10 Breathtaking Roads Around the World
Some roads are known for their impeccable scenery whilst cruising through in a car, whilst others are better known for their stunning futuristic designs. Below is a compiled list of the most amazing roads around the world that you should take at least once in your lifetime:
1) Norway: Atlantic Ocean Road
The Atlantic Ocean Road (Norwegian: Atlanterhavsveien) is known to be one of the most scenic drives in the world. This unique highway will bring you out to the very farthest point of Norway where the land ends and the ocean begins. Atlanterhavsveien is designated a Cultural Heritage Site and is considered a National Tourist Route. It was also recognized as the Norwegian Construction of the Century in 2005. [Source]
2) Abu Dhabi: Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road
Jabal Ḥafeeṫ translates directly to ‘Empty Mountain’, and is the second tallest mountain in the UAE. The road scales the mountain, going through 60 bends over three lanes, and ends at a parking lot. This road promises sheer drops virtually along the entire route and enough hairpins to make a whirling dervish dizzy. [Source]
3) Hunan, China: Tianmen Mountain Road
Tianmen Shan Big Gate is a road located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in northwestern Hunan Province, China. To get there, you need to drive up Tongtian Avenue, which has 99 turns. There are also 999 stairs to climb before you reach the peak, where a natural rock arch that was believed to be the link between the gods and the mortal world awaits. [Source]
4) California, USA: Highway 1, Big Sur
Highway 1 enters the Big Sur region crossing the San Carpoforo Creek. The road goes through a redwood forest in the Big Sur River valley. This segment of the highway, built between 1919 and 1937, also crosses several historic bridges, including the scenic Bixby Creek Bridge shown above. This highway is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the United States. [Source]
4) Florida, USA: Seven Mile Bridge
The Seven Mile Bridge is a famous bridge in the Florida Keys that connects Knight’s Key in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. As part of the Overseas highway, this asphalted highway sometimes called “the Highway that Goes to Sea”, construction began in late 1930s and it was an incredible engineering feat, with 113 miles of roadway and 42 overseas bridges. [Source]
4) China/Pakistan: Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is the highest paved international road in the world. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an elevation of 4,693 m/15,397 ft. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is also referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. [Source]
5) Melbourne, Australia: Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road (B100) is one of Australia’s most famous road-touring routes. It takes travellers past world-class surfing breaks, through pockets of rainforest, calm seaside towns and under koala-filled tree canopies. It shows off sheer limestone cliffs, dairy farms and heathlands, and gets you up close and personal with the crashing waves of the Southern Ocean. [Source]
6) Mallorca, Spain: Cap de Formentor
The Cap de Formentor encompasses miles of stunning views through twisty hair pin corners, high elevations and steep grades. The 20-km drive from Port de Pollenca to Mallorca’s most northerly point has scenery as dramatic as anyone could wish for. Cliffs 400 metres tall jut into the sea, their weird rock formations attracting nesting seabirds, while pine trees seem to grow out of the rocks. Nowadays, it is the lighthouse with the focal plan at higher altitude in all the Balearic Islands. [Source]
8) Pantagonia, Argentina: Gateway to Mount Fitz Roy
The Road Leading To The Mountain Of Fitz Roy, Pantagonia is not a common tourist attraction, and is one taken mostly for hikers looking to get into El Chaltén for some hiking. From El Calafate, there are also buses that drive the 222 kilometers (138 miles) to get here. [Source]
9) Italy: Passo dello Stelvio
The Stelvio Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.757 m (9,045 feet) above the sea level.The road is particularly challenging to drive due to the presence of 48 hairpin bends, with the road becoming exceedingly narrow at some points, and some very steep inclines. The roads are usually open from June to September, but it can be closed anytime when the access is not cleared of snow. [Source]
10) India: Srinagar-Leh Highway
National Highway 1 (NH 1) is a National Highway in North India that connects the Kashmir valley to Leh and the rest of India. It is one of the only two roads that connect Ladakh with the rest of India, the other being Leh-Manali Highway. Stretches of NH 1 run through some extremely treacherous terrain and shut-offs because of avalanches or landslides are common in Winter months. [Source]
