The library
396 roads worth going out of your way for, across 68 countries. Every one is rated out of ten for driving quality and for scenery, with the seasonal catches that decide whether a pass is open when you arrive.
Open any road for its map, its numbers and the places to stay within easy reach, then send it straight to a journey with the planner.
396 roads shown
Country
D64, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Col de la Bonette
A looping summit road above 2800 metres that circles the peak itself for maximum theatre.
9.7 / 10 · 24 km · 14.9 mi
D902, Savoie and Hautes-Alpes, France
Col du Galibier
The spine of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a relentless climb to one of driving's holiest summits.
9.6 / 10 · 18.1 km · 11.2 mi
D71, Var, France
Gorges du Verdon, Corniche Sublime
Cliff hugging ledge road staring straight down into Europe's grandest limestone canyon.
9.6 / 10 · 24 km · 14.9 mi
D902, Savoie, France
Col de l'Iseran
The roof of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a stark granite amphitheatre above 2700 metres.
9.6 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
D81, Corse-du-Sud, Corsica, France
Calanques de Piana
Impossibly narrow ledge road through blood red granite pinnacles above the Gulf of Porto.
9.6 / 10 · 12 km · 7.5 mi
D902, Hautes-Alpes, France
Col d'Izoard
Hairpins through larch forest give way to the lunar Casse Deserte, a surreal high altitude finale.
9.5 / 10 · 33 km · 20.5 mi
D918, Hautes-Pyrenees, France
Col du Tourmalet
The highest paved pass in the Pyrenees and the Tour de France's most storied climb.
9.5 / 10 · 19 km · 11.8 mi
D23, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France
Route des Cretes, Verdon
A vertiginous loop skimming the canyon rim with balcony viewpoints at every bend.
9.4 / 10 · 23 km · 14.3 mi
D918, Pyrenees-Atlantiques, France
Col d'Aubisque
Cliff cut hairpins and cirque views link two valleys via the dramatic Litor shelf.
9.4 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
D205T, Hautes-Alpes, France
Col Agnel
Remote high altitude pass to the Italian frontier with tight ribbons and stark empty scenery.
9.3 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
D907bis, Lozere, France
Gorges du Tarn
A river hugging road beneath towering limestone cliffs, one of the Massif Central's great drives.
9.3 / 10 · 52 km · 32.3 mi
D2564, Alpes-Maritimes, France, above Monaco
Grande Corniche
Napoleon's high road above Monaco, immortalised on film, staring down onto the principality.
9.3 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
D84, Haute-Corse, Corsica, France
Scala di Santa Regina
A narrow gorge road blasted into red granite walls, the gateway to Corsica's high interior.
9.3 / 10 · 25 km · 15.5 mi
D268, Corse-du-Sud, Corsica, France
Col de Bavella
Needle like granite spires tower over this pass linking Corsica's interior to the east coast.
9.3 / 10 · 38 km · 23.6 mi
D926, Savoie and Isere, France
Col de la Croix de Fer
Turquoise lakes and jagged aiguilles frame this classic crossing of the Grandes Alpes.
9.2 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
D290, Ardeche, France
Gorges de l'Ardeche
A dramatic corniche skimming turquoise river bends beneath the Pont d'Arc natural arch.
9.2 / 10 · 32 km · 19.9 mi
D70, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Col de Turini
Legendary Monte Carlo Rally stage stitching together forested hairpins above the Roya valley.
9.1 / 10 · 17 km · 10.6 mi
D141, Bouches-du-Rhone, France
Route des Cretes, Cassis
A clifftop road above Europe's highest maritime cliff with the Mediterranean glittering below.
9.1 / 10 · 15 km · 9.3 mi
D2202, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Col de la Cayolle
A quiet pastoral pass with a gorge finale through the narrow Gorges du Bachelard.
9.0 / 10 · 48 km · 29.8 mi
D918, Hautes-Pyrenees, France
Col du Soulor
A dramatic balcony road along the Litor cliff face connecting straight into the Aubisque.
9.0 / 10 · 19 km · 11.8 mi
D1091, Hautes-Alpes, France
Col du Lautaret
A broad glacier flanked highway linking the Romanche and Guisane valleys beneath the Meije massif.
8.9 / 10 · 38 km · 23.6 mi
D213, Savoie, France
Col de la Madeleine
A punishing Tour de France staple threading pine forest to a panorama of the Vanoise peaks.
8.9 / 10 · 19.3 km · 12 mi
N98, Var, France
Corniche de l'Esterel
Red volcanic rock plunges into azure sea along this coastal corniche below the Esterel massif.
8.9 / 10 · 25 km · 15.5 mi
D6007, Alpes-Maritimes, France, above Monaco
Moyenne Corniche
The middle ribbon of the three Riviera corniches, threading Eze's clifftop village.
8.9 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
N85, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to Alpes-Maritimes, France
Route Napoleon
Sweeping historic highway tracing Napoleon's 1815 march through lavender country and pine ridges.
8.8 / 10 · 72 km · 44.7 mi
D211, Isere, France
Alpe d'Huez
Twenty one numbered switchbacks, each hairpin named for a Tour de France stage winner.
8.8 / 10 · 13.8 km · 8.6 mi
D623, Haute-Corse, Corsica, France
Vallee de la Restonica
A tight riverside track climbing into a glacial valley beneath jagged Corsican granite peaks.
8.8 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
D680, Cantal, France
Pas de Peyrol, Puy Mary
A steep col cresting a green volcanic ridge with huge views over the Cantal massif.
8.7 / 10 · 27 km · 16.8 mi
D618, Haute-Garonne, France
Col de Peyresourde
A classic Pyrenean crossing of open pasture and hairpins on the Route des Pyrenees.
8.7 / 10 · 18 km · 11.2 mi
D430, Vosges, France
Route des Cretes, Vosges
A ridge road built for wartime supply lines, tracing rounded Vosges summits above the Rhine.
8.7 / 10 · 83 km · 51.6 mi
D902, Hautes-Alpes, France
Col de Vars
A gentler Alpine link road with sweeping meadows between two harder edged giants.
8.6 / 10 · 20 km · 12.4 mi
D25, Jura, France
Route des Cretes du Haut-Jura
A high plateau ridge road with sweeping Mont Blanc panoramas across the Leman basin.
8.6 / 10 · 40 km · 24.9 mi
D983, Puy-de-Dome, France
Col de la Croix Morand
Volcanic puys unroll beneath this switchbacked crossing of the Auvergne's Chaine des Puys.
8.5 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
D132, Pyrenees-Atlantiques, France
Col de la Pierre Saint-Martin
A wild limestone plateau climb through the karst country of the western Pyrenees.
8.5 / 10 · 24 km · 14.9 mi
D6098, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Basse Corniche
A sea level corniche skimming every harbour and cove between Nice and the Italian border.
8.4 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
D35, Alsace, France
Route des Vins d'Alsace
A meandering vineyard route strung between half timbered villages beneath the Vosges foothills.
8.4 / 10 · 170 km · 105.6 mi
D437, Doubs, France
Corniche de Goumois
A quiet river hugging corniche along the French and Swiss border deep in the Jura forests.
8.4 / 10 · 20 km · 12.4 mi
D992, Aveyron, France
Causse du Larzac
Rolling limestone plateau roads that deliver a dramatic view of the record breaking viaduct.
8.3 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
D417, Vosges, France
Col de la Schlucht
A forested pass over the main Vosges ridge, popular with cyclists and motorbikes alike.
8.3 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
N5, Ain, France
Col de la Faucille
A historic Jura pass with a famous belvedere overlooking Lake Geneva and the Alps beyond.
8.3 / 10 · 13 km · 8.1 mi
D784, Finistere, Brittany, France
Cap Sizun coast road
A wind scoured finger of Breton coast road ending at France's dramatic westernmost headland.
8.3 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
D788, Cotes-d'Armor, Brittany, France
Cote de Granit Rose
A pink granite coastline unfurls beside this road linking fishing ports of northern Brittany.
8.3 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
D31, Dordogne, France
Cingle de Tremolat
A looping riverside lane tracing the Dordogne's dramatic horseshoe meander below limestone cliffs.
8.2 / 10 · 14 km · 8.7 mi
D706, Dordogne, France
Vallee de la Vezere
A limestone valley drive past troglodyte cliffs and prehistoric caves along the storied Vezere.
8.2 / 10 · 25 km · 15.5 mi
D940, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France
Cote d'Albatre coast road
Chalk cliffs plunge to the Channel along this rolling route past Etretat's famous arches.
8.1 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
Country
US 212, Montana and Wyoming
Beartooth Highway
Swaths of switchbacks climb to 3337 metres past alpine lakes and snowfields.
9.7 / 10 · 109 km · 67.7 mi
SR 12, Utah
Utah Scenic Byway 12
Slickrock, the Hogback ridge with drops both sides, and red canyon after red canyon.
9.6 / 10 · 198 km · 123 mi
Montana
Going to the Sun Road
A cliff shelf road through Glacier National Park under hanging valleys.
9.5 / 10 · 80 km · 49.7 mi
SR 1, California
Highway 1, Big Sur
The Pacific coast at its most theatrical, cliff curves above the open ocean.
9.5 / 10 · 145 km · 90.1 mi
US 550, Colorado
Million Dollar Highway
A mining road cut into the San Juan cliffs with sheer drops and no barrier.
9.5 / 10 · 40 km · 24.9 mi
US 129, Tennessee and North Carolina
Tail of the Dragon, US129
318 curves in 11 miles, the most famous stretch of asphalt in America.
9.3 / 10 · 18 km · 11.2 mi
SR 9, Utah
Zion Mount Carmel Highway
Switchbacks out of Zion Canyon into a mile long tunnel with windows cut in the rock.
9.3 / 10 · 39 km · 24.2 mi
US 34, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road
The highest continuous paved road in America, tundra above the treeline the whole way.
9.3 / 10 · 77 km · 47.8 mi
SR 82, Colorado
Independence Pass
Narrow shelf tarmac to 3687 metres, tight, exposed and completely absorbing.
9.3 / 10 · 51 km · 31.7 mi
US 550 and SR 145, Colorado
San Juan Skyway
A full loop of the San Juans taking in Coal Bank, Molas and Lizard Head passes.
9.3 / 10 · 190 km · 118.1 mi
WY 296, Wyoming
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
Switchbacks over Dead Indian Pass into a canyon nobody else seems to know about.
9.3 / 10 · 76 km · 47.2 mi
SR 20, Washington
North Cascades Highway
Glacier peaks, turquoise reservoirs and long clean sweepers with almost no traffic.
9.3 / 10 · 114 km · 70.8 mi
SR 120, California
Tioga Pass Road
Yosemite high country, granite domes and meadows, then a drop to Mono Lake.
9.3 / 10 · 100 km · 62.1 mi
SR 108, California
Sonora Pass
The steepest Sierra crossing, narrow and demanding with barely a car on it midweek.
9.3 / 10 · 77 km · 47.8 mi
TN 165 and NC 143, Tennessee and North Carolina
Cherohala Skyway
Wide, fast and empty, the grown up alternative to the Tail of the Dragon next door.
9.3 / 10 · 69 km · 42.9 mi
AK 1 and AK 9, Alaska
Seward Highway
Turnagain Arm tides on one side, glaciers on the other, all the way to the sea.
9.3 / 10 · 204 km · 126.8 mi
HI 378, Hawaii
Haleakala Highway
Sea level to 3055 metres in 38 km, 29 switchbacks and a crater at the end.
9.3 / 10 · 38 km · 23.6 mi
AZ 89A, Arizona
Oak Creek Canyon, AZ 89A
Red rock Sedona at one end, pine forest at the other, with a hairpin climb between.
9.2 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
Colorado
Pikes Peak Highway
156 corners to 4302 metres on the hill climb road every driver knows by name.
9.2 / 10 · 31 km · 19.3 mi
Virginia and North Carolina
Blue Ridge Parkway
A ridgeline parkway with no trucks, no billboards and endless mountain overlooks.
9.1 / 10 · 700 km · 435 mi
SR 2, California
Angeles Crest Highway
Los Angeles's mountain playground, hours of clean sweepers above the basin.
9.1 / 10 · 106 km · 65.9 mi
HI 360, Hawaii
Road to Hana
620 curves and 59 bridges through rainforest and waterfalls on Maui's north shore.
9.1 / 10 · 84 km · 52.2 mi
SR 5, Colorado
Mount Blue Sky Road
No guardrails, thin air and switchbacks to the highest paved road in North America.
9.1 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
US 101, Oregon
US 101 Oregon Coast
Headlands, sea stacks and empty cliff curves for the whole length of the Oregon shore.
9.0 / 10 · 590 km · 366.6 mi
Washington
Hurricane Ridge Road
A climb from sea level to an Olympic ridge with the Strait of Juan de Fuca behind you.
9.0 / 10 · 29 km · 18 mi
NH 112, New Hampshire
Kancamagus Highway
White Mountain sweepers with no services and the best autumn colour in America.
9.0 / 10 · 55 km · 34.2 mi
US 163, Utah and Arizona
US 163 Monument Valley
The straight every film crew shoots, buttes rising straight out of the desert floor.
8.9 / 10 · 72 km · 44.7 mi
Nevada
Valley of Fire Road
Bright red sandstone waves either side of a smooth, almost empty two lane.
8.9 / 10 · 29 km · 18 mi
US 30, Oregon
Historic Columbia River Highway
America's first scenic highway, hand built curves past Multnomah Falls and gorge viewpoints.
8.9 / 10 · 121 km · 75.2 mi
California
Mulholland Highway
The Santa Monica Mountains run every Los Angeles driver knows, ending at the Pacific.
8.9 / 10 · 34 km · 21.1 mi
US 421, Tennessee
The Snake, US 421
489 curves in 12 miles over Iron Mountain, a proper southern Appalachian sprint.
8.9 / 10 · 19 km · 11.8 mi
US 14A, Wyoming
Bighorn Medicine Wheel Passage
A wall of a climb onto the Bighorn plateau with a descent that tests every brake.
8.9 / 10 · 52 km · 32.3 mi
New Hampshire
Mount Washington Auto Road
Twelve kilometres of climb to the worst weather in America, with no barriers at all.
8.8 / 10 · 12 km · 7.5 mi
Maine
Acadia Park Loop Road
Granite coast, Sand Beach and the climb to the first sunrise in the United States.
8.7 / 10 · 43 km · 26.7 mi
Virginia
Skyline Drive
Seventy five overlooks along the Shenandoah ridge, the northern half of the Blue Ridge run.
8.7 / 10 · 169 km · 105 mi
OK 1 and AR 88, Oklahoma and Arkansas
Talimena Scenic Drive
A ridge top drive along the Ouachitas, the best driving road in the American south west plains.
8.7 / 10 · 87 km · 54.1 mi
US 1, Florida
Overseas Highway
Forty two bridges hopping island to island with turquoise water on both sides.
8.6 / 10 · 180 km · 111.8 mi
M 119, Michigan
Tunnel of Trees, M119
A single lane ribbon of tarmac through hardwood forest above Lake Michigan.
8.6 / 10 · 32 km · 19.9 mi
California
Seventeen Mile Drive
Cypress trees, crashing surf and Pebble Beach, best taken slowly at first light.
8.5 / 10 · 27 km · 16.8 mi
Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee
Natchez Trace Parkway
A 715 km parkway with no junctions, no lorries and no billboards, just trees and quiet.
8.4 / 10 · 715 km · 444.3 mi
Country
Applecross, Scottish Highlands
Bealach na Ba
Britain's highest road climbs via hairpins to a wild moonscape pass above Applecross.
9.9 / 10 · 18.5 km · 11.5 mi
Lake District, England
Hardknott Pass
England's steepest road gradient, a brutal one in three climb over Roman ruins.
9.5 / 10 · 5 km · 3.1 mi
Wester Ross, Scotland
Applecross Coast Road
A lochside single track with views straight across to Skye and the Cuillins.
9.4 / 10 · 25 km · 15.5 mi
A82, Glen Coe, Scottish Highlands
Glencoe Road
A sweeping run through Rannoch Moor beneath the brooding Buachaille Etive Mor.
9.4 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
A4069, Brecon Beacons, Wales
Black Mountain Pass
A ribbon of hairpins climbing a bare Welsh moorland made famous by Top Gear.
9.4 / 10 · 19 km · 11.8 mi
A894, Sutherland, Scotland
Kylesku to Durness
A remote NC500 highlight of sea lochs, switchbacks and empty moorland roads.
9.3 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Quiraing Road
A high single track skirting the surreal landslipped pinnacles of the Trotternish ridge.
9.3 / 10 · 13 km · 8.1 mi
B5289, Lake District, England
Honister Pass
A steep slate quarry pass squeezed between towering fells above Buttermere.
9.3 / 10 · 6.5 km · 4 mi
A4086, Snowdonia, Wales
Llanberis Pass
A dramatic pass beneath Snowdon's crags linking two of Wales's most storied villages.
9.3 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
A87, Kintail, Scottish Highlands
Glen Shiel Road
A fast sweeping glen road beneath the jagged Five Sisters of Kintail ridge.
9.2 / 10 · 38 km · 23.6 mi
Lake District, England
Wrynose Pass
Narrow single track linking Langdale to Duddon Valley over the ancient Three Shire Stone.
9.1 / 10 · 6.5 km · 4 mi
B6270, Yorkshire Dales, England
Buttertubs Pass
Tour de France famous climb past limestone potholes between two classic dale villages.
9.1 / 10 · 11 km · 6.8 mi
A686, North Pennines, England
Hartside Pass
A biker's classic with wide open views across the Eden Valley to the Lakeland fells.
9.1 / 10 · 13 km · 8.1 mi
Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland
Torr Head Coast Road
A hair raising cliff edge single track with views across to the Mull of Kintyre.
9.1 / 10 · 13 km · 8.1 mi
A2, Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland
Causeway Coastal Route
One of the world's great coast roads, hugging cliffs beneath nine dramatic glens.
9.1 / 10 · 48 km · 29.8 mi
A57, Peak District, England
Snake Pass
Sweeping moorland A road that rolls and dips across the wild Pennine spine.
8.9 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
A537, Peak District, England
Cat and Fiddle Road
A biker and driver favourite of fast open curves past England's second highest pub.
8.9 / 10 · 11.5 km · 7.1 mi
Forest of Bowland, England
Trough of Bowland
A ribbon of tarmac threading heather fells said to mark the centre of Britain.
8.9 / 10 · 10 km · 6.2 mi
A83, Argyll, Scotland
Rest and Be Thankful
A dramatic zigzag climb through Glen Croe famous for its recurring landslides.
8.9 / 10 · 13 km · 8.1 mi
A543, Denbigh Moors, Wales
Evo Triangle, A543
One leg of the legendary Evo Triangle, a flowing high speed moorland test road.
8.9 / 10 · 24 km · 14.9 mi
Black Mountains, Wales
Gospel Pass
Wales's highest surfaced road climbs open sheepwalks above the Wye valley.
8.9 / 10 · 11 km · 6.8 mi
A896, Wester Ross, Scotland
Lochcarron Coastal Road
A narrow, twisting sea loch road with constant views over to the Applecross hills.
8.9 / 10 · 25 km · 15.5 mi
A5, Snowdonia, Wales
Evo Triangle, A5
The connecting stretch of the Evo Triangle beloved for its rhythmic fast corners.
8.8 / 10 · 10 km · 6.2 mi
A542, Denbighshire, Wales
Horseshoe Pass
A famous horseshoe bend switchback climbing out of the Vale of Llangollen.
8.8 / 10 · 18 km · 11.2 mi
A93, Cairngorms, Scotland
Cairnwell Pass
Britain's highest classified road climbs a bleak ski pass above Glenshee.
8.8 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
A835, Wester Ross, Scotland
Corrieshalloch Road
A flowing highland road that skirts a spectacular hidden gorge and waterfall.
8.7 / 10 · 19 km · 11.8 mi
A592, Lake District, England
Kirkstone Pass
The highest road pass in the Lakes open to through traffic, with sweeping fell views.
8.7 / 10 · 11 km · 6.8 mi
B4518, Mid Wales
Elan Valley Road
A serene reservoir road threading dams and pine forest deep in mid Wales.
8.7 / 10 · 10 km · 6.2 mi
A470, Snowdonia, Wales
Crimea Pass
A former mountain pass road with fast sweepers overlooking slate valleys.
8.6 / 10 · 13 km · 8.1 mi
A9, Caithness, Scotland
Berriedale Braes
Two tight hairpin descents drop the A9 into a dramatic cliffside river gorge.
8.5 / 10 · 6 km · 3.7 mi
A487, Ceredigion, Wales
Cardigan Coast Road
A rolling coastal A road with sweeping bends and constant glimpses of Cardigan Bay.
8.5 / 10 · 39 km · 24.2 mi
Forest of Bowland, England
Long Preston to Slaidburn
An overlooked back road across rolling limestone fells with almost no traffic.
8.3 / 10 · 14 km · 8.7 mi
B6318, Northumberland, England
Military Road
An arrow straight Roman era road that rolls dramatically beside Hadrian's Wall.
8.3 / 10 · 32 km · 19.9 mi
A719, Ayrshire, Scotland
Electric Brae Road
A coastal optical illusion road where cars appear to roll uphill on their own.
8.2 / 10 · 8 km · 5 mi
Peak District, England
Goyt Valley Road
A quiet forested run past reservoirs favoured by locals over the busier Cat and Fiddle.
8.2 / 10 · 8 km · 5 mi
A9, Cairngorms, Scotland
Drumochter Pass
Scotland's highest main road summit crossing wide open Cairngorm moorland.
8.2 / 10 · 33 km · 20.5 mi
A6, Sperrin Mountains, Northern Ireland
Glenshane Pass
Northern Ireland's highest main road crossing sweeps over bleak Sperrin moorland.
7.9 / 10 · 18 km · 11.2 mi
Country
SS38, Lombardy and South Tyrol, Italy
Passo dello Stelvio
Eighty four hairpins stacked above the treeline make this Europe's most theatrical mountain pass.
9.9 / 10 · 49 km · 30.4 mi
SS163, Campania, Italy
Amalfi Coast Road
A cliffside ribbon of hairpins clinging above turquoise water and pastel towns.
9.7 / 10 · 50 km · 31.1 mi
Dolomites
Sella Ronda Loop
Four Dolomite passes in a single circuit of the Sella massif, the finest loop in Europe.
9.7 / 10 · 55 km · 34.2 mi
SS300, Lombardy, Italy
Passo di Gavia
A narrow, unguarded ribbon past Lago Nero that feels wilder than its famous neighbour.
9.6 / 10 · 31 km · 19.3 mi
SS242, Trentino and South Tyrol, Italy
Passo Sella
Sheer Dolomite towers on both sides make this short link one of the world's great scenic drives.
9.6 / 10 · 11 km · 6.8 mi
SR638, Veneto, Italy
Passo Giau
Twenty nine hairpins climb to a wide open saddle ringed by the jagged Cinque Torri.
9.6 / 10 · 17 km · 10.6 mi
SP50, Gran Paradiso
Colle del Nivolet
The road from the Italian Job, hairpins to a lake plateau at 2600 metres.
9.6 / 10 · 20 km · 12.4 mi
SS48, Trentino and South Tyrol, Italy
Passo Pordoi
Twenty eight numbered hairpins climb to the highest paved point of the Dolomites road network.
9.5 / 10 · 13 km · 8.1 mi
SP24, Dolomites
Passo Valparola
War tunnels, a small lake and the Lagazuoi towers, quieter than its famous neighbours.
9.4 / 10 · 33 km · 20.5 mi
SS243, South Tyrol, Italy
Passo Gardena
Limestone spires of the Sella group frame every one of this pass's flowing bends.
9.3 / 10 · 12 km · 7.5 mi
SS641, Dolomites
Passo Fedaia
A brutal ramp to a dam under the Marmolada glacier, the roof of the Dolomites.
9.3 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
SP38, Lombardy, Italy
Strada della Forra
A tunnel like gorge road carved into rock above Lake Garda, once called the world's best road.
9.2 / 10 · 7 km · 4.3 mi
Piedmont, Italy
Colle delle Finestre
A gravel topped final stretch of tight hairpins made famous by the Giro d'Italia.
9.1 / 10 · 19 km · 11.8 mi
SS50, Trentino
Passo Rolle
Open meadows under the Pale di San Martino, one of the great Dolomite views.
9.1 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
SP31, Trentino
Passo Manghen
Narrow, savage and empty, a proper hill climb road with no barriers to speak of.
9.1 / 10 · 40 km · 24.9 mi
Lombardy and Graubunden
Passo dell'Umbrail
Switzerland's link into the Stelvio is a quieter alternative with the same drama.
9.0 / 10 · 15 km · 9.3 mi
SP105, Piedmont, Italy
Colle dell'Agnello
One of the Alps' highest paved passes, remote and narrow near the French border.
9.0 / 10 · 20 km · 12.4 mi
SP345, Lombardy
Passo Crocedomini
A wild single track crossing between Val Camonica and the Val Sabbia.
9.0 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
SS244, Veneto and South Tyrol, Italy
Passo Campolongo
The gentlest of the Sella Ronda passes but with knockout views of the Sella massif.
8.9 / 10 · 6 km · 3.7 mi
SR222, Tuscany, Italy
Chianti Classico Road
Rolling cypress lined curves through vineyards link two of Tuscany's finest cities.
8.9 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
Lombardy, Italy
Passo del Mortirolo
Cycling's cruellest climb doubles as a brutally steep, tightly hairpinned driving test.
8.7 / 10 · 12.5 km · 7.8 mi
SS1, Liguria, Italy
Passo del Bracco
A ridge top Ligurian road with sweeping sea glimpses above the Cinque Terre coastline.
8.4 / 10 · 38 km · 23.6 mi
SS456, Liguria and Piedmont, Italy
Passo del Turchino
A historic road linking Genoa to the Piedmont plains through wooded Apennine ridgelines.
7.8 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
Country
Route 6 and 11, Bernese Oberland
Grimsel and Susten Circuit
Three of the best passes in the Alps stitched into one loop back to the same valley.
9.6 / 10 · 120 km · 74.6 mi
Ticino, Switzerland
Tremola, the old Gotthard road
A cobbled historic switchback climb that predates the modern Gotthard highway entirely.
9.5 / 10 · 13 km · 8.1 mi
Valais and Uri, Switzerland
Furka Pass
Bond film hairpins skirt the Rhone Glacier on this high, exposed Alpine crossing.
9.4 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
Bern and Uri, Switzerland
Susten Pass
A flowing, beautifully engineered road beneath the Steingletscher ice cliffs.
9.4 / 10 · 47 km · 29.2 mi
Graubunden, Switzerland
Bernina Pass
Glaciers hang over the road as it threads past turquoise Lago Bianco to the Poschiavo valley.
9.3 / 10 · 33 km · 20.5 mi
Route 19, Valais and Ticino
Nufenen Pass
Switzerland's second highest paved pass, wide, smooth and gloriously empty.
9.3 / 10 · 38 km · 23.6 mi
Bern and Valais, Switzerland
Grimsel Pass
Granite reservoirs and stark rock walls line this dramatic climb from the Bernese Oberland.
9.2 / 10 · 26 km · 16.2 mi
Graubunden, Switzerland
Maloja Pass
Tight zigzags drop dramatically off the Engadine plateau toward the Italian border.
9.1 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
Graubunden, Switzerland
Splugen Pass
Wild, narrow hairpins on the Italian side rank among the Alps' most intense single lane drives.
9.1 / 10 · 19 km · 11.8 mi
Route 21, Valais
Grand Saint Bernard Pass
The historic crossing over the Alps, hospice, dogs and all, with the tunnel below.
9.0 / 10 · 78 km · 48.5 mi
Graubunden, Switzerland
Julier Pass
A fast, sweeping Roman era route across a bare, boulder strewn Engadine watershed.
8.9 / 10 · 36 km · 22.4 mi
Uri and Glarus, Switzerland
Klausen Pass
A historic race road with narrow forested switchbacks opening onto high pastureland.
8.9 / 10 · 48 km · 29.8 mi
Graubunden, Switzerland
Fluela Pass
A remote, boulder strewn crossing linking Davos to the wild Lower Engadine.
8.8 / 10 · 26 km · 16.2 mi
Route 2, Uri
Schollenen Gorge Road
Through a granite slot past the Devil's Bridge, the approach every Gotthard driver knows.
8.8 / 10 · 8 km · 5 mi
Graubunden, Switzerland
Albula Pass
Tight forested hairpins give way to a bare summit above the Albula rail viaducts.
8.7 / 10 · 36 km · 22.4 mi
Graubunden, Switzerland
San Bernardino Pass
A smooth historic alternative to the motorway tunnel with long views into the Misox valley.
8.6 / 10 · 13 km · 8.1 mi
Uri and Graubunden, Switzerland
Oberalp Pass
A high, wide open pass paralleling the scenic Glacier Express rail line.
8.5 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
Country
B107, Salzburg and Carinthia, Austria
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse
Austria's grandest high alpine road climbs to Franz Josefs Hohe beneath the country's tallest peak.
9.8 / 10 · 48 km · 29.8 mi
Tyrol and South Tyrol
Timmelsjoch Hochalpenstrasse
A high toll road crossing into Italy with a dramatic glass museum perched at the summit.
9.5 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
B188, Vorarlberg and Tyrol, Austria
Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse
Thirty four hairpins climb past the turquoise Silvretta reservoir to a glacier ringed summit.
9.3 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
L18, Tyrol
Kaunertal Glacier Road
Twenty nine hairpins to a glacier at 2750 metres, one of the great dead end drives.
9.3 / 10 · 26 km · 16.2 mi
L246, Tyrol
Hahntennjoch
A narrow Tyrolean pass of relentless corners, a local secret for years.
9.1 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
Carinthia
Malta Hochalmstrasse
Six tunnels and a wall of hairpins to Austria's highest dam.
9.1 / 10 · 15 km · 9.3 mi
Tyrol
Zillertaler Hohenstrasse
A balcony road along the valley wall with the Zillertal spread out beneath it.
8.9 / 10 · 48 km · 29.8 mi
B78, Carinthia, Austria
Nockalmstrasse
A rounded, grassy high plateau road with dozens of curves and long views over the Nockberge.
8.7 / 10 · 34 km · 21.1 mi
B165, Tyrol and Salzburg, Austria
Gerlos Alpine Road
A scenic connector road ending near Austria's tallest waterfalls at Krimml.
8.4 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
B108, Tyrol and Salzburg, Austria
Felbertauernstrasse
A tunnel linked high road threading the Hohe Tauern range with fine glacier views.
8.4 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
B197, Tyrol and Vorarlberg, Austria
Arlberg Pass Road
The old road over the Arlberg saddle offers a quieter, scenic option beside the tunnel.
8.3 / 10 · 12 km · 7.5 mi
Salzburg, Austria
Gaisbergstrasse
A historic hillclimb road with sweeping bends and views over Salzburg and its lakes.
8.3 / 10 · 11 km · 6.8 mi
B3, Lower Austria, Austria
Wachau Danube Road
A gently curving riverside road past terraced vineyards, abbeys and medieval ruins.
8.2 / 10 · 33 km · 20.5 mi
B91, Carinthia, Austria
Loibl Pass
A historic Karawanks crossing with tight forested bends toward the Slovenian border.
8.0 / 10 · 15 km · 9.3 mi
B161, Salzburg and Tyrol, Austria
Pass Thurn
A gentle wooded pass linking the Kitzbuhel valley to the high Pinzgau region.
8.0 / 10 · 24 km · 14.9 mi
Country
Ma-2141, Mallorca, Spain
Sa Calobra Road
A driver's icon that loops through a knotted 270 degree hairpin down to the cove.
9.6 / 10 · 12 km · 7.5 mi
Ma-10, Mallorca, Spain
Ma-10 Serra de Tramuntana
Mallorca's spine road strings together sea cliffs, terraces and mountain villages.
9.5 / 10 · 75 km · 46.6 mi
AS-262, Asturias, Spain
Lagos de Covadonga Road
Hairpins climb from the Covadonga basilica into limestone peaks above two glacial lakes.
9.4 / 10 · 24 km · 14.9 mi
TF-21, Tenerife, Canary Islands
TF-21 Teide Road
Volcanic moonscape unfolds as the road spirals up past pine forest into Teide's caldera.
9.4 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
GC-210, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
GC-210 Roque Nublo Road
Ridge top curves reveal the volcanic finger of Roque Nublo above pine covered barrancos.
9.2 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
CL-625, Castilla y Leon, Spain
Puerto de Panderrueda
A ribbon of tarmac threading beech forests beneath the jagged western Picos de Europa.
9.1 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
A-372, Andalusia, Spain
Sierra de Grazalema Road
Whitewashed villages and vulture cliffs frame this twisting run over the Palomas pass.
9.1 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
AS-227, Asturias, Spain
Puerto de Somiedo
Tight switchbacks climb past bear country lookouts to a windswept pass over 1400 metres.
9.0 / 10 · 25 km · 15.5 mi
A-136, Aragon Pyrenees, Spain
Valle de Tena to Portalet
A long alpine valley run past reservoirs and ski towns to the French border ridge.
9.0 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
LP-2, La Palma, Canary Islands
LP-2 Cumbre Vieja Road
A ridge road along the volcanic spine of La Palma with views to both Atlantic coasts.
9.0 / 10 · 28 km · 17.4 mi
HU-631, Aragon Pyrenees, Spain
Road to Ordesa Valley
A short dramatic climb into a canyon rimmed by sheer limestone walls and waterfalls.
8.9 / 10 · 8 km · 5 mi
A-366, Andalusia, Spain
Ronda to Coin Road
Endless third gear curves cut through cork oak hills between two fine Andalusian towns.
8.9 / 10 · 50 km · 31.1 mi
A-4132, Sierra Nevada, Spain
Road to Trevelez
Terraced Alpujarra villages give way to Spain's highest inhabited settlement on this climb.
8.9 / 10 · 35 km · 21.7 mi
A-395, Sierra Nevada, Spain
Carretera del Veleta
Europe's highest paved road climbs relentlessly toward Veleta's summit above the treeline.
8.9 / 10 · 32 km · 19.9 mi
Country
Fv63, More og Romsdal, Norway
Trollstigen
Eleven hairpins claw up a sheer valley wall beneath waterfalls and the Trolltindene peaks.
9.7 / 10 · 20 km · 12.4 mi
Fv63, More og Romsdal, Norway
Geirangerveien
Hairpins spiral down to the Geirangerfjord past waterfalls with names like the Seven Sisters.
9.6 / 10 · 106 km · 65.9 mi
Fv500, Rogaland
Lysebotn Road
Twenty seven hairpins drop 900 metres to the head of the Lysefjord.
9.6 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
Fv55, Jotunheimen
Sognefjellsvegen
Northern Europe's highest mountain crossing, a bare stone plateau between glaciers.
9.5 / 10 · 108 km · 67.1 mi
Fv64, More og Romsdal, Norway
Atlantic Road
A low bridge skips between skerries with the open Norwegian Sea breaking either side.
9.3 / 10 · 8.3 km · 5.2 mi
Fv243, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
Aurlandsfjellet, Snow Road
A high plateau road across bare tundra ending at a stark concrete lookout above the fjord.
9.3 / 10 · 47 km · 29.2 mi
Fv258, Stryn
Gamle Strynefjellsvegen
A gravel and tarmac heritage road between glacier tongues and turquoise meltwater.
9.3 / 10 · 27 km · 16.8 mi
Voss
Stalheimskleiva
Thirteen hairpins at one in five between two waterfalls, the steepest road in northern Europe.
9.3 / 10 · 1.5 km · 0.9 mi
Fv862, Troms
Senja National Tourist Route
Single track ledges, tunnels through granite and beaches that face the open Arctic.
9.2 / 10 · 102 km · 63.4 mi
E10, Lofoten
Lofoten E10, King Olav's Road
Bridge to bridge across the Lofoten wall, jagged peaks straight out of the sea.
9.2 / 10 · 128 km · 79.5 mi
Fv51, Innlandet
Valdresflye
A fast open highland run under the Jotunheimen peaks with almost no traffic.
9.1 / 10 · 50 km · 31.1 mi
Rv7, Hardanger
Hardangervidda, Rv7
Europe's largest mountain plateau crossed by a road with no trees and no traffic.
9.0 / 10 · 95 km · 59 mi
Fv13, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
Gaularfjellet
A scenic tourist route climbing past waterfalls and glacial lakes between two fjord towns.
8.9 / 10 · 63 km · 39.1 mi
Country
B308, Bavarian Alps, Germany
Deutsche Alpenstrasse West
The western German Alpine Road weaves past castles beneath jagged limestone peaks.
9.4 / 10 · 90 km · 55.9 mi
B305, Bavarian Alps, Germany
Deutsche Alpenstrasse Ost
Sweeping alpine curves link lake resorts on the way to the Austrian border.
9.4 / 10 · 150 km · 93.2 mi
Eifel, Germany
Nurburgring Nordschleife
The Green Hell loops through Eifel forest with 73 legendary corners open to the public.
9.3 / 10 · 21 km · 13 mi
Bavarian Alps, Germany
Rossfeld Panoramastrasse
Germany's highest through road climbs to the border with views over the Watzmann massif.
9.3 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
B500, Black Forest, Germany
Schwarzwaldhochstrasse
Germany's original scenic highway rolls along a forested ridge with panoramic Alpine views.
9.2 / 10 · 60 km · 37.3 mi
B53, Mosel, Germany
Mosel Wine Road
The river road twists beneath vineyard slopes past the hairpin loop at Bremm's Calmont.
8.9 / 10 · 95 km · 59 mi
B31, Black Forest, Germany
Hoellental Gorge Road
The Hoellental route squeezes through granite walls beside a rushing mountain stream.
8.8 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
B49, Mosel, Germany
Cochem to Koblenz Mosel Road
Riverside curves trace the Mosel's serpentine loops beneath castle ruins and steep vineyards.
8.8 / 10 · 50 km · 31.1 mi
L186, Black Forest, Germany
Kandelhoehenstrasse
Tight forested hairpins climb to a summit famed among motorcyclists for its sweeping bends.
8.7 / 10 · 13 km · 8.1 mi
B4, Harz, Germany
Harz Panoramastrasse
Dense spruce forest and granite tors frame this rolling route beneath the Brocken summit.
8.5 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
B172, Saxon Switzerland, Germany
B172 Saxon Switzerland Road
The Elbe riverside road runs beneath dramatic sandstone table mountains near the Bastei.
8.5 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
B242, Harz, Germany
Hochharzstrasse
A short forested climb linking two Harz resort towns with tight wooded bends.
8.3 / 10 · 12 km · 7.5 mi
Country
Biokovo, Dalmatia
Sveti Jure Road
A single track climb from sea level to 1762 metres above the Makarska Riviera.
9.6 / 10 · 23 km · 14.3 mi
D8, Dalmatian Coast
Adriatic Highway, D8
The Magistrala hugs bare karst cliffs above island studded blue water for hours.
9.4 / 10 · 180 km · 111.8 mi
D523, Velebit
Mali Alan Pass
A wild Velebit crossing of endless hairpins between the Zrmanja canyon and the sea.
9.3 / 10 · 33 km · 20.5 mi
D414, Peljesac, Dalmatia
Peljesac Ridge Road
A ridgetop ribbon along a vineyard peninsula with sea on both sides most of the way.
9.2 / 10 · 65 km · 40.4 mi
D64, Istria
Ucka Pass Road
A hairpin climb over the Ucka massif with the whole Kvarner gulf laid out below.
9.1 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
D52, Lika
Plitvice Forest Road, D52
Deserted forest curves through the Lika highlands towards the famous lakes.
8.8 / 10 · 70 km · 43.5 mi
D8, Dubrovnik region
Konavle Coast Road
Cliff terraces above the old city walls before dropping into the Konavle valley.
8.8 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
D48, Istria
Istrian Hill Town Road
Vineyard ridges and truffle woods link two of Istria's medieval hill towns.
8.7 / 10 · 18 km · 11.2 mi
D3, Gorski Kotar
Gorski Kotar Forest Road
Deep green fir forest and cool switchbacks in Croatia's most alpine corner.
8.6 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
D33, Sibenik hinterland
Krka Zagora Road
Empty inland karst roads swing past waterfalls and abandoned stone hamlets.
8.4 / 10 · 50 km · 31.1 mi
Country
Northern Alps
Norikura Skyline
Japan's highest paved road climbs above 2700 metres on the Norikura volcano.
9.4 / 10 · 14 km · 8.7 mi
R120, Nikko
Irohazaka Winding Road
Forty eight lettered hairpins climb to Lake Chuzenji, one way in each direction.
9.3 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
Kanagawa
Hakone Turnpike
The toll road every Japanese car magazine uses, fast sweepers with Fuji ahead.
9.2 / 10 · 14 km · 8.7 mi
Fukushima
Bandai Azuma Skyline
A volcanic moonscape crossing with sulphur vents beside the tarmac.
9.2 / 10 · 29 km · 18 mi
Prefectural 339, Kumamoto
Aso Milk Road
Along the rim of the world's biggest caldera, grassland and long fast sweepers.
9.2 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
Nagano
Venus Line
A high grassland ridge road with volcano views and long open curves.
9.1 / 10 · 76 km · 47.2 mi
Prefectural 707, Yamanashi
Fuji Subaru Line
Around and up Mount Fuji through five climate zones to 2300 metres.
9.1 / 10 · 24 km · 14.9 mi
R440, Ehime
Shikoku Karst Highland
A ridge road over limestone pasture with cattle and horizon on both sides.
9.0 / 10 · 40 km · 24.9 mi
Route 169, Tochigi
Kirifuri Highland Road
Fast open highland curves above Nikko, a favourite of touge regulars in autumn.
8.8 / 10 · 20 km · 12.4 mi
Nishiseto Expressway, Seto Inland Sea
Shimanami Kaido
Island hopping on great white suspension bridges across the Inland Sea.
8.7 / 10 · 60 km · 37.3 mi
Country
N222, Douro, Portugal
N222 Douro Valley Road
Voted among the world's best roads, it snakes above terraced vineyards along the Douro.
9.3 / 10 · 27 km · 16.8 mi
N339, Serra da Estrela, Portugal
N339 Serra da Estrela
Mainland Portugal's highest road crosses granite boulder fields to the Torre summit.
9.2 / 10 · 50 km · 31.1 mi
N304, Minho, Portugal
N304 Peneda Geres
Portugal's only national park unfolds in granite crags, waterfalls and wild ponies.
9.1 / 10 · 55 km · 34.2 mi
ER103, Madeira, Portugal
ER103 Ribeiro Frio to Portela
Laurel forest tunnels and sheer drops make this ridge road one of Madeira's most thrilling.
9.1 / 10 · 15 km · 9.3 mi
ER202, Madeira, Portugal
Pico do Arieiro Road
A short dramatic ascent above the clouds to Madeira's third highest peak.
9.1 / 10 · 11 km · 6.8 mi
N202, Peneda Geres, Portugal
Mezio to Lamas de Mouro
A lonely ridge road through the Peneda massif with sweeping views over granite peaks.
8.9 / 10 · 25 km · 15.5 mi
N226, Douro, Portugal
N226 to the Tua Valley
Quiet switchbacks descend through schist vineyard terraces to the meeting of two rivers.
8.8 / 10 · 22 km · 13.7 mi
N266, Algarve hinterland, Portugal
Monchique Hills Road
Eucalyptus scented hairpins rise from the spa town of Monchique over the Foia ridge.
8.5 / 10 · 35 km · 21.7 mi
N124, Algarve hinterland, Portugal
N124 Serra do Caldeirao
A quiet cork oak and schist road climbing into the wild interior hills behind the coast.
8.2 / 10 · 18 km · 11.2 mi
Country
B100, Victoria
Great Ocean Road
Cliff hugging coastal curves past surf breaks and the Twelve Apostles.
9.3 / 10 · 243 km · 151 mi
B500, Victoria
Great Alpine Road
Australia's highest sealed road, a long alpine climb over Mount Hotham.
9.3 / 10 · 110 km · 68.4 mi
Kimberley
Gibb River Road
A red dirt outback crossing of gorges, cattle stations and river fords.
9.2 / 10 · 660 km · 410.1 mi
New South Wales
Thunderbolts Way
An empty escarpment road climbing from cattle country onto the New England plateau.
9.0 / 10 · 160 km · 99.4 mi
C535, Victoria
Mount Buffalo Road
A granite plateau climb of clean hairpins used by Australian hillclimbers for a century.
8.9 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
B65, New South Wales
Grand Pacific Drive
Sea cliff bridge curves out over the ocean below the Illawarra escarpment.
8.8 / 10 · 90 km · 55.9 mi
C216, Victoria
Grampians Road
Sandstone ridges and sudden sweepers through the best mountains in western Victoria.
8.8 / 10 · 65 km · 40.4 mi
A9, Tasmania
Tasman Peninsula Road
Dolerite sea cliffs, blowholes and a road that keeps turning back to the water.
8.8 / 10 · 75 km · 46.6 mi
Country
SH94, Fiordland
Milford Road
A glacial valley run to the Homer Tunnel and a fiord surrounded by vertical rock.
9.6 / 10 · 119 km · 73.9 mi
Otago
Crown Range Road
New Zealand's highest sealed road with a hairpin stack above the Cardrona valley.
9.5 / 10 · 70 km · 43.5 mi
SH6, West Coast
Haast Pass
Rainforest and waterfall canyon roads link the lakes to the wild West Coast.
9.3 / 10 · 145 km · 90.1 mi
SH73, Canterbury
Arthur's Pass
Braided rivers, beech forest and the dramatic Otira viaduct across an alpine fault.
9.3 / 10 · 90 km · 55.9 mi
SH8, Otago
Lindis Pass
Golden tussock hills and long, high speed sweeps through empty high country.
9.1 / 10 · 65 km · 40.4 mi
SH60, Nelson
Takaka Hill
Marble mountain switchbacks between Tasman Bay and Golden Bay.
9.0 / 10 · 34 km · 21.1 mi
SH25, Coromandel
Coromandel Coast Road
A narrow shoreline road under pohutukawa trees with the Firth of Thames alongside.
8.9 / 10 · 55 km · 34.2 mi
SH43, Taranaki
Forgotten World Highway
Four saddles, a gorge and a tunnel, on a road that feels a century out of date.
8.9 / 10 · 148 km · 92 mi
Country
Hwy 93, Alberta
Icefields Parkway
Glacier after glacier lines a road through the spine of the Canadian Rockies.
9.5 / 10 · 232 km · 144.2 mi
Hwy 99, British Columbia
Duffey Lake Road
An empty mountain road of long climbs and glacial lakes beyond Whistler.
9.4 / 10 · 99 km · 61.5 mi
Nova Scotia
Cabot Trail
A headland loop of steep coastal climbs on Cape Breton, magic in autumn.
9.3 / 10 · 298 km · 185.2 mi
Hwy 99, British Columbia
Sea to Sky Highway
Fjord walls on one side, coastal peaks on the other, all the way to Whistler.
9.2 / 10 · 120 km · 74.6 mi
Hwy 5, Yukon
Dempster Highway
A gravel road across the Arctic Circle through tundra and unbroken silence.
9.1 / 10 · 736 km · 457.3 mi
Highway 3, British Columbia
Crowsnest Highway
Three mountain passes, canyon walls and long empty straights through the interior.
8.8 / 10 · 250 km · 155.3 mi
Route 132, Quebec
Gaspesie Coastal Route 132
The Saint Lawrence on one side and the Chic Choc mountains on the other, all the way round.
8.7 / 10 · 480 km · 298.3 mi
Country
R574, Beara Peninsula
Healy Pass
Tight hairpins over the Caha Mountains linking Cork and Kerry above two bays.
9.3 / 10 · 12 km · 7.5 mi
R560, Dingle Peninsula
Conor Pass
Ireland's highest pass, a shelf road with lakes hanging above the Atlantic.
9.3 / 10 · 12 km · 7.5 mi
N70, County Kerry
Ring of Kerry
The classic Irish coastal loop, best at dawn before the tour buses wake.
9.1 / 10 · 110 km · 68.4 mi
R115, County Wicklow
Wicklow Military Road
Empty moorland tarmac over the Sally Gap, minutes from Dublin but utterly wild.
9.1 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
Connemara
Sky Road
A narrow loop climbing over headland above the drowned islands of Connemara.
8.9 / 10 · 16 km · 9.9 mi
R559, Dingle Peninsula
Slea Head Drive
Cliff edge tarmac facing the Blasket Islands and the open Atlantic.
8.9 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
R759, Wicklow Mountains, Ireland
Sally Gap Road
A lonely blanket bog crossing through the wildest heart of the Wicklow Mountains.
8.7 / 10 · 20 km · 12.4 mi
Country
DN7C, Fagaras Mountains
Transfagarasan, DN7C
Ceausescu's mountain folly, the most photographed hairpin stack in Europe.
9.9 / 10 · 90 km · 55.9 mi
DN67C, Parang Mountains
Transalpina, DN67C
Romania's highest road runs along bare alpine ridgelines with almost no barriers.
9.6 / 10 · 148 km · 92 mi
DN12C, Eastern Carpathians
Bicaz Gorge
Vertical limestone walls close in over a road carved into the gorge floor.
9.3 / 10 · 50 km · 31.1 mi
DN71, Bucegi Mountains
Transbucegi, DN71
A steep dead end climb onto a high plateau of wind carved rock formations.
9.0 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
DN17B, Bukovina
Transrarau, DN17B
Fresh tarmac over the Rarau massif past the Lady's Rocks, and almost nobody on it.
9.0 / 10 · 38 km · 23.6 mi
DN7, Valcea
Olt Valley Road, DN7
A river carved corridor through the Carpathians, fast and endlessly flowing.
8.7 / 10 · 100 km · 62.1 mi
DN75, Apuseni Mountains
Transapuseni
Karst plateau villages, caves and long empty ridges in the western Carpathians.
8.7 / 10 · 40 km · 24.9 mi
Country
RN7, Mendoza
Los Caracoles
A stack of Andean snail bends beneath Aconcagua on the road to Chile.
9.5 / 10 · 100 km · 62.1 mi
RN52, Jujuy
Cuesta de Lipan
A dizzying climb from painted desert hills to a blinding white salt flat.
9.4 / 10 · 65 km · 40.4 mi
RN40, Santa Cruz
Ruta 40, Patagonia
Endless steppe straights ending with the Fitz Roy massif filling the windscreen.
9.1 / 10 · 215 km · 133.6 mi
RP 33, Salta
Cuesta del Obispo
Cloud forest to cactus desert over a 3348 metre pass of perfect switchbacks.
9.1 / 10 · 157 km · 97.6 mi
RN40, Mendoza
Ruta 40, Mendoza Wine Roads
Vineyard straights and gentle curves with the Andes as a permanent backdrop.
8.8 / 10 · 235 km · 146 mi
Country
R203, High Atlas
Tizi n'Test
A colonial era mountain road with hundreds of unguarded bends over the High Atlas.
9.5 / 10 · 180 km · 111.8 mi
R704, Dades Valley
Dades Gorge Hairpins
A stack of orange hairpins climbs out of a red rock gorge into empty highland.
9.5 / 10 · 63 km · 39.1 mi
N9, High Atlas
Tizi n'Tichka
The rebuilt main Atlas crossing, wide fast sweepers to the edge of the Sahara.
9.3 / 10 · 196 km · 121.8 mi
P1506, Jebel Saghro
Tizi n'Tazazert
A remote volcanic massif crossing of black rock spires and nomad camps.
9.2 / 10 · 80 km · 49.7 mi
N9, Draa Valley
Road of a Thousand Kasbahs
Palm oasis after palm oasis along a desert river valley lined with mud fortresses.
8.9 / 10 · 165 km · 102.5 mi
Country
P0334, Karoo
Swartberg Pass
A hand built dry stone gravel pass twisting through folded red rock strata.
9.7 / 10 · 24 km · 14.9 mi
M6, Cape Peninsula
Chapman's Peak Drive
A toll corniche blasted into a sea cliff with 114 curves above the Atlantic.
9.4 / 10 · 9 km · 5.6 mi
R45, Western Cape
Franschhoek Pass
Wine valley hairpins climb to a viewpoint over the whole Franschhoek bowl.
9.2 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
R301, Western Cape
Bainskloof Pass
An old mountain shelf road along a boulder river, narrow and beautifully engineered.
9.1 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
R532, Mpumalanga
Panorama Route
Escarpment road past God's Window and the vast Blyde River Canyon.
9.1 / 10 · 60 km · 37.3 mi
Country
D915, Bayburt to Trabzon
D915 Derebasi Bends
Thirteen stacked hairpins on a cliff face make this one of the world's scariest roads.
9.6 / 10 · 106 km · 65.9 mi
D400, Antalya
Lycian Coast, D400
A Mediterranean corniche of pine forest, ruins and turquoise bays all the way.
9.2 / 10 · 190 km · 118.1 mi
D925, Rize to Erzurum
Ovit Pass
A 2600 metre Kackar crossing of grass slopes, shepherd huts and switchbacks.
9.2 / 10 · 70 km · 43.5 mi
D010-06, Trabzon
Uzungol Road
A green gorge climb through tea terraces to an alpine lake in the Pontic mountains.
8.9 / 10 · 42 km · 26.1 mi
D300, Kayseri
Erciyes Mountain Road
A volcano flank road with long open bends above the Cappadocian plateau.
8.6 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
Country
N62, Spa area, Belgium
Spa Francorchamps Ridge Road
Following the Spa Francorchamps ridge line, the road mimics the famous Raidillon esses.
8.6 / 10 · 15 km · 9.3 mi
N83, Ardennes, Belgium
Semois Valley Road
The road tracks the looping Semois river through steep wooded meanders and riverside villages.
8.4 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
N676, Ardennes, Belgium
Hautes Fagnes Ridge Road
An open moorland ridge road crosses Belgium's highest plateau through the Hautes Fagnes.
8.3 / 10 · 25 km · 15.5 mi
N89, Ardennes, Belgium
N89 Ardennes Road
Rolling forested curves link the river town of La Roche to the historic Bastogne plateau.
8.2 / 10 · 30 km · 18.6 mi
Country
Ruta 7, Aysen
Carretera Austral
Patagonia's legendary road through rainforest, fjords and hanging glaciers.
9.4 / 10 · 600 km · 372.8 mi
Ruta 41, Coquimbo
Paso Agua Negra
A 4780 metre Andean crossing past penitentes ice spikes and no traffic at all.
9.3 / 10 · 180 km · 111.8 mi
G-21, Santiago Metropolitan
Valle Nevado Road
Forty numbered hairpins climb from the capital straight into the high Andes.
9.3 / 10 · 57 km · 35.4 mi
Ruta 225, Los Lagos
Route of the Seven Lakes
Volcano views over deep blue lakes with a smoking Osorno cone alongside.
9.0 / 10 · 70 km · 43.5 mi
Country
Epirus
Zagori and Vikos Gorge Road
Stone villages and arched bridges above the deepest gorge in Greece.
9.2 / 10 · 60 km · 37.3 mi
EO6, Pindus Mountains
Katara Pass
The old road over the Pindus watershed, abandoned by lorries and perfect because of it.
9.2 / 10 · 58 km · 36 mi
EO39, Peloponnese
Mani Peninsula Road
Tower houses, bare rock and the Aegean on both sides of a stone finger of land.
8.9 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
EO90, Crete
Crete South Coast Road
Through a slot gorge to a coast where the mountains drop straight into the Libyan Sea.
8.9 / 10 · 40 km · 24.9 mi
Country
Route 342, Jamtland
Vildmarksvagen, the Wilderness Road
Sweden's highest public road, empty tundra, waterfalls and reindeer for company.
8.9 / 10 · 350 km · 217.5 mi
Route 90 and E4, Vasternorrland
Hoga Kusten Coast Road
Sweden's High Coast, granite cliffs rising straight from the Gulf of Bothnia.
8.6 / 10 · 130 km · 80.8 mi
Route 160 and 161, Vastra Gotaland
Bohuslan Coast Road
Pink granite skerries, fishing harbours and quick sweeping bends beside the sea.
8.4 / 10 · 140 km · 87 mi
E45, Lapland
Inlandsvagen E45
The inland artery north, hundreds of kilometres of forest, lake and silence.
8.2 / 10 · 700 km · 435 mi
Country
Ras Al Khaimah
Jebel Jais Road
A billion dirham mountain road of perfect asphalt to the highest point in the UAE.
9.4 / 10 · 36 km · 22.4 mi
Al Ain
Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road
Sixty bends and flawless surface, often called the world's greatest driving road.
9.3 / 10 · 11.7 km · 7.3 mi
E102, Sharjah
Khor Fakkan Road
A modern mountain highway with tunnels and viaducts over the Hajar range.
9.1 / 10 · 95 km · 59 mi
E44, Dubai
Hatta Mountain Road
Desert straights give way to rocky Hajar gorges and dam lake curves.
8.7 / 10 · 130 km · 80.8 mi
Country
Route 1, Austurland
Ring Road, East Fjords
Fjord after fjord with the Vatnajokull glacier at your shoulder and no traffic at all.
9.1 / 10 · 190 km · 118.1 mi
Route 54, Vesturland
Snaefellsnes Peninsula Road
Iceland in miniature, lava fields, black beaches and a glacier capped volcano.
8.9 / 10 · 140 km · 87 mi
Route 35 and 36, Sudurland
Golden Circle Road
Rift valley, geysers and a waterfall you hear long before you see it.
8.4 / 10 · 105 km · 65.2 mi
Country
NH3, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh
Manali to Leh Highway
Five Himalayan passes, thin air and a plateau that feels like another planet.
9.7 / 10 · 428 km · 265.9 mi
Ladakh
Khardung La
One of the highest motorable passes anywhere, at 5359 metres above sea level.
9.3 / 10 · 39 km · 24.2 mi
NH505, Himachal Pradesh
Spiti Valley Road
A desert canyon road between monasteries, with no trees and no crowds.
9.0 / 10 · 47 km · 29.2 mi
Country
P1, Bay of Kotor
Kotor Serpentine, the Ladder of Cattaro
Twenty five stacked hairpins climbing straight off the fjord to a mountain plateau.
9.6 / 10 · 20 km · 12.4 mi
P14, Zabljak
Durmitor Ring Road
A high circuit of the Durmitor massif above the deepest canyon in Europe.
9.3 / 10 · 76 km · 47.2 mi
P5, Northern Montenegro
Tara Canyon Road
A rim road above a 1300 metre gorge, crossing the great arched Tara bridge.
8.9 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
Country
N278, Limburg, Netherlands
Vaalserberg Road
The highest Dutch hills produce genuine curves near the three country border point.
7.8 / 10 · 15 km · 9.3 mi
N57, Zeeland, Netherlands
Zeeland Delta Dyke Road
A long flowing dyke top route crosses the storm barrier between islands and open sea.
7.7 / 10 · 45 km · 28 mi
N786, Veluwe, Netherlands
Veluwezoom Park Road
A quiet heathland road rolling through the Veluwezoom national park's wooded dunes.
7.4 / 10 · 10 km · 6.2 mi
Country
Ad Dakhiliyah
Jebel Shams Road
Oman's own Grand Canyon, reached by a graded climb to 2000 metres.
9.1 / 10 · 36 km · 22.4 mi
Ad Dakhiliyah
Jebel Akhdar Road
A perfectly surfaced climb of relentless hairpins onto the rose terraces.
9.1 / 10 · 24 km · 14.9 mi
Route 17, Ash Sharqiyah
Muscat to Sur Coast Road
Cliff coast, sinkholes and empty smooth tarmac beside the Gulf of Oman.
8.6 / 10 · 200 km · 124.3 mi
Country
DW897, Subcarpathia
Bieszczady Great Loop
Poland's emptiest corner, long flowing curves through beech forest and bare meadows.
8.8 / 10 · 70 km · 43.5 mi
DK47 and Route 960, Lesser Poland
Zakopianka and Tatra Foothills
Highland wooden villages with the granite wall of the Tatras filling the windscreen.
8.5 / 10 · 40 km · 24.9 mi
DW794, Krakow and Czestochowa Upland
Trail of the Eagles' Nests
Limestone crags and ruined castles linked by quick rolling secondary roads.
8.1 / 10 · 165 km · 102.5 mi
Country
Route 206, Julian Alps
Vrsic Pass
Fifty numbered hairpins, twenty four of them cobbled, over the highest pass in Slovenia.
9.5 / 10 · 47 km · 29.2 mi
Julian Alps
Mangart Saddle Road
The highest road in Slovenia, blasted through rock tunnels to a 2072 metre saddle.
9.3 / 10 · 12 km · 7.5 mi
Route 203, Primorska
Soca Valley Road
Beside the most improbably turquoise river in Europe, bend after flowing bend.
9.0 / 10 · 43 km · 26.7 mi
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MEX 40 libre, Sinaloa and Durango
Espinazo del Diablo
The Devil's Backbone, thousands of corners over the Sierra Madre now the toll road took the trucks.
9.3 / 10 · 180 km · 111.8 mi
Carretera 115D libre, Morelos
Tepoztlan Mountain Road
Volcanic spires above a pine forest road that twists all the way to the valley floor.
8.6 / 10 · 25 km · 15.5 mi
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14A, Nantou and Hualien
Wuling Pass, Provincial Highway 14A
The highest road in Taiwan, 3275 metres of cold air and cedar covered switchbacks.
9.4 / 10 · 41 km · 25.5 mi
Provincial 8, Hualien
Taroko Gorge, Central Cross Island Highway
Marble walls close overhead as the road tunnels along a turquoise river.
9.3 / 10 · 19 km · 11.8 mi
Country
1095, Northern Thailand
Mae Hong Son Loop, Route 1095
More than 1800 corners through jungle ridges, the most complete driving road in Thailand.
9.1 / 10 · 110 km · 68.4 mi
1148, Nan and Phayao
Route 1148
Smooth, empty and endlessly rhythmic along the ridgelines of the Laos border country.
8.9 / 10 · 128 km · 79.5 mi
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