SS163Cliffs, lemon terraces and the sea below, from Positano to Amalfi and up to Ravello
Florence to Siena on the Chiantigiana: the wine road through ChiantiVineyards, cypresses and hill villages on the SR222 instead of the expressway
Pollença to Sa Calobra: Mallorca's mountain road and its famous hairpinsOver the Tramuntana via Lluc, then down the Ma-2141 snake road to the sea
Nice to Menton on the Grande Corniche: the high road of the RivieraThe Riviera from 500 metres up, via Col d'Èze, Èze village and La Turbie
Route Napoléon: from Grasse over the hills to CastellaneNapoleon's road from the perfume town up into the wild hills of Haute-Provence
Orientale Sarda: Dorgali over Genna Silana to Santa Maria NavarreseSardinia's great mountain road through the Supramonte, down to the sea
Siena to Montepulciano through the Val d'Orcia: Tuscany's cypress roadsRolling hills, lone farmhouses and cypress lines via San Quirico and Pienza
Gorges du Verdon: Moustiers to Castellane on the Route des CrêtesEurope's great canyon from the rim, with turquoise water hundreds of metres below
Spain and Portugal
Lagos to Aljezur: via Cape St. Vincent up the wild west coastTo the south-western tip of Europe, then north along the surf beaches of the Costa Vicentina
Peso da Régua to Pinhão on the N222: the Douro valley wine roadTerraced vineyards and the river beside you, through the heart of port wine country
Picos de Europa: Panes through the Hermida gorge to Fuente DéThrough a deep river gorge to Potes, then up the valley to the foot of the cliffs
Ronda to Olvera: the white villages of the Sierra de GrazalemaOver a mountain pass from Grazalema to Zahara, and on to Olvera on its hill
Lisbon to Cascais via Sintra and Cabo da RocaPalaces in the hills, the western tip of Europe and the coast road down to Cascais
Balkans
Makarska to Dubrovnik: the Dalmatian coast road via StonThe Adriatic coast road past islands, the Neretva delta and the Pelješac Bridge
Rijeka to Karlobag: the Adriatic coast road under the VelebitThe old coast road D8, with the islands on one side and bare mountains on the other
Kotor serpentine to Njeguši and Cetinje: 25 hairpins above the Bay of KotorFrom the bay straight up the mountain wall, to the old royal capital of Montenegro
Karlovac to the Plitvice Lakes: via the watermills of RastokeThrough quiet hill country to Slunj's waterfall village and on to the lakes
Transfăgărășan: Romania's road over the Făgăraș MountainsHairpins up to Bâlea Lac at about 2,000 m, then down past Lake Vidraru
Atlantic and North
Bealach na Bà: over the pass of the cattle to ApplecrossScotland's steepest road climb, with Skye spread out below you at the top
Molde to Kristiansund: the Atlantic Ocean Road and the coast at BudOut to the open sea at Bud, then island to island over the Atlantic Ocean Road
Galway to Clifden: the road into ConnemaraLakes, bog and the Twelve Bens on the way to the Atlantic at Clifden
Loch Lomond to Glencoe: the A82 to Fort WilliamAlong Loch Lomond, over Rannoch Moor and through Glen Coe to the foot of Ben Nevis
Reykjavík to Selfoss: the Golden Circle via Þingvellir, Geysir and GullfossThe rift valley, the hot springs and the great waterfall, in one loop out of Reykjavík
Selfoss to Vík: Iceland's south coast via Seljalandsfoss and SkógafossWaterfalls off old sea cliffs, a glacier volcano and the black beach at Reynisfjara
Kyle of Lochalsh to Portree: over the Skye Bridge to the heart of SkyeOver the bridge, along the sea lochs and past the Cuillin to Portree
Svolvær to Å: the Lofoten islands on the E10 via Hamnøy and ReineIsland to island along the E10, past white beaches and red fishing cabins to the end of the road
North Coast 500: Ullapool to Durness through AssyntThe wildest part of the NC500, past lone mountains, lochs and white beaches
Ring of Kerry: Killarney to Kenmare along the coastRound the Iveragh peninsula, with the Atlantic on your right and then on your left
Trollstigen to Geiranger: the Golden Route from ÅndalsnesUp the troll's ladder, across a fjord and down the Eagle Road to Geiranger
Asia
Ubud to Jatiluwih and Bedugul: Bali's rice terraces and lake templeUNESCO rice terraces below Mount Batukaru, then up to Lake Bratan
Bedugul to Munduk and Lovina: Bali's twin lakes and the road down to the north coastA ridge road above two crater lakes, a village among clove trees, then down to the sea
Ubud to Canggu by scooter: the rice field route to the sunset coastFrom the jungle ridges of Sayan through rice fields to the beach for sunset
Hai Van Pass: Da Nang to Lang Co by motorbikeVietnam's famous coastal pass, with the sea below and clouds on top
Asahikawa to Furano: the hills of Biei, the Blue Pond and the lavender fieldsPatchwork fields, a blue pond full of dead trees and lavender in July, in Hokkaido's heart
Atami to Shimoda: the east coast of the Izu PeninsulaHot spring towns, lava cliffs and early cherry blossom on Route 135 down the Izu coast
Australia and New Zealand
Queenstown to Glenorchy: the lake road along WakatipuForty-five kilometres of turquoise water and snowy peaks
Grand Pacific Drive: Sydney to Wollongong over the Sea Cliff BridgeThrough Royal National Park and over a bridge built out over the sea
Great Ocean Road: Torquay to the Twelve ApostlesSurf beaches, rainforest and limestone stacks along Australia's south coast
Milford Road: Te Anau to Milford SoundThrough Fiordland's valleys and a tunnel in the rock to the fiord
Orford to Bicheno: the Great Eastern Drive via Swansea and FreycinetTasmania's east coast, from a convict bridge to the pink granite of the Hazards and Wineglass Bay
Americas
Big Sur: Carmel to San Simeon on Highway 1Cliffs, redwoods and Bixby Bridge on California's wildest coast
Blowing Rock to Little Switzerland: the Blue Ridge Parkway past Grandfather MountainThe parkway's most famous section, around Grandfather Mountain on the Linn Cove Viaduct
Icefields Parkway: Lake Louise to JasperGlaciers, turquoise lakes and wildlife through the Canadian Rockies
Bodega Bay to Mendocino: Highway 1 along the Sonoma and Mendocino coastThe quiet north of the Pacific Coast Highway, cliffs, coves and old timber towns
Africa
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