City to city
Every one of these journeys has a fast way and a good way. Each page puts the two side by side, then names the roads in the corridor that make the longer version worth the extra hours.
Browse
3 days scenic
Everyone does this on the M1 and A1. Through the Peak District, the Dales and the Borders it becomes a proper trip.
403.9 mi direct · 633.8 mi scenic
5 days scenic
A long haul north that only makes sense if you break it in the Lakes or the Borders and take the west side of Scotland.
540.6 mi direct · 857.5 mi scenic
2 days scenic
Two hours on the M4, or a full day through the Cotswolds, the Wye Valley and the eastern Beacons.
161.6 mi direct · 251.7 mi scenic
2 days scenic
The A303 past Stonehenge is the traditional route. Add Cheddar Gorge and the Quantocks and the drive becomes the point.
192.6 mi direct · 285.8 mi scenic
2 days scenic
The M6 is fast and dull. The Lakes and the Borders add a couple of hours and about ten years of memories.
214.4 mi direct · 354.2 mi scenic
2 days scenic
The A9 gets it done. The Snow Roads and Royal Deeside make it a day worth taking off work for.
136.7 mi direct · 279.6 mi scenic
2 days scenic
Loch Lomond, Glencoe and the Great Glen, which is one of the finest half days of driving in Britain.
136.7 mi direct · 301.4 mi scenic
2 days scenic
Straight down the M6 and M5, or across mid Wales on roads that make people move house.
174 mi direct · 320 mi scenic
4 days scenic
A serious two day run north, best broken in the Lakes or the Yorkshire Dales.
435 mi direct · 705.3 mi scenic
2 days scenic
Two hours on the M1, or the Antrim Coast Road and the Mourne Mountains stretched across two days.
105.6 mi direct · 236.1 mi scenic
2 days scenic
The M6 crosses the middle of Ireland in under three hours. The northern route through the midlands lakes and Connemara is a different trip entirely.
139.8 mi direct · 242.3 mi scenic
2 days scenic
Motorway all the way, unless you drop through Wicklow and the Vee and take a full day over it.
167.8 mi direct · 282.7 mi scenic
2 days scenic
Tunnel or ferry, then a choice between three hours of autoroute or a slow run through Normandy and the Somme.
261 mi direct · 407 mi scenic
6 days scenic
The classic continental run. Two long days on autoroute, or four properly good ones through Burgundy and the Route Napoleon.
779.8 mi direct · 1239.6 mi scenic
4 days scenic
The A6 and A7 take about nine hours. The Route Napoleon version takes three days and is one of the great European drives.
518.8 mi direct · 845.1 mi scenic
3 days scenic
Straight down the A6, or through Burgundy and the Jura with a night in Beaune.
357.3 mi direct · 624.5 mi scenic
3 days scenic
Through Austria and the Swiss passes rather than the tunnels, which adds a day and removes the tedium.
264.1 mi direct · 506.4 mi scenic
2 days scenic
The Gotthard tunnel takes three hours. The Gotthard pass road, the Nufenen and the Simplon take all day and are worth it.
164.7 mi direct · 369.7 mi scenic
2 days scenic
The most direct alpine to Mediterranean run there is, and the Route des Grandes Alpes shadows it the whole way.
220.6 mi direct · 419.4 mi scenic
3 days scenic
The A1 is six hours of nothing. Through Tuscany and Umbria it becomes two days of ridge roads and hill towns.
360.4 mi direct · 630.7 mi scenic
4 days scenic
Six hours of AP2 and A2, or three days through the Pyrenean foothills and the Sierra de Guadarrama.
382.1 mi direct · 652.4 mi scenic
2 days scenic
Three hours on the A1, or the Serra da Estrela and the Douro valley over two days.
208.2 mi direct · 351.1 mi scenic
3 days scenic
Any route across Norway is scenic. The Hardanger and Aurland versions are the ones people remember.
229.9 mi direct · 478.5 mi scenic
3 days scenic
Three hours of autobahn, or the lake district and the Grossglockner approach across a long weekend.
189.5 mi direct · 472.2 mi scenic
1 day scenic
Under two hours on the Brenner autobahn, or the Timmelsjoch and the Passo Giovo if the season allows.
65.2 mi direct · 195.7 mi scenic
5 days scenic
Interstate 5 in six hours, or Highway 1 through Big Sur across two days, which is not really the same journey at all.
422.5 mi direct · 916.5 mi scenic
4 days scenic
I15 does it in six hours. Zion, Byway 12 and the Utah canyon country turn it into the best week in the Southwest.
441.2 mi direct · 804.7 mi scenic
2 days scenic
Three hours down I5, or the North Cascades loop and the Columbia River Highway over three days.
177.1 mi direct · 332.4 mi scenic
10 days scenic
A long interstate haul, unless you route it up through the Blue Ridge and finish on the Tail of the Dragon.
997.3 mi direct · 2069.2 mi scenic
3 days scenic
Five hours direct, or the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Cherohala Skyway and the Dragon across two unforgettable days.
292 mi direct · 490.9 mi scenic