Few travel experiences are better than simply driving along one of the well-engineered roads that hug a dramatic coastline. The combination of engineering prowess, natural beauty and freedom of the open road creates a uniquely satisfying experience – be it the scenery of towering cliffs dropping into the cold Atlantic waters or gentle beaches stretching towards tropical horizons.
Coastal drives have been a draw for travelers since the dawn of motor touring, and the best in the world are located on every inhabited continent. From the limestone stacks of Australia’s southern shore to the fjord-cut edges of Scandinavia, common traits link these routes: They follow terrain that was not easily crossed, they require patience over speed, and they show a landscape largely unchanged since vehicles first rolled along them.
This blog includes 10 coastal drives worthy of global recognition, including a number of those that are not well represented in mainstream travel media. The UAE’s eastern coastline, for example, is a driving experience that compares favorably with more celebrated routes yet gets a fraction of the international attention. What follows is an assessment based on scenic quality, driving experience and accessibility.
Top 10 Stunning Coastal Drives in the World
Below are top 10 stunning coastal drives in the World:
1. Great Ocean Road – Australia
The Great Ocean Road runs 243 km along the south east coast of Victoria between Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned World War I soldiers between 1919 and 1932, it is the largest war memorial in the world, and is visited by more than seven million people each year.
The route passes through rainforests, coastal heathlands and the Port Campbell Limestone formations that include the iconic Twelve Apostles rock stacks. The engineering feat of carving the road into near-vertical cliffs on the coast was given Australian National Heritage listing in 2011. Driving time without stops is three to four hours though most visitors spend a full day or more to enjoy the many lookout points, wildlife encounters and seaside towns along the way.
2. Pacific Coast Highway – United States
California’s State Route 1 or the Pacific Coast Highway stretches 656 miles (1,056 km) from Dana Point in Orange County to Leggett in Mendocino County. It is the longest state route in California and the second-longest in the US.
The most celebrated segment goes through the city of Big Sur, where the road was carved up in the mountains of Santa Lucia during the 1930s. The Bixby Creek Bridge was built in 1932 and represents the kind of engineering that was needed to go over the steep canyons along this stretch. The highway has been designated an All-American Road which acknowledges its outstanding scenic and historical qualities. Full traversal takes more than one day for proper appreciation, especially because of the number of closures due to weather and the pace of traversing sections of the mountains that are winding.
3. Amalfi Coast Drive – Italy
The Strada Statale 163 Amalfitana is a road that stretches for about 50 km along the coast of Campania, in Italy, between Sorrento and Salerno. The road was completed in 1854 during the reign of Ferdinand II and it has received the nickname “the road with 1,001 turns” because of its serpentine shape along limestone cliffs overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The whole Amalfi Coast is a World Heritage Site, an outstanding example of a Mediterranean landscape. Villages such as Positano, Praiano and Amalfi hug steep hillsides, which are only accessible by the narrow road cut into the rock face about 100m above sea level. Driving time technically lasts for two hours, although due to summer traffic, narrow passages and an alternating license plate system that is implemented in the peak season, this may take much longer.
4. Wild Atlantic Way – Ireland
The Wild Atlantic Way follows 2,500km of the west coast of Ireland from Malin Head in Co. Donegal to Kinsale in Co. Cork. Officially launched in 2014, it is one of the longest defined coastal touring routes in the world and has generated an estimated EUR 3 billion worth of revenue each year and supports 35,000 jobs in the region.
The route travels through nine counties and has 157 designated points of discovery. Major attractions include the Cliffs of Moher, the limestone karst landscape of the Burren and Slieve League – one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe at 601m. The terrain ranges from wind-battered headlands to sheltered bays with weather conditions that can change dramatically within hours. Most travelers explore parts of it on several visits as opposed to undertaking the entire route in one go.
5. Garden Route – South Africa
The Garden Route stretches for 300km along the southeastern coastline of South Africa from Mossel Bay to Storms River, and many travelers include the trip in a longer 750km route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth via the N2 national highway.
The route gets its name from the variety of vegetation and many estuaries and lakes along the coast. The Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains rise to 1,500-1,700m inland and provide dramatic backgrounds to the coastal towns of Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Wilderness. The Bloukrans Bridge spanning the Bloukrans River in the Tsitsikamma section was the site of commercial bungee jumping from its 216m height. The temperate climate of the area allows all year-round travel with temperatures rarely below 10°C in winter or exceeding 28°C in summer.
6. Chapman’s Peak Drive – South Africa
Chapman’s Peak Drive covers only 9km from Hout Bay to Noordhoek on the Cape Peninsula, but the 114 bends and sheer cliff faces have made it famous among the world’s most spectacular short coastal drives. Construction started in 1915 and finished in 1922, the road being carved into the near-vertical western face of Chapman’s Peak, which reaches 593m.
The toll road offers viewpoints up to 593 meters above sea level, where whales and dolphins are frequently visible in the Atlantic below. The route forms part of both the Cape Argus Cycle Race and the Two Oceans Marathon, two of South Africa’s largest mass-participation events. Weather-related closures happen periodically because of rockfall risk, and status of roads should be checked before travelling.
7. Sea to Sky Highway – Canada
British Columbia’s Highway 99 runs approximately 160 kilometers from Vancouver to Whistle and follows the eastern shore of Howe Sound before climbing up into the Coast Mountains. The route received international exposure as the main access route during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The first stretch, along Howe Sound, offers classic Pacific Northwest scenery – steep mountains of forest right down to cold coastal waters. Shannon Falls, one of British Columbia’s tallest waterfalls at 335m, is located next to the highway. There is also the Sea to Sky Gondola that provides aerial views of the sound and the surrounding peaks. Driving time from Vancouver to Whistler is about 90 minutes on average in good conditions, but winter weather and construction can significantly increase this time.
8. Atlantic Road – Norway
The Atlanterhavsveien (Atlantic Road) consists of only 8.3 km of Norwegian County Road 64, which links the island of Averoya to the mainland by a series of causeways, viaducts, and eight bridges over small islands and skerries. Completed in 1989 and was designated a Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site in 2005.
The Storseisundet Bridge, which is the architectural highlight of the road, curves dramatically over open water in a design that seems to end suddenly, depending on the angle from which it is viewed. Storm conditions – common along this exposed stretch of the Norwegian Sea – build waves crashing over the road surface, a magnet for photographers looking for dramatic imagery. The short driving time belies the impact of the route on sight and many people use the route as part of a broader exploration of the coastline of Norway’s fjords.
9. Great Ocean Drive – Western Australia
Western Australia’s Great Ocean Drive is about 40km long and follows the southern coast near Esperance, linking the town with Cape Le Grand National Park. The route follows some of Australia’s purest coastline such as Lucky Bay – often described as being one of the finest beaches in Australia and famed for kangaroos lolling on its white sand.
The drive passes through Twilight Beach, Blue Haven Beach and many granite headlands that are a feature of this region’s geology. Cape Le Grand National Park conserves coastal heathland and has walking trails up to Frenchman Peak which have elevated views across the Recherche Archipelago. The relative remoteness of Esperance – around 700km from Perth – means that this coastal drive doesn’t have the same volume of visitors as its eastern counterparts, which has maintained a sense of isolation which has been lost elsewhere.
10. Dubai to Fujairah Coastal Route – United Arab Emirates
The distance from Dubai to the eastern coastline of Fujairah is about 120-150 km, depending on the particular route taken. E84 Sheikh Khalifa Highway has the most direct route (40 km) with the Hajar Mountains. The scenic route via the E99 East Coast Road extends along the shoreline of the Gulf of Oman with views that contrast sharply with the Arabian Gulf coast familiar to most UAE visitors.
The drive moves out of the urban landscape of Dubai to the desert landscape before reaching the Hajar Mountains, whose rocky formations are a dramatic change from the coastal plains. Upon arrival at Fujairah, the coastline displays sandy beaches with mountains in the background – a landscape different from the developed western coast. Travelers who want to enjoy the beaches in UAE at an affordable price often check out beachfront stays such as Sandy Beach Hotel and Resort, which are known for coastal relaxation and sea views. The drive is about 90 minutes to two hours through the mountain route, the coastal extension takes longer time but allows reaching smaller beach communities and diving sites along the Gulf of Oman.
Conclusion
Coastal drives remain as travel experiences because they provide something increasingly rare: landscapes seen at human pace, without the mediation of screens or scheduled stops. The roads themselves – carved from cliffs, suspended over gorges, threaded through fishing villages – are the result of decades of engineering work to link communities that geography had long kept apart.
The ten routes listed in this article share basic qualities for all despite vastly different geographies. Each follows terrain that was a hindrance to easy passage. Each reward drivers who take the time to make an unplanned stop instead of charging towards a destination. And each shows a coastline that is essentially unchanged from the time the road first opened to traffic, whether that was a century ago or even decades ago. From the wild Atlantic shores of Ireland to the mountain back beaches of Fujairah, from the limestone stacks of Victoria to the serpentine curves of the Amalfi Coast, these drives prove the relationship between road, vehicle and landscape still has something to offer which air travel and digital connectivity cannot replicate.
