- Best road trips in the world
- As chosen by Select Car Leasing writers
- From Eryri to the United Arab Emirates
- Don’t miss Norfolk’s stunning coastal route
These are the Top 6 world’s best road trips - and they’ve been hand-picked by our team of expert writers.
Our specialist scribes boast decades of experience behind the wheel, jetting across the globe to test the latest cars and vans while sampling the finest stretches of Tarmac the world has to offer.
And the list below is a curated selection of their favourite routes.
The Top 6 proves you don’t always need to leave the UK to get your thrills on four wheels.
You’ll find epic journeys around the coast of Norfolk, the mountain passes of Eryri, and a true driver’s road just north of Edinburgh that’s just as good as anything in the Scottish Highlands.
So, have a read, get planning, and if you want further advice, you’re welcome to get in touch. Just email mediaenquiry@selectcarleasing.co.uk.
What are the world’s best road trips?
- A149 coastal route, Norfolk
- The Susten Pass, Swiss Alps
- Jebel Hafeet mountain road, UAE
- A823, Fife/Perthshire, Scotland
- Ogwen Valley, Llanberis Pass loop, Eryri (Snowdonia)
- Cuesta de Lipán, Argentina
A149 coastal route, Norfolk
From King's Lynn to Great Yarmouth. Chosen by Tim Barnes-Clay.
“Out of all the places I’ve driven on this spinning rock, I always come back to this one:
As a good old Norfolk lad, I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a tad biased about the relaxed A149 coastal route - it's my favourite for a drive to wash away any worries.
I mean, how can you not love it? This fabulous stretch of North Norfolk tarmac is ideal for motorists and bikers alike, weaving through some stunning scenery that makes you appreciate what the coastline has to offer.
The route gives you stress-busting views at every corner - and you pass through charming communities, like Wells-Next-The-Sea, Blakeney - boasting England's largest grey seal colony - and Sheringham with its steam railway. Each one is worth stopping to explore. Plus, you can't beat the access to the beaches, especially the expanse of Holkham Beach. Oh, and if you want to catch a glimpse of royalty, Sandringham is just off the A149.
So, if the thought of British sea air excites you, then you need to get on the A149. Trust me, this road is a must-drive for anyone visiting East Anglia - just don't blame me if you fall in love with it as I have!”
The Susten Pass, Swiss Alps
From Innertkirchen to Wassen. Chosen by Phil Huff.
“There are so many roads to consider - I’ve driven right across the US, covered Route 66, taken in African desert roads, ice tracks in Canada, and so many more, but there’s one I always come back to. I haven’t been since Covid, but I’m hoping to put that right soon, although it’s a bit of a trek to get there. Here’s why I think a short road in Switzerland is as good as it gets...
The Alps are littered with extraordinary driving roads, but ignore the headline acts such as Stelvio Pass, Grossglockner or Furka Pass. Instead, head for the Susten Pass, which runs between Innertkirchen and Wassen, around an hour south of Lucerne. It begins and ends with classic Alpine hairpins, but the magic happens in the middle. There, it’s a fast, flowing stretch of tarmac set between the 12,000ft Sustenhorn and the unmistakable bulk of Titlis. The road sweeps past glaciers, through tunnels carved into the rock, and beside lakes so blue they look almost unnatural.
Every corner reveals a more dramatic view than the last, with plenty of places to stop and take it all in. But the road also delivers genuine driving pleasure, not the relentless brake-turn-accelerate rhythm of endless hairpins, but a sequence of bends that really engage you. It’s a perfect 30-mile stretch. And once you’ve finished, you arrive in Andermatt, where you can stop for lunch at the Aurora Restaurant, where James Bond dropped off Tilly Masterson in his Aston Martin in Goldfinger.”
Jebel Hafeet mountain road, UAE
On the outskirts of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi. Chosen by Phill Tromans.
“Not many people go to the UAE for a driving holiday, and that’s largely for good reason. The road infrastructure in the country’s seven emirates are generally featureless, bland multi-lane motorways with state-of-the-art technology to combat speeding, and little to excite the senses.
But there are some exceptions, and they are… exceptional. From the tight, twisting mountain routes around Hatta in Dubai to the open, desert (and deserted) expanses of pristine tarmac in the Liwa Oasis in Abu Dhabi, there are some unbelievable photogenic and engaging journeys to be had if you can put up with the initial slog.
My favourite stretch is the road up the Jebel Hafeet mountain in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi. Rising out of the otherwise flat expanse of land, this short 7.3-mile-long stretch has been used for official speed record attempts and is a regular feature climb in World Tour cycling races.
Generally quiet, especially out of tourist season, it’s home to just about every radius of corner as it hauls up the mountain, offering considerable reward to the driving enthusiast. With so many turns (around 60), it’s almost impossible to perfect from behind the wheel, but it’s darn fun to try.
An honourable mention should also go to Jebel Jais, a newer, but similarly rewarding stretch of road up a mountain in Ras Al Khaimah near the border with Oman. If you happen to be in the Emirates on holiday, both are well worth checking out, even in a hire car.”
A823, Fife/Perthshire, Scotland
From Crieff to Dunfermline. As chosen by Matt McConnell.
The A823 is an action-packed road that runs from Dunfermline to Crieff. And our writer Matt reckons the short stretch between Yetts o’Muckhart to Gleneagles is just as good as anything you’ll find in the Scottish Highlands.
He explains: “I love driving the A823 from the Yetts o’Muckhart to Gleneagles, Scotland.
The A823 carves its way not only through fields, but stunning valleys. It’s packed with tight bends and straights, making it a perfect place to enjoy an open-top convertible or hot hatch. At the end, you can grab a bite at Gleneagles hotel and then do the road in reverse! Can’t make the Highlands? Try the A823.”
Ogwen Valley-Llanberis Pass loop, Eryri (Snowdonia)
From A5 near Bethesda back to Tregarth. Chosen by Neil Goodwin.
“I’ve driven a battered SUV across the plains of Patagonia and I’ve muttered prayers to myself while negotiating switchback mountain passes in Nepal.
But there are few routes in the world as awe-inspiring as my favourite roads in Eryri (Snowdonia). And I guess it all comes down to what it means to you personally.
I’m an avid hiker and rock climber and for years Eryri has been my playground. Here’s my perfect itinerary. Leave the A55 near Bangor and join the A5. Bimble carefully up gently-winding bends to Bethesda before stopping in the supermarket and loading up on snacks (flapjack, lots of and lots of flapjack…).
Fortified, you’re now ready to join the land of the giants. The A5 continues south east towards Llyn Ogwen as the vista threatens to obliterate your eyeballs with views of 3,000ft mountains and knife-edge ridges on both sides. To me, the Lake District is manicured, almost too perfect. Eryri is brutalist, dangerous. It’s intoxicating.
(The A5 running through Ogwen valley, North Wales, just behind the author's shoulder)
Try your hardest to maintain focus on the road ahead as Pen yr Ole Wen looms up on the left and the Stegosaurus-shaped slopes of Tryfan stab into the view on the right. Everywhere you look, there are classic rock climbs and routes not yet ticked, and the whole experience will leave you speechless when it’s covered in snow.
The Ogwen pass continues to Capel Curig where the road darkens as the forest encroaches. Hang a right, join the A4086 and set a course for the Llanberis Pass, which runs parallel (to the south) of the Ogwen Valley.
Here (on a good day, at least…) you’ll see Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) as you snake your way down from Pen y Pass to Llanberis itself. Get out of your car and wander down to the glistening Llyn Padarn, a glacial lake that’s home to the famous ‘Lonely Tree’, the most photographed birch tree on Instagram. From there you can just loop back to the east and re-join the A55.
One word of advice: these roads get busy and can be thronged with those who love the great outdoors. Set off early, catch the sunrise, and you might even have the highway to yourself.”
Cuesta de Lipán, Argentina
Jujuy Province, Argentina. Chosen by Maxine Ashford.
“There’s a fine margin between being exhilarated and outright terrified. Take, for example, the road from Simla to the foothills of the Himalayas in Northern India, on a rickety bus, with barely any brakes, and at night. That particular trip is filed in the latter category, while fizzing down Spanish mountainsides in an open-top sports car ticks all of the right boxes.
Being based in Cardiff, I have some excellent driving routes heading north from Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons).
However, there was one road I came across a few years back in northern Argentina - the incredible Cuesta de Lipán - that counts as my most memorable. It forms part of the Ruta Nacional 52 and you can definitely feel that you’re at a high altitude. The twists and turns can be seen for miles and miles, and (for us) with not a single other vehicle to worry about.”
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