A great road beats everything else. Replace the dull daily commute with epic terrain, flowing corners blissful straights. These roads create thrills that no race track can and challenge our idea of a what a commute can be. Check out below what the greatest roads and get ready to book that holiday.
Stelvio Pass – Switzerland & Italy
Top gear declared Italy and Switzerland’s Stelvio Pass “the greatest driving road in the world”, and from the tight twisting hairpins, along with the beautiful scenery we can see why.
Susten Pass – Switzerland
Switzerland is a drivers dream when it comes to great driving roads. Along with the Stelvio, Switzerland also has the Susten Pass. Wide flowing roads with spectacular views, there’s pretty much nothing that can beat the Susten Pass.
Military Pass – Scotland
Scotland may be known for kilts, bagpipes and haggis, but it is also home to some of the greatest driving roads in the world. The old military road, A93, is situated in the heart if the Cairgorms National Park and is what many would claim to be the ultimate drivers road.
Forgotten World Highway – New Zealand
Being New Zealanders we could hardly create a list of the greatest driving roads without one of our own. The Forgotten World Highway may start off a bit slow, but it turns into an absolute gem once you get past the town of Douglas.
Iroha-zaka Winding Roads – Japan
Based in the Tochigi prefecture, this pair of winding roads that connect Nikko to the higher elevations of the Okunikko region. The winding roads consist of 48 smooth hairpin turns, along with some of the greatest scenery every (especially in Autumn and Spring). The only bad thing is the traffic can be a bit heavy sometimes.
Transfagarasan Highway – Romania
The Transfagarasan Highway is the road that knocked the Stelvio Pass down to second place for the Top Gear trio (Clarkson, Hammond and May). Any road good enough for those three deserves to be on the list of greatest roads and the Transfagarasan Highway has it all.
Hakone Hill Climb – Japan
Another road from Japan, the Hakone Hill Climb road is where the pioneers of drifting honed their craft. It’s based in the the Kanagawa prefecture and is a privately owned tool road, so odds are that the traffic won’t be bad.
Highway 1 – USA
Highway 1 is one of the most famous roads in existence, and we can see why. Featuring incredible views of the Californian coastline, Highway 1 has a mixture of sweeping curves, smooth straights and tight twisty turns that will make you want to do it again straight away.
Great Ocean Road – Australia
Australia is home to some of the most dangerous animals and creepy crawlies on the planet, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying out the Great Ocean Road. This road takes you past beautiful coastline, to lush green forests and tranquil lakes.
Amalfi Coast – Italy
The home of the supercar is also the home of some of the most spectacular roads the world has to offer. the Amalfi Coast route is one of the most beautiful in the world and is also a World Heritage Site. Take a trip there and find out why.
Guoliang Tunnel – China
One of those roads that just shouldn’t be there, the Guoliang Tunnel is an excellent example of what human engineering is capable of. While it’s only 3/4 of a mile, the fact that it is carved into the edge of the Taihang Mountains is a sight that must be seen.
N-222 – Portugal
The N-222 travels from Peso de Régua to Pinhão and custs right through the heart of the Douro valley. Its widely considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest road in the world, and has picturesque views along its entire length. It takes you along the Duoro river, through spectacular vineyards and into beautiful towns.
Sani Pass – South Africa
While most of the other roads on this list are smooth and civilized, the Sani Pass in South Africa is ideal for those who want to get back to a bit of nature. Connecting KwaZulu-Natal with Lesotho, this road is not for the faint hearted. Its littered with vehicles that didn’t quite cut the mustard, but those with willing and a trusty war horse will be in for a pleasant surprise.
Col De La Bonnette – France
The highest road in Europe is situated in France and it also happens to be one of the greatest. With an elevation of about 2,700m you are in for a real visual feast. As the road sweeps up there is a fantastic transition from greenery to a barren wonderland at the top.
Ruta 40 – Argentina
Running more than 3,000 miles, Ruta 40 in South America is one of the longest stretches of highway in the world. It connects 20 national parks and snakes its way through the Andes. In some parts it can climb as high as 16,000 feet, making for some truly spectacular driving. This is certainly not for your weekend warrior though, it’s going to require time and dedication to get the best out of this route.
Closing up
Let us know of any other great roads and we’ll add them to this list.
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