Chapman's Peak on the Garden Route, South Africa.. Photo / Thinkstock
Highways that hug the shoreline can make for spectacular road trips. Here are 10 of the best around the world.
Pack up the car, load up the driving music and hit the roads with the wind in your hair - there's nothing like a road trip.
Whether you can put the top down or not, members and editors of travel website VirtualTourist.com are sure you'll enjoy any of their top 10 coastal drives.
Victoria, Australia
Starting only about 90km southwest of Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road winds alongside the Southern Ocean from Torquay to Portland. Created by soldiers newly returned from World War I, the 300km route includes a variety of sites such as world-renowned beaches, national parks and shipwrecks.
The most famous spectacle along B100 is the Twelve Apostles, a natural formation of limestone stacks which seem to magically rise from the Southern Ocean. There are two walkways alongside the Twelve Apostles so park your car and get a great photo.
Monterey, California, USA
California's Pacific Coast Highway is probably the most well-known coastal drive in the United States. From Los Angeles to San Francisco, the distance is about 730km, though VirtualTourist members specifically recommend the 218km stretch from San Luis Obispo to Monterey.
This drive includes Point Lobos State Reserve, Point Sur State Historic Park and the highly recognisable, oft-photographed Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
One thing to keep in mind: when you pay admission to one California state park, your receipt will cover your admission to any state park for the day.
Kauai, Hawaii, USA
Although many choose Maui's Hana Highway as Hawaii's primary coastal drive, the drive from Kauai's south shore to the "end of the road" at Haena State Park is truly exceptional. By starting at Poipu Beach, your 84km drive along Highway 56 has gorgeous views. With lookouts along the road, you'll see scenery that is vaguely recognisable - this is the land where the dinosaurs roamed in Jurassic Park. The drive ends at Ha'ena State Park, also the start of the Kalalau Trail, a rugged difficult climb along the Na Pali Coast, which is inaccessible to cars. If you've got time, turn off the road and follow signs to the Kilauea Lighthouse as well as the St Regis Princeville Resort -- both spots have exceptional views.
Florida Keys
The Overseas Highway is the portion of US Route 1 that extends from the end of mainland Florida through the Florida Keys to southernmost Key West. The route runs 257km from Miami to Key West, with large portions of the highway built on bridges left over from the long-forgotten Overseas Railroad, including the famous Seven Mile Bridge.
While the primary view is the bright blue waters of the Florida Straits, the Keys are actually exposed ancient coral reefs leading to varied wildlife and much ecotourism.
The Keys have an interesting spirit of their own and it's definitely worth pulling off the route to explore some of the personalities of the individual islands.
Nova Scotia, Canada
Many road-trip enthusiasts suggest the shores of Nova Scotia, particularly the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, as an ideal coastal drive. The trail spurs north off the Trans-Canada Highway 105 and passes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park before looping back to the 105 only 27km further up the road. Cape Breton Highlands National Park has 26 hiking trails and 24 stunning lookouts along the Cabot Trail, so it is definitely worth the small price of entry ($8.30 for adults and $4.20 for kids) to get out of your car. The entire route is about 270km long.
Western Cape Province, South Africa
The shores of South Africa provide as many great drives as they do gorgeous views. Members suggested the Garden Route, which lies between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town connecting the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces. The route (known as N2 within South Africa) is nicknamed for its abundance of wild flowers and is also dotted with secluded bays and quaint villages. For those who don't want to leave Cape Town, the Chapman's Peak drive is fun driving, as it has more than 114 curves and spectacular cliffside views.
Iceland
Most visitors to Iceland do the Golden Circle Tour, travelling inland from Reykjavik to see Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and the island's geothermal geysers. However, Iceland's Ring Road, Route 1, forms a 1335km circle of the country with incredible coastal views and landmarks.
Driving east from Reykjavik, you'll see sites such as Skaftafell National Park and Jokulsarlon, the largest glacier lagoon in Iceland. A partial journey from Reykjavik to Jokulsarlon is 376km.
Norway
Located in the fjord area of Norway, the Atlantic Road connects a series of islands along the western coast. Even though talk of connecting the islands began as early as 1909, the Atlantic Road didn't open until July 1989.
The road, known as Route 64, is very short: it just 8.3km long and you may recognise it as it has been used for numerous car commercials. Many locals use the bridges for cycling and fishing. Surprisingly, an area along the route, Hustadvika, is incredibly popular for scuba diving due to the number of wrecks along the route before the bridges were built.
Phuket, Thailand
While the majority of the resorts on Phuket are centred on the south and western shores, try driving along the northeastern loop to get a behind the scenes view of island life. By turning off Route 402 at the Heroines Monument, drivers head on a 11km loop on the far northeastern tip of the island.
The loop provides the opportunity to see excellent bay views and small fishing villages, a nice change of pace from the busy beach resorts on the opposite side of the Thai island.
Montenegro
This route, from Kotor to Sveti Stephan, begins in Montenegro countryside, eventually travelling south along the coast of the Mediterranean past the popular resort town of Budva to Sveti Stefan. From the shoreline, the islet of Sveti Stephan juts out, making it a fantastic stop for photographs. If you'd rather not make the trek members also suggested following E65 along the Bay of Kotor - it's only a 37km round trip along this scenic route from Kotor to Risan.
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