Germany, North Rhine Westphalia
The Eifel and the Nurburgring are an hour away, which shapes local driving culture entirely.
First instinct from Cologne: head south west into the Eifel.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
40 mi
Best rated nearby
9.3 / 10
Shortest full loop
2 hr 39 min
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 28 March 2026
60 to 150 km from the centre
Far enough to feel like a proper trip, close enough to be home for dinner.
Roughly 7 hr 7 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
40 mi away · Eifel, Germany
The Green Hell loops through Eifel forest with 73 legendary corners open to the public.
21 km · 13 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
65 mi away · Mosel, Germany
The river road twists beneath vineyard slopes past the hairpin loop at Bremm's Calmont.
95 km · 59 mi · Atlas rating 8.9 / 10
50 mi away · Mosel, Germany
Riverside curves trace the Mosel's serpentine loops beneath castle ruins and steep vineyards.
50 km · 31.1 mi · Atlas rating 8.8 / 10
55 mi away · Spa area, Belgium
Following the Spa Francorchamps ridge line, the road mimics the famous Raidillon esses.
15 km · 9.3 mi · Atlas rating 8.6 / 10
48 mi away · Ardennes, Belgium
An open moorland ridge road crosses Belgium's highest plateau through the Hautes Fagnes.
25 km · 15.5 mi · Atlas rating 8.3 / 10
150 to 400 km from the centre
Leave early, take the long way back and make a day of it.
Roughly 14 hr 49 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
171 mi away · Black Forest, Germany
Germany's original scenic highway rolls along a forested ridge with panoramic Alpine views.
60 km · 37.3 mi · Atlas rating 9.2 / 10
214 mi away · Black Forest, Germany
The Hoellental route squeezes through granite walls beside a rushing mountain stream.
30 km · 18.6 mi · Atlas rating 8.8 / 10
199 mi away · Vosges, France
A ridge road built for wartime supply lines, tracing rounded Vosges summits above the Rhine.
83 km · 51.6 mi · Atlas rating 8.7 / 10
203 mi away · Black Forest, Germany
Tight forested hairpins climb to a summit famed among motorcyclists for its sweeping bends.
13 km · 8.1 mi · Atlas rating 8.7 / 10
168 mi away · Harz, Germany
Dense spruce forest and granite tors frame this rolling route beneath the Brocken summit.
30 km · 18.6 mi · Atlas rating 8.5 / 10
114 mi away · Ardennes, Belgium
The road tracks the looping Semois river through steep wooded meanders and riverside villages.
30 km · 18.6 mi · Atlas rating 8.4 / 10
Longer
Plan it