Most scenic drives in the world

A great road can be the whole point of a holiday. The best scenic drives combine the view with the drive itself, whether that means tight mountain bends or a ribbon of bitumen cut into a cliff above the sea. This guide covers ten of the world's most celebrated roads, starting with one on our own doorstep. For each, it gives the facts that matter when you plan: how long the road is, how high it climbs, when it is open and any rules that limit what you can drive.

Australia's Great Ocean Road

You do not need a passport for one of the world's best coastal drives. The Great Ocean Road runs for about 240 kilometres between Torquay and Allansford, finishing near Warrnambool in Victoria ¹. It was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and is described as the world's largest war memorial ¹. In 2011 it was added to the Australian National Heritage List ¹.

The road gives access to the Twelve Apostles, the famous limestone stacks off the coast ¹. Much of the drive hugs the cliffs, so allow far more time than the distance suggests and plan stops at the lookouts rather than slowing on the road.

Mountain passes in Europe

Europe's high passes are famous among drivers for their hairpins. Most close for part of the year, so the season matters as much as the route.

Transfăgărășan, Romania

The Transfăgărășan crosses the Făgăraș Mountains in the southern Carpathians, running between the peaks of Moldoveanu and Negoiu ². It climbs to 2,042 metres ². The road was built between 1970 and 1974 and officially opened on 20 September 1974 ². Paving continued until 1980 ². The road's political history earned it the nickname Ceaușescu's Folly, and in 2009 a television motoring show called it the best road in the world ².

Timing is everything here. The road is usually closed from late October to late June because of snow, and it can close at other times when the weather turns ².

Stelvio Pass, Italy

The Stelvio Pass sits at 2,757 metres in the Ortler Alps of northern Italy, near the Swiss border ³. It is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps and the second highest in the Alps, just 7 metres below France's Col de l'Iseran ³. The northern approach is the famous one, with 48 hairpins on a section of about 28 kilometres ³.

The road is old. It was built by the Austrian Empire between 1820 and 1825, and its route has changed little since ³. It is typically open from May through November ³.

Amalfi Drive, Italy

The Amalfi Drive is a different kind of mountain road, carved into the coast rather than over a summit. Known officially as the SS163, it is 50.36 kilometres long and runs between Sorrento and Amalfi ⁴. Expect narrow sections, buses on tight corners and slow going in the busy months.

Long roads through the Americas

Some of the best drives are about distance rather than height.

Ruta 40, Argentina

Argentina's Route 40 is more than 5,000 kilometres long ⁵. It runs from Cabo Vírgenes in the far south to La Quiaca in Jujuy Province, parallel to the Andes ⁵. Along the way it crosses eleven provinces ⁵. Its highest point is at Abra del Acay in Salta Province, at about 5,000 metres ⁵.

Few people drive the whole thing in one trip. Most pick a section, such as the high desert country of the north or the lakes and mountains further south.

Going-to-the-Sun Road, United States

In Glacier National Park in Montana, the Going-to-the-Sun Road crosses the mountains for 50 miles, about 80 kilometres ⁶. Driving it without stopping takes about two hours ⁶. Its highest point is Logan Pass, at 2,026 metres ⁶.

This road has rules that matter for your choice of vehicle. Between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun, vehicles longer than 21 feet including bumpers, or wider than 8 feet including mirrors, are prohibited ⁶. That is about 6.4 metres long and 2.4 metres wide ⁶, which rules out many motorhomes. The road is usually fully open by early July, depending on snow and ploughing ⁶.

Iceland's Ring Road

Iceland's Route 1, known as the Ring Road, circles the entire country ⁷. It is 1,309 kilometres long, the longest ring road in Europe, and it is paved for all of its length ⁷. It was completed in 1974, the year the longest bridge in Iceland opened over the Skeiðará river ⁷.

Single-lane bridges are part of the experience. Wikipedia's article on the road gives different counts for them, so treat each one with care rather than relying on a number ⁷. Weather changes quickly, so check conditions each morning and keep plenty of fuel in remote areas.

Mountain roads in Asia and New Zealand

Karakoram Highway, Pakistan and China

The Karakoram Highway is about 1,300 kilometres long and links Pakistan with China's Xinjiang region ⁸. It reaches a maximum elevation of 4,714 metres near the Khunjerab Pass ⁸. Work began in 1962, the highway was completed in 1979, and it opened to the public in 1986 ⁸. It is sometimes called the Eighth Wonder of the World ⁸. On the Pakistan side it links the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Gilgit-Baltistan ⁸. At those heights, altitude sickness and sudden weather are real risks, so build in time to acclimatise.

Milford Road, New Zealand

Closer to home, the Milford Road runs about 119 kilometres from Te Anau to Milford Sound ⁹. It passes the Mirror Lakes and crosses The Divide on the edge of Fiordland National Park ⁹. Before the descent to the coast, it passes through the Homer Tunnel, which is 1,270 metres long ⁹. Workers excavated the tunnel by hand and broke through in February 1940, but wartime labour shortages delayed the work, and it was not finished until 1953 ⁹.

Winter brings real hazards. Avalanches are a risk in the high mountains above the road, and stopping is banned on long stretches because of the danger ⁹. Helicopters drop explosives to set off controlled avalanches before they can reach the road ⁹. Carrying snow chains is mandatory during snow conditions ⁹, and the road is often closed in winter ⁹. Fill the tank and pack supplies before you leave Te Anau.

Chapman's Peak Drive, South Africa

Near Cape Town, Chapman's Peak Drive links Hout Bay and Noordhoek along the near-vertical face of the mountain ¹⁰. It is 9.5 kilometres long ¹⁰, short enough for an afternoon, and it was cut into the mountain between 1915 and 1922 ¹⁰. The road reopened as a toll road in 2005 after work to protect drivers from falling rocks ¹⁰. It has a history of closures. In the 1990s the road closed after a rockfall caused a death ¹⁰. It closed again for several months from 19 June 2008, after risk areas were identified on the mountain above it ¹⁰. Check that it is open before you go, and expect to pay the toll.

Planning your own scenic drives

The roads above have a few things in common, and they shape how to plan any scenic drive:

• Check the season. High passes such as the Transfăgărășan close for much of the year ².
• Check the vehicle rules. Some roads limit the length and width of what you can drive ⁶.
• Pack for the conditions, including snow chains where they are required ⁹.
• Allow more time than the distance suggests, especially on coastal roads with many lookouts ¹.

If you hire a car overseas, remember that many of these countries drive on the right. A car that suits the road matters at home too. Our guide on why you should never skip a scheduled service covers the checks worth doing before a long trip, and our guide to the types of semi-trailers explains how to share country highways with heavy vehicles.

When you are ready for a car to take on your own road trip, browse the cars for sale on Car Domain and plan the cost with the car loan calculator. For more detail, the National Park Service's Going-to-the-Sun Road page has current opening information, and Wikipedia's Great Ocean Road article covers the history of Victoria's coastal road.

Sources

1. Wikipedia, Great Ocean Road, accessed 2 November 2026
2. Wikipedia, Transfăgărășan, accessed 2 November 2026
3. Wikipedia, Stelvio Pass, accessed 2 November 2026
4. Wikipedia, Amalfi Drive, accessed 2 November 2026
5. Wikipedia, National Route 40 (Argentina), accessed 2 November 2026
6. US National Park Service, Glacier National Park, Going-to-the-Sun Road General Info, accessed 2 November 2026
7. Wikipedia, Route 1 (Iceland), accessed 2 November 2026
8. Wikipedia, Karakoram Highway, accessed 2 November 2026
9. Wikipedia, Milford Road, accessed 2 November 2026
10. Wikipedia, Chapman's Peak, accessed 2 November 2026