Top scenic drives and road trip routes
Top scenic drives and road trip routes
Memorable road trips and scenic highway routes
A great road trip has a rhythm all its own, built around the freedom to stop wherever looks interesting rather than sticking to someone else's schedule.
Some travelers want a coastal drive with the ocean in view for hours at a time, while others prefer winding mountain passes or long, empty desert highways where the horizon barely changes. A short loop that fits into a single day appeals to some, while others plan entire trips around a route that takes a week or more to finish properly. Music, podcasts and the occasional detour are as much a part of the experience as the scenery itself. Renting the right car matters too, since comfort and reliability count for a lot when the drive itself is the whole point.
The destinations on our list cover that same range, from short scenic loops to the kind of route worth building an entire trip around.
Lists by region
Country
India
Palaces, temples, backwaters and Himalayan peaks
The Leh Manali Highway crosses five mountain passes above 13,000 feet in northern India. Snow closes this high altitude route for most of the year outside summer months. Drivers can stop at Pang or Sarchu, remote camps set up along the barren route. Prayer flags mark many of the highway's highest passes.
Town in Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Half-timbered streets and a walkable town wall
Germany's Romantic Road threads through half timbered towns like Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This 220 mile route was mapped out after World War Two to draw tourists to the region. Drivers can walk Rothenburg's preserved medieval wall before continuing along the route. Vineyards and castles line stretches of road further south toward the Alps.
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