Scenic Coastal Drives Around the World

Some roads make the journey as memorable as the destination. Coastal drives hold a special place among these — the combination of open water, sea air, and the physical sensation of a winding cliff road creates an experience that inland driving simply cannot replicate. Here are the world’s finest coastal drives, across five continents.

Pacific Coast Highway — California, USA

💡 Try it yourself: Speeding Fine Calculator 2026 — instant fine estimate for 17 countries, Germany, France, Italy and the UK among them, free.

The Pacific Coast Highway (California State Route 1) is the archetype of the coastal road trip. Running along the Pacific Ocean for much of the California coastline, the definitive stretch is between Los Angeles and San Francisco — approximately 600 km that can be driven in a single long day but rewards three to five days of exploration.

The route passes through Malibu’s celebrity beach houses, the rocky coves of Big Sur, the sea otter colony at Monterey, and the artist communities of Carmel and Cambria. The Big Sur section is particularly dramatic: the road hugs a narrow shelf between 300-metre cliffs and the crashing Pacific, and rock falls occasionally close sections for weeks. Check Caltrans road conditions before your trip.

Best driven southbound (San Francisco to LA) to keep the ocean on your right and maximise the view. Allow extra time for the Golden Gate Bridge and the redwood groves at Muir Woods.

Atlantic Ocean Road — Norway

The Atlanterhavsvegen covers only 8.3 km, but it may be the most dramatic piece of road ever built. Constructed across a series of small islands and skerries west of Molde in 1989, the road uses a sequence of eight bridges to hop across the archipelago, with each bridge providing a different angle on the churning Atlantic beneath. The road was voted Norway’s “Construction of the Century” in 2005.

The Atlantic Ocean Road connects to the broader Romsdal region, which includes the Trollstigen mountain pass and the Trollveggen (Troll Wall) — Europe’s tallest vertical rock face. Combine the coast and the mountains for a route that showcases Norway’s extraordinary landscape in a single day.

The Great Ocean Road — Victoria, Australia

Victoria’s Great Ocean Road runs 243 km along a coast regularly described as the world’s most dramatic. The Twelve Apostles limestone stacks are the headline attraction, but the route offers constant rewards: the beach town of Torquay (surf capital of Australia), the surf break at Bells Beach, temperate rainforest at the Otway Ranges, and the wild cliff scenery of Port Campbell National Park.

Drive westbound from Melbourne for the best light on the Twelve Apostles in the afternoon. The full route takes a long day, but two days allows time to walk the cape tracks, visit the historic Flagstaff Hill maritime village at Warrnambool, and linger at sunset over the apostles.

Wild Atlantic Way — Ireland

At 2,500 km, Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way is the longest defined coastal driving route in the world. The west coast of Ireland is one of Europe’s most unspoiled landscapes: limestone pavements in the Burren, the soaring sea cliffs of Moher, the islands and peninsulas of Connemara and Connaught, and the Skellig Islands (now famous as Luke Skywalker’s island in Star Wars) visible from the Kerry coastline.

The route is best experienced over a week or more, spending nights in small fishing villages, eating fresh seafood, and exploring the Gaelic-speaking Gaeltacht communities of Galway and Donegal. Irish driving etiquette requires slowing for passing places on the narrow coastal roads — patience is part of the experience.

Cabot Trail — Nova Scotia, Canada

The Cabot Trail loops 298 km around the northern tip of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. The route combines the rugged Atlantic shoreline with the forested highlands of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, rising and falling with dramatic switchbacks that rival any alpine road. The trail is named after the explorer John Cabot and is particularly spectacular in October when the maple forest turns blazing red, orange, and gold.

The village of Chéticamp serves Acadian French culture; Baddeck was the home of Alexander Graham Bell; and the small fishing villages scattered along the coast offer an authentic and uncrowded experience.

Chapman’s Peak Drive — South Africa

Perched on the cliffs of the Cape Peninsula 15 km south of Cape Town, Chapman’s Peak Drive is one of the most engineering-intense coastal roads in the world. Cut into the sheer granite face of Chapman’s Peak between 1915 and 1922, the road hugs the cliff for 9 km between Hout Bay and Noordhoek, with 114 curves and multiple sea-view stops. The road frequently closes after rock falls — check Cape Town traffic updates before visiting.

The broader Cape Peninsula drive from Cape Town to the Cape of Good Hope and back via both coastlines is a full-day itinerary combining this famous cliff road with the False Bay coastline, the penguin colony at Boulders Beach, and the Cape Point lighthouse.

Amalfi Coast Drive — Italy (Revisited)

The SS163 Amalfitana between Sorrento and Salerno earns its place on every list of great coastal drives. The road was literally carved from the cliff face in the 19th century, and driving it today feels like navigating a vertical city. The medieval fishing villages of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello cling to the cliffs above and below the road with implausible confidence.

Drive in May or June before the summer crowds arrive. An early morning departure from Sorrento means empty roads and perfect light on the cliffside lemons and bougainvillea.

Marine Drive — Mumbai, India

India’s contribution to the world’s great coastal drives is the Marine Drive in Mumbai, also known as the Queen’s Necklace for the arc of streetlights that lines the bay at night. The 3.6 km promenade road between Nariman Point and Malabar Hill offers front-row seats to the Arabian Sea, framed by Art Deco architecture that makes Mumbai a UNESCO World Heritage City. It is best appreciated at dawn before traffic builds, or at dusk when the lights come on.

Each of these drives offers something impossible to replicate in inland driving: the horizon, the sound of the sea, and the exhilarating sense that the road could simply end in the water ahead. Pack your driving licence, check local requirements, and point your car towards the coast.

Related Resources

Explore more guides and tools on TyreMap.com:

• driving in Italy
• driving in Australia
• driving in South Africa
• Road Trip Cost Calculator