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Great coastal drives are not just transportation. They are experiences shaped by cliffs, salt air, changing light, and roads that force a slower pace. One hour can feel wild and windswept, the next calm and sunlit, with small harbors and lookout points shifting the tone at every turn. The best routes balance scenery with character, giving travelers a strong sense of place instead of a blur of photo stops. These five drives stand out for exactly that reason. They are visually stunning, emotionally distinct, and worth every extra mile.
Great Ocean Road, Australia
The Great Ocean Road delivers variety few coastal routes can match. It starts with surf-town energy near Torquay, then moves through rainforest pockets, cliff edges, and viewpoints where the Southern Ocean feels vast and untamed. The route is famous for the Twelve Apostles, but the strongest moments often happen between landmarks, on quieter stretches where ocean wind and changing cloud reshape the view by the minute. It is a drive that rewards patience and frequent stops, because the mood keeps shifting and the road itself feels like a moving landscape gallery.
Pacific Coast Highway, Big Sur, United States
Big Sur is one of the world’s defining coastal drives, where Highway 1 hugs steep bluffs above the Pacific and every curve opens a wider horizon. The scale is dramatic, but the experience stays intimate, especially at pullouts where waves crash below and fog drifts through redwood ridgelines. Road conditions can change due to weather and landslides, which adds a sense of unpredictability and respect to the journey. On clear days, the drive feels cinematic without trying, a rare blend of raw geology, open water, and quiet, reflective momentum.
Atlantic Ocean Road, Norway
Norway’s Atlantic Ocean Road is short in distance but huge in impact. Bridges leap between small islands, and the route feels suspended between sky and sea, especially when weather turns and the water darkens under low cloud. Its design is part of the appeal, elegant engineering set against a rugged marine environment that looks different every hour. Even a brief drive here can feel memorable, because the landscape is stripped down to essentials: rock, wind, light, and motion. It is less about speed and more about absorbing a distinctly Nordic mood.
Chapman’s Peak Drive, South Africa
Chapman’s Peak Drive proves a compact route can still feel epic. Carved into cliffs between Hout Bay and Noordhoek, it combines tight bends, sheer rock faces, and sweeping Atlantic views that change dramatically with the sun. Lookout points make it easy to pause and take in the coastline without rushing from one stop to the next. Late afternoon is especially striking, when warm light catches the stone and the ocean shifts to deeper tones. The entire drive feels focused and intentional, offering maximum visual reward in a relatively short distance.
Amalfi Coast Drive, Italy
The Amalfi Coast Drive is a masterclass in dramatic road travel, with narrow lanes tracing cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea and villages stacked in pastel tiers along the slopes. Every section has a different personality, lively town centers, lemon terraces, quiet overlooks, and sudden glimpses of harbors far below. Traffic can be heavy in peak season, so timing matters, but the visual payoff is undeniable. This route is best treated as a full-day rhythm, not a quick transit, with pauses for espresso, sea views, and the kind of slow travel that lingers.