What are the 30 most scenic roads in the world?
A truly scenic road is more than just a path through a landscape; it is a masterpiece of engineering that allows us to access the inaccessible. From the dizzying heights of the Himalayas to the wave-lashed cliffs of the Atlantic coast, these 30 routes have been meticulously selected by the dangerousroads.org community.
They represent the perfect balance between technical driving challenges and the most dramatic geological formations on Earth.
Which are the 30 most scenic drives in the world?
| Image | Road | Location / Country | Features & Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Strada della Forra | Lombardy, Italy | Highly scenic 9.1 km paved road carved through Lake Garda's Brasa River gorge, famous for narrow tunnels and James Bond film fame. |
 | Atlantic Road | Møre og Romsdal, Norway | World-famous 8.2 km roller-coaster coastal route hopping across island archipelagos with eight iconic open-sea bridges. |
 | Stelvio Pass | South Tyrol / Sondrio, Italy | Europe's iconic 2,757 m mountain pass featuring 60 hairpins across 46.8 km, demanding skilled driving along steep alpine grades. |
 | Combe Laval | Drôme, France | Spectacular 29.9 km balcony road cut directly into Vercors cliffs via eleven narrow rock tunnels with dizzying valley drops. |
 | Gorges du Dadès | High Atlas Mountains, Morocco | Dramatically twisting 60.8 km canyon drive (R704) with extreme unbarrier hairpins climbing through rugged Atlas gorges. |
 | Transfăgărășan (DN7C) | Southern Carpathians, Romania | A 90 km military mountain road climbing to 2,042 m elevation, incorporating 80 hairpins, 5 tunnels, and 500 bridges. |
 | ER101 Antiga | Madeira, Portugal | Historic coastal one-way track carved into ocean cliffs, famous for narrow passages, rockfall risks, and natural cliff waterfalls. |
 | Overseas Highway (US 1) | Florida Keys, USA | An 181 km All-American Road hopping across 42 overseas bridges, including the renowned Seven Mile Bridge out to Key West. |
 | Hana Highway | Maui, Hawaii (USA) | Serpentine 84 km tropical drive through rainforests featuring 617 turns and 56 single-lane bridges past waterfalls and coastal cliffs. |
 | Million Dollar Highway | Colorado, USA | A 40 km section of US 550 climbing high mountain passes without guardrails, carving along steep Uncompahgre Gorge cliffs. |
 | Bealach na Bà | Highlands, Scotland (UK) | Historic 17.8 km single-track pass rising to 626 m elevation with 17% gradients and hair-raising hairpin bends. |
 | Going-to-the-Sun Road | Montana, USA | An 80.4 km engineering marvel traversing Glacier National Park up to Logan Pass (2,026 m), featuring cliffside hairpins. |
 | Great Alpine Road (B500) | Victoria, Australia | Australia's highest sealed road (303 km) winding through alpine forests and Mount Hotham (1,840 m) with steep alpine descents. |
 | Sa Calobra Road (MA-2141) | Majorca, Spain | Famous 12.2 km serpentine mountain road engineered in 1932 without tunnels, incorporating the 270-degree 'Tie-Knot' curve. |
 | Col du Chaussy | Savoie, France | High pass (1,533 m) famed for 'Lacets de Montvernier', a 3 km cliff section with 17 tightly stacked switchbacks at a 7.4% grade. |
 | Route de Presles (D292) | Isère, France | A 8.9 km cliff-hugging balcony road carved into rock walls overlooking Gorges de la Bourne with narrow single-lane overhangs. |
 | Col de Turini | Alpes-Maritimes, France | Famous 44.9 km mountain pass (1,610 m) on D2566 featuring 34 hairpin turns, legendary as a dangerous Monte Carlo Rally stage. |
 | Cabot Trail | Cape Breton Island, Canada | A 298 km loop traversing Cape Breton Highlands National Park, featuring rugged ocean clifftops and vibrant Acadian culture. |
 | Great Ocean Road (B100) | Victoria, Australia | Iconic 242 km coastal route built as a war memorial, running past the dramatic Twelve Apostles limestone stacks. |
 | Icefields Parkway (AB-93) | Alberta, Canada | Highland 231 km highway connecting Lake Louise to Jasper through Banff and Jasper National Parks past 100+ ancient glaciers. |
 | Chapman's Peak Drive | Western Cape, South Africa | Famous 9 km toll road with 114 curves cut into vertical ocean cliffs between Noordhoek and Hout Bay. |
 | Suhua Highway | East Coast, Taiwan | Cliffside 118 km coastal road carved high above the Pacific Ocean past Chingshui Cliffs, highly prone to rockfalls and typhoons. |
 | Causeway Coastal Route | Antrim, Northern Ireland (UK) | A 212 km scenic drive along the A2 road connecting Belfast to Derry~Londonderry past the UNESCO Giant's Causeway. |
 | Ring Road (Route 1) | Iceland | Comprehensive 1,332 km loop highway encircling Iceland, passing geothermal springs, glaciers, and volcanic terrain. |
 | Ruta CH-265 | Patagonia, Chile | Remote 122 km predominantly unpaved dirt track skirting General Carrera Lake with cliffside drops and deep gravel sections. |
 | Over-Water Highway | Hubei Province, China | Innovative 10.86 km motorway featuring a 4.4 km elevated bridge built in the middle of a river valley to preserve mountain forests. |
 | Port Jackson Road | Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand | A 25.8 km remote unpaved gravel track along cliff edges without barriers leading to Port Jackson campsite. 4WD recommended. |
 | Ruta de los Volcanes | Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Spain) | Paved 10 km loop road inside Timanfaya National Park traversing lunar-like volcanic craters and ancient lava tubes. |
 | Mount Barrow Road (C404) | Tasmania, Australia | Unpaved 16.1 km peak ascent up to 1,359 m summit with steep 16% gravel switchbacks; 4WD strictly required near summit. |
 | Glacier Point Road | California, USA | Paved 26 km mountain drive in Yosemite National Park leading to Glacier Point lookout at 2,199 m elevation. |
 | Forgotten World Highway (SH 43) | North Island, New Zealand | Remote 149 km heritage drive connecting Stratford to Taumarunui, featuring slippery unsealed gravel through Tangarakau Gorge. |