Introduction

There is a particular feeling that comes with a scenic road trip — the moment the city traffic thins out, the road opens up, and the landscape starts doing things you did not expect. A cliff appearing on one side, a valley unfolding on the other, the light changing as the road bends. No flight, no schedule, no rushing through airport gates. Just the road and whatever is alongside it.

Scenic road trips are consistently rated among the most satisfying travel experiences precisely because of their pace. You are not arriving somewhere — you are already there, moving through it at a speed that lets you actually see it.

This guide covers 22 of the world’s most compelling scenic road trips, from the coastal highways of California and Australia to mountain passes in Norway and Romania, with practical details on what makes each route worth the journey.

Pacific Coast Highway, California USA

The Pacific Coast Highway runs along the California coastline for roughly 650 miles between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The road hugs the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean for much of the route, with frequent scenic pullout points where the view down to the water is almost unreasonably good.

Big Sur is the most celebrated section — forested mountains meeting the coast in a stretch that has no equivalent on the American highway system. Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey are natural stopping points with good food and accommodation options.

This is one of the best scenic road trips for couples and one of the most photographed drives on earth. September and October offer the best combination of clear weather and smaller crowds.

Blue Ridge Parkway, USA

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles through the Appalachian Mountains connecting Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The road was built specifically for pleasure — no commercial trucks, no traffic lights, no billboards.

Fall is when the Blue Ridge Parkway reaches its peak. The autumn foliage across the mountain ridge turns the drive into one of the most visually rich scenic road trips in the American South. Overlooks appear every few miles, each with a different angle on the rolling mountains below.

Route 66, USA

Route 66 is the most historically loaded road trip route in the United States — 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles across eight states and through the heart of American 20th-century culture. Ghost towns, vintage diners, roadside attractions, and desert landscapes appear in sequence.

This is less about stunning natural scenery and more about the experience of a specific kind of American road. The sections through Arizona and New Mexico offer the most striking desert drive landscapes. A Route 66 road trip suits travelers who want history and atmosphere alongside the open road.

Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana USA

Going-to-the-Sun Road crosses Glacier National Park on a 50-mile mountain drive road that reaches an elevation of over 6,600 feet. The road was carved into the mountainside in the 1930s and remains one of the most technically impressive and visually spectacular drives in North America.

The road is only fully open from late June to mid-September due to snow. Wildlife including mountain goats, bears, and bighorn sheep are regularly visible from the road. This is essential for any national park road trip itinerary in the American West.

Icefields Parkway, Canada

The Icefields Parkway runs 144 miles through the Canadian Rockies between Jasper and Banff in Alberta. Glaciers, turquoise lakes, waterfalls, and mountain peaks line the route continuously — it is genuinely difficult to drive this road without stopping every few miles.

The Columbia Icefield is the centerpiece — a remnant glacier visible directly from the road. Lake Louise and Peyto Lake are the most photographed viewpoint lookout stops. This is one of the best scenic road trips in the world for landscape photography and golden hour photography in particular.

Great Ocean Road, Australia

The Great Ocean Road stretches 151 miles along the southeastern coast of Australia, starting just outside Melbourne. The road passes surf towns, temperate rainforest, and the limestone rock formations of the Twelve Apostles rising from the Southern Ocean.

The Twelve Apostles are the most iconic roadside attraction on the route, best viewed at sunrise or sunset when the light on the rock columns is at its most dramatic. The road suits scenic road trips for families and solo travelers equally — campgrounds, small towns, and accommodation options appear regularly along the route.

Ring of Kerry, Ireland

The Ring of Kerry is a 111-mile circular route through County Kerry in southwest Ireland. The road passes through some of the most consistently green and dramatic coastal landscape in Europe — mountain passes, peninsula viewpoints, stone villages, and Atlantic coastline.

The Killarney National Park section offers lake views and mountain scenery. The road is best traveled counterclockwise to avoid tour bus traffic. This is one of the most popular scenic road trips in Europe for good reason — the landscape delivers at every turn.

Amalfi Coast Drive, Italy

The Amalfi Coast Drive in southern Italy runs along a narrow coastal road between Sorrento and Salerno, with the Mediterranean Sea visible on one side and terraced cliffs rising on the other. The villages of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello cling to the cliffside above the water.

This is one of the most visually intense scenic road trips in Europe — the road is narrow and the views are constant, which makes it slow going in high season. Early morning in May or September offers the best combination of light, manageable traffic, and comfortable temperatures.

Trollstigen, Norway

Trollstigen — the Troll’s Path — is an 11-mile mountain drive road in western Norway that climbs through a series of sharp hairpin bends to a plateau above the valley. Waterfalls run alongside the road throughout the ascent.

The road is only open from May to October. The viewing platform at the top looks down across the full sequence of bends, giving a perspective on the road that most drivers stop to photograph for several minutes. This is one of the most concentrated scenic road trips in Europe — short in distance, extraordinary in visual impact.

Transfagarasan, Romania

The Transfagarasan is a 56-mile mountain highway in central Romania that crosses the Carpathian Mountains at nearly 6,700 feet elevation. It was originally built as a military road and has become one of the most celebrated scenic road trips in Eastern Europe.

The road passes glacial lakes, mountain tunnels, and a medieval castle. The highest section is only open from late June to late October. The lack of crowds compared to more famous European routes makes this one of the best scenic road trips off the beaten path on the continent.

Garden Route, South Africa

The Garden Route follows the southern coast of South Africa for roughly 186 miles between Mossel Bay and Storms River. The route passes lagoons, indigenous forests, beach towns, and the Tsitsikamma National Park section where the road approaches dramatic coastal cliffs.

This is one of the most varied scenic road trips in the world in terms of landscape type — the scenery changes genuinely and frequently. Game viewing, whale watching from coastal pullouts, and the hiking trails of the national park sections add activities alongside the driving.

Coastal Drive Through New Zealand’s South Island

New Zealand’s South Island offers some of the most concentrated scenic road trip routes in the world. The drive between Christchurch and Queenstown via Mount Cook passes glacier-fed lakes, alpine meadows, and snow-capped peaks in a route that takes two to three days at a comfortable pace.

The Milford Road between Te Anau and Milford Sound is the single most dramatic section — a dead-end road into a fiord surrounded by vertical rock faces and waterfalls. This is a bucket list scenic road trip for landscape photographers and nature travelers.

North Coast 500, Scotland

The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile circular route around the northern coast of Scotland starting and ending in Inverness. The route passes sea lochs, sandy beaches in unexpected shades of white and turquoise, ancient castles, and moorland that stretches without interruption to the horizon.

This suits scenic road trips for solo travelers and couples. The road is quieter in April and May before peak summer crowds arrive. Accommodation along the route fills quickly — booking several months in advance is advisable for summer travel.

Great Alpine Road, Victoria Australia

The Great Alpine Road crosses the Victorian Alps from Wangaratta to Bairnsdale, reaching the highest sealed road in Australia at Mount Hotham. The alpine scenery, ski resort towns, and the descent into the Snowy River valley create a varied and visually compelling one to two day route.

This is one of the more underrated scenic road trips in Australia — less known than the Great Ocean Road but genuinely impressive in its own right, particularly in autumn when the deciduous trees introduced to the alpine region turn.

Chapman’s Peak Drive, South Africa

Chapman’s Peak Drive is a nine-mile coastal cliffside drive just outside Cape Town, carved into the western face of the Chapman’s Peak mountain above the Atlantic Ocean. The road passes through 114 curves with the ocean visible far below throughout.

The drive is short enough to complete in under an hour but deserves more time — multiple scenic pullout points give views across Hout Bay and northward toward Cape Town. This works as a scenic road trip day stop as part of a broader Cape Peninsula route.

Dempster Highway, Canada

The Dempster Highway is a gravel road running 450 miles through the Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada to the Arctic Ocean. This is one of the most remote scenic road trips in the world — services are few and the landscape is subarctic tundra, boreal forest, and mountain terrain with almost no human presence for long sections.

A visit in late August to early September offers the possibility of northern lights alongside autumn tundra colors. This suits adventurous travelers with appropriate vehicle preparation and emergency road kit supplies.

Causeway Coastal Route, Northern Ireland

The Causeway Coastal Route runs 130 miles along the northern coast of Ireland from Belfast to Londonderry. The Giant’s Causeway — a UNESCO World Heritage site of hexagonal basalt columns at the water’s edge — is the centerpiece, but the full route includes castle ruins, rope bridges, and cliff-top viewpoints.

This is one of the most accessible scenic road trips in the British Isles and combines genuinely dramatic natural scenery with historical sites and small town charm throughout.

Karakoram Highway, Pakistan and China

The Karakoram Highway is the highest paved international road in the world, running through the Karakoram mountain range between Pakistan and China at elevations above 15,000 feet in places. The scenery — glaciers, deep gorges, and peaks above 7,000 meters — is unlike any other road trip route on earth.

This is a serious undertaking requiring permits, vehicle preparation, and careful weather planning. For travelers prepared for the logistics, the Karakoram Highway offers one of the most extreme and visually overwhelming scenic road trips on the planet.

Overseas Highway, Florida USA

The Overseas Highway connects Miami to Key West across 113 miles of bridges and causeways over the Florida Keys. The road passes over open ocean for long sections, with turquoise water visible on both sides simultaneously.

The Seven Mile Bridge is the most celebrated section — a causeway that appears to float across the Gulf of Mexico. This is one of the most unusual scenic road trips in the USA and suits winter travel when Florida’s climate is at its most comfortable for visitors from colder regions.

Romantic Road, Germany

The Romantic Road is a 220-mile route through Bavaria connecting Würzburg in the north to Füssen in the south. The route passes medieval walled towns, Baroque churches, vineyard landscapes, and the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle near the Austrian border.

This is one of the most established scenic road trips in Europe and suits travelers interested in history, architecture, and local cuisine alongside landscape. The section through the Bavarian Alps near the southern end of the route is the most visually striking.

Hana Highway, Hawaii USA

The Hana Highway on Maui’s north coast covers 52 miles between Kahului and Hana through some of the most lush and varied tropical landscape in the United States. The road passes more than 600 curves and 59 bridges, with waterfalls, black sand beaches, and dense rainforest visible throughout.

The drive takes three to four hours one way and is best started early to avoid afternoon traffic. This is a genuinely immersive scenic road trip that rewards slow travel and frequent stops at the roadside attractions and waterfall viewpoints along the route.

Chapman Highway Through the Smoky Mountains, USA

The smaller mountain roads through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park offer some of the best scenic road trips for fall foliage in the eastern United States. The Newfound Gap Road crossing the Tennessee-North Carolina border at 5,046 feet is the most traveled, but the quieter Cades Cove Loop and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail offer more intimate encounters with the mountain landscape.

This suits scenic road trips for families — the national park has well-maintained roads, frequent pull-offs, and wildlife including black bears and white-tailed deer visible from the road regularly.

Quick Reference: Scenic Road Trips Around the World

Conclusion

Scenic road trips offer something that most other travel formats cannot — the freedom to move at your own pace through landscapes that reward attention. Whether it is the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, the glacier lakes of the Canadian Rockies, the autumn mountains of the Blue Ridge Parkway, or the volcanic coastline of Hawaii’s Hana Highway, each of the routes in this guide offers a travel experience that stays with you longer than the photographs.

Choose the route that matches your time, your budget, and the kind of landscape that makes you feel most alive. Plan the essentials, leave space for the unexpected, and let the road do the rest.

You can may also like this: 22 Beautiful Places in Switzerland Ideas for Scenic Views

FAQs

What is the most scenic road trip in the world

The Icefields Parkway in Canada and the Pacific Coast Highway in California are consistently ranked among the most scenic. New Zealand’s South Island and Norway’s Trollstigen are equally compelling. The most scenic route depends on whether you prefer coastal, mountain, or mixed landscape.

How do I plan a scenic road trip on a budget

Camp rather than stay in hotels where possible — most scenic routes pass through national parks with camping spots at a fraction of hotel costs. Cook simple meals at campsites, plan the route to minimize backtracking, and travel in shoulder season when accommodation prices are lower.

What is the best time of year for scenic road trips

It depends on the route. Mountain roads are best in summer when they are fully open. Coastal routes are good year-round with spring and autumn offering the best weather and smallest crowds. Fall foliage routes peak in September and October in the northern hemisphere.

What vehicle do I need for a scenic road trip

Most scenic road trips are on paved roads accessible in any standard vehicle. A few routes — the Dempster Highway, parts of the Garden Route — benefit from a higher clearance vehicle. Check road condition requirements for your specific route before renting or preparing a vehicle.

Are scenic road trips good for solo female travelers

Yes, and many of the routes in this guide are regularly traveled by solo female travelers. Standard road trip safety applies — share your itinerary with someone, keep the fuel tank topped up on remote routes, and stay in established accommodation rather than isolated spots. The North Coast 500, Ring of Kerry, and Pacific Coast Highway are particularly well-suited to solo travel.