11:03 08-12-2025

10 epic scenic road trips worldwide: mountains & coasts

Generated by DALL·E

Discover 10 of the world's most scenic road trips—from Australia's Great Ocean Road to Iceland's Ring Road. Routes, highlights and tips to inspire your drive.

A road trip often becomes something more than a ride from point A to point B—especially when the route threads through mountain ranges, skims ocean swells or edges along protected lands. On roads like these, you ease off the gas, stop more often and simply let the scenery sink in.

The portal TURISTAS spotlighted ten routes from around the world, each delivering its own kind of awe. They’ve long been favorites for those who value the freedom to roam, the force of nature and the beauty in motion.

Great Ocean Road, Australia

Stretching 243 kilometers along Australia’s southern coast, this drive opens up cliffs, ocean vistas and wild beaches. Built in the 1930s in memory of First World War soldiers, it’s best known for the Twelve Apostles rock stacks, at their most dramatic come sunset.

Along the way are national parks, rainforests, welcoming coastal towns and seafood cafés.

Atlantic Road, Norway

Just eight kilometers, but the feelings run far longer. The road stitches islands together with a series of bridges arcing over the ocean. The most recognizable, Storseisundet, gives the uncanny impression of rising straight into the sky.

On clear days the views are superb; in storms the road becomes a spectacular test of nerve. Nearby are fishing villages, viewpoints and places where whales or seals sometimes show themselves.

Transfăgărășan Highway, Romania

A mountain road through the Carpathians with tough climbs and equally sharp turns. Built in the 1970s to link Wallachia and Transylvania, it leads to Lake Bâlea at around 2,000 meters, opens sweeping alpine panoramas and passes a fortress tied to the Dracula story.

Closed in winter, it turns into one of Europe’s most impressive high-altitude drives in summer.

Milford Road, New Zealand

This 120-kilometer route runs to the famed Milford Sound. Along the way are dense forests, waterfalls, tunnels hewn through rock and peaks that disappear into the clouds.

It’s especially striking at dawn or after rain, when mist slides down the slopes and the waterfalls surge.

Pacific Coast Highway, USA

California’s State Route 1 stretches nearly a thousand kilometers along the Pacific. The most famous segment is Big Sur, where the road traces the edge of a cliff. Bixby Creek Bridge has long been the photo star of this route.

Expect beaches, forests, wineries, quiet towns—and sunsets that are hard to look away from.

Ring Road, Iceland

A circle that’s effectively a grand tour of Iceland. Landscapes shift every few dozen kilometers: waterfalls, volcanoes, glaciers, black-sand beaches and fjords.

In the south you’ll find Seljalandsfoss and Vatnajökull; in the north, hot springs and Dettifoss. Sometimes the northern lights even reveal themselves right from the roadside.

Icefields Parkway, Canada

The route between Banff and Jasper cuts through mountains, lakes, forests and glaciers. Along the way are Lake Louise, Peyto and the Columbia Glacier. A standout stop is the Skywalk viewing platform, with a glass floor suspended over the drop.

Bears, deer and mountain goats often appear by the road—part of the local wilderness here.

Stelvio Pass, Italy

Twenty-four kilometers, 48 hairpins and an elevation nearing 2,800 meters—one of Europe’s most renowned mountain roads. Motorcyclists and cyclists cherish it, and drivers can count on vivid memories too.

Each switchback unveils a new Alpine view, and in spring and autumn the mountains look especially striking.

Chuysky Trakt, Russia

A historic road through Altai that connects Siberia and Mongolia. It runs through steppe and forest, crosses mountain ranges and passes. On the way are the Katun and Chuya rivers, ancient petroglyphs and Altai villages.

In autumn the tract transforms: golden trees pop against gray cliffs and a bright, high sky.

Karakoram Highway, Pakistan — China

The highest-altitude route in this selection. It threads through the Himalayas and the Karakoram, climbing to about 4,700 meters. Along the way are Attabad Lake with turquoise water, majestic peaks including K2, and the ancient Hunza Valley.

The road can be hazardous in places, but its beauty more than makes up for the effort.

Why it captivates

Each of these routes is more than a road. It’s an experience that opens the world in all its variety, showing how landscapes—and lives—shift from one bend to the next. There’s always room to pull over, grab a photo and sit in quiet for a moment. Maybe it’s time to chart a new drive.