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the 10 greatest drives on earth, ranked

10 BestRoad Tripsin the World

Iceland's Ring Road, California's Pacific Coast Highway, Australia's Great Ocean Road and seven more — ranked by distance, scenery and the sheer pull of the open road.

10 routes≈ 6,745 mi combined4 continents
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By TripMemo · Updated 11 May 2026 · 12 min read · Reviewed by editorial

the open road, ranked

The world has roughly 40 million miles of road. These 10 are the ones worth flying to.

Quick answer: The best road trip in the world is Iceland's Ring Road, followed by California's Pacific Coast Highway, Australia's Great Ocean Road, Route 66 and Scotland's North Coast 500. This 2026 ranking compares each route by distance, duration, best season, difficulty and scenery.

A great road trip is not about distance. It is about whether the road itself is the reason you went. Iceland's Ring Road is 828 miles of one road around one country. California's Highway 1 has the Pacific on one shoulder the entire way. The Amalfi Coast Drive is thirty-one miles of switchbacks above the Tyrrhenian Sea.

These are the 10 drives that earn the flight to start them. We ranked them on the road itself — scenery, drama, time spent behind the wheel versus time staring out the window — not the destination at the end. Distance is shown in both miles and kilometres, with the season window and difficulty for every one.

See the 10→How we rankedCompare all 10
Total miles, all 10≈ 6,745
Continents covered4
Shortest drive31 mi
Longest drive2,448 mi
at a glance →

quick ranking

Best road trips in the world, ranked

If you only need the shortlist, start here. Each route links to the full write-up with distance, suggested duration, best season, difficulty and the stops worth building your itinerary around.

  1. #1 IcelandRing Road (Route 1)828 mi7 to 10 days · June to August · Moderate
  2. #2 USAPacific Coast Highway (Highway 1)656 mi7 to 10 days · May to October · Easy
  3. #3 AustraliaGreat Ocean Road151 mi3 to 5 days · November to April · Easy
  4. #4 USARoute 662,448 mi14 to 21 days · April to October · Moderate
  5. #5 Scotland, UKNorth Coast 500516 mi5 to 7 days · May to September · Moderate
  6. #6 South AfricaGarden Route186 mi5 to 7 days · September to April · Easy
  7. #7 IrelandWild Atlantic Way1,600 mi10 to 14 days · May to September · Moderate
  8. #8 ItalyAmalfi Coast Drive (SS163)31 mi2 to 4 days · May and September to October · Moderate
  9. #9 CanadaCabot Trail185 mi3 to 5 days · June to October (October for foliage) · Easy
  10. #10 CanadaIcefields Parkway (Hwy 93)144 mi2 to 3 days · June to September · Easy

our method

How we ranked these 10

We started with every road trip cited across the top 10 search results for ‘best road trips in the world’, then ranked the survivors on the road itself — scenery, drama, road condition and the time you actually spend behind the wheel.

  • 01

    The road, not the destination

    We rank the drive itself — how dramatic, how varied, how much of the journey is the reason you went. A road trip lives or dies by what happens between the cities.

  • 02

    Scenery density per mile

    Every route on this list earns its spot by stacking landmarks closely. Amalfi packs nine cliff villages in 31 miles; Iceland's Ring Road packs four climate zones in a day.

  • 03

    Drivability and access

    We weighted year-round road condition, rental car friendliness and whether the route has reliable fuel stops. Every one of the 10 works with a standard rental — no 4x4 required.

  • 04

    How we cross-checked it

    Distances are confirmed against tourism boards and national highway authorities, with both miles and kilometres listed. Seasons reflect when the road is open and worth driving, not just legally driveable.

10

Alberta

Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93)

Canada

The Rockies' marquee drive — Banff to Jasper, through the Columbia Icefield.

Hwy 93 runs straight up the spine of the Canadian Rockies between Banff and Jasper, threading more than 100 ancient glaciers, the turquoise Peyto and Bow Lakes, and the Athabasca Falls. National Geographic ranked it one of the most beautiful drives on Earth; on a clear blue day it is hard to argue.

Duration
2 to 3 days
Best season
June to September
Difficulty
Easy
Route
Lake Louise → Jasper

Top highlights along the route

  • Peyto Lake viewpoint
  • Athabasca Glacier (Columbia Icefield)
  • Bow Lake & Bow Summit
  • Sunwapta Falls
  • Maligne Canyon (Jasper)

“An entire mountain range with one road through the middle.”

Icefields Parkway mountain road between Banff and Jasper in Canada
Alberta
Glaciers and turquoise lakes
144miles· 232 km
Lake Louise → JasperCA
09

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Cabot Trail

Canada

Cape Breton's loop around a national park, with whales in the bay below.

The Cabot Trail loops Cape Breton Highlands National Park — moose, bald eagles, whales offshore in summer, and the most dramatic Atlantic-vs-mountain views in Canada. Go in late September into early October for the maple foliage; it is one of the best leaf drives outside New England.

Duration
3 to 5 days
Best season
June to October (October for foliage)
Difficulty
Easy
Route
Baddeck → Baddeck

Top highlights along the route

  • Cape Breton Highlands National Park
  • Skyline Trail boardwalk hike
  • Pleasant Bay whale watching
  • Ingonish Beach
  • Bay St Lawrence fishing harbour

“A national park looped by one of the best roads on the continent.”

Cabot Trail coastal road in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Maritime Canada at full volume
185miles· 298 km
Baddeck → BaddeckCA
08

Campania

Amalfi Coast Drive (SS163)

Italy

Thirty miles of switchbacks above the bluest stretch of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The SS163 was carved into the limestone cliff in the 19th century and runs Sorrento to Salerno via Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. It is the most photographed coastal road in Europe and, in summer, the most jammed — go in May or September, or hire a Vespa and ignore the queue.

Duration
2 to 4 days
Best season
May and September to October
Difficulty
Moderate
Route
Sorrento → Salerno

Top highlights along the route

  • Positano cliff village
  • Villa Cimbrone, Ravello
  • Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) walk
  • Amalfi cathedral & paper museum
  • Atrani — Italy's smallest town

“Carved out of a cliff in the 1800s. Still the best view in Italy.”

Positano and cliffside villages on Italy's Amalfi Coast Drive
Campania
Cliff villages, lemon groves
31miles· 50 km
Sorrento → SalernoIT
07

West Coast

Wild Atlantic Way

Ireland

1,600 miles of cliff, sea spray and pub lock-ins along Ireland's western edge.

From Kinsale to Donegal, the Wild Atlantic Way is Europe's longest defined coastal route — the Ring of Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher, the Dingle Peninsula, Connemara and the Slieve League cliffs are all on it. The Atlantic does the dramatic lighting; you do the driving.

Duration
10 to 14 days
Best season
May to September
Difficulty
Moderate
Route
Kinsale → Derry

Top highlights along the route

  • Cliffs of Moher, Clare
  • Ring of Kerry & Skellig Ring
  • Slea Head Drive, Dingle
  • Connemara National Park
  • Slieve League cliffs, Donegal

“Europe's longest coastal road, all of it on one ocean.”

Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way cliffs and coastal road scenery
West Coast
Europe's longest coastal route
1,600miles· 2,575 km
Kinsale → DerryIE
06

Western & Eastern Cape

Garden Route

South Africa

Indigenous forest, Indian Ocean, ostriches and the world's highest bridge bungee.

The N2 along South Africa's southern coast threads ancient yellowwood forest, lagoon-side towns like Knysna and Wilderness, and the Tsitsikamma cliffs. Add Addo Elephant Park or a wine-route detour out of Cape Town and you have one of the most varied drives on the continent.

Duration
5 to 7 days
Best season
September to April
Difficulty
Easy
Route
Cape Town → Port Elizabeth

Top highlights along the route

  • Tsitsikamma National Park
  • Knysna Lagoon & The Heads
  • Plettenberg Bay beaches
  • Bloukrans Bridge bungee
  • Addo Elephant National Park (detour)

“Forest, sea and elephants in one tank of petrol.”

South Africa Garden Route coastline and forest scenery
Western & Eastern Cape
Forest, ocean, and Big Five
186miles· 300 km
Cape Town → Port ElizabethZA
05

Northern Highlands

North Coast 500

Scotland, UK

Single-track roads, ruined castles, and the very top of the British mainland.

The NC500 is a loop around the very north of Scotland — Bealach na Bà mountain pass, Smoo Cave, Dunnet Head, John o'Groats and a hundred white-sand beaches that Scotland mostly keeps to itself. Single-track roads with passing places, midges in July, the best fish and chips on Earth in Ullapool.

Duration
5 to 7 days
Best season
May to September
Difficulty
Moderate
Route
Inverness → Inverness

Top highlights along the route

  • Bealach na Bà pass to Applecross
  • Smoo Cave, Durness
  • Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland
  • Dunnet Head — Britain's true north
  • Achmelvich and Sandwood beaches

“The far north of Britain looks, mostly, like the moon.”

Scottish Highlands road scenery on the North Coast 500
Northern Highlands
Scotland's answer to Iceland
516miles· 830 km
Inverness → InvernessGB-SCT
04

Chicago to Santa Monica

Route 66

USA

Eight states, three time zones, every diner cliché ever invented.

Route 66 is the original American road trip — eight states, three time zones, and a corridor of mid-century motels, neon, and Cadillac Ranch that has become the country's most exported piece of asphalt mythology. Officially decommissioned in 1985 but signposted again as 'Historic Route 66' nearly the whole way.

Duration
14 to 21 days
Best season
April to October
Difficulty
Moderate
Route
Chicago → Santa Monica

Top highlights along the route

  • Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo
  • Grand Canyon detour from Williams
  • Painted Desert & Petrified Forest, AZ
  • Wigwam Motel, Holbrook
  • Santa Monica Pier finish

“Every American road trip is, secretly, this one.”

Historic Route 66 sign and desert highway scenery
Chicago to Santa Monica
The Mother Road
2,448miles· 3,940 km
Chicago → Santa MonicaUS
03

Victoria

Great Ocean Road

Australia

Limestone stacks, koalas in the gum trees, and the world's largest war memorial.

Built by returning WWI servicemen, the Great Ocean Road is the world's largest war memorial and arguably its most beautiful drive. The Twelve Apostles, the Loch Ard Gorge and the Otway rainforest are all within a few hours of Melbourne, and koalas are a near-certainty along the Kennett River turn-off.

Duration
3 to 5 days
Best season
November to April
Difficulty
Easy
Route
Torquay → Allansford

Top highlights along the route

  • Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell
  • Loch Ard Gorge
  • Kennett River koala colony
  • Otway National Park rainforest
  • Bells Beach, Torquay

“A war memorial you drive, not visit.”

The Twelve Apostles limestone stacks on Australia's Great Ocean Road
Victoria
Twelve Apostles, all the koalas
151miles· 243 km
Torquay → AllansfordAU
02

California

Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1)

USA

Big Sur, Bixby Bridge, Highway 1 — the road every other coastal drive is judged against.

California's Highway 1 hugs nearly 700 miles of Pacific coastline, threading through Big Sur cliffs, Hearst Castle, Carmel and the Santa Monica beachfront before dropping into San Diego. It is the world's most filmed road and somehow still better in person than in the movies.

Duration
7 to 10 days
Best season
May to October
Difficulty
Easy
Route
San Francisco → San Diego

Top highlights along the route

  • Bixby Creek Bridge & Big Sur
  • 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach
  • Hearst Castle, San Simeon
  • Santa Monica Pier & Malibu
  • La Jolla Cove, San Diego

“The Pacific on one shoulder for the whole drive.”

Bixby Creek Bridge and the Big Sur coast on California's Pacific Coast Highway
California
California's coast, end to end
656miles· 1,056 km
San Francisco → San DiegoUS
01

North Atlantic

Ring Road (Route 1)

Iceland

The only road that circles a whole country — and the country in question is Iceland.

Route 1 loops the entire island, and almost every single thing Iceland is famous for is on it: glacier lagoons, black-sand beaches, basalt cliffs, geothermal valleys, the Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls, and — if you time it right — the Northern Lights overhead. There is one road. You just have to drive it.

Duration
7 to 10 days
Best season
June to August
Difficulty
Moderate
Route
Reykjavík → Reykjavík

Top highlights along the route

  • Seljalandsfoss & Skógafoss waterfalls
  • Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon & Diamond Beach
  • Vestrahorn at Stokksnes
  • Mývatn geothermal area
  • Vík í Mýrdal black-sand beach

“One road, one island, every cliché of beauty you can name.”

Iceland Ring Road scenery with waterfalls and volcanic landscape
North Atlantic
An entire country on one loop
828miles· 1,332 km
Reykjavík → ReykjavíkIS

every mile, every stop, kept

The road trip,
remembered.

TripMemo pins every stop along the route, counts the miles between them, and keeps the photos and notes from each day behind a single map of the trip. Drive any of these 10 and the map writes itself.

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TripMemo iPhone app showing a Travel Stats screen with a world map, countries visited, trips logged and photos taken

questions, answered

Road trip FAQ

  • What is the best road trip in the world?

    Iceland's Ring Road (Route 1) is widely cited as the best road trip in the world. It loops the entire island in 828 miles (1,332 km), takes 7 to 10 days, and packs glacier lagoons, black-sand beaches, basalt cliffs, geothermal valleys and the Northern Lights into one drive. California's Pacific Coast Highway and Australia's Great Ocean Road are the closest runners-up.

  • What is the most scenic road trip in the world?

    The Icefields Parkway in Canada (Highway 93) is regularly voted the most scenic single drive on Earth — 144 miles between Banff and Jasper through more than 100 ancient glaciers and the turquoise Peyto Lake. For coastal scenery, the Amalfi Coast (SS163) and California's Highway 1 are unmatched.

  • What is the longest road trip in the world?

    The Pan-American Highway is the world's longest drivable route at roughly 19,000 miles (30,000 km), running from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia in Argentina with one famous gap (the Darién Gap) on foot or by ferry. On our list of 10, Route 66 (2,448 mi / 3,940 km) and Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way (1,600 mi / 2,575 km) are the two longest single-country drives.

  • What is the best country for a road trip?

    By a fair margin, Iceland — one country, one main road, and almost every landscape on Earth packed into 828 miles. The USA and Australia are the obvious heavyweights for sheer distance and variety, and Scotland (North Coast 500) and South Africa (Garden Route) punch far above their size.

  • How long should a road trip be?

    It depends on the route. The Amalfi Coast and Icefields Parkway are 2 to 4 days. The Great Ocean Road and Cabot Trail are 3 to 5 days. Iceland's Ring Road, the Pacific Coast Highway and the North Coast 500 all reward 5 to 10 days. Route 66 and the Wild Atlantic Way are 2 to 3 weeks of proper driving. Treat the duration column on this list as a working minimum.

  • What is the best time of year for a road trip?

    Late spring and early autumn are the global sweet spot — May–June and September–October avoid both peak crowds and peak heat across most of Europe and North America. Iceland's Ring Road needs June to August; the Icefields Parkway in Canada is June to September; the Australian summer (November to April) is ideal for the Great Ocean Road and Garden Route in South Africa.

  • Which is the most famous road trip in the USA?

    Route 66 — eight states, three time zones, and a 2,448-mile corridor of mid-century motels, neon, the Cadillac Ranch and the Wigwam Motel. Officially decommissioned in 1985 but signposted again as 'Historic Route 66' nearly the whole way from Chicago to Santa Monica Pier. California's Pacific Coast Highway is the close runner-up for sheer scenery.

  • What is the best road trip in Europe?

    Iceland's Ring Road wins for sheer variety in one country. Scotland's North Coast 500 (516 mi), Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way (1,600 mi) and Italy's Amalfi Coast Drive (31 mi) all make our top 10 and represent the three classic European archetypes — wild north, Atlantic coast, and Mediterranean cliff drive.

  • Do I need a 4x4 for these road trips?

    No. Every one of the 10 on this list is paved end-to-end and works with a standard rental car. Iceland's Ring Road, the Pacific Coast Highway, the Garden Route, the Cabot Trail, the Icefields Parkway, the Amalfi Coast, Route 66, the North Coast 500 and the Wild Atlantic Way are all accessible to any vehicle. Iceland's F-roads off the Ring Road are the only exception — those need a 4x4 and are not the Ring Road itself.

  • What is the best road trip for a couple?

    The Amalfi Coast (31 mi of cliff villages, lemon groves and gelato) and California's Pacific Coast Highway (Big Sur and Carmel) are the two honeymoon-tier drives on this list. The Icefields Parkway and Cabot Trail are unbeatable for a one-week mountain-and-water romance; the Garden Route in South Africa is the wild-luxury option.

  • What is the best road trip for adventure?

    Iceland's Ring Road in winter is the most adventurous drive on this top 10 — short daylight, ice, aurora overhead, and the highest chance of having the whole road to yourself. Scotland's North Coast 500 and the Wild Atlantic Way are the next tier, with single-track sections and unpredictable weather. For Epic-rated drives off this list, the Karakoram Highway and Argentina's Ruta 40 are the global benchmarks.

  • What is the best road trip in Australia or New Zealand?

    Australia's Great Ocean Road (151 mi, 3 to 5 days) is on this list as the country's defining drive — the Twelve Apostles, the Otway rainforest and one of the great war memorials. New Zealand's South Island circuit (Christchurch–Queenstown–Milford Sound–West Coast) is a similar 7- to 10-day classic and an honourable mention.

  • Are these road trips safe to drive solo?

    Yes — every route on this top 10 is well-served by towns, fuel stations and English-speaking roadside help. Iceland's Ring Road, the Pacific Coast Highway, the Cabot Trail, the Icefields Parkway, the North Coast 500, the Garden Route, the Wild Atlantic Way and Route 66 are all extensively driven solo. The Amalfi Coast's traffic and Italian-driver intensity is the steepest learning curve. Always check your government's travel advice before booking.

  • Which road trip has the best food?

    Hard tie between the Amalfi Coast (regional Italian seafood at every cliff village) and the Garden Route in South Africa (Cape wine, biltong, fresh oysters at Knysna). Route 66 has the best diner culture in America; Scotland's NC500 has the best fish and chips in Ullapool; the Wild Atlantic Way has the best Atlantic seafood on the European side.

  • Are visas needed for these road trips?

    Visa requirements depend on your passport. The Schengen Area (Iceland's Ring Road and Italy's Amalfi Coast) needs an ETIAS for most non-EU travellers from late 2026. The UK has its ETA (covers Scotland's NC500). The USA uses ESTA (Route 66, Pacific Coast Highway). Canada uses eTA (Cabot Trail, Icefields Parkway). Australia uses eVisitor or ETA. South Africa is visa-free for many passports. Always check requirements 6 months out.

  • How do you plan a road trip itinerary?

    Start with the route's natural rhythm — Iceland's Ring Road has clear daily stops at Vík, Höfn, Egilsstaðir and Akureyri; Route 66 has Chicago, St Louis, Tulsa, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff and LA as natural overnights. Book the first and last night, leave the middle flexible, and budget 60–70% of the day for driving so you have time to stop. TripMemo is built to log the trip as you go — pins, photos, mileage, route notes.

turn the road into a memory book

Drive one.
Then drive them all.

Pin every stop, log the miles, and keep the photos and notes from every day behind a single map of the trip. TripMemo turns the road into something you can read back, years later.

Download TripMemo→Back to the 10

one road at a time ✓

keep reading

Where to go next

More TripMemo guides for drivers, collectors and bucket-list travellers — and country guides for the routes above.

Lists and tools

Country guides

all 10 at a glance

The full table

Every route, ranked. Distance shown in both miles and kilometres, with the recommended duration, season window and difficulty. Click any row to jump back to that route's deep-dive above.

The 10 best road trips in the world, ranked, with distance, duration, season and difficulty for each.
RankRouteDistanceDifficulty
01Ring Road (Route 1)828 mi/ 1,332 kmModerate
02Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1)656 mi/ 1,056 kmEasy
03Great Ocean Road151 mi/ 243 kmEasy
04Route 662,448 mi/ 3,940 kmModerate
05North Coast 500516 mi/ 830 kmModerate
06Garden Route186 mi/ 300 kmEasy
07Wild Atlantic Way1,600 mi/ 2,575 kmModerate
08Amalfi Coast Drive (SS163)31 mi/ 50 kmModerate
09Cabot Trail185 mi/ 298 kmEasy
10Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93)144 mi/ 232 kmEasy
Distances cross-checked against national tourism boards and highway authorities. Seasons reflect when the road is open and worth driving (not just legally driveable).

where the numbers come from

Data sources

Distances are cross-checked against national tourism boards and highway authorities. Both miles and kilometres are reported. Seasons reflect when the road is open and worth driving — not simply when it is legally driveable.

Primary route authorities

Regional tourism boards

If you spot an updated distance, season window or route detail, email hello@tripmemo.app with the source and we'll revise. We refresh this page after every driving season.