GI-682 is a scenic coastal road with 1000 bends

GI-682 is a sinuous coastal road located in the Costa Brava, a coastal region of Catalonia, in Spain. This utterly scenic ride is exhilarating but hugely dangerous, driving along the cliffs with perfect surface and incredible views. It's one of the best coastal drives in the world.

How is the GI-682 road?

It’s a very scenic drive along the corniche with some absolutely stunning scenery along the coastline, at times overlooking the sea along the cliff tops, It is a really twisty road with very few straight sections, tight bends with no room for error of judgement with rock faces and drop off cliff edges either side of you. This stretch of two-lane blacktop road is so picturesque that it was declared a “European Monument” by the European Union. The drive seems it will never finish turning and turning from right to left and all around again. The road offers sea, beaches, mountains, cliffs and forests mixed in an impressive drive.

How long is GI-682 road?

Tucked away on the northeastern part of the country, in the province of Girona, this really magic coastal road is 21.3 km (13.23 miles) long, running from Tossa de Mar to Sant Feliu de Guixols.

Is GI-682 road paved?

The surface of the winding road along the coast is totally paved. The road goes uphill and downhill, because it goes through the mountains close to the sea. It's a hard road, every new turn is an adventure, you have to concentrate on it because if you go off the road, you fall down the cliff. It runs between the two towns through a stunning landscape from which to gaze out over this magnificent stretch of coastline.

Is GI-682 road busy?

It has regular parking and picnic areas for those who want to take a break, enjoy the breathtaking view or stretch their legs. On a Sunday morning expect to find plenty of bikers on the road, enjoying the twists and turns. On a weekday, though, you’ll find the route much quieter and will have ample opportunity to visit the numerous small coves, the harbor of Sant Feliu or go shopping in the center of Platja d’Aro, famous for its designer brand shops. There are lots of panoramic view points along this road, for a coastal route with such stunning views.

Is GI-682 challenging?

The road width changes between narrow and very narrow, but is well signalized and the tarmac is in good condition. The road offers bends, bends and bends. All kind of bends, from chicanes to hairpin turns, some of them pretty fast distracting views, with the Mediterranean sea hundreds of feet below. Beware of high-speed-bikers: There are a lot of young motorbike drivers who test their ability to drive tight bends with high speed. All of them are potential organ spenders because there is definitely no room to correct a failure when you a driving a speed more than 50km/h. Stay strictly on your side of the street. On many places it is a good advice to slow down to 30km/h. Two trucks can easily pass by on every place on this street. Mostly the street is bumpy. There are a few regular rest places where you can stop to enjoy the beautiful view to the sea and the mountains. If you see a speed limit of e.g. 50 km/h: accept it even if you do not know why there is a speed limit – after the next curve very often you will be happy to have slowed down.

What is the road of a thousand bends?

The road has been nicknamed the Road of 1000 bends and provides a dramatic cliff top drive. Despite what its nickname suggests, it ‘only’ has 365 bends. Along this 21 km distance there is nearly nowhere a place on the street where one curve does not go directly into the next. There is literally nowhere on the street where one curve does not go directly into the next one.
Road suggested by: Michael Spannlang