Most Beautiful Roads in the World
The greatest driving roads in
the world should have a perfect mixture between challenging and
complicated bends, long fast straights, little to no traffic and
especially breathtaking views!
These roads might have enough twists and turns to give you a headache but you’ll feel incredible after you’ve conquered them and you’ll surely want to try it again and again and again.
Here
is a list with the Most Beautiful Roads in the World to drive on and
another five honorable mentions that you’ll surely like. Enjoy!
The Overseas Highway – Florida Keys
The
Overseas Highway leaps from island to island across 42 bridges
southwest through Florida Keys and it was built in 1938 along the
course of an old railroad that has been destroyed by a hurricane. The highway is mostly over water and in about four hours you can enjoy the beautiful scenery and the ocean and of course, the incredible
sunrises and sunsets if you come here at the right time. During
holidays the traffic will make journeys through this highway a bit
longer but I’m sure everyone would love to stay on this road as long as
possible.
Red Rock Scenic Road – USA
The
Red Rock Scenic Road winds through Sedona’s Red Rock Country, often
called a “museum without walls”. The road provides a splendid view of
the stunning red rocks which seem alive like a timeless spirit that
captivates and inspires everyone. The Red Rock Scenic byway also passes
through the Montezuma Castle National Monument and the Coconino National Forest giving every driver an amazing sense of intimacy with nature.
Iroha-zaka – Japan
Iroha-zaka
is a winding road from Japan which connects central Nikko and
Oku-Nikko. The road comprises of 48 curves and each corner has an
ancient Japanese alphabet, starting in alphabetical order from I-ro-ha
which also gave this road’s name. Iroha-zaka is actually made of two
roads, one to come down and another to go up and they both have 48
curves matching the 48 letters of the ancient Japanese alphabet.
Atlantic Road – Norway
The
Atlantic Road was voted as the Norwegian construction of the century
and it’s a five mile long stretch of road connecting Molde and
Kristiansund in this country. The road rides above some rough and
uneven surfaces and it’s spectacular because it rises itself and falls
at many places like a sea at the time of a rough tide. Apart fromthe incredible road itself, the scenery surrounding it could give any driver shivers.
Oberalp Pass – Switzerland
The
Oberalp Pass in an incredible road in the high Swiss mountains that’s
an important link between Central Switzerland and the Graubunden
Oberland. The road is really popular for all drivers from Europe but
it’s only open during summer months. In winter this pass is closed for
road traffic and the road itself is used as a ski slope, toboggan run
and hiking trail!
North Yungas “Road of Death” – Bolivia
The
North Yungas Road is a 43 mile road connecting La Paz and Coroico deep
into the Bolivian Andes. The road is name by the locals “El Camino de
la Muerte” or the Road of Death and it was named the world’s most
dangerous road in 1995. The road, famous for its extreme danger has a
single lane width with terrifyingly drop offs, tight hairpins, narrow
passages and almost no guardrails at all. The fog and rain can make
visibility poor and the road surface muddy which adds
even more dancer to any journey on this road. On average, there is a
fatal accident every couple of weeks on this road and it is estimated
that 200 to 300 travelers are killer per year on this treacherous road.
Today however, the Youngas road has less traffic and it used mostly by
travelers who want to feel its thrill.
Trollstigen – Norway
One
of the most notable attractions from the Fjord in Norway is the
Trollstigen road, a steep winding mountain road located in the Rauma
region. The word Trollstigen means the Troll Ladder in English and it
represents a series of stunning roads with a breathtaking view and a
couple of incredible waterfalls.
This road is very narrow and leaves very few possibilities for vehicles
to pass each other and with its steep 9% gradient and 11 hairpins it’s
really, really challenging. But it’s all worth it if you get to the top
where you’ll see this amazing road from above and the Stigfossen
waterfall, a 320 m waterfall which falls down the mountain side.
Guoliang Tunnel Road – China
The
Guoliang Tunnel Road was built by 13 local villagers headed in only
five years in the Taihang mountains in the Hunan province of China.
Many villagers lost their lives in accidents during the construction of
this tunnel but in 1977 it was opened to traffic. The tunnel carved
from the mountains is 1,200 meters long, 5 meters high and 4 meters
wide and its also one of the most dangerous roads in the world. This
extremely beautiful scenic route was dubbed as “the road that does not
tolerate any mistakes” and its a key destination on the Chinese tourism
map.
San Bernardino Pass – Switzerland
Another high mountain pass across the Swiss Alps is the San Bernardino
Pass and the road that goes through it and connects the Swiss towns
Misox and Hinterrhein is also one of the world’s greatest roads. The
pass is located at 2,065 meters and the road has incredibly smooth
roads, a lot of hairpins and challenging bends and of course, amazing
scenic views. The road also goes through an impressive 6.6 km long
tunnel.
Los Caracoles Pass – Andes
Los
Caracoles Road passes through the harsh terrain of the Andreas
Mountains from the Andes on the way between Chile and Argentina. The
road has many hard switchbacks on an extremely steep incline and
numerous hairpins without any safety guard rails.
For the most part of the year, this pass is covered by snow and that
makes it incredibly hard to negotiate. Despite the fact that it’s one
of the most challenging roads in the world, the Los Caracoles Pass has
a strong safety record.
Col de Turini – France
The
Col de Turini is situated in a mountain pass in the south of France in
the Alps at more than 1 mile above sea level. The road is included as
part of a 20 miles rally stage every year of the Monte Carlo Rally in
the World Rally Championship and it combines 34 hairpins and long
stretch lines where cars can reach top speeds of over 110 mph. This
stage is one of the most challenges stages from the WRC and apart from
the wonderful road, the scenery also makes it one of the most
attractive and exciting roads on Earth.
The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road – UAE
The
Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road in the United Arab Emirates extends for 7.3
miles with 60 turns up the mountain of a height of 1,219 m. The UAE
road scales the mountain with a beautiful view of the desert below and
ends at a parking lot with only a hotel and of course, a palace,
belonging to the country’s rulers. The road is a mixture of fast
straights and sweeping curves that merge perfectly from one to another
forming this amazing driving road in the middle of the desert.
Lysebotn Road – Norway
The
Lysebotn Road is considered one of the most breathtaking roads in
Europe and it all starts with the narrow road up the steep walls of the
Lysefjord, Norway. The road includes 27 challenging hairpins and a 1.1
km long tunnel at the bottom which also has 3 switchbacks inside to
make things even more interesting. The surface of the road is perfect
and the ones who were already on this road think of it as a
rollercoaster. It’s probably the most fun road from Norway and its last
30 km to Lysebotn will put a smile on every driving enthusiast’s face.
Stelvio Pass – Italy
From
the Eastern Alps in Italy, the Stelvio Pass Road connects the
Valtellina with Merano and the upper Adige valley. This is the second
highest paved mountain road in the Alps and its situated at an altitude
of around 1.7 miles (about 2,757 meters) above sea level. The Stelvio
Pass is one of the best continuous hairpin routes in the world and its
fame came from the presence of 48 hairpin bends and the fact that the
road becomes very narrow at some points and it has a couple of very
steep inclines. This road is regarded by many car enthusiasts as one of
the most challenging roads in the world and it’s scenery is absolutely
breathtaking and spectacular.
Transfagarasan – Romania
The
Transfăgărășan (that’s the exact spelling) is the highest and most
dramatic paved road from Romania. Built as a strategic military route
by the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu between 1970 and 1974, this
road connects the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, and
the cities of Sibiu and Pitesti. The Transfagarasan represents 90 km of
twists and turns run North to South across the tallest sections of the
Carpathian Mountains between the highest peaks of the mountain in this
country.
On top of the
mountains this road provides access to Balea Lake, a glacier lake which
has been here for thousands of years and it also has an almost 1 km
long tunnel straight through the mountain’s top. The road was built at
a high cost both financially and from a human standpoint with more than
6 million kilograms of explosive being used on the northern face and
official records of 40 soldiers who lost their lives while building it.
Unofficial records however mention that only the tunnel took about 400
lives.
The north end of
the road is the most spectacular and it’s dotted with steep hairpin
turns, long S curves and sharp descents combined with an absolutely
stunning view! Between October and June this road is under the snow and
usually closed so… that means only a couple of months in the summer
it’s available to enjoy a pure driving pleasure. Top Gear also named
this road as the best road in the world !
Honorable mentions:
Millau Viaduct – France
Autobahn – Germany
Great Ocean Road – Australia
Taroko Gorge Road -Taiwan
Leh–Manali Highway – India
