Best driving roads in the world

The definition of a brilliant driving road can come down to a few different factors. Some routes are the products of some truly stunning feats of engineering, of the heroic ways in which humanity has pitted itself against nature. Other roads are worshipped for the awe-inspiring landscapes they traverse. Others still are revered for the adrenaline-busting challenges they pose to the keen driver.

We’ve tried to include a mix of these qualities in this list of our 10 favourite driving roads around the world (by the way, if you need to stick a little closer to home, have a look at our list of the UK’s best driving roads).

We hope this inspires you to go and have a go at one or more of these incredible routes. Just make sure that you’re familiar with the driving laws in whichever country you choose to visit – and that your classic motor insurance also covers you for your time abroad.

Chapman’s Peak, South Africa

Just outside South Africa’s capital Cape Town, and running along in the shadow of the mighty Table Mountain, Chapman’s Peak runs for just 5.5 miles – but those are likely to be some of the most eventful miles you’ll ever cover in your vehicle.

The short coastal route takes in some 114 bends, beginning at the fishing village of Hout Bay, climbing up to Chapman’s Point, and then descending down again to the seaside town of Noordhoek.

Those many twists and turns mean that you’ll need to be fully alert to the road ahead. That will present its own challenge, though, as the scenery along the route is bewitching – blissful sandy bays and the majestic Atlantic Ocean beyond. No wonder that various car brands down the years have chosen Chapman’s Peak as a setting for their adverts.

Top tip

Bring a picnic along – there are some wonderful spots to stop along the route.

Tongtian Avenue, Hunan Province, China

This one really isn’t for the faint-hearted (although we could say that about quite a few of the roads we’ve featured here). Within the Tianmen Shan National Park in China’s Hunan Province, the Tongtian Avenue is a seven-mile road that winds up steeply into the mountains, climbing quickly from 200 metres above sea level to some 1,300 metres at its summit.

All very breath-taking, but again: eyes on the road here. There are some 99 bends to contend with, almost all of them hairpin curves. As if that weren’t enough, you’ll also find some narrow tunnels and a somewhat rough surface. There’s no chance of a stop, either, to settle those nerves.

If you do make it to the top, you have the option of climbing the 999 steps that will take you to Heaven’s Gate, a natural rock arch said to be our link to the gods. A good place to rest, take it all in, and reassemble your shredded nerves…

Did you know?

In 2018, Italian Fabio Barone climbed the Tongtian Avenue in just ten minutes and 31 seconds, driving a Ferrari 458. That’s an average of around 40mph – an incredible speed in these conditions. We recommend a significantly steadier pace.

Kawazu-Nanadaru Loop Bridge, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

Japan’s Kawazu-Nanadaru Loop Bridge makes the cut because of the astounding human ingenuity that went into its construction. A double-helix construction, the bridge was required to solve a tricky problem: how to connect two mountains whose sides are so steep that a level road connecting both slopes just couldn’t be built.

The double spiral takes vehicles up (or down) some 147 feet (45 metres) – but all the time, as you drive around its two full circles, you feel as though you are suspended in the valley between the two mountains. It’s a stunning piece of engineering that’s best enjoyed at a leisurely pace – just as well, as the speed limit on the route is just 18mph.

Did you know?

Completed in 1982, the bridge is part of the popular Highway 414, that leads south from Tokyo towards the Izu peninsula – famous for its hot spring resorts.

Pacific Coast Highway, California, USA

The coast road between Los Angeles and San Francisco is justly famous. Clinging to the rugged Pacific coastline for much of its length, the Pacific Coast Highway offers majestic ocean views, interspersed with some beautiful state parks such as Crystal Cove, Pfeiffer Big Sur and Garrapata.

There are too many highlights along the route to mention here, but we’ll pick three for you. The Golden Gate Bridge, connecting San Francisco with the pretty seaside town of Sausalito, is iconic – but make time also for the graceful Bixby Creek Bridge, which crosses high over a mountain river in the majestic region of Big Sur.

And, if you’re there in winter, be sure to stop the car in the Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove, where the huge and beautiful monarch butterflies congregate in winter. Arrive between November and February and you should see thousands of these beauties communing at this grove of eucalyptus trees.

Top tip

Take in the strange town of Solvang, which, with its windmills and timber-framed buildings, seems to have been picked up from Scandinavia and set down in California.

Stelvio Pass, Italy

Crossing the Eastern Alps where Italy and Switzerland meet, the Stelvio Pass is famous among motorists, cyclists and nature lovers alike.

Its countless hairpin bends, many of them making 180-degree turns, have lent the Stelvio a revered status among adventurous motorists. Stirling Moss famously went off the road here during a vintage car event during the 1990s. Cyclists also pit themselves against the Stelvio’s formidable challenges: the Giro d’Italia, Italy’s Tour de France equivalent, often features a section climbing the pass.

Located just 200 metres from the border with Switzerland, the Stelvio is dominated by a mountain known as the ‘Three Languages Peak’ – so called because this is the point where Italian, German, and the Swiss native language, Romansh, meet. The surrounding Stelvio National Park, meanwhile, is a rich ecosystem, home to deer, ibex and wolves.

Be aware that, due to adverse weather conditions the rest of the year, the Stelvio is typically open from May to November only.

Top tip

Don’t forget that your classic car insurance with Lancaster covers you for up to 90 days’ driving within the European Union.

Hardknott Pass, Cumbria, UK

“Narrow route. Steep bends”.

“Suitable for cars and light vehicles only”.

“Unsuitable for all vehicles in winter conditions”.

These are some of the warning signs that greet the hardy traveller as they enter the Hardknott Pass, a steeply climbing single-track road that winds its way right through the heart of the Lake District.

Connecting the Eskdale and the Duddon Valley, the Hardknott Pass (later the Wrynose Pass) leads travellers to the Langdale Valley and on, finally, to the pretty town and Lake District tourist hub of Ambleside. Along the way, you will pass Hard Knott Fort, one of the Roman Empire’s remotest outposts, built between AD120 and AD138.

The Hardknott competes, in fact, with North Yorkshire’s Rosedale Chimney Bank for the honour of England’s steepest road. Both roads climb at a vertiginous gradient of one in three.

Did you know?

On a clear day, the Hardknott Pass offers views right across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man.

Atlantic Road, Norway

Norway’s Atlantic Road doesn’t make our list by virtue of its adrenaline thrills. It’s here, rather, for its extraordinary beauty and variety – its unique mix of terrestrial and aquatic landscapes.

Running for just over five miles between the towns of Kristiansund and Molde, the Atlantic Road straddles a series of small islands and skerries, connecting them via causeways, viaducts and no fewer than eight bridges. Opened in 1989, it was justly given the title of Norway’s Construction of the Century in 2005.

A white-knuckle ride? Not exactly. A bewitching drive through gorgeous Nordic scenery? Yes. A captivating journey through a strange landscape that is half land, half water? In a nutshell.

Did you know?

The route’s most prominent bridge is the graceful, cantilevered Storseisundet Bridge. This one took six years to build: construction was interrupted by no fewer than 12 hurricanes.

Milford Road, New Zealand

The drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound, in the Fiordland region of New Zealand’s South Island, takes you through some landscapes of unmatched drama and beauty.

There is a destination at the end of it – Milford Sound is one of the world’s most popular travel destinations – but this road is about so much more than its end point. The journey through Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage area will leave indelible memories for all who drive the route.

Highlights include the Eglinton Valley, a former glacial valley whose steep rock sides and golden grassland give it a slightly otherworldly feel. A little further along, you’ll come to the Mirror Lakes – so called because, on a still day, they give a beautifully crisp reflection of the Earl Mountains above.

Top tip

The Milford Road is a winding route, and also gets pretty busy. As a result, you should drive with care. As with all these roads we’re listing here, make sure your classic auto insurance is up to date before you set off.

Karakoram Highway, Pakistan

One of the highest paved roads in the world, the Karakoram Highway passes right through the mountain range from which it takes its name. The road rises to a height of 4,714 metres (15,466 ft) near the Khunjerab Pass (for comparison, Mount Everest peaks at 8,849 metres). That high elevation, along with the difficult conditions in which it came into being, has often earned Karakoram the nickname ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’.

A joint project between Pakistan and China, the Highway eventually crosses into the latter country, where it is also known as the Friendship Highway. Begun by the two nations in 1959, it was finished and opened to vehicles exactly 20 years later. Some 810 Pakistanis and 200 Chinese workers lost their lives during construction, largely through landslides and rock falls.

Around 810 miles in length, the Karakoram famously delivers some stunning views of mountain scenery – many of the most beautiful peaks in Kashmir, on the Pakistani side, and Xinjiang, in China, are clearly visible from the highway.

Top tip

Some of the route’s most dramatic mountain scenery can be enjoyed on the section that passes through the Naltar Valley in Pakistan.

Transfăgărășan, Romania

It’s fair to say that history will not judge the despotic Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu all that kindly. One thing we can thank him for, though, is the construction of Romania’s dramatic Transfăgărășan highway.

Between 1970 and 1974, a 93-mile route was carved through the mountains. And what a route it is too, snaking past giant, towering cliffs, steeply plunging gorges and some truly white-knuckle hairpin bends. And, at 56 miles, you can do the lot in one exhilarating day. No wonder Jeremy Clarkson proclaimed it “the best road in the world” in a 2009 episode of Top Gear.

Did you know?

Driving along the Transfăgărășan’s southern section, you will come to Poenari Castle. This 15th Century fortress was the residence of Vlad the Impaler, famously the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Count Dracula.

Protect your classic for the road ahead

As our whistle-stop tour of some of the world’s best roads has shown, driving should at least partly be about the sheer enjoyment of being behind the wheel. And, when you’re driving a classic car, that pleasure becomes an even more important part of the equation.

We know that you love driving your classic, and want to keep it protected for as long as possible. Which is why we’re pleased to be able to provide classics insurance for a huge range of vehicles - cars, ex-military transport, commercial vehicles and more.

Car Club members can enjoy up to 25% discount on their premiums.

We can also offer historic rally cover and EU cover for up to 90 days.

Contact us today to arrange a quote for your classic.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.